Best app for inburgering: which exam parts each one covers
Short answer
No single app covers the whole inburgering exam. DUO's free practice exams on inburgeren.nl are the only official material: practice exams for Reading, Listening, Writing, Speaking and KNM at A2, and B1 and B2 language practice exams on a linked Nt2 site. Exam-practice apps such as StroopTaal and Inburgering list all four language parts plus KNM, in paid tiers, and the PVT and MAP are done with your municipality. PolyYapp covers one layer only: Dutch vocabulary for Reading and Listening, with no exam mode.
Key points
- Under the 2013 act the exam parts are Reading, Listening, Writing, Speaking and KNM, plus ONA and the PVT depending on your start date; under the 2021 act your PIP names your exams (inburgeren.nl, read 2026-10-31).
- DUO's own practice page offers A2 practice exams for all four language parts and KNM, practice exams at B1 and B2, and no app.
- StroopTaal and Inburgering (inburgering.app) both describe practice for all four language exams plus KNM; both are independent apps, both put the full exam material behind a subscription, and both run on Android.
- Duolingo, Babbel and Anki are general tools: useful for Dutch in general, with no KNM and no exam-shaped tasks.
- PolyYapp is one layer of the three: daily Dutch vocabulary for Reading and Listening, on iPhone, iPad and Apple-silicon Mac.
The exam facts on this page were read on inburgeren.nl, DUO’s integration site, on 2026-10-31. The apps were checked the same day against their App Store and Google Play listings, their own websites and Apple’s public review feeds; none of their exam material was tested, so every coverage claim below is attributed to the vendor that makes it.
Which app covers the whole inburgering exam?
None does, and the reason is structural rather than a gap someone will fill next year. The inburgering exam is a set of separate exams, and some parts are not tests an app can simulate. The participation statement (PVT) and the Labour Market and Participation module (MAP) are done with your municipality, and the ONA exam is a portfolio of result cards checked by DUO, followed by an interview or a 64-hour course. What an app can do is help you practise the four language exams and Knowledge of Dutch Society (KNM).
So the useful question is not which is the best app for inburgering, but which tool helps with which part. DUO’s own practice exams are the only official material, and the two exam-practice apps checked here describe the widest coverage. PolyYapp sits at the narrow end: it builds Dutch vocabulary and does nothing else.
| Tool | Reading (Lezen) | Listening (Luisteren) | Writing (Schrijven) | Speaking (Spreken) | KNM | ONA, PVT, MAP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DUO practice exams (inburgeren.nl) | Official: 4 A2 practice exams online, plus B1 and B2 practice exams | Official: 3 A2 practice exams online, plus B1 and B2 practice exams | Official: 3 A2 practice exams as PDFs, plus B1 and B2 practice exams and B1 practice assignments | Official: 3 A2 practice exams online (not in Safari), plus B1 and B2 practice exams and B1 practice assignments | Official: 2 A2 practice exams online | No practice: ONA is a portfolio plus an interview or a 64-hour course, and the PVT and MAP run through the municipality |
| StroopTaal | Reading practice with forms and official letters, per the vendor, in the paid Premium tier; a free 10-question A2 practice test on its website | Exam-style listening tasks, per the vendor, in the paid Premium tier; a free 10-question A2 practice test on its website | Writing tasks with AI feedback, per the vendor, in the paid Premium tier | AI conversation partner and pronunciation scores, per the vendor, in the paid Premium tier | KNM topics named in the listing; a free KNM practice test on its website | Not mentioned in its listing or on its website |
| Inburgering (inburgering.app) | Lezen practice named in the listing; full content needs a subscription | Luisteren practice named in the listing; full content needs a subscription | Short writing tasks graded in the app, per the listing; full content needs a subscription | Speaking prompts with pronunciation feedback, per the listing; full content needs a subscription | KNM questions grouped by theme, per the listing; full content needs a subscription | ONA named in the listing; PVT and MAP not mentioned |
| Duolingo | General reading inside a Dutch course that a third-party tracker labels A2; no exam tasks | Listening exercises inside lessons; no exam tasks | Writing exercises inside lessons; no exam tasks | Speaking exercises inside lessons; Duolingo’s January 2026 Video Call list does not include Dutch | No KNM practice found | Not covered |
| Babbel | Course reading from A1 to around B1; no exam tasks | Dialogues with native-speaker audio, per Babbel’s Dutch page | Course exercises; no exam tasks | Speech recognition for pronunciation practice | No KNM practice found | Not covered |
| Anki | Only what a deck you build or download contains; Anki ships no Dutch content | Only audio a deck includes, or device text-to-speech | Not covered | Not covered | No official KNM content | Not covered |
| PolyYapp | Vocabulary only: about 3,900 Dutch words (as of October 2026) on a spaced-repetition schedule | Text-to-speech audio for every word, and an exercise where you type the word you hear | Not covered: no writing practice | Not covered: no speaking practice | Not covered | Not covered |
Sources for the DUO row: inburgeren.nl “Practicing for the exam” and “Knowledge exams”, read 2026-10-31. The app rows come from each app’s listing and website, as cited in the sections below.
