Which language apps work offline, and what each one downloads

Babbel, Pimsleur, Mondly, Quizlet and Drops Premium let you study offline once their lessons or cards download on a connection. AnkiMobile's App Store listing says you can study without an internet connection, and Memrise retired its offline mode.

Rosetta Stone's Classic app downloads units, but the App Store limits it to existing subscribers. New buyers get the Sapphire app, whose page doesn't mention offline use.

Pick by what you need without a connection:

• No budget: Anki's free computer app, which keeps your cards on the computer.
• Listening on a commute: podcast episodes you save in Apple Podcasts.
• Audio lessons on a flight: Pimsleur.
• Full lessons with exercises: Babbel.
• Word games with no setup: Drops Premium.
• Your own flashcards on iPhone, paid once: AnkiMobile.

I read each company's own pages for the offline columns on 17 and 18 Oct 2026. Each price carries its own read date.

Verbamor, which I build, is a flashcard app. I keep it out of the table and describe it in a labeled section at the end.

Which language apps work offline?

7 of the 9 apps below describe an offline mode. They differ in what downloads, what still needs a connection and what it costs.

Can I learn a language offline for free?

Yes. Anki's computer app is free and keeps your cards on the computer, and podcast episodes you save play offline.

Anki's download page calls its computer version free, and says AnkiDroid for Android is free (read 18 Oct 2026). Anki's manual says the computer app keeps your cards, audio and images in a folder on the computer.

Anki ships no language content of its own. You make your cards, or download a shared deck while you're connected, as AnkiDroid's manual says. For people without regular internet access, that manual describes copying decks to the phone over USB.

For listening, Apple's iPhone guide says a saved podcast episode downloads automatically "so you can listen to it offline". Babbel's podcasts are free, and Babbel's offline help page says you can download them.

Does Duolingo work offline?

Duolingo doesn't describe an offline mode on its own pages. Its help-center index lists no article on offline lessons, and its US App Store listing doesn't mention offline use.

Duolingo's own travel post says: "Research where you’ll have Wi-Fi." For a flight, download 1 of the apps above.

Did Memrise remove offline mode?

Yes. Memrise retired its offline mode when it moved learners to its new app, and offline mode hadn't returned when I checked on 17 Oct 2026.

Memrise's own announcement says "there will be no offline mode at this time". Its migration help page still says "there is no offline mode yet".

Memrise's CEO gave the reason in February 2024: the app relies on "real-time advanced AI services".

Google's AI Overview, which I read on 17 Oct 2026, says Memrise downloads vocabulary for offline travel. Memrise's announcement and its migration page both say the new app needs an internet connection.

If Memrise is your app, expect to need a connection. A 1-star App Store review of Memrise complains about "the removal of offline mode".

Does offline study count toward my streak?

Babbel needs you back online the same day. Its help page says offline activities count only if you "open the Babbel app again before the end of the day" while connected.

Drops counts a day only when the session syncs over "a working internet connection". Its help center says a session that didn't sync didn't count.

Rosetta Stone's Classic app syncs your progress when you reconnect. If you delete the app before it syncs, Rosetta Stone says your offline progress "will not be saved".

Quizlet saves offline progress on the phone. It syncs after you reconnect and refresh the app.

Duolingo's 2023 travel post, updated in May 2026, says to save Streak Freezes for days without a connection. That post says the free app stores 2.

A 2-star App Store review of Duolingo states the risk: "I did my Duolingo offline but it didn’t count".

How much storage do offline lessons take?

Rosetta Stone's Classic app gives the clearest number. Each unit is about 70 to 80 MB, and all 20 units total roughly 1.6 GB.

Those Classic downloads last 30 days. A unit you download 5 weeks before a trip will be gone when you board.

Babbel, Pimsleur, Mondly and Drops don't give a size on the pages I read. Pimsleur says you can remove lessons once you finish them, to save space.

How do I download lessons before a flight?

Test a download before you trust it. A 1-star App Store review of Babbel says "Offline mode never works even with lessons downloaded".

1. Connect the phone to Wi-Fi the day before you leave.
2. Check free space under Settings, General, iPhone Storage (iPad Storage on an iPad).
3. Download the lessons or units for the trip in each app.
4. Open Drops while connected, so its Premium content downloads.
5. Save the podcast episodes you want in Apple Podcasts.
6. Wait for each download to finish. Babbel and Quizlet show a checkmark when they save one.
7. Turn on Airplane Mode.
8. Play 1 downloaded lesson for a minute.
9. Turn off Airplane Mode.
10. Stay signed in while offline. Rosetta Stone's Classic app won't let you sign back in until you reconnect.
11. Reconnect before the day ends if your Babbel streak matters.
12. Keep each app installed until it syncs.

Can I translate offline on the trip?

Yes, with Google Translate. Its help page says it translates without an internet connection once you download a language onto the phone.

Google's help page says to "download languages only when you’re connected to Wi-Fi." Download yours at home with the course downloads.

Disclosure: does Verbamor, the app I build, work offline?

I build Verbamor, so I have a stake in this section. It's a flashcard app for iPhone and iPad, with no lessons to download.

Studying works offline in Verbamor. You rate each card Forgot, Hard, Good or Easy, and the ratings sync when the phone reconnects.

An opt-in download, over Wi-Fi only, keeps every card's pictures and audio on the phone. The iPhone requirements and storage page lists the sizes.

Making new cards needs a connection. That covers a lesson recording, an audio file, pasted text and a Translate lookup. Ask people before you record them.

For whole lessons on a 10-hour flight, pick Babbel or Pimsleur. On Android, pick another app, because Verbamor has no Android app.

Questions people ask

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