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Their First Words

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Two languages at once

The best first words app for bilingual families (2026)

A bilingual toddler needs the same word in two mouths — and two languages do not confuse a child or slow them down. These are the apps we would hand a friend raising a child in two languages, ranked by fit, with the one we make included and its limits stated.

By the parents who make Their First Words · October 2026 · 7 min read

The illustration on the “I love you” phrase card

We make Their First Words, so this is our own comparison — written by the two parents who build it, not by a reviewer. The facts about every other app were checked on October 2, 2026 against their store listings and websites, and the sources are listed at the end. Prices are US prices and change. Where another app is the better choice for your family, this page says so.

The short answer

If you only read this part.

  • For two of our eight languages, from the first year: Their First Words — the same picture says the word in both, with native voices, for $9.99 once; 75 words and 35 phrases free.
  • For a language we don’t have, or a child who wants video: Little Pim (twelve languages, from babies) or Dinolingo (fifty languages, ages 2–14).
  • For the smallest budget: Gus on the Go, $3.99 once per language, about 90 words.
  • For an English–Spanish home that wants songs and stories: Canticos, ages 1–5, on a subscription.

The picks at a glance

Who each one is for.

AppBest forPriceWorks on
Their First WordsTheir First WordsoursTwo of our eight languages at once, from the first year$9.99 once for everything; no subscriptioniPhone, iPad, Android
Little PimLittle PimTwelve languages — including Mandarin, Japanese, Arabic and Hebrew — as short videosSubscription: $9.99 a month or $69.99 a year; free trialiPhone and iPad (iOS 15+), web, and other devices the maker lists
DinolingoDinolingoA school-age child who wants a course, or any of fifty languagesSubscription: $19 a month or $199 a year; 7-day free trialWeb browser, iPhone, iPad, Android
Gus on the GoGus on the GoThe cheapest way to try a language: $3.99 once$3.99 once per language appiPhone, iPad, Mac (M1+); Android for some languages
Canticos Bilingual PreschoolCanticos Bilingual PreschoolAn English–Spanish home that wants songs, books and gamesSubscription: $6.99 a month or $57.99 a year (other plans listed at $39.99 and $45.99); 7-day free trialiPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Vision; an Android version is listed by the maker

Prices are US store prices on the day they were checked (October 2, 2026); the store is the authority for today’s price.

How we chose

The yardstick, out loud.

  • Native voices in both languages, so a parent who is shakier in one can copy a model first.
  • The same card in both languages, so a child meets one picture with two names.
  • Right for the age: for the under-threes, something a parent holds and says; for school-age, a course the child can follow.2, 3
  • The price model said plainly, with what is free.
  • No ads, nothing that keeps a child on the screen, and the screen guidance for the youngest respected.3, 4

We rank by fit for the family in the title, not by who made the app. Their First Words is on this list because it belongs here for some of these families and not for others, and the page says which.

The picks

One at a time, honestly.

1 of 5

Their First Wordsours

Best for: Two of our eight languages at once, from the first year

Price $9.99 once for everything; no subscriptionWorks on iPhone, iPad, AndroidAges 0–5, in three parent-chosen stages (phrases are not split by stage)Languages English, Spanish, French, Portuguese, German, Italian, Korean and Russian on every card (the app’s own screens are in English)

Every one of 1,000+ words and 500+ phrases is on the same card in English, Spanish, French, Portuguese, German, Italian, Korean and Russian, spoken by a female and a male native voice in each. You set the language per child profile and switch in a tap, so the picture of milk says leche at breakfast with Abuela and milk at dinner. The parent does the saying: tap to hear the native voice, then say it yourself, looking at your child — which is how the research says words go in.6, 7

Free to start with 75 words and 35 phrases in all eight languages, no account; $9.99 once for everything, no subscription. Fully offline.

Worth knowing: We make it. Only eight languages, one language shown per card at a time (you switch; it doesn’t show both side by side), and the app’s own screens are in English. No songs, stories or games. It launched in 2026.

