ELSA Speak Alternatives: Which App Helps You Actually Converse?
If your pronunciation improved but you still freeze when someone talks back, you need conversation practice, not more drills. Try a human tutor (italki, Cambly), a language exchange partner (Tandem), an AI conversation app (Speak), or, for interviews and meetings in English, a role-play partner like Speaking Coach. Keep ELSA if pronunciation is still your main problem; it does that job well.
Why good scores don't always mean easy conversations
Pronunciation drills train you to say a known sentence well. A real conversation asks something else: understand a question you didn't expect, find words in real time, and keep going when you make a mistake. You can be excellent at the first and still freeze at the second. That's not a failure of ELSA. It's a different skill, and it needs a different kind of practice.
So the question is not "which app is better than ELSA" but "which problem do I have now?" We make Speaking Coach, which is one of the options below, and we say plainly where others fit better.
What ELSA does, as of October 2026
ELSA's site and App Store listing describe a speech analyzer that gives an overall speaking score mapped to IELTS, TOEFL, CEFR and TOEIC, with insights on pronunciation, fluency, grammar and vocabulary. It also now has AI conversations and role-plays, including coaches for interviews, meetings and presentations, and a choice of American, British or Australian accent. The app is free to download; Premium is listed with a 7-day free trial, and the App Store showed plans from $19.99 a month.
If you have already used those conversation features and still freeze with real people, read on.
Match the alternative to your problem
| Your problem | What helps | Options as of October 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| People still don't understand certain sounds | Pronunciation drills | Stay with ELSA, or a pronunciation teacher on italki |
| You freeze when a real person talks back | Live human conversation | italki tutors, Cambly tutors, Tandem exchange partners |
| You're too shy to practice with people yet | AI conversation that never judges | Speak, Speaking Coach |
| You have a job interview in English | Interview practice with follow-ups | Speaking Coach, Huru |
| Meetings and presentations at work in English | Role-play of the exact situation | Speaking Coach |
| Small talk at work or parties | Short, unpredictable exchanges | Tandem, Cambly, Speaking Coach small talk scenes |
Conversation with real people
italki. A marketplace of language teachers and community tutors for 1-on-1 lessons. Teachers set their own prices; the listings we saw started around $5 to $20 per lesson, and you can book a trial lesson. Best when you want a patient person who adapts to you.
Cambly. English conversation with tutors, available around the clock. Its plans page showed Small Groups, Private+ and Pro tiers, priced monthly. Best when your schedule is unpredictable.
Tandem. A language exchange: you help someone with your language and they help you with theirs, by text, voice note, audio or video call. Free to sign up. Best when you want real conversations and can handle a little unpredictability.
Human practice is the strongest fix for freezing, because real people interrupt, speak fast and change topic. The trade-off is nerves and cost.
Conversation with AI
Speak. An AI tutor app with back-and-forth conversations and pronunciation feedback. It teaches several languages and also offers English practice for non-English speakers. A 7-day trial, then a subscription. Best for structured everyday conversation.
Huru. Free AI mock interviews with an interviewer who follows up, in English and four other languages. Best if your goal is a job interview and your budget is zero.
Speaking Coach (ours). You practice a specific situation out loud with an AI voice partner who plays the other side: an interviewer who has read your CV, your manager, a customer, a stranger at a party. It follows up on what you actually said. Afterwards you see pace, filler words and long pauses, and tips that quote your words with a better way to say it. It never rates your accent, so it's for being clear and confident, not for sounding native. It works in 20 languages, so you can also practice in your first language first, then switch to English.
A simple plan if you freeze
- Keep 5 minutes of drills a day if specific sounds still cause misunderstandings.
- Add 15 minutes of conversation three times a week: AI first if you're nervous, then a person.
- Practice your real situations. Write down the three conversations you dread (an interview answer, a meeting update, small talk at lunch) and rehearse those exact ones.
- Allow mistakes. In conversation, being understood beats being perfect. Our guide to speaking clearly with an accent covers what listeners actually need.
For everyday chat, see small talk in English as a non-native speaker.
Questions people ask
Is ELSA Speak good for conversation practice?
It now includes AI conversations and role-plays, so it can help. But its core strength, as shown on its site and App Store page, is speech analysis and pronunciation. If you still freeze with real people, add human or role-play practice.
What is a free alternative to ELSA Speak?
Tandem is free to sign up for language exchange. Huru offers free AI interview practice. italki and Cambly are paid but let you pay per lesson or per month.
Will practicing conversation improve my pronunciation?
Somewhat, because you speak more. But conversation practice focuses on fluency and confidence. If specific sounds cause real misunderstandings, keep a short daily pronunciation drill.
Does Speaking Coach correct my accent?
No. It never rates your accent. It gives feedback on pace, filler words, pauses and what you said, so it's for confidence and clarity in conversations, not accent training. For accent work, ELSA is the better choice.
How long before I stop freezing in conversations?
There's no fixed timeline; it depends on your level and how often you practice. What moves it is regular back-and-forth with someone who talks back, several times a week, rather than drilling alone.