6 English shadowing apps: our picks, free limits and prices
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Start with Audipo if you already have an audio file and its transcript. Choose TED if you need free talks to practise with. Choose Speechling if you want supplied short sentences and voice comparison. Pay for a correction service only when feedback is the missing part of your routine.
If you own a supported Japanese-market English textbook, check abceed’s free audio first. It avoids importing the book’s files into Audipo.
Our six picks solve different problems. Shadoten is a Japan-focused option for daily correction with Japanese-language support. SpeakGain is our own product: we recommend it for sentences you choose yourself, but prefer TED or Speechling for a ready-made library and Shadoten for daily human guidance in Japanese.
Compare the job, the free tier and the bill
Features and prices checked 1 October 2026 against official information and Android screens. Prices below belong to the stated market and purchase route; they are not converted local offers. Check your store’s final price, trial eligibility and availability before subscribing. All six have Android and iOS listings or official availability statements; our hands-on checks used Android.
| App | Our verdict | Free access / checked price | Recording and feedback | Material |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Audipo | First choice for audio you own | Basic playback free with ads; Android offer in JPY: ¥200/month with 3-day trial. Separate initial 2-week feature access | Use a separate recorder; not our scoring pick | Local audio files, not text-to-speech |
| abceed | First choice for supported textbook audio | 320+ audio titles and section repeat free; Japan App Store Pro ¥3,300/month or ¥23,800/year | Official AI-conversation pronunciation feedback; free-player recording/scoring unverified. Answer-sheet grading is separate | Supported books; free audio does not include every book’s text |
| TED | Free source of interesting talks | Talk viewing free with ads | Use another tool for recording/assessment | Talks and subtitles; not your own text |
| Speechling | Supplied sentences and voice comparison | Curriculum/comparison free; Unlimited advertised from US$19.99/month. English excluded from 10 free coaching sessions/month | Model/recording comparison; human coaching subject to plan | Recorded male/female voices and sentence curriculum |
| Shadoten | Daily correction for Japanese-speaking learners | Japan: ¥21,780/month via web, ¥25,800 via iOS, tax included; 7-day trial | Recording submission; one correction per day | Level-based materials and speed adjustment; custom text not verified |
| SpeakGain — ours | Your own sentences, revisited later | Japan: ¥980/month or ¥9,800/year, tax included; initial 2-week trial | Recording/playback and access to pronunciation assessment; scoring accuracy not evaluated | Text you select becomes an audio card; not a large supplied curriculum |
Sources: Audipo, TED, Speechling pricing, Shadoten pricing, SpeakGain’s Japanese pricing.
Audipo: fix playback before buying more lessons
Recommended if you own suitable audio; skip it if you need someone to supply and explain the material. Audipo changes playback speed and lets you mark positions in a file. Its detailed seek controls are useful when your difficult sentence sits halfway through a long track. Advanced looping and playlist features are part of Pro. We imported an original practice recording from the device’s Download folder and played it without creating an account. Official features
This is a player, not a complete English course. Keep the transcript in your book or another screen, and use another recording tool if you want to compare your voice. Its value is strongest when you already like your material and keep losing your place. Buying a new content library would not solve that particular problem.
The first-run message offered two weeks of feature access; the subscription screen separately showed a three-day trial followed by ¥200 per month. We did not purchase. Do not assume a Pro feature visible on day one is permanently free, or treat this Android display in Japanese yen as a price for your country.
For using sentence replay and visible text, our synchronized reading guide separates reading over the model from recording and comparing your voice.
abceed: check for your textbook before importing files
Recommended if your chosen textbook is supported; skip it for unrestricted local audio or sentences you write yourself. The official free plan includes audio for over 320 titles, speed adjustment and section repeat. That does not make each book’s text free: use your own copy to follow the meaning. For this reader, we prefer abceed to importing files into Audipo or retyping sentences into our SpeakGain.
The catalogue and guidance focus on Japan, so it is a weaker fit if Japanese-language materials are a barrier. Search for your book before subscribing. The Japanese App Store lists Pro at ¥3,300/month or ¥23,800/year; the website’s “from ¥1,983/month” is not the monthly-contract charge. The full material library and SW training belong to Pro.
The official Play listing advertises shadowing and pronunciation feedback in AI conversation. We did not verify recording or speech scoring in the free audio player. Its free answer-sheet grading scores exercise answers, not pronunciation. If voice comparison is essential, check the particular material and plan before choosing it.
TED: a free library, with a material-selection cost
Recommended for learners who can follow a talk’s English subtitles; skip it as a first course if even short sentences need extensive explanation. The topics and speakers are the attraction. We would choose one talk we want to understand, then a short, comprehensible passage, rather than attempt an entire presentation because it is popular. Official Android listing
TED is a viewing app, not a replacement for a pronunciation recorder or a correction service. Talks may include technical vocabulary, jokes and long sentences. A large library is useful only if you can select material at a workable level. If you want the next short sentence handed to you, Speechling is the more relevant starting point.
Talk viewing is free. TED’s download help requires a free account for offline downloads. We did not create one or open a sign-in flow to test downloads.
