People look for a Duolingo alternative when the free path stops being enough: energy limits slow a session, ads interrupt it, and the speaking practice that matters most sits in the top paid tier. They move to a structured course app, a listening-led programme, or a human teacher, depending on what they want to be able to do.
Sebastiaan SmitsFounderShort answer: Babbel, Busuu and Mondly head the list of Duolingo alternatives drawn from our language learning apps ranking. Places 1 to 3 go to challengers, vendors outside the best-known brands in a category, wherever the category has them; the established names follow from place 4 in their ranked order. Babbel is the one to try if you want a guided dialogue course and a one-off lifetime price. Every one of the 11 products below comes from Best Language Learning Apps in 2026, with a note on how it departs from Duolingo.
Vendors can pay for more visibility on this website, for example a higher place in a ranking or more room on a page. Commercial relationships can also affect which products we feature and how prominently. Every vendor link is marked the same, whatever the arrangement behind it. How that works.
Duolingo's own blog says the old Hearts system cost a free learner one heart per mistake, and that Energy replaces it: you start full, each lesson uses some, correct streaks earn it back, and it recharges in about a day. When it runs low you can watch a rewarded ad or spend gems. The post dates from July 2025 and said only a small number of users had it, so what your account shows may differ.
Duolingo says its courses are free to use and that in-app ads and the Super Duolingo and Duolingo Max subscriptions fund them. Its Max announcement lists unlimited energy, no ads and the Practice Hub as Super, and Video Call and Roleplay (GPT