Lingvist expert review + alternatives to master Italian

Intro

Hey! If you’ve been looking for a review of Lingvist, you’re in the right place.

I tried it out recently to study Italian, and in this video I’ll walk you through what the platform does, how it works, and what stood out to me — both the good and the not-so-good.

What is lingvist

So, what is Lingvist?

It’s a language learning app that helps you build vocabulary using smart flashcards and spaced repetition.

The idea is to learn the most useful words in context — fast. And I have to say, it does a pretty good job at that.

First impressions

Right off the bat, the interface is super clean and simple.

Nothing flashy — just a nice, minimal design that keeps you focused.

Navigation is straightforward, and I didn’t run into any bugs or weird layouts.

Placement test

When you first start, Lingvist gives you a placement test — which is nice if you already know a bit of Italian.

You fill in blanks in sentences, and based on your answers, the app estimates your level.

It’s not perfect — I felt like it underestimated me a bit — but it saved me from starting from scratch.

Main learning experience

Most of your time on Lingvist will be spent on the “Learn” section.

This is where you get flashcards, one by one, usually within a full sentence.

Sometimes I knew the word right away, sometimes I guessed — and other times, I just hit Enter to see the answer and move on.

What’s cool is that it shows grammar info, like verb forms or noun gender, right on the card.

But if you want a full grammar explanation? Well, Lingvist has a Grammar Tips section — but it’s only available for certain languages, and unfortunately, Italian isn’t one of them.

So if you’re studying Italian, don’t expect detailed grammar guidance inside the app.

Custom decks & customization

One feature I found really interesting was the Custom Decks section.

It lets you create your own vocabulary lists, and in some cases, you can even paste in a text and Lingvist will generate a list of relevant words.

This kind of feature could be super useful if you want to focus on specific topics or words you encounter in real life.

Unfortunately, it’s not available yet for all languages — and in my case, for Italian, I wasn’t able to use it.

But if they expand it in the future, it could definitely become one of the most powerful parts of the app.

Stats & progress

Lingvist tracks your progress in detail: how many words you’ve learned, which ones you struggle with, and how much time you’re spending.

It’s actually pretty motivating to see those graphs fill up.

And if you’re a goal-oriented learner like me, it’s a nice touch.

The repetition system

Now let’s talk about what really powers the app: spaced repetition.

It basically brings words back just when you’re about to forget them — and from what I’ve seen, it works.

I noticed I was remembering words I’d struggled with earlier, even after taking a break for a day or two.

Limitations

As much as I like the simplicity of Lingvist, there are a few things that bugged me.

First, it can get repetitive. Flashcards are great, but after a while, the format feels a bit too… flat.

Also, there’s not much speaking practice or in-depth grammar.

If you’re looking for conversations or cultural context, this isn’t really the place.

Final thoughts

So here’s a quick summary:

• I liked how easy it was to use, the clean interface, and how effective it is at building vocabulary fast.
• On the flip side, it’s a bit monotonous at times, the grammar explanations are minimal, and there’s not much speaking or cultural immersion.
• Also, I found that some sections — like Custom Decks, Grammar Tips, and Challenges — aren’t available for Italian. So if you’re hoping to dive deeper into the language, that’s not really possible within the app right now.

That said, if your goal is to quickly build up your Italian vocabulary, Lingvist is definitely worth a try — especially with the 14-day free trial.

And… there is another tool that I would recommend checking out as well — especially if you’re looking for something that helps you use Italian in real conversations.