Kalam: Learn Arabic

What it does

Kalam is a mobile app designed to teach users how to speak Arabic. It focuses on practical conversation skills rather than just vocabulary memorization. The app creates a personalized learning plan based on a user's goals, interests, and current proficiency, offering features like interactive speaking drills, AI-powered conversation practice, and content specific to various Arabic dialects.

Where it shines

Kalam's strength lies in its deeply personalized onboarding and its focus on practical application. The multi-stage quiz (starting at 00:12) meticulously gathers user preferences, making the final study plan (01:30) feel truly bespoke. This builds significant investment before the user even sees the paywall. Once inside the app, the 'Free Talk' scenarios (06:12) and the 'AI Tutor' (09:28) provide immediate opportunities to use the language in simulated real-world contexts, bridging the gap between learning and speaking.

UX highlights

Comprehensive Onboarding: The app uses an extensive, multi-part quiz to tailor content, covering everything from motivation (00:13) to specific dialects (00:18) and topics of interest (00:47).
Value Framing Before Paywall: Before asking for a subscription, Kalam presents a summary of the personalized plan (01:30) and a graph illustrating the app's value (01:32), justifying the upcoming ask.
Clear Trial Timeline: A visual timeline (01:35) clearly explains what happens during the 7-day free trial, building trust by showing when reminders are sent and when billing begins.
Multiple Practice Modes: The app offers diverse ways to learn, including video lessons (02:24), speaking drills (03:35), quizzes (05:12), and AI conversations (09:28), catering to different learning styles.
Gamified Dialect Comparison: The 'Dialect Challenge' (09:00) is a unique feature that turns learning regional differences into an engaging head-to-head game.
Integrated Translator: An AI-powered translator (08:11) is built directly into the app, serving as a useful utility and a seamless learning tool.

Monetization & growth

Kalam uses a soft paywall with a 7-day free trial, a common strategy in the education category. The paywall is placed at the end of a very long onboarding funnel (01:37). By this point, the user has invested significant time and provided a lot of personal data, which likely increases their willingness to start a trial. The pricing is presented as an annual subscription, but the cost is broken down to a daily rate ($0.16/day) to make it seem more affordable. The app also includes a 'Give us a rating' prompt (01:13) during onboarding, aiming to boost its App Store visibility early on.

Who it’s for

Kalam appears to be for serious learners of Arabic who are focused on developing conversational fluency rather than just academic knowledge. The emphasis on different dialects (e.g., Egyptian, Moroccan, Lebanese) suggests it's particularly useful for individuals planning to travel, live abroad, or communicate with people from specific regions. The personalization for career, family, or travel goals reinforces this practical focus.

Notes & opportunities

The onboarding flow is incredibly thorough but also very long. While it effectively filters for committed users, its length could be a point of friction for more casual browsers. The app also requests tracking, notification, speech recognition, and microphone permissions in quick succession, which might feel overwhelming to some. In the main app, the dashboard (08:05) presents many options, which could be simplified to guide new users toward the most impactful first action more clearly.