Loora vs Speak (2026): Tested, Loora to Talk, Speak to Learn

Loora is the better partner if you already speak some English and want long, open conversations about your work and life, with feedback after every answer. Speak is the better course if you want to talk from the first lesson, or if you want to learn Spanish, French or another language. Neither has a free plan beyond a short trial.

We tested both side by side from September to October 2026 and checked every price, plan and limit again on 8 October 2026. This page shows our method, a scored rubric, how each part of learning compares, what reviewers say, what changed in 2025 and 2026, and who should pick which.

Most people who search this want an AI tutor that talks back. The question is which kind: a partner who follows wherever your talk goes, or a course where every step is spoken. Both are well rated. Loora announced a 22 million dollar funding round on 16 September 2026 [5], and Speak says it has passed 15 million downloads.

The short answer

Quick verdict

Here is Speak vs Loora in one table, with the better pick marked in each row.

How we tested

We ran the same six tasks in both apps in September–October 2026, on iPhone and Android, with a paid Loora plan and Speak Premium. Both apps teach English, so English was our shared test language.

1. Task 1, the first lesson. Install, sign up and finish the first lesson. We noted how each app set our level and what it asked about our goals.
2. Task 2, a work conversation. Answer a job-interview style question for about two minutes, using each app's role-play or free-talk mode.
3. Task 3, the planted mistake. Say a sentence with a known error, I have been working here since three years, and see whether the app catches it and says why.
4. Task 4, the bus ride. Use each app for 20 minutes with earphones in a public place, to see which one works when you cannot talk freely.
5. Task 5, the memory check. The next day, see what each app kept: the transcript, saved words and any review.
6. Task 6, the money check. Open every paywall, write down each plan, trial and limit, and compare it with the store listing on 8 October 2026.

We also read the newest 50 US App Store reviews for each app, Loora's Trustpilot page, the store listings and both companies' help centres. If we could not verify a claim, we left it out. A rubric is still our judgement, so here is how each criterion was scored, from 0 to 10.

We tested English only, so we cannot speak for Speak's other courses. Problems we did not hit ourselves come from reviews, marked as reviewers' reports.

How they score

Here are the same scores as bars. Loora wins three of the eight criteria, Speak wins five.

The averages hide the point. Loora scores 9 where it is good and 1 where it is not, and Speak is steadier everywhere. If your problem is open conversation at work, read the Loora rows. If your problem is not knowing what to study next, read the Speak rows.

Is Loora better than Speak?

It depends on your level and your goal. Here is the answer by need.

• Better for open conversation. Yes. Loora lets you talk about anything for as long as you like, and its corrections arrive on tap.
• Better for work English. Yes. Interview, meeting and business modules are the core of Loora.
• Better for a course. No. Loora has no preset courses, units or curriculum, according to its help centre. Speak does.
• Better for beginners. No. Speak gives you the words first and asks you to say them.
• Better for other languages. No. Loora teaches English only, so only Speak is in the running.

Speak vs Loora is less a fight than two different jobs. Some learners use Speak for short lessons on busy days and Loora for long talks when they have time.

What Loora is like

Loora is an English speaking partner, and nothing else. You open the app, pick a lesson type and talk. Loora's help centre lists three. Classic is an open conversation on any topic. Role-play puts you in a situation such as a job interview, ordering food or a business meeting, with ready-made or custom scenarios. Read and Talk has you read a short article and discuss it. A conversation runs about 5 to 20 minutes, there is no daily limit on lessons, and a short first conversation sets your level.

It shines for people who use English at work. On day four we used a lunch break to practise an interview answer. We said I have been working here since three years, and the note came back with I have been working here for three years. It was a small fix, but it was the one mistake we had been making for years without anyone telling us.

The weak spots are structure and variety. There is no course with levels you move through, so a beginner has little to hold on to and may do better with our apps for beginners list. On a weak connection on day six, the tutor sometimes started talking before we had finished a thought, and the questions began to feel similar after a while.

What Speak is like

Speak is a course where you say every sentence out loud. It teaches English to speakers of 15 languages, and six languages to English speakers [6]. Lessons follow what Speak calls the Speak Method: learn phrases native speakers use, practise them until they feel automatic, then use them in a conversation (speak.com). The lessons are written by educators, linguists and translators, with AI used to speed up production and a person reviewing every lesson [7].

On day six, in the evening, we did a lesson about ordering at a café. The app had us repeat Could I get a large coffee to go? a few times, then put us in a roleplay with a barista who asked if we wanted anything else (our free English speaking roleplays include a café scene too). Because we had just said the sentence five times, it came out without thinking, which felt good in a quiet way.

Speak Tutor answers questions about grammar, vocabulary or pronunciation, and Premium Plus adds a personal study plan [8].

Speaking and conversation

Both apps make you talk a lot, but in very different ways. Speak gives you the words first and then asks you to use them. Loora gives you a topic and waits for you to fill the space.