2 of 5

Little Pim

Best for: Twelve languages — including Mandarin, Japanese, Arabic and Hebrew — as short videos

Price Subscription: $9.99 a month or $69.99 a year; free trialWorks on iPhone and iPad (iOS 15+), web, and other devices the maker listsAges Babies, toddlers and pre-K — “under the age of 6,” as the maker puts itLanguages 12: Spanish, French, English, Mandarin, Italian, German, Japanese, Arabic, Hebrew, Russian, Korean, Portuguese

Five-minute immersion videos with a cartoon panda, narrated by native speakers, built around 360 foundational words and phrases per language, with printable parent guides. It covers all eight of our languages plus four we don’t have. Some US public libraries offer it free through Mango Languages, which is worth a phone call before paying $9.99 a month or $69.99 a year.

Worth knowing: It is video. For children under eighteen months the pediatric guidance is no screens but video chat, and the controlled research on baby vocabulary videos found little learning from the video itself.2, 3, 5 Use it together, and repeat the words afterwards.

3 of 5

Dinolingo

Best for: A school-age child who wants a course, or any of fifty languages

Price Subscription: $19 a month or $199 a year; 7-day free trialWorks on Web browser, iPhone, iPad, AndroidAges 2–14, as the maker statesLanguages 50 languages, including all eight of ours and many more (Mandarin, Hindi, Arabic, Japanese…)

A real language course for children: videos, games, songs, books and worksheets in fifty languages, for ages 2 to 14, in a browser or on phones, for $19 a month or $199 a year after a seven-day trial. If your child is six and the language is Mandarin or Hindi, this is the list’s answer.

Worth knowing: Priced for a serious course. For a toddler it is a lot of course, and the youngest share a design with ten-year-olds.

4 of 5

Gus on the Go

Best for: The cheapest way to try a language: $3.99 once

Price $3.99 once per language appWorks on iPhone, iPad, Mac (M1+); Android for some languagesAges Apple’s “Made for Ages 0–5” band; the maker gives no rangeLanguages One app per language — Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Russian, Korean and about a dozen more

One small app per language — Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Russian, Korean and a dozen more — with about 90 words and ten activities, no ads, no purchases inside, no tracking. For a family that wants to see whether a three-year-old takes to the idea before spending more, it is the lowest-risk purchase on this page.

Worth knowing: Small, and uneven between editions: the Spanish app had a 2026 update when we checked, the Korean one none since 2018. Child-led.

5 of 5

Canticos Bilingual Preschool

Best for: An English–Spanish home that wants songs, books and games

Price Subscription: $6.99 a month or $57.99 a year (other plans listed at $39.99 and $45.99); 7-day free trialWorks on iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Vision; an Android version is listed by the makerAges 1–5, as the maker statesLanguages English and Spanish

Bilingual preschool content from the Canticos characters — songs, books, games and videos — in English or Spanish, one language at a time, for ages 1 to 5. Downloaded games play without Wi-Fi, there are no ads, and it costs $6.99 a month or $57.99 a year after a seven-day trial.

Worth knowing: English and Spanish only, and a subscription.

In fairness

Where Their First Words falls short for this family.

  • Eight languages. If yours is Mandarin, Hindi, Arabic, Vietnamese or Tagalog, Little Pim or Dinolingo is the honest answer.
  • One language on the card at a time; you switch between them rather than seeing both.
  • The parent-facing screens are English only, so the grandparent who speaks only Korean needs you to set it up.
  • No songs, stories or games — it will not entertain a child on its own, and it is not meant to.
  • It is new. It launched in 2026, and we publish no ratings because there are not yet enough to be honest about.

What to do

This week.

  1. Decide who speaks which language when — one parent, one language; or home language indoors, English out — and write it on the fridge. Any consistent plan beats a perfect one.
  2. Pick ten mealtime words and say them in both languages at every meal this week. The two-language card routine is a worked example with free cards and recordings.
  3. Install the free set of whichever app you chose and try it at one meal, phone in your hand, before paying anything.
  4. Book a weekly video call with the relatives who speak the other language; the AAP counts it as relationship time, not screen time.3
  5. Read the bilingual toddler guide for what the research says about mixing, milestones and counting words in both languages.

