MakesYouFluent vs ELSA Speak: Which Helps You Speak English Better?

Hello! I’m Madison , an American English teacher who loves finding practical ways for learners to actually use the language. Recently, I tried two AI-powered apps – MakesYouFluent and ELSA Speak – to see how they could help students (and even teachers!) practice speaking English.

Both apps are designed to improve speaking, but they do it very differently. I want to share my personal experience so you can see which approach might work best.

MakesYouFluent Overview

MakesYouFluent is an AI-powered app designed to help learners speak English naturally . It works for all levels, from complete beginners to advanced learners, and focuses on practical conversation skills in everyday situations.

When I tried it, I immediately noticed how stress-free and judgment-free it felt. Practicing with the AI tutor lets you experiment with phrases and role-play scenarios freely – something that can be harder to do even in tutoring sessions with students.

Key features include:

AI Speaking Tutor: Chat with AI on everyday topics in English

Personalized Learning Plan: Exercises and topics adjust to your progress

Instant Feedback: Corrections come after each reply, so you can maintain the flow

Pronunciation Exercises: Suggested automatically if extra practice is needed

From my experience, MakesYouFluent provides a safe space to explore language, allowing me to test tricky expressions, try different vocabulary, and see how dialogues play out naturally. It gave me a new perspective on speaking practice and helped me understand how students might gain confidence in real-life conversations.

ELSA Speak Overview

ELSA Speak is an AI-powered app focused primarily on pronunciation . It helps learners refine sounds, intonation, and rhythm to speak more clearly and naturally.

When I tried ELSA, I focused on practicing precise pronunciation and stress patterns. I liked how the app gave detailed feedback on individual sounds and visual guidance on intonation. Exercises felt very structured, and I could repeat sentences as much as I wanted to perfect my accent.

Key features include:

Initial Pronunciation Assessment: Record sentences to get a complete analysis of your pronunciation

AI Feedback: Color-coded scoring and instant suggestions to help you improve

Video Resources: Access extra videos for additional pronunciation practice

From my experience, ELSA is excellent for fine-tuning pronunciation, especially if you want to polish individual sounds and work on rhythm. It’s less useful for practicing spontaneous conversation, but it’s a great complement to conversation-focused tools like MakesYouFluent.

Pricing & Plans

MakesYouFluent:

$32.99 / month

$40.99 / quarter

ELSA Speak:

$19.99 / month

$58 / quarter

$141.99 / year

Limitations to Keep in Mind

I haven’t found a perfect language app yet, and both of these tools have their limitations. Here are a few things I noticed while using them:

MakesYouFluent:

Doesn’t include traditional grammar drills

No gamification features like points, streaks, or leaderboards

ELSA Speak:

Limited free conversation practice

Most exercises are structured and scripted

These limitations don’t make either app “bad” – they just serve different purposes, depending on what kind of practice you’re looking for.

My Recommendation

From my perspective as a teacher, both tools can be useful – but they serve different types of practice.

ELSA Speak works well if your main focus is pronunciation. It’s helpful for isolating sounds, improving clarity, and getting structured feedback on how words are pronounced.

MakesYouFluent feels more suitable for everyday speaking practice. It’s designed around real, day-to-day conversations, and it works at any level, including for learners who are just starting and feel unsure about speaking.

What I like about MakesYouFluent is that beginners aren’t pushed to be perfect. They can start with very simple sentences, build gradually, and practice speaking without pressure. More advanced learners can use it to explore longer conversations and more natural phrasing.

As a result, I tend to see MakesYouFluent as a more flexible, all-around speaking tool, while ELSA Speak fits better as a focused pronunciation supplement.

MakesYouFluent

ELSA Speak

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Writing about English learning, speaking confidence, and how AI tools can support real-life communication for language learners.

Comments

Marie K.

51m

hmm interesting. I used elsa last year but yeah speaking is still scary for me. might try makesyoufluent

Tomasz S.

Not a bad comparison. I like that you didnt say one app magically fixes everything.