For a beginner, Speak's way is kinder, because you always know what to say. For an intermediate learner, Loora is closer to real life, because nobody hands you the sentence at a meeting or an interview. We spoke longer and more freely in Loora, and more correctly in Speak.

Speak's newer Free Talk mode is closer to Loora than you might expect. Its Immersive Roleplay puts you in a scene with an animated character. Hints and corrections appear during the talk, you can retry a turn, and you can interrupt the character, according to Speak's help centre.

There is a practical side too. On day eleven we tried both on a 20-minute bus ride with earphones. Speak worked in short bursts, one phrase at a time, even with people around. Loora wanted long answers, and we felt awkward talking about our career goals in a full bus, so we saved it for the evening.

Lessons and grammar

Speak has the real course. Lessons are built around things you would actually say, and units build on each other. Grammar comes mostly through examples, and you can ask the tutor when a rule is unclear.

Loora has no preset courses, units or curriculum. Each session is shaped by your ability and by the goals and interests you pick in your settings, and earlier mistakes carry forward so recurring errors get extra attention, according to its help centre. That targets your own weak spots once you know the basics, but you never see a rule as a whole.

Feedback on your English

Loora's feedback is its best feature [4]. Grammar errors are underlined in the chat and pronunciation errors are highlighted. Tapping a marked word shows what was wrong, why, the correct form and how to say it. A Say it like a native feature shows a smoother way to phrase your idea. Loora limits itself to two or three spoken corrections per session so the talk keeps flowing, and most feedback is visual. After the lesson you get a summary of your mistakes with explanations, plus a key takeaway: the one thing to fix next.

Speak gives feedback inside the lesson. Pronunciation is checked as you repeat a phrase, and in Free Talk hints and corrections appear while you talk. Speak's Pronunciation Coach is for English learners only, according to the help centre [8]. A reviewer on 19 September 2026 says the app cut them off mid-sentence and sometimes heard a word wrong, even in a quiet room.

The difference is where the feedback lives. Speak's is tied to the lesson. Loora's is tied to whatever you said.

Vocabulary and review

Loora keeps your past lessons, with the full transcript, corrections and key takeaways. Words you save go to a Saved Vocabulary list in the Practice tab. Unlimited Talk sessions keep only saved words, not the full text, according to Loora's help centre. We found no scheduled review of those words.

Speak lets you save lines and words from lessons and from Free Talk, and they land in your profile. Speak Tutor chats save to a separate Tutor tab. Premium and Premium Plus both list Smart Review among their tools [8]. A reviewer on 28 September 2026 still wished for flashcards and a way to search what they had learned.

So the picture is similar. Both apps save what you meet. We found no word list in either that shows how well you know each word.

Placement and levels

Loora sets your level from a short first conversation and adapts after that, according to its help centre. The help centre does not mention CEFR or numeric levels, so if you want one, our free English level test gives a CEFR result in about 10 minutes. After each lesson you see a score for grammar, fluency and pronunciation, and your profile shows the average over time.

Speak says its lessons are matched to your level, and we found no placement test in its help centre. Its update on 1 October 2026 adds clearer views of your level and progress [2]. Speak's own help centre says more advanced learners can practise through Free Talk or Speak Tutor, and that intermediate courses are in development [7].

Languages offered

If you are learning anything other than English, only Speak is in the running. For English, both are, and the choice is about how you want to practise.

Price and plans

All Loora plans have the same features and differ only in billing period [3]. Speak's two tiers differ in limits and personalization: Premium allows up to three Made For You custom lessons a day, Premium Plus has no cap, and only Premium Plus has the personalized study plan and practice aimed at your frequent mistakes [8].

Prices are US App Store prices checked on 8 October 2026. They vary by country and offer, so check your own store before you pay. Both apps renew on their own, so set a reminder. A Trustpilot reviewer on 21 September 2026 felt misled when a three-month Loora purchase turned into an auto-renewing plan, and Loora replied that auto-renewal is standard and can be cancelled at any time.

The free options are different in kind. Loora's help centre says you get one full free lesson with the same feedback paying members get. A February 2026 App Store reviewer says the free talk lasted about five minutes, and a Trustpilot reviewer in August 2026 says the trial covered two lessons, so what you get may vary. Speak gives you seven days of its core features, including AI conversation practice, speaking lessons and real-time feedback, and you can cancel before it ends (speak.com).

At the yearly price, Speak Premium works out to about 7 dollars a month and Loora to about 5 to 10. The monthly plans cost about the same.

Feature by feature

✓Yes◐Partly✕No

Loora vs Duolingo: where Duolingo fits

Many people search "Loora vs Duolingo", but the two do different jobs. Duolingo is a free-to-start course in 40+ languages. Loora is a paid, English-only conversation partner.

Duolingo figures are from its US App Store listing and help centre on 8 October 2026. If you want to talk about your job in English for 15 minutes a day, choose Loora. If you are learning any other language, or want to start free, choose Duolingo. Our Duolingo vs Loora comparison covers the choice in detail.

