The world of today moves so quickly that it’s simple to feel like you’re continually falling behind. While working full-time or caring for a family, it is impossible to keep up with the news, keep up your professional abilities, or become an authority on a topic that interests you. Fortunately, there are several helpful free apps available.
We have also covered Best Learning Apps for Kids : Free/Paid
The first step is deciding what you want to learn. There is an app for just about anything you want to study, including:
- Coding
- Accounting
- Photography
- Grammar and spelling
- Cooking
- Biology
One of its best features is a smartphone’s capacity to provide much more information than just what is directly around us. We would only have a few of our unique resources today without smartphones and tablets.
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We can learn on the go and locate knowledge more quickly than ever by using these devices for research and pleasure. Below is a list of our top apps for expanding your knowledge, brushing up on what you already know, and enhancing your life.
How We test and Select apps?
| Criteria | Description |
|---|---|
| Purpose/Goals | Determine if the app aligns with our objectives |
| Content Quality | Evaluate the accuracy, relevance, and educational value of the content |
| User Interface | Assess the ease of use, accessibility, and navigability of the app |
| Features | Analyze the features, functionalities, and educational value available |
| Performance | Test the app’s performance, stability, and loading times |
| Reviews/Feedback | Consider user reviews, feedback, and ratings |
| Price | Evaluate the cost-effectiveness and value for money of the app |
| Updates | Check the frequency and quality of app updates and bug fixes |
| Security | Assess the app’s security, data privacy measures, and compliance with industry standards |
| Compatibility | Determine the compatibility with different devices and operating systems |
| Educational Value | Evaluate the overall educational value and relevance of the app |
| Testing Process | We download and test apps for several weeks to thoroughly assess their features, performance, and educational value. |
We evaluate apps based on the following standards:
- Does the information this app offers have any merit?
- Is it simple to use the app? For those who are new to utilizing apps like this, is there a help section available?
- Does the information appear reliable and sufficiently detailed without being overly dense? Is learning enjoyable if it’s an interactive game?
- Are there any advertisements or pop-up windows that can obstruct your ability to learn? Are there any in-app purchases that can persuade you to abandon your goals for the app?
We initially looked at the most well-liked learning applications before determining the top learning apps. Since so many people already use these apps, giving them precedence over illegitimate programs is only fitting.
This presented us with a challenge: how could we decide which of these programs was worthwhile using? We decided to test various learning software categories, such as vocabulary builders, flashcard programs, etc. We then tried out each application, using them often enough to establish an opinion on their effectiveness.
We would always review each app after a rigorous testing period to see if it satisfied our standards for being worthwhile to download. Ultimately, we reduced our options to six apps that would benefit anyone seeking new information while on the road.
Although our judgment is crucial, we rely on our friends and online users’ reviews and opinions.
We examine the ratings and read user reviews to understand what normal users say about an app. There may be a problem that the developers need to address if there are several recurring themes in these reviews. For instance, if most reviews criticize bugs in a particular area of the software or slow load times, it probably needs to be easier to use.
To know what to focus on while testing a product, we also like to see if other people have found particular features valuable. For instance, many individuals say how much they enjoy using an app offline.
Below are the 6 best Free Learning Apps for Adults
| App Name | Price | Ages/Grades | Why We Recommend | Features | Pros | Cons |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Duolingo | Free | 13+ | Great for learning new languages | Gamified learning experience | Highly engaging and fun to use, great for beginners in language learning | Limited in-depth explanations, can be repetitive after a while |
| Coursera | Free | 18+ | Provides access to courses from top universities | Wide variety of courses on offer | High-quality content, certification options available for many courses | Some courses require payment, may not be suitable for those looking for casual learning |
| Braille Tutor | Free | 18+ | Learn Braille, improve literacy skills | Audio and visual assistance, interactive lessons | Great tool for learning Braille, good for people with visual impairments or dyslexia | Limited range of lessons, may not be suitable for those without visual impairments |
| Codeacademy Go | Free | 18+ | Learn how to code | Interactive lessons, progress tracking | Offers hands-on experience, no prior experience required to start learning | Limited range of topics, may not be suitable for more advanced learners |
| TED | Free | 18+ | Watch inspiring talks on various topics | Huge variety of talks on offer | Inspiring and thought-provoking, great for expanding knowledge and perspectives | Limited interaction with content, may not be suitable for those who prefer active learning |
| Udemy | Free | 18+ | Access to courses on various topics | Wide variety of courses on offer | Many courses available for free, great for professional development | Some courses require payment, quality of courses can vary |
| Khan Academy | Free | 18+ | Access to educational videos and exercises | Comprehensive coverage of various subjects | Great for supplementing classroom learning, clear explanations | Limited interactivity, may not be suitable for those who prefer active learning |
There are several apps available that can aid with learning. Thus, this list needs to be completed. But these are our top picks:
1. Duolingo: Best for learning new languages
Duolingo is a free app that lets you learn several different languages. You can access it on any device or computer, and there are versions for Spanish, French, German, Portuguese, and Italian speakers. The app itself is straightforward: you enter your goal language and native language to give yourself a boost in the right direction.
