Well-known apps like Rosetta Stone, Duolingo or Babbel offer no Malagasy courses, but there are other apps for learning Malagasy that are just as good.
Now let's take a look at the apps, software and online courses that you can use to learn Malagasy. The biggest advantage of such learning apps is that they are much cheaper than traditional language courses.
Malagasy Basic Course
From 17 Minute Languages
Systems: Online Access (PC, Mac, Linux, Android, iOS)
Suitable for: Beginners and Advanced Learners, Students, Professionals
Content: 1300 words (basic course), 5200 words (complete course), grammar, verb conjugations, exercises
Prices: USD 29,95 (Basic Course), USD 97 (Complete Course)
Overall Value: 
The Malagasy Basic Course contains a vocabulary trainer for the basic Malagasy vocabulary (1300 words) with native-speaker audio, as well as grammar explanations and various exercises.
The vocabulary trainer works with a long-term memory method, in which the new vocabulary is checked at increasing intervals.
You can choose between text input, multiple choice or simply confirming whether you knew a word or not.
The exercises include text comprehension questions, filling in word gaps or just vocabulary lists where one side is covered.
The basic course corresponds to the official language levels A1 and A2 (explanation of CEFR language levels).
The Complete Course contains:
- Basic course for beginners (basic vocabulary with 1300 words)
- Intermediate course (1800 more words)
- Advanced course for experts (2100 words)
- Additional specialized vocabulary
- Covers the official CEFR language levels A1 to C2
There are 17 different languages you can use to learn Malagasy with this app.
Summary: Much cheaper and even better than the famous Rosetta Stone. There is a free demo version available and a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Link: Malagasy Basic Course and Complete Course
uTalk Malagasy App
Alternative to Duolingo or Babbel
Systems: Android App, iPhone App, Online Version
Content: Malagasy vocabulary (2000 words), lessons and playful exercises
Prices:
USD 12 (1 month and all 160 languages)
USD 60 (12 months and all 160 languages)
Discount offer: USD 199 (Lifetime Access to all 160 Languages)
Overall Value:
The uTalk app teaches about 2000 Malagasy words and focuses primarily on playful exercises.
There are several exercises to choose from:
-
Read and listen to Malagasy words (with translation and photos)
-
Match the Malagasy word you heard to a photo
-
Speak a Malagasy word and compare the recording with the original
-
A memory game with pictures
-
Speak the Malagasy translation of an English word
The vocabulary is divided into 60 freely selectable topics. The special thing about the uTalk app is that you get access to
all 160 languages.
The interface of the app is well made and is similar to other apps like Babbel, Duolingo or Mondly.
Summary: Getting access to 160 languages is impressive and the scope (2000 words with native speaker audio and exercises) is also solid.
Link: uTalk Malagasy Language Course App
Cudoo: Malagasy Course
Online Learning with Certificates
Systems: Online Access (PC, Mac, smartphones)
Content: Malagasy video lessons and quiz tests
Prices: USD 12.99 (one course), USD 24.99 (4-7 courses bundle)
Overall Value: 
Cudoo is a kind of online university that offers courses with certificates on different topics.
This includes language courses for 160 languages. These are all beginner courses (CEFR level A1 and A2).
For each language there are 1-10 courses and each course has 20-40 lessons.
The lessons each include a short video with new vocabulary and there are short quiz questions below the video.
Summary: The videos are well made, so especially for smaller languages these courses are a good start.
Link: Cudoo Online Malagasy Language Course
Memrise Malagasy App
App with User-Generated Lessons
Systems: Android App, iPhone App, Online-Version (PC and Mac)
Content: Malagasy lessons and vocabulary trainer with native speaker audio, grammar
Prices: USD 8,99 (1 month), USD 60 (12 months), USD 110 (unlimited)
Overall Value: 
With the Memrise App you can learn over 90 languages.
This includes even very small languages - however, in such cases the language courses are often limited to just a few lessons.
One special feature of the Memrise learning app is the large number of lessons created by users (native speakers).
The quality of these lessons varies greatly though. For example, only the basic forms of verbs are usually taught, without the conjugations. Some languages also do not have an audio recording of the words at all.
Another good idea of the Memrise app are the user-generated tips and mnemonics for each word to help you memorize them.
Summary: User-generated lessons are a good idea. In practice, the quality of the lessons leaves a lot be desired.
Bluebird Malagasy App
Malagasy Lessons and Exercises
Systems: Android App, iPhone App, Online-Version (PC and Mac)
Content: Malagasy lessons and exercises with voice output and speech recognition
Prices: USD 9.99 (1 month), USD 100 (12 months), USD 200 (unlimited), USD 400 (163 languages)
Overall Value:
The Bluebird App offers 146 source languages and 163 target languages and dialects, including Malagasy.
The Malagasy language course in this app includes the following:
-
Daily video lessons at three difficulty levels.
-
Basic Malagasy vocabulary on several dozen topics
-
Common Malagasy verbs with conjugations
-
Analysis of your pronunciation (with speech recognition)
-
Tests: listening comprehension, filling in word gaps, quizzes
For Malagasy, there are about 500 video lessons, each 5 to 60 minutes long. For languages with other scripts, the words can also be displayed transliterated in the Western script.