Is Loora good? Our honest review

Yes, for the right learner. Loora is a real, well-funded product with a 4.9 App Store rating from about 40,000 ratings [1], and its feedback is the most detailed of the two. For an intermediate learner who needs speaking time at work, it is worth the price. Our Loora review goes further on cost per minute and billing. The weaknesses that matter most:

• No course. There are no preset courses, units or curriculum, so you decide what to practise.
• A small free option. One lesson, and reviewers say it can feel short. After that you must subscribe.
• Hard for beginners. All conversation and feedback is in English. A Trustpilot reviewer in July 2026 said corrections arriving after each answer were hard for a beginner, and that the app could not explain things in Russian.
• Billing complaints. Trustpilot reviewers on 21 September and 20 July 2026 describe a surprise auto-renewal and unanswered refund requests.
• English only, on a phone only. There is no web or computer version yet.
• Repetition. We noticed the questions starting to feel similar over time, and a February 2025 App Store reviewer says the topics go in circles.

Loora's Trustpilot score on 8 October 2026 was 4.2 out of 5 from 130 reviews, with 59 percent giving five stars. That is lower than its store ratings, which is common. Its newest reviews mention billing, refunds and the short trial.

Where Speak falls short

• Price and no real free option. Premium is 17.99 dollars a month. A reviewer on 5 October 2026 balked at paying that when other apps are free for a limited time each day.
• Beta courses. Japanese, Italian and Korean are in beta with beginner content only [7]. A reviewer on 6 October 2026 wanted Russian and German and found neither.
• Ceiling. Speak's own help centre sends advanced learners to Free Talk and Speak Tutor, since intermediate courses are still in development [7].
• Rough edges in speaking. A reviewer on 17 September 2026 cannot skip the tutor saying a sentence three times, and the 19 September reviewer says it cuts them off.
• Caps and tiers. Premium limits Made For You lessons to three a day, and the study plan needs Premium Plus at 39.99 dollars a month [8].

What users say

We read the newest 50 US App Store reviews for each app. This is a snapshot, not a survey, and stores lean positive because apps ask happy users to rate. We could not read dated Google Play reviews, so we left them out.

Speak's 50 reviews were posted between 15 September and 6 October 2026. Thirty-three are five stars and nine are one or two stars. Praise is about speaking: a reviewer on 21 September 2026 who could read and write Spanish after three years on Duolingo says they ordered a meal in Spanish comfortably after starting Speak, a switch we cover in Duolingo vs Speak. Complaints are the ones above: price, languages, speech detection and caps.

Loora's newest US App Store reviews that we could pull run from 19 February to 7 May 2026. Forty-four of the 50 are five stars and four are one or two stars. Praise centres on comfort and instant correction: a reviewer on 7 May 2026 says it feels more comfortable than talking to a teacher. The negative reviews are about the free option and cancelling:

• The free lesson. Two reviews in February 2026 describe about five minutes of free talk.
• Cancelling. A one-star review on 18 April 2026 says unsubscribing was confusing and the voice felt like a general-purpose chatbot.

What changed in 2025 and 2026

Loora spent 2026 improving feedback: split view, one clear takeaway, widgets. Speak spent it opening up conversation: Free Talk, the tutor and personalized lessons. They are moving toward each other, but Loora still has no course and Speak still leads with lessons.

Speak vs Loora: who should pick which

• An intermediate English speaker with interviews or meetings coming. Loora. Use Role-play for the interview and read the key takeaway after each lesson. Our guide to business English helps you plan what to practise.
• A beginner who freezes when speaking. Speak. The words come first, so you always know what to say.
• Someone learning Spanish, French, Japanese, Korean, Italian or Chinese. Speak, with a note: Japanese, Italian and Korean are in beta with beginner content only, so check how far your course goes.
• Someone who wants a daily 5-minute habit on the bus. Speak, because it works in short bursts and Loora wants longer answers.
• Someone who wants a free start. Neither. Use Loora's free lesson or Speak's trial to test, then decide.
• Someone who needs a computer or browser. Neither. Both are phone and tablet apps for now.
• Someone who already has a course and needs speaking time. Loora.
• A learner who wants help in their own language. Speak, which teaches English to speakers of 15 languages and shows translations on tap in Free Talk. Loora explains in English only.

Where Slova fits

If you are good at talking but have no path, or good at lessons but cannot hold a conversation, you need both in one place. Slova builds a path from your goals (a job interview, a move, family abroad, a trip) and your interests (football, cooking, anime), and every lesson can be done out loud with our AI tutors. Every word you meet goes into one list and comes back for review.

If neither fits

Compare more options in our Speak alternatives, see how ELSA Speak vs Speak handles pronunciation, or browse the best AI conversation apps.

Conclusion

Loora and Speak both get you speaking, but they start from different places. Speak hands you the words and makes you say them until they stick. Loora hands you a topic and lets you find the words yourself, then tells you what to fix. If you need structure, start with Speak. If you already have the basics in English and want practice at work, Loora is the better use of your time. Test the free lesson or the trial before you pay for either.

Frequently asked questions

Sources

Written by Yiğit Karasu, founder of Slova