You get a study plan tailored to your goal language and level of proficiency, with plenty of exercises from listening to writing. You can save your progress as you go along or start over if you need a refresher course or want to try a new exercise.
Duolingo’s lessons are simple but effective. It teaches some of the basics (like asking for directions or drinking an espresso) but also helps with comprehension by explaining what a given word means in more detail than most other apps do. There are also frequent review sessions where you’ll be prompted to write out sentences in the target language before being able to move on.
This is critical to helping learners transform the new words and phrases into phrases they can use naturally in conversation. Like any other skill, learning a language requires repetition for it to stick—something Duolingo does well through its gamified system.
2. Coursera: Best for courses from top universities
Coursera is an app that makes it easy to learn just about anything. It offers over 5,000 courses from over 100 universities, covering everything from computer programming to physics and art history. The material is organized into courses of increasing length, complexity, and difficulty—beginning with a few minutes a day and ending with several hours. Professors teach classes from top schools like Yale, Stanford, and Johns Hopkins.
Focused on quality rather than quantity, the app boasts an impressive 4.6-star rating on the App Store. There are no ads or in-app purchases, and most courses cost no money to access at all. The app is free and available for iOS devices (iPhones, iPads) and Android phones/tablets. Courses can be started on one device and continued on another—and all you need is an internet connection to watch lectures and complete assignments designed by professors who are experts in their fields.
3. Braille Tutor
For many individuals, learning Braille may seem like an overwhelming undertaking, but let’s face it: it’s always been more complex to pick up the ability in the era of smartphones. You can learn everything about the Unified English Braille code using the free Braille Tutor app. The app is simple to use and offers endless courses for independent practice. You may practice anywhere, anytime by printing off the Braille alphabet, numerals, and writing exercises.
Anyone who wishes to learn Braille but has yet to commit can benefit from the Braille Tutor app. With it, you may know some guidelines that govern how Braille functions and practice reading and writing Braille.
4. Codeacademy Go : Best for Learning Coding Skills
While learning to code can be a terrific method to advance your career, it can also be difficult and time-consuming. A free program called Codecademy Go is intended to make learning to code faster and more accurate.
With Codecademy Go, students of any skill level can put what they’ve learned into practice online rather than reading books or watching videos, ensuring that they’ve learned sticks. The program offers general concepts like loops and functions and tutorials related to JavaScript, HTML/CSS, and Ruby languages.
Also, it has helpful tools like a cheat sheet that you can interact with to help you remember grammar, a community within the program where you can ask for problems and get help from others, and more.
Codecademy Go offers tests that enable you to test your knowledge in practical situations once you’ve finished class. For instance, if you’re learning JavaScript loops, one of the exercises will ask you how many times a circle will complete its cycle; this is a question that’s typically challenging to estimate when reading about them in a book or watching a video, but it’s simple to respond to with Codecademy Go’s quizzes.
5. TED
TED has a free app perfect for helping you learn something new while commuting, in line at the grocery store, or any other time you have a few minutes to spare. The app is packed with thousands of talks on just about any topic you can think of—science and technology, business and economics, the arts, history and philosophy, education, politics, and more.
Talk topics range from recent presentations given at TED conferences to ones that are several years old. Some are hilarious, and some are profound—there’s something for everyone.
We used TED’s mobile app a few months ago, and it’s helped us get through some long flights—you can download several talks before you leave, so you don’t have to spend time watching in-flight entertainment. Now that we know about the app, there are plenty of times when we wish I could pull out our phone to listen to a talk instead of doing whatever mundane task we happen to be doing, so it’s beneficial for all situations!
6. Udemy
You might occasionally want to relax and unwind. You want to do something entertaining and mentally challenging but not too demanding.
The “curiosity factor” is merely a great bonus; the primary goal of apps like this one is to be simple and accessible.
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We wholeheartedly endorse it if you need help finding an app that will meet these criteria just as well as Udemy.
No matter what device you have, you can access the software because it is available for both iOS and Android devices.
After installing the app, you can look through Udemy for the finest courses that suit your needs.
In addition to other categories, the app has sections for business and marketing, computers and technology, education and teaching, health and fitness, and home and garden. You can then explore by price or category to find the subcategories most closely match your preferences. Udemy offers consumers looking to learn new skills or valuable life lessons a platform to share their knowledge with the world while also assisting course authors.
7. Khan Academy
Khan Academy is an organization that creates free education videos for people of all ages. The videos cover various topics, from basic arithmetic to advanced math and science. They have an app where you can watch videos on your phone or tablet, and it’s completely free. The Khan Academy is great for those with a busy schedule but still want to learn more about various subjects and brush up on their skills.
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Khan Academy has over 10000 videos available for free, with more being added every day. These videos are short, usually only 10 minutes long at most, but they help reinforce what you’re learning in school and can even help you discover new things you didn’t know before! They’re also easily navigable, so it’s simple to move around within them or jump back to a previous section if needed. Some games and exercises are in some videos to help test your knowledge of what was just covered.
The Khan Academy app is available for Android, and iOS devices (iPhones, iPads), Windows tablets, Windows Phone devices, and Kindle Fire HD. There are also apps for Apple TV and Google Chrome.