DW Learn German vs Talkback City
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
DW Learn German
Master German with engaging videos, news, and music. Offers courses for all levels, from beginner to advanced, with interactive exercises and vocabulary training. Includes a placement test to find your ideal course and materials for teachers.
- Placement test for level assessment
- Courses for all levels (beginner to advanced)
- Interactive exercises
- Vocabulary training and word explanations
- Grammar and regional studies
- Materials for teachers
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Learn German on the go with DW - for beginners, advanced learners and teachers With exciting videos, informative news and music, we’ll make sure that you’ll find the perfect way to learn German. Start right away, even without any previous knowledge, and improve your German online and on the go, completely free of charge. We offer courses for all levels -and if you're not sure where you stand, our placement test will help you find the perfect course for you - quickly and easily! Our offer includes: - A placement test to help you find the right level - Courses for beginners, intermediate and advanced learners (from literacy to exam training) - A wide range of interactive exercises - Vocabulary training and word explanations - Grammar and regional studies - Comprehensive materials for teachers Our courses cover all levels of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages. There are also offers for learning the alphabet and language preparation for various jobs. As a teacher, you will also find what you are looking with materials that you can use for your lessons free of charge. Simply download the app and learn German with DW!
Talkback City
Practice real-life conversations with an AI tutor to improve speaking confidence and fluency in various languages. Get personalized feedback and grammar exercises to master practical communication skills.
- AI-guided pronunciation practice
- Real-time speaking feedback
- Grammar and vocabulary sessions
- Personalized lessons for real-life scenarios
- Role-play conversations with AI tutor
- On-demand help and explanations
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Explore Talkback City, a 3D world where you meet characters, take on challenges and talk your way through an ongoing story. To play the game, you'll need to use the language you're learning — asking questions, solving problems, ordering food, finding information and getting things done. Every conversation has a purpose. Every task moves you forward. ## A LANGUAGE-LEARNING RPG Explore the city, uncover the story and complete missions using your target language. Meet unusual characters. Discover new places. Find the things you need. Work out what to do next. ## LEARN BY DOING Language is a tool we use to do things. Talkback City gives you a reason to use your new language. You might need to order something from a café because the owner has an item you need. Ask someone for directions to find your next destination. Get information from a character to solve a problem. Instead of memorising phrases and hoping you'll remember them later, you use the language in meaningful situations as you explore. ## BUILT FOR REAL LANGUAGE LEARNING Talkback City is entertaining, but there's serious language learning behind the game. What you learn doesn't stay inside a lesson. You need to use it. Lessons introduce useful vocabulary and language through realistic tasks and conversations. Then, as you explore the city, you'll put that language into practice to solve problems, complete missions and move the story forward. The goal is to help you become better at the thing that really matters: actually communicating. ## LEARN FROM EVERY CONVERSATION Make mistakes. Get feedback. Try again. Talkback gives you real-time corrections and personalised feedback while you practise. You'll get help with: • Speaking and communication • Grammar and vocabulary • Pronunciation • Common mistakes • Useful words and expressions Then put what you've learned straight back into practice as you continue through the city. ## EXPLORE, TALK AND PROGRESS With Talkback City you can: • Explore an interactive 3D world • Follow an ongoing story • Complete missions and language challenges • Meet characters with their own personalities • Have AI-powered conversations • Practise realistic everyday situations • Get real-time corrections as you speak • Improve your pronunciation • Build vocabulary with interactive activities • Complete structured language lessons And expect some strange characters, unexpected situations and jokes along the way. ## MORE WAYS TO PRACTISE There's more to Talkback than the City. Create your own role-play scenarios based on situations that matter to you, practise conversations with an AI language tutor, or use the Language Lab to work on grammar, vocabulary and pronunciation. Whether you're learning for travel, work, study or simply because you want to speak another language, Talkback helps you practise actually using it. ## LEARN 26 LANGUAGES • English, including British and American English • Spanish • French • German • Italian • Portuguese • Dutch • Swedish • Danish • Norwegian • Welsh • Polish • Ukrainian • Russian • Greek • Turkish • Hebrew • Arabic • Hindi • Urdu • Swahili • Chinese • Japanese • Korean • Vietnamese • Thai ## WHAT USERS ARE SAYING “Really enjoying the app. It feels like a really natural way to learn and speak another language, mimicking real-life conversations.” — Jonnylaw86, App Store review Explore Talkback City and start using your new language today. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Talkback City at 5.0 against DW Learn German's 3.9. Talkback City also leads on review sentiment (83% vs 45%) and update cadence (every 10 days vs every 16 months). DW Learn German's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 4) and ratings volume (131 vs 7). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Talkback City sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. DW Learn German asks for nothing beyond the download.
Talkback City holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.9. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: DW Learn German has 131 ratings behind it against 7, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 45% of DW Learn German's written reviews are positive against 83% of Talkback City's.
DW Learn German ships an update every 16 months, Talkback City every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on October 22, 2026 and October 11, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | DW Learn German | Talkback City |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.9 (131 ratings) | 5.0 (7 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 44.9% of reviews | 83.3% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 131 — better | 7 |
| Update frequency | Every 16 months | Every 10 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 — better | 14.0.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 1 MB | 78 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Deutsche Welle | Lazyfish Digital Ltd |
Customer experience
DW Learn German
Talkback City
In-app purchases
DW Learn German
No in-app purchases
Talkback City
- Personal Subscription$2.991 Month
- Personal Subscription7 Days trial$4.991 Month
- Personal Subscription7 Days trial$9.993 Months
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- Personal Subscription7 Days trial$39.901 Year
Questions
Is DW Learn German free?
Is Talkback City free?
Which has better reviews, DW Learn German or Talkback City?
Do DW Learn German or Talkback City have ads?
Which is updated more often, DW Learn German or Talkback City?
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