Speechling: compare short recordings, but read the English exception
Recommended for a supplied sentence curriculum and model/voice comparison; skip it if your main requirement is free human correction of English. Its official pricing includes curriculum access, recorded male and female voices, and side-by-side voice comparison in the free tier. The “up to 10 coaching sessions” offer explicitly excludes English, French, Chinese and German. Unlimited is advertised from US$19.99/month, not as a verified month-to-month checkout price. Pricing
The official guide explains recording, replaying and submitting to a coach after login. We installed the app through Play but used its official store image for the gated practice screen. We did not submit speech or evaluate a coach’s response. Treat this as a short-sentence practice companion, not evidence that it can continuously loop any long video you own.
It suits learners who want to start speaking rather than collect sentences. It is less suitable if you primarily want audio generated from your own work phrases. Do not buy coaching before deciding that feedback, rather than playback or materials, is what you lack.
Shadoten: pay for daily correction, not merely a play button
Recommended only if Japanese-language support and regular submission fit your routine; skip it for occasional listening or a small budget. This Japan-focused service lists daily correction, LINE support, material recommendations and playback-speed adjustment. Web signup is ¥21,780/month; iOS in-app purchase is ¥25,800/month, including Japanese tax. A seven-day trial becomes paid service. Official plan
We would not make it the default purchase for an English-speaking international reader. Verify whether its support language, account requirements and local store availability work for you. It is included to show what a managed correction service offers, not to imply Japanese prices or support apply worldwide.
The official site and store use different material counts, so we do not present a fabricated combined total. Custom-text submission was not verified. We installed the app but did not create an account or pay; the practice image is supplied by the developer. No claim here is based on receiving actual corrections.
SpeakGain: a place for the sentence you chose
Recommended when you already know what you want to say; skip it when choosing material is the task you want the app to remove. SpeakGain is our product. Its useful distinction here is turning selected English text into an audio card, speaking it and returning to it in review. That flexibility leaves you responsible for choosing the sentence. What SpeakGain does
For this demonstration we use a work request about sending a report before lunch. The localized screenshots show the same sentence through model playback, speaking and recording. They use an existing editorial practice card, not a learner’s improvement result.
Existing editorial SpeakGain cards recaptured on Android, with a different sentence per locale. These are recording-control checks, not submitted assessments or learner results.
The Japanese published price is ¥980/month or ¥9,800/year with an initial two-week trial, subject to the store’s offer. We do not recommend it as a permanently free material library. We verified playback and recording controls, not scoring accuracy or a learning-effect claim. Published price
Where another app wins: Audipo for a local audio file; TED for a large selection of talks; Speechling for supplied short sentences; Shadoten for daily human guidance in Japanese. SpeakGain’s automated assessment is not a substitute we have established as equivalent to human correction.
Also considered, but outside this shortlist
Official sites, store listings and pricing checked on 1 October 2026. These are useful alternatives for different priorities.
- AUTHENTECH by ALC: Dedicated shadowing, recording and coach sharing suit its coaching students. We prioritised apps to start independently: the coaching package costs ¥660,000 for three months plus ¥55,000 enrolment, and we could not verify a general standalone app price; existing students should follow their coach’s recommendation.
- Study Sapuri ENGLISH: A strong candidate for Japanese-language TOEIC lectures plus shadowing. For someone who only needs their book’s audio, we would start with free abceed audio before the ¥3,278/month web course with an initial seven-day trial.
- ELSA Speak: Worth considering when pronunciation diagnosis is the main job. We prioritised following and replaying passages here; ELSA offers limited free access and paid plans, and readers focused on individual sounds should compare it separately.
Choose a service only after identifying the missing step
If a book already supplies clear audio and explanations, keep it. A player plus a separate recorder may be enough. Video gives you interesting speakers, but you still have to select a short passage and check the transcript. For card organization rather than listening practice, use our custom flashcard app guide.
Test an app with one or two sentences you understand. Can you reopen them tomorrow, return to the difficult section and compare your voice? What specifically stops working without the paid feature? If the last answer is unclear, postpone the subscription. The paired shadowing guide covers the practice sequence; this page is about choosing the tool.
To choose a practice tool, compare material types, free limits and the check after listening in our English listening app picks.
To choose a book, free audio or video for practice, compare levels and transcript access in our shadowing-material guide.
Common questions
Can I start for free? Yes: free TED viewing or basic Audipo playback with audio you already own are options. A separate recorder may be needed. Free installation is not the same as ongoing free coaching.
Do I need an AI score? Not necessarily. If the problem is repeatedly finding a passage, better playback controls are more relevant. Scores from different apps are not comparable benchmarks, and a score alone does not tell you what to practise next.
Can I use two apps? Yes, if their jobs differ: one for material or playback and one for recording. Avoid paying for several overlapping services before completing a practice session with the tools you already have.
Our final choice is conditional: Audipo for owned audio, abceed for supported textbook audio, TED for talks, Speechling for short sentences, Shadoten for Japanese-supported daily correction, SpeakGain for your own text and later review. Start with the one that removes your actual obstacle.
Use abceed for a supported textbook and Audipo for arbitrary audio files. If your book is supported, we prefer its original audio in abceed to re-entering its sentences in our SpeakGain.
5 English pronunciation apps: our picks, and who should skip them
For practising a whole sentence from its meaning, see our English sentence-building app comparison, including free limits and our editorial verdicts.
For choosing a speaking partner and checking free limits, see our English conversation app comparison with picks by practice type.