Which exam parts do you actually need?
Your exams and your level come from your own situation, not from an app: Mijn Inburgering shows which integration act applies to you, and under the 2021 act your personal plan (PIP) names your exams. The level matters when you pick a tool, because an app built around A2 tasks will run out on the B1 track, and DUO’s B1 practice material lives on a different site from the A2 material. The guide on inburgering at A2 or B1 covers the level rules, and the guide to the Staatsexamen Nt2 and the inburgeringsexamen untangles the two exams.
Are there free official inburgering practice exams?
Yes. DUO publishes free practice exams on inburgeren.nl, and they are the baseline any exam app should be measured against, because they are the only ones that show the real format. inburgeren.nl lists A2 practice exams for all five A2 parts: 4 for Reading, 3 for Listening, 3 for Speaking, 2 for KNM, and 3 Writing exams as PDFs to print. For B1 and B2 there are practice exams, and practice assignments for Writing and Speaking at B1, on a separate Nt2 practice site.
Two practical details from the same page: DUO prefers a desktop computer for practising (on a phone or tablet, tilt the device), and the Speaking practice exams do not work in Safari. For more practice it points to Net in Nederland for videos on exam subjects and to oefenen.nl for lessons.
Do one practice exam per part early on. The parts where you lose points tell you which of the tools below are worth your time.
StroopTaal: speaking and exam-part practice in one app
StroopTaal is an independent app for practical Dutch in the Netherlands, built around an AI conversation partner you talk to out loud. Its listing says it prepares you for inburgering and NT2 “with practice for reading, writing, listening, speaking, and Dutch culture topics such as KNM”. The vendor describes the format two ways: its website calls this practice “part by part, not a full mock exam” and says to use DUO’s material as well, while its Google Play listing advertises “full inburgeringsexamen simulations” of all five parts, Lezen, Schrijven, Luisteren, Spreken and KNM. Its website also has free 10-question A2 practice tests for Reading, Listening and KNM.
The catch is that exam practice is paid. StroopTaal’s FAQ says the free tier covers the lesson path, word games, flashcards and daily reviews, while “Premium adds the AI features, such as voice conversations and pronunciation scores, and exam practice”. Users have also reported AI-generated content they did not want and lessons that looped (App Store reviews, June to September 2026).
When to pick StroopTaal: when your weak parts are Speaking and Writing. It gives spoken practice with feedback, writing feedback and KNM topics in one app, with seven interface languages including Arabic, Turkish and Ukrainian, and it runs on Android. PolyYapp offers none of that.
Inburgering (inburgering.app): exam-shaped practice including KNM
Inburgering, listed on the US App Store as “Inburgering: DUO & NT2 examen”, is an exam-practice app by an independent developer; despite the store name, it is not made by DUO. Its listing names practice for Reading, Listening, Speaking and Writing “plus knowledge of Dutch society (KNM) and the labour-market orientation (ONA)”, a placement quiz per skill, and an estimate of whether your exam date is realistic. Version 2.0.6 added illustrations to 270 KNM questions.
The full content is an “Inburgering Pro” subscription, with a free level check to start. Users have reported paying and not getting access to paid content (App Store reviews, January and July 2026), and one said support never replied. Its website makes claims about pass rates and real exam questions that could not be checked, so they are not repeated here.
