Duolingo

Free, game-like app for short daily lessons in dozens of languages, plus maths, music and chess.

Verified facts: 4 of 4
Alternatives ranked: 7
Approved reviews: 0
Visits sent from here: 0

About Duolingo

Duolingo is the most widely used language app, built around bite-sized lessons, streaks, leagues and other game mechanics that make a daily habit easy to keep. Its free tier covers the full course path with ads and a limited number of mistakes; Super removes ads and adds unlimited practice, and the higher Max tier adds AI features such as Video Call and Roleplay conversations and explanations of your answers. Courses are strongest for popular languages from English, and the app has expanded into maths, music and chess. The trade-off is depth: grammar is taught mostly implicitly, speaking and listening practice is limited outside the AI features, and many learners plateau at an intermediate level without other resources. It runs on iOS, Android and the web. Duolingo suits beginners and casual learners who want a free, motivating way to practise every day.

Best for: Beginners and casual learners who want a free, fun daily habit.

What works

Full course path is free
Streaks and leagues make daily practice stick
Huge choice of languages and courses

Why people leave

Little explicit grammar teaching
Hard to reach advanced levels with it alone
Free tier has ads and limits on mistakes

Top Duolingo alternatives

See all 7

1
Babbel
More structured lessons with clear grammar explanations for adult learners.
66.5
2
Busuu
Similar short lessons plus feedback on your writing and speaking from native speakers.
62.6
3
Memrise
Learn from videos of real native speakers instead of synthetic voices.
59.6
4
Speak
AI conversation practice for learners who want to actually talk.
57.2
5
LingoDeer
Grammar-focused courses, especially strong for Japanese, Korean and Chinese.
55.3

Why people left Duolingo

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Duolingo: common questions

Is Duolingo free?

Duolingo has a free plan and paid plans.

Is Duolingo open source?

No, Duolingo is not open source. Open-source alternatives include Anki.

What platforms does Duolingo run on?

Duolingo is available for Web, iOS and Android.

What are the best alternatives to Duolingo?

The highest-ranked Duolingo alternatives right now are Babbel, Busuu and Memrise. See the full ranked list for pricing, platforms and verified facts.

See all 7 Duolingo alternatives

Duolingo facts

4 of 4 verified

Max tier: Subscription tier above Super; Checked Oct 25, 2026blog.duolingo.com(opens source in a new tab); “DOWNLOAD DUOLINGO Duolingo Max is a new subscription tier above Super Duolingo”
Super benefits: Unlimited energy, no ads, personalised review; Checked Oct 25, 2026blog.duolingo.com(opens source in a new tab); “Duolingo Max gives learners all the benefits of Super (unlimited energy, no ads, and personalized review”
AI features: Video Call and Roleplay (Max); Checked Oct 25, 2026blog.duolingo.com(opens source in a new tab); “access to two brand-new features and exercises: Video Call and Roleplay .”
Max availability: 188 countries on iOS and Android; Checked Oct 25, 2026blog.duolingo.com(opens source in a new tab); “Duolingo Max is available in 188 countries for both iOS and Android devices.”