ELSA Speak alternatives (2026)
The closest alternatives to ELSA Speak are BoldVoice, if you want an American accent with coach videos, and Speakometer, if you want per-sound scores with a British or American model for less. Speak is the pick for AI conversation practice, Speechling and italki tutors add a human ear, YouGlish is free for hearing real speakers, and TonePerfect scores every sound in any sentence you type.
None of them is a full replacement on every point: ELSA combines an accent choice (American, British, Australian and more), word-stress feedback and exam practice in one app, so pick an alternative for the one thing you need most.
Facts checked · Sources
Written by TonePerfect, one of the apps listed. No app on this page paid to be included, and none is affiliated with us.
What ELSA Speak does
ELSA Speak is an English pronunciation app for iOS and Android. It gives real-time AI feedback on your sounds and word stress, offers accent choices including American, British and Australian, and has a Speech Analyzer with feedback on intonation, fluency, grammar and vocabulary, plus IELTS and TOEFL practice. Its free plan allows up to two lessons a day and three AI lessons in total; the cheapest US App Store purchase is $19.99 a month. People look for alternatives when they want a different price, a human coach, conversation practice, or a different way of being scored.
At a glance
| Alternative | Best for | Platforms | Free tier | Price from |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BoldVoice | Professionals training an American accent | iOS, Android; sign-up on the web | 7-day free trial; without a subscription only the first lesson is free | From $14.99 (US App Store) |
| Speakometer | Per-sound scores with a British or American model, for less | iPhone, iPad, Android | Free to download, with optional Premium | From $4.99/month (US App Store) |
| Speak | Speaking practice through AI conversations | iOS, Android (not available on desktop) | 7-day free trial | From $17.99/month (US App Store) |
| Speechling | A human coach checking your recordings | iOS, Android, web | Free plan with the full curriculum; its free coaching allowance excludes English | From $19.99/month (Speechling pricing page) |
| TonePerfect | A score on every sound, in any sentence you type | iOS, Android, web | Free tier with daily limits; free English pronunciation and accent tests in the browser, no signup | From $12.99/month (US App Store) |
| A human tutor (italki) | Someone who corrects you while you speak | iOS, Android, web | No free plan; paid trial lessons | $4–$60 an hour (italki) |
| YouGlish | Hearing how real speakers say a word | Web, iOS, Android | 20 searches a day | From €3/month, billed yearly (YouGlish plans page) |
Prices are the lowest shown on the US App Store or the official pricing page on 20 October 2026. They change often and vary by country.
1. BoldVoice
- Best for
- Professionals training an American accent
- How it gives feedback
- Sound-by-sound AI analysis of what you say, plus stress and clarity, with a tip for each sound; video lessons from Hollywood accent coaches.
- Platforms
- iOS, Android; sign-up on the web
- Free tier
- 7-day free trial; without a subscription only the first lesson is free
- Price from
- From $14.99 (US App Store)
The nearest like-for-like alternative: an accent trainer for non-native English-speaking professionals, built around the American accent. The coach videos explain how to make a sound in a way a score cannot. It has no free plan, and its own pages describe it as American accent training, so it is not the pick for a British target.
2. Speakometer
- Best for
- Per-sound scores with a British or American model, for less
- How it gives feedback
- A pronunciation score per word, with colour-coded IPA showing which sounds were accurate; tap a sound to compare it with the model.
- Platforms
- iPhone, iPad, Android
- Free tier
- Free to download, with optional Premium
- Price from
- From $4.99/month (US App Store)
The lowest-priced app here that scores you and, like ELSA, it lets you pick British (RP) or American (General American) pronunciation. It works word by word with IPA, so it suits learners who like phonetic symbols. Its sources do not mention intonation feedback.
3. Speak
- Best for
- Speaking practice through AI conversations
- How it gives feedback
- Back-and-forth conversations with an AI tutor; its listing says the AI assesses pronunciation, intonation and fluency.
- Platforms
- iOS, Android (not available on desktop)
- Free tier
- 7-day free trial
- Price from
- From $17.99/month (US App Store)
Choose Speak if what you lack is speaking time rather than individual sounds. It is a conversation course more than a sound-by-sound accent trainer; its pages describe a free trial but no free plan, and they do not mention an accent choice.
4. Speechling
- Best for
- A human coach checking your recordings
- How it gives feedback
- You record a sentence after a native speaker and a certified pronunciation coach sends feedback within 24 hours.
- Platforms
- iOS, Android, web
- Free tier
- Free plan with the full curriculum; its free coaching allowance excludes English
- Price from
- From $19.99/month (Speechling pricing page)
A person hears things no app scores, and the written feedback explains what to change. The trade is speed: you wait up to a day. Its pricing page excludes English from the free plan’s coaching sessions, so plan on the paid plan for coach feedback on English.
5. TonePerfect
That’s us- Best for
- A score on every sound, in any sentence you type
- How it gives feedback
- A score for every sound (phoneme) in every word, the weakest sound named, and the sounds that stay weak over time flagged as chronic, with how to make each one.