When to pick Inburgering: when your exam date is set and you want exam-shaped tasks for the four language exams, KNM and ONA, as its listing describes them, and a readiness estimate. It runs on iPhone, iPad and Android. PolyYapp has no exam tasks of any kind.
Duolingo and Babbel: general courses, not exam practice
Duolingo and Babbel teach Dutch in general rather than the inburgering exam. Duolingo’s free Dutch course, which a third-party tracker labels A2, practises reading, listening, writing and speaking inside its lessons, and Babbel teaches grammar in order from A1 to around B1. That helps every language exam a little and none of them specifically, and neither has KNM practice or tasks shaped like the exam.
Duolingo’s whole Dutch course is free with ads and an energy limit, and the same tracker lists it as taught from English only.
When to pick Duolingo: when you are a complete beginner who wants a guided, free, game-like path from zero, with grammar and all four skills, on iPhone, Android or the web. PolyYapp does not teach grammar and runs only on Apple devices.
Babbel is a subscription course with dialogues, native-speaker audio per its Dutch page, and speech recognition.
When to pick Babbel: when you are on the B1 track and need grammar explained in order, with dialogues and pronunciation feedback, on a clear path from A1 to B1. Its lessons can be downloaded for study without a connection, which PolyYapp cannot do.
Anki: flashcards you build or download
Anki is a general spaced-repetition engine with no Dutch content of its own, so it helps with inburgering only as far as the deck you choose. Community decks on AnkiWeb include Dutch frequency lists, textbook word lists and a de/het deck, and users have reported shared decks with mistakes. Desktop Anki and AnkiDroid are free; on iPhone, AnkiMobile is a one-time purchase.
When to pick Anki: when you are disciplined, want full control over every card, already use it for something else, or need to study without a connection, which PolyYapp cannot do.
Where does PolyYapp fit?
PolyYapp helps with one thing the exam needs: a bigger Dutch vocabulary, which pays off most in Reading and Listening. PolyYapp is a vocabulary trainer for iPhone and iPad (it also runs on Apple-silicon Macs as an iPad app) that schedules each word on spaced repetition and drills it with 5 exercise types, from about 3,900 curated Dutch words as of October 2026. Every word has text-to-speech audio in a Netherlands Dutch voice.
PolyYapp does not cover most of the exam:
- PolyYapp has no exam mode and no mock tests, and does not cover KNM, ONA, the PVT or the MAP.
- PolyYapp has no speaking or writing practice and no grammar lessons.
- PolyYapp has no levels and no exam word lists; new words arrive at random from one shared pool.
- PolyYapp needs an internet connection, and there is no Android app.
What it adds: a word from a gemeente letter or a DUO practice exam can go on your own review list. You can add any dictionary word without an account, and once you sign in with Apple you can also create up to 10 new words a day that are not in the dictionary. PolyYapp is free to download and use, with no in-app purchases and no ads today, and needs no account to start. Why there is no official exam word list, and what to learn instead, is in our inburgering word list guide.
Do inburgering apps need a subscription?
The exam-practice apps do: StroopTaal and Inburgering both put their exam content behind a subscription. DUO’s official material is free, Duolingo is freemium, Babbel is a subscription course, Anki asks for a one-time purchase on iOS only, and PolyYapp has nothing to buy today.
| Tool | Who makes it | Business model | Platforms |
|---|---|---|---|
| DUO practice exams | DUO, the government body that runs the exams | Free | Web browser; DUO prefers a desktop computer, and Speaking does not work in Safari |
| StroopTaal | An independent developer; its website says it is not DUO | Freemium: exam practice is in the Premium subscription | iPhone, iPad, Android and Apple Watch |
| Inburgering (inburgering.app) | An independent developer, despite “DUO” in its US store name | Freemium: full content is the Inburgering Pro subscription | iPhone, iPad, Apple-silicon Mac and Android |
| Duolingo | Duolingo, Inc | Freemium: the whole course is free with ads and an energy limit; subscriptions remove both | iPhone, iPad, Android and the web |
| Babbel | Babbel GmbH | Subscription after a free first lesson; a lifetime option is listed | iPhone, iPad, Android and the web |
| Anki | Anki Software LLC, open source | Free on desktop, Android and the web; AnkiMobile on iOS is a one-time purchase | Windows, macOS, Linux, iPhone, iPad, Android and the web |
| PolyYapp | A.I. Software | Free with no in-app purchases and no ads today | iPhone, iPad and Apple-silicon Mac; no Android app |
Learners comparing free options across every kind of Dutch app will find more in free apps to learn Dutch.
