🇮🇷 Persian · checked 21 October 2026
Best apps to learn Persian by reading (2026)
3 apps whose own sites list Persian, and what each is good for.
At a glance
| App | Type | Persian | Audio | Free option | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ReadNative (ours) | Graded books | Yes — 3 books | No narration for Persian | Free first book | Beginners who want whole stories from A1 |
| LingQ | Library + import | Yes | Yes | Yes | importing and reading lots of varied content, with audio |
| Readlang | Read anything (web, uploads) | Not listed by name — check | Voices for words and phrases | Yes | reading real web pages with click-to-translate and flashcards |
| Clozemaster | Sentence drills | Yes (depends on your base language) | — | Yes | fill-in-the-blank vocabulary drills (not a reading app) |
The apps
ReadNative (ours)
Graded retellings of real stories that start at absolute beginner and get harder chapter by chapter. Tap a word for an English gloss with romanization, tap a sentence for its translation; words you meet are counted automatically. Persian books:
- Rostam and Sohrab (رستم و سهراب) — A1–B1, 38 chapters, free
- Mulla Nasreddin (ملا نصرالدین) — A1–A2, 16 chapters, Pro
- Leyli and Majnun (لیلی و مجنون) — A2–B1, 18 chapters, Pro
Try it: the first lines of Rostam and Sohrab
این ایران است.
This is Iran.
ایران سرزمین بزرگی است.
Iran is a great land.
ایران یک پهلوان بزرگ دارد.
Iran has a great hero.
نام او رستم است.
His name is Rostam.
رستم مرد بزرگی است.
Rostam is a great man.
او بسیار قوی است.
He is very strong.
| Persian | Romanization | Gloss in the reader |
|---|---|---|
| این | in | this |
| ایران | iraan | Iran |
| است | ast | is |
| سرزمین | sarzamin-e | land |
| بزرگی | bozorgi | a great |
| یک | yek | a |
| پهلوان | pahlavaan-e | hero |
| بزرگ | bozorg | great |
| دارد | daarad | has |
| نام | naam-e | the name (of) |
| او | u | him |
| رستم | rostam | Rostam |
| مرد | mard-e | man |
| بسیار | besyaar | very |
Read the whole of chapter 1 free →
Strong at: whole stories written for beginners, in a language few reading apps serve. Weaker at: variety beyond its 3 Persian books; no narration in Persian. Price model: first book free; Pro unlocks the rest and EPUB imports.
Your Persian reading path in ReadNative
Rostam and Sohrab رستم و سهراب: ch. 1–13 ≈A1 (from فصل 1: رستم — Chapter 1: Rostam); ch. 14–26 ≈A2 (from فصل 14: اسب سهراب — Chapter 14: Sohrab's Horse); ch. 27–38 ≈B1 (from فصل 27: سهراب می‌تازد — Chapter 27: Sohrab Charges).
Mulla Nasreddin ملا نصرالدین: ch. 1–8 ≈A1 (from فصل 1: ملا نصرالدین — Chapter 1: Mulla Nasreddin); ch. 9–16 ≈A2 (from فصل 9: بوی آش — Chapter 9: The Smell of the Soup).
Leyli and Majnun لیلی و مجنون: ch. 1–9 ≈A2 (from فصل 1: پسری مثل ماه — Chapter 1: A Boy Like the Moon); ch. 10–18 ≈B1 (from فصل 10: آهوها — Chapter 10: The Gazelles).
Other apps that list Persian
LingQ — importing and reading lots of varied content, with audio. Persian is listed (lingq.com/en/learn-persian-online). ReadNative vs LingQ →
Readlang — reading real web pages with click-to-translate and flashcards. Says it covers 100+ languages; check yours. ReadNative vs Readlang →
Not a reading app, but useful alongside
Clozemaster — fill-in-the-blank vocabulary drills (not a reading app). Persian is listed (clozemaster.com). ReadNative vs Clozemaster →
What matters in a Persian reading app
Persian grammar is friendly — no grammatical gender, regular verbs — but the script is the obstacle: Arabic letters, right to left, short vowels left out. A tool that shows a transliteration with the vowels (and the unwritten ezafe) turns guessing into reading.
Questions
What is the best app to learn Persian by reading?
It depends on your level and what you want to read. For a complete beginner who wants a story written for their level, ReadNative’s Rostam and Sohrab starts at A1 and is free. To import and read your own Persian content with audio, LingQ supports Persian. If audio on everything matters most, look at LingQ.
Is there a free app to read Persian?
Yes: Rostam and Sohrab is free in ReadNative and readable here in your browser (40 chapters online); LingQ, Clozemaster also start free.
Is Persian the same as Farsi?
Yes. Farsi is the name of the language in Persian; standard Iranian Persian is what most courses teach. Dari (Afghanistan) and Tajik (Tajikistan, written in Cyrillic) are closely related varieties.
Sources
Every statement about another app on this page comes from that app’s own website, checked on 21 October 2026. Features and plans change; check their sites for the latest.
- LingQ: lingq.com/en · lingq.com/en/learn-georgian-online
- Readlang: readlang.com · readlang.com/features
- Clozemaster: clozemaster.com
ReadNative facts: about ReadNative and the book catalog. We make ReadNative.
More Persian: learn Persian by reading · Persian graded readers · Persian short stories · how long it takes to learn Persian