- Platforms
- iOS, Android, web
- Free tier
- Free tier with daily limits; free English pronunciation and accent tests in the browser, no signup
- Price from
- From $12.99/month (US App Store)
Useful if you want to check your own text (a presentation line, your name, an interview answer) sound by sound, or practise more than one language: it covers eight. What it lacks next to ELSA: no accent choice (the reference is standard American English), no intonation or sentence-stress scoring, no pitch curve against a native speaker, no conversation practice and no exam preparation.
6. A human tutor (italki)
- Best for
- Someone who corrects you while you speak
- How it gives feedback
- A live tutor hears sounds, rhythm, intonation and meaning together and explains what to change.
- Platforms
- iOS, Android, web
- Free tier
- No free plan; paid trial lessons
- Price from
- $4–$60 an hour (italki)
The most complete feedback and the most expensive per hour. italki lessons are paid one by one, with trial lessons to find a tutor; ask for a tutor who focuses on pronunciation and the accent you want. Pair it with an app for daily practice between lessons.
7. YouGlish
- Best for
- Hearing how real speakers say a word
- How it gives feedback
- None: it plays YouTube clips of real people saying the word or phrase you type.
- Platforms
- Web, iOS, Android
- Free tier
- 20 searches a day
- Price from
- From €3/month, billed yearly (YouGlish plans page)
Not a trainer, but the best free way to hear a word in real speech, filtered by US, UK, Australian, Canadian, Irish, Scottish or New Zealand speakers. Use it to check a word before you practise it in an app that scores you.
Which one to choose
- An American accent with video coaching: BoldVoice
- A British or American model on a budget: Speakometer
- More speaking time and conversation: Speak
- A human judgement on your recordings: Speechling (paid for English) or an italki tutor
- Scores for your own sentences, or several languages: TonePerfect
- Free listening to real speakers: YouGlish
Whatever you pick, practise the things that make the biggest difference first: word stress, vowel pairs and word endings. See how to sound more like a native English speaker and the full best apps for English pronunciation. For a head-to-head, see TonePerfect vs ELSA Speak.
Questions about ELSA Speak alternatives
What is the best alternative to ELSA Speak?+
For accent training, BoldVoice (American accent, coach videos, sound-by-sound AI feedback) is the closest. For a lower price with a British or American model, Speakometer. For conversation practice, Speak. For a human ear, Speechling or a tutor on italki.
Is there a free alternative to ELSA Speak?+
Partly. Speakometer is free to download with optional Premium, YouGlish gives 20 free searches a day for hearing real speakers, and TonePerfect’s English pronunciation test and accent test score every sound for free in the browser with no signup. BoldVoice and Speak offer seven-day free trials, and Speechling’s free coaching allowance does not cover English. ELSA itself has a free plan with up to two lessons a day.
Which ELSA alternative lets me choose a British accent?+
Speakometer lets you choose a British (RP) or American (General American) model, and YouGlish lets you filter clips by UK speakers. BoldVoice is built around the American accent, and TonePerfect scores against a standard American English reference with no accent choice.
Is BoldVoice better than ELSA Speak?+
They aim at the same learner differently. BoldVoice focuses on the American accent and adds video lessons from accent coaches; ELSA offers several accents, word-stress and intonation feedback and exam practice, and has a free plan. BoldVoice has a seven-day trial and no free plan. Try both free first.
Does TonePerfect do everything ELSA does?+
No. TonePerfect scores every sound in what you say, names your chronically weak sounds and lets you score any text you type, in eight languages. It has no accent choice, does not score intonation or sentence stress, has no conversation practice and no exam preparation.
How were these facts checked?+
Each app’s official website, help centre or US App Store listing was opened on 20 October 2026; the sources are listed at the end. Prices are the lowest US price shown there and vary by country.
Sources
Every fact about another app on this page was checked against these pages on 20 October 2026. Store figures are from the US App Store; prices change often and vary by country.
- ELSA Speak — App Store listing (US)
- ELSA Speak — Google Play listing (US)
- ELSA Speak Help Center — What is included in the ELSA free plan
- ELSA Speak — Speech Analyzer
- BoldVoice — official website
- BoldVoice — Frequently asked questions
- BoldVoice — App Store listing (US)
- BoldVoice — Google Play listing (US)
- Speak — App Store listing (US)
- Speak — official website (free trial)
- Speak Help Center — What devices does the Speak app support?
- Speakometer — app facts
- Speakometer — App Store listing (US)
- Speechling — pricing
- Speechling — App Store listing (US)
- YouGlish — home page (accent filter)
- YouGlish — subscription plans
- YouGlish — App Store listing (US)
- YouGlish — Google Play listing (US)
- italki — English tutors (prices and trial lessons)
- italki — App Store listing (US)
- italki — Google Play listing (US)
- TonePerfect — App Store listing (US)
Want to see which English sounds you miss? The TonePerfect app scores every sound you say. Free to start.