The Bluebird App does not have grammar lessons. Instead, you are supposed to understand the grammar "implicitly" from the examples, same as in Rosetta Stone.
Summary: The video lessons and the interface require some getting used to, but the exercises are quite varied. Especially for smaller languages, this app is an acceptable alternative.
Lingo Malagasy App
Playful Malagasy Learning
Systems: Android and iPhone Apps, Online Version (PC and Mac)
Content: Malagasy lessons and exercises
Prices: USD 19.99 (1 month), USD 40 (3 months), USD 60 (6 months)
Overall Value: 
The Lingo Play App offers language courses for 70 languages. It offers "gamified learning", which means learning vocabulary in a playful way.
Each Malagasy lesson offers the following exercises:
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Presentation of new words with translation and image
-
Decide whether a Malagasy word matches the image
-
Select one of four pictures that matches a word
-
Type in the Malagasy word for a picture
-
Correctly type in a spoken Malagasy word
In the full version this app offers up to 5000 Malagasy words. The interface of the app is similar to Babbel, Duolingo or Mondly.
There is also a multiplayer mode and competitions where you can test your Malagasy skills against other people.
Summary: Overpriced Malagasy course that does offer some good exercises, but is not better than other similar apps.
Instant Immersion: Malagasy
Learning Software for Download
Systems: PC and Mac
Suitable for: Beginners and intermediate learners, travel vocabulary, business
Content: Malagasy vocabulary lessons and exercises
Prices: USD 35 (Level 1), USD 55 (Level 1-3)
Overall Value:
The Instant Immersion Malagasy learning software is available for download only for PCs and Macs.
According to the vendor, this software is supposed to be "as good as Rosetta Stone", but much cheaper because less money is spent on advertising.
Unfortunately, this promise cannot hold.
The software interface is chaotic and all three "language levels" offer a chaotic mix of easy and difficult words.
Essentially, this software only introduces new Malagasy vocabulary with native speaker audio and pictures, and then there are a few exercises.
Malagasy grammar is not included at all.
Summary: Limited scope and bad interface. At least it is relatively cheap and there is a 90-day money-back guarantee.
Linguashop: Malagasy
Educational Software for Download
Systems: PC (Windows 10, 8, 7, Vista and XP)
Content: Malagasy lessons with native speaker audio and speech recognition, grammar
Prices: USD 35 (second language for free)
Overall Value: 
The Linguashop educational software ("TeachMe") is available for over 90 languages, including Malagasy. It also includes an audio CD.
The native speaker audio and speech recognition are relatively good.
However, the interface of the learning software is quite chaotic and there are no exercises — only lessons where new vocabulary is presented.
It is also unclear how many words are included in this Malagasy learning program. There is no information about this on the website.
Some grammar lessons are included — however, these are basically just images with short texts.
Summary: Poor quality for a relatively low price. You get language courses for two languages when you buy, one as a free bonus.
Additional Ways To Learn Malagasy Online:
Colanguage: Find Skype teachers
Overall Value:
At Colanguage you can arrange face-to-face language lessons online via Skype with language teachers around the world (from $5-10 per hour).
In addition to using apps, it is definitely a good idea to also practice with native speakers in order to learn Malagasy properly.
Tandem: Find a language exchange partner
Overall Value:
Instead of hiring teachers, you can also find people who are interested in a free language exchange online via Skype.
It is completely free of charge, but you have to act as a language teacher for the other person half of the time.
Overview of the Malagasy Learning Apps:
| Learning App |
Subscrip-
tion? |
Price |
Systems |
Value |
17 Minutes
(Basics) |
No |
$29 |
PC, Mac, Android, iOS |
|
17 Minutes
(Complete) | No | $97 |
PC, Mac, Android, iOS |
|
| uTalk | No | $199 | PC, Mac, Android, iOS |
|
| uTalk | Yes
(1 month) | $12 | PC, Mac, Android, iOS |
|
| uTalk | Yes
(12 months) | $60 |
PC, Mac, Android, iOS |
|
Cudoo
(one course) |
No |
$13 |
Online
Access |
|
Cudoo
(complete) |
No |
$25 |
Online
Access |
|
| Memrise |
No |
$110 |
PC, Mac, Android, iOS |
|
| Memrise |
Yes
(1 month) |
$9 |
PC, Mac, Android, iOS |
|
| Memrise |
Yes
(12 months) |
$60 |
PC, Mac, Android, iOS |
|
| Bluebird |
No |
$200 |
PC, Mac, Android, iOS |
|
| Bluebird |
Yes
(1 month) |
$10 |
PC, Mac, Android, iOS |
|
| Bluebird |
Yes
(12 months) |
$100 |
PC, Mac, Android, iOS |
|
| Lingo Play |
Yes
(1 month) |
$20 |
PC, Mac, Android, iOS |
|
| Lingo Play |
Yes
(6 months) |
$60 |
PC, Mac, Android, iOS |
|
Ins. Immersion
(one course) | No | $35 |
PC, Mac |
|
Ins. Immersion
(complete) | No | $55 |
PC, Mac |
|
| Linguashop | No | $35 |
PC |
|
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