Questions

What parents ask.

Will two languages confuse my toddler or delay their speech?

No. ASHA’s position is that using more than one language does not confuse children or cause delays, and that a true disorder shows up in all the languages a child uses.1 Count words in both languages together. Our guide to the delay myth has the studies.

Should the app show both languages on one card?

Ours shows one at a time, on purpose: even bilingual families say one language in a given moment, and the switch is a tap. If you want side-by-side text, a paper card you write yourself does that best.

What is the best bilingual app for a baby under one?

For a baby, the parent’s voice in both languages and no screen: the WHO recommends none under one.4 Use any app as your own prompt book, held away from the baby. Our guide for babies goes into it.

Which app has Mandarin?

Little Pim and Dinolingo. We don’t.

Head to head: Their First Words vs Little Pim · Their First Words vs Dinolingo.

What this is based on

Sources

  1. American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, Learning more than one language — using more than one language does not confuse children or cause delays; a true disorder shows up in all the languages a child uses. asha.org
  2. American Academy of Pediatrics (2016). Media and Young Minds. Pediatrics, 138(5) — avoid screen media other than video chat under 18 months; from 18 to 24 months choose high-quality content and use it together with the child. publications.aap.org
  3. American Academy of Pediatrics (2026). Helping kids thrive in a digital world: the AAP policy explained — infants under 18 months learn best from real-world interaction; watch and play alongside your child; favor conversation over designs that prolong engagement; video chat with family is relationship time. healthychildren.org
  4. World Health Organization (2019). To grow up healthy, children need to sit less and play more — no screen time under one; none recommended for sedentary one-year-olds; at most an hour a day from two to four, and less is better. who.int
  5. DeLoache, J. S., Chiong, C., Sharp, K., Vanderborght, M., Troseth, G. L., Strouse, G. A. & O’Doherty, K. (2010). Do babies learn from baby media? Psychological Science, 21(11), 1570–1574. doi:10.1177/0956797610384145
  6. Tomasello, M. & Farrar, M. J. (1986). Joint attention and early language. Child Development, 57(6), 1454–1463. doi:10.2307/1130423
  7. Kuhl, P. K., Tsao, F.-M. & Liu, H.-M. (2003). Foreign-language experience in infancy: effects of short-term exposure and social interaction on phonetic learning. PNAS, 100(15), 9096–9101. pnas.org
  8. Little Pim, home page — the twelve languages, the method, 360 words and phrases per language, prices, ad-free. littlepim.com
  9. Apple App Store, Little Pim Video — subscription prices, age band, privacy label, last update. apps.apple.com
  10. Mango Languages support, Little Pim — library access. support.mangolanguages.com
  11. Dinolingo, Pricing — plans, trial, 50 languages, ages 2–14, platforms, ad-free. dinolingo.com/pricing
  12. Apple App Store, Gus on the Go: Spanish — price, ~90 words, 10 activities, no ads or tracking, other language editions, last update. apps.apple.com
  13. Apple App Store, Gus on the Go: Korean — price and last update. apps.apple.com
  14. Apple App Store, Canticos Bilingual Preschool — ages, prices, trial, English-or-Spanish content, offline games, no ads. apps.apple.com
  15. Their First Words, FAQ — price, free set, languages, offline use, accounts. theirfirstwords.org/faq

Facts about other apps were checked on October 2, 2026 against the sources above. Store prices are US prices on that day; they change, and the store is the authority for today’s price.

More guides

Other families.

Simple Words, Special Moments

Start with one word.

75 words and 35 phrases are free, forever, with both voices. One $9.99 purchase opens the rest of the 1,000+ words and 500+ phrases, in all eight languages at once. No subscription, nothing renews.

Download on the App Store — Their First Words Get it on Google Play — Their First Words
No ads, ever Private by design Works offline No account needed Up to 4 children