Speak vs ELSA Speak

A side-by-side look at scores, pricing and features — with RECATOOLS' ASEAN-aware verdict for each.

Speak A speaking-first language app built around conversation with an AI tut... Visit ELSA Speak AI coach that scores English pronunciation sound by sound Visit
RECATOOLS Score 7.8 / 10 7.8 / 10
Capability 8.5 8.5
Value for money 7 7
Ease of use 8.5 7.5
ASEAN readiness 7.5 9
API quality 2 6.5
Pricing Subscription Freemium
Free tier 7-day free trial of core features; no lasting free plan Free app download and free AI speaking assessment; full lessons need Pro or Premium after a 7-day trial
Paid from $17.99/month or $83.99/year (Premium, US App Store; varies by region) $89.99/year (ELSA Pro, pronunciation only), Premium $99.99/year
Has API ✗ ✓
Open source ✗ ✗
Free to use ✗ ✓
Users 10M+ registered users globally (2024); some 2026 listings cite 15M+ downloads 90M+ downloads globally as of January 2026; 195 countries
Founded 2016 2016
Maker Connor Zwick, Andrew Hsu ELSA, Corp.
Verdict

Speak is one of the better apps for actually talking: lessons end in back-and-forth conversation with an AI tutor, feedback covers pronunciation and phrasing, and the new Live Tutor Lessons on OpenAI's GPT-Live-1 are des...

ELSA Speak is one of the most focused pronunciation tools available: sound-by-sound scoring, a learning path built from your weak spots, and a choice of American, British or Australian targets. It suits ASEAN learners wh...

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Comparisons cover up to 4 tools. Scores are RECATOOLS editorial assessments; verify current pricing on each vendor's site.