No "Premium" in front of the microphone

On many websites, “free” is just a sign on the door—and behind it lies a cash register. Three days, then a subscription. Or your voice, as soon as your tokens run out. “Learning German for free” means something more specific and honest on DeutschSprechen: no premium tier, no credit balance, no package that shuts down the AI.

No subscription doesn’t mean “no limits at all.” Points can unlock individual rooms, videos, or meetings. That’s a different door than a wall in front of the microphone. Even if you don’t have points, you can still speak: through lists, language groups, cards, or AI. The core remains open.

What Isn’t Sold

Tokens. Levels. A voice that falls silent after the trial. At first, I didn’t believe it, because almost every app holds out its hand at some point. Here, the practice remains free. Having your own Gemini or OpenAI key is an offer, not a toll. Whoever provides it is dealing directly with the provider, not paying a surcharge in the app. The key stays on the device. Those without one can still practice the four modes.

Without tokens, therefore, there’s no advertising slogan next to a store. It’s the absence of the store itself.

What Points Are

At the top, you’ll see a number. Rewarded videos—often with a daily limit—can increase it. Video groups and meetings sometimes require more than voice groups. This is listed on the card before you join. Read it. Anyone who taps on every card out of habit and then gets annoyed about five points hasn’t read the card.

Points aren’t a membership. They aren’t a monthly fee on the side. They’re a key to certain rooms. The hallway is free.

Why this matters for speaking

If you have to pull out a card before saying your first sentence, you’re practicing numbers, not German. Fear of speaking is already big enough. A paywall in front of it turns that fear into a valid excuse. Without a subscription, the excuse falls away. What remains is the sentence. That’s more uncomfortable than a subscription, because no one says it for you.

The cards, the example sentences, the SRS, the widget showing the number due—none of this is tied to a specific step. You set up the widget in the app settings and pin it to your home screen. And you can do that without paying either.

If you want a more precise definition of “completely free,” read what “free” means. Points and advertising are covered in the Guide.

An Honest Note

Ads may appear. They are not part of the lessons. A room with a point price isn’t “premium after all” as long as the phrase next to it remains “free.” If a later version prices a card differently, the card in the app applies, not an old blog post. The core point I’m making here is the “no subscription required” part.

What You Still Pay For Yourself

Time. Embarrassment. The repetition on the third day, when SRS brings the word back and you can no longer call it “new.” Without a subscription, no one will take that burden off your shoulders. That’s the part advertising copy leaves out. Learning German for free means the payment barrier is gone. The work remains. Eight cards, one sentence in the language group, maybe the big AI button—hold and let go. Then it’s over. Not an hour, just because it costs nothing and you need the feeling of having made the most of the evening.

I’ve canceled subscriptions where I paid for the voice but remained silent anyway. Here, too, I’m sometimes silent. Then it’s my break, not a disabled feature. The next day, the stack is still there. No tokens, no package that expired overnight. The example sentence on the card is waiting. You swipe again, or I already know it. Both are practice. It’s not silence for the sake of saving money.

DeutschSprechen lets you learn German for free in this narrow sense. Without a token standing between you and the next sentence. You still have to say the sentence yourself. No price tag can save you from that.