Brazilian · Mobile App
Duolingo Portuguese
Duolingo’s Brazilian Portuguese course is the most-used Portuguese learning resource in the world by raw user count. It’s good at one thing (building a daily habit) and mediocre at most others. The lessons are short, the streaks make you come back, and you’ll learn some words. You won’t learn how to actually speak.
Use Duolingo as a snack alongside a real course, not as your main resource. If you can spare 30 minutes a day, you’ll get further with Babbel or Pimsleur plus Anki than with two hours of Duolingo.
Pros
- Free tier is fully usable
- Gamification makes daily practice easy to stick with
- Decent for first vocabulary exposure
Cons
- Brazilian Portuguese only
- Doesn't teach grammar systematically
- Translation-heavy exercises don't transfer to real conversation
- Plus subscription is hard to justify when Anki and other free options exist
Similar Resources
Brazilian + European
501 Portuguese Verbs
Reference book listing 501 Portuguese verbs fully conjugated across all tenses and moods. Brazilian-leaning but mostly applicable to both varieties.
Region-neutral
Anki
Free, open-source spaced repetition flashcard system. The best vocabulary tool for serious Portuguese learners when paired with a quality community deck.
Brazilian
Babbel Brazilian Portuguese
App-led Brazilian Portuguese course with 10 to 15 minute structured lessons, dialogue practice, and speech recognition. Brazilian Portuguese only on Babbel.
Brazilian
Busuu Portuguese
Brazilian Portuguese course with structured lessons, AI feedback, and a community feature where native speakers correct your written exercises.
Brazilian + European
Clozemaster Portuguese
Vocabulary practice via cloze-deletion sentences pulled from real Portuguese text. Best for intermediate learners reinforcing context-based word recognition.
Brazilian + European
Drops Portuguese
Five-minute gamified vocabulary sessions with beautiful illustrations and native audio. Both Brazilian and European Portuguese tracks available.