When is a school the better choice?
A school is the better choice when you need a teacher to correct your Writing and Speaking over weeks, which no app replaces. Under the 2021 act, inburgeren.nl says the municipality chooses a school for asylum status holders, and everyone else chooses their own. If you choose, DUO points to schools on zoekinburgerschool.nl, which carry the Blik op Werk accreditation; you can borrow money from DUO only for schools on that list.
Which combination of tools covers the inburgering exam?
No single tool covers the inburgering exam, so most learners end up combining three layers:
- DUO’s practice exams, early and again close to the date, to learn the format and find your weakest part.
- An exam-practice app or a school for the parts a vocabulary trainer cannot touch: Speaking, Writing and KNM.
- A daily vocabulary habit, in PolyYapp, Anki or a course’s own review feature, for the words that Reading and Listening depend on. A comparison of Dutch vocabulary apps sets out the options.
The inburgering topic page sets out where vocabulary helps across the exams, and the spaced repetition page explains how PolyYapp schedules reviews.
Sources
Exam facts, all read on 2026-10-31:
- inburgeren.nl: Which exams (exam parts by act and start date)
- inburgeren.nl: Language exams A2, B1 and B2
- inburgeren.nl: Knowledge exams (KNM, MAP, ONA, PVT)
- inburgeren.nl: Practicing for the exam (practice exams, Net in Nederland, oefenen.nl)
- inburgeren.nl: Integration in the Netherlands (PIP and the three tracks)
- inburgeren.nl: Choosing a school
Apps, all read on 2026-10-31:
- StroopTaal on the App Store, on Google Play and strooptaal.app (features, FAQ, platforms, free practice tests)
- Inburgering: DUO & NT2 examen on the App Store and inburgering.app
- Duolingo on the App Store, the DuolingoData Dutch course snapshot and Duolingo’s Video Call post
- Babbel on the App Store and Babbel’s Dutch page
- AnkiMobile on the App Store and AnkiWeb shared decks
Questions
Do inburgering apps also cover the Staatsexamen Nt2?
Two of them say so. StroopTaal's Google Play listing names B1 and B2 state exam preparation, and Inburgering (inburgering.app) describes itself as practice for the civic integration exam and the Staatsexamen Nt2, with tasks from A1 to C1. Neither was tested here. The official practice exams for the B1 and B2 language exams, which inburgeren.nl calls the Dutch as a second language state exam, are on a separate Nt2 practice site that inburgeren.nl links to.
Is there an official DUO app for inburgering?
None was found. DUO's "Practicing for the exam" page on inburgeren.nl (read 2026-10-31) lists A2 practice exams in the browser and as PDFs, and links B1 and B2 practice to a separate practice site. It names no app. An app with "DUO" in its store name, such as Inburgering: DUO & NT2 examen, is made by an independent developer, not by DUO.
Can I practise KNM in an app?
Yes, though not from DUO. StroopTaal's listing names KNM topics and Inburgering (inburgering.app) has KNM questions grouped by theme. DUO itself publishes two A2 KNM practice exams on inburgeren.nl, and the same page points to Net in Nederland for videos on exam subjects. Duolingo, Babbel, Anki and PolyYapp have no KNM practice.
Do I need a paid app to pass inburgering?
No app is required. DUO's practice exams are free, and inburgeren.nl also points to oefenen.nl for more lessons and to your public library for help. Paid exam apps such as StroopTaal and Inburgering say they add feedback on Speaking and Writing and more practice questions; whether that is worth it depends on which parts you are weakest in, which the official practice exams will show you.
Does PolyYapp prepare you for the inburgering exam?
No. PolyYapp is a Dutch vocabulary trainer with spaced repetition and 5 exercise types. It has no exam mode, no mock tests, no grammar lessons and no speaking or writing practice, and it does not cover KNM, ONA, the PVT or the MAP. A bigger vocabulary helps with Reading and Listening, which is the only part PolyYapp can help with.