Best Farsi Apps for iPhone in 2026
The best Farsi apps for iPhone in 2026, ranked. Honest takes on Learn Farsi, Drops, Pimsleur, Mango, and Memrise, with what works and what doesn't.
Thomas van Welsenes
Founder of Learn Farsi
Why Most Farsi App Lists Are Useless
Search for the best Farsi app and you'll find dozens of articles that list the same five tools. None of them tell you what's actually good. Most of the writers haven't used the apps.
This post is different. I'm Thomas, I built Learn Farsi (yes, we're on this list). I've also paid for, used, and quit every other Farsi app in this comparison. Here's the honest version.
A few notes before the rankings:
- Duolingo doesn't have Persian. People keep asking. It hasn't shipped yet in 2026. If that changes I'll update this post.
- Babbel doesn't have Persian either. Same story.
- Rosetta Stone has Persian but only Tajik Persian (Tajiki), not Iranian Farsi. They're related but not the same, so I'm not including it.
1. Learn Farsi (Recommended)
Disclosure first: I built this. So feel free to skip to #2 if you want unbiased.
Learn Farsi is the only app on this list built specifically for Persian. Not a localised version of a general,purpose app. Every lesson, every audio recording, every example sentence is original work, not a translation.
What's good:
- 170+ vocabulary lessons from beginner to advanced, ordered so each builds on the last.
- 50+ grammar lessons that go beyond "here's a verb conjugation table" and explain why Persian works the way it does.
- Native pronunciation audio for every word.
- Spaced repetition that adapts to your memory, not a fixed daily list.
- Web and iOS sync, same account, same progress.
- Free first lesson with no signup. You can run a full lesson before deciding.
What's not yet:
- No iPad version (iPhone,only at launch).
- B2 and C1 content is light, we're filling it in.
- No offline mode (caches audio but needs network for lesson load).
Cost: Free to download. Pro is €4.99/month or €39.99/year with a 7,day free trial.
2. Drops Persian
Drops is the prettiest of the bunch. The visual design is genuinely impressive and the flashcard,style word drills feel addictive in a casual way.
What's good:
- Beautiful illustrations for every word.
- Quick 5,minute sessions that fit easily into a coffee break.
- A genuinely fun vocabulary learning loop.
What's not:
- It's vocabulary only. No grammar, no sentence construction, no real conversation skill.
- The free tier limits you to 5 minutes a day. After that, paywall.
- No spaced repetition in the way that actually matters, you see words on a fixed schedule.
- Native audio is decent but limited.
Cost: Free with a 5,minute daily limit. Premium is around €9.99/month or €69.99/year.
Good as a supplement. Not enough alone if you actually want to speak or read Persian.
3. Pimsleur Persian
Pimsleur is audio,only and old,school. The methodology dates from the 1960s but it still works for one specific thing: pronunciation and basic spoken phrases.
What's good:
- Excellent for pronunciation drilling, you repeat after a native speaker for 30 minutes per lesson.
- Forces you to speak out loud, which most apps don't.
- Works while driving or walking.
What's not:
- Painfully slow. Lessons feel padded. You can pick up the same vocabulary in a fraction of the time with a written approach.
- Almost no reading or writing practice. You won't recognise the Persian script after weeks of use.
- Expensive.
Cost: Free trial, then around $20/month or $200 for a 30,lesson level.
Good for travellers who only want to speak basics. Not a complete solution.
4. Mango Languages Farsi
Mango is the app most public libraries give you for free. Worth checking, your library might cover the subscription.
What's good:
- Free if your library participates.
- Solid conversational dialogue,based lessons.
- Covers script and pronunciation.
What's not:
- Linear curriculum, no spaced repetition.
- The UI feels dated.
- Limited content beyond the basics, plateaus quickly.
- No grammar deep,dives.
Cost: Around $7.99/month direct, often free through libraries.
Worth a try if free through your library. Probably not worth paying for compared to Learn Farsi or Drops.
5. Memrise Farsi
Memrise has Persian courses, mostly user,created. The quality varies a lot from course to course.
What's good:
- Free tier has real content.
- Native speaker video clips are a nice touch.
- Spaced repetition works.
What's not:
- The official Persian course was discontinued. What's left is user,uploaded and inconsistent.
- Some courses are just word lists with no structure.
- The app interface keeps changing in ways that frustrate long,term users.
Cost: Free, with a Pro tier around €8/month.
Good as a flashcard supplement. Not a complete course.
Honourable Mention: iTalki
If you've reached the point where apps aren't enough, iTalki is where you find Persian tutors for 1,on,1 video lessons. Real conversation practice with a native speaker. Lessons run €10-30 per hour depending on the tutor.
Not a learning app per se but the natural next step once you've covered the basics with something like Learn Farsi.
What to Actually Pick
If you want one app and want to learn Persian properly, start with Learn Farsi. It's free to try the first lesson, the spaced repetition genuinely works, and the grammar coverage is the best of any app I've seen.
If you want a casual side activity that's pretty and addictive, add Drops for the visual word drills.
If you're a podcast learner who wants pronunciation drilling while driving, Pimsleur is solid but slow.
The combination of Learn Farsi for structured learning, Drops for casual review, and an iTalki tutor once you hit B1 is the path I'd recommend for any serious self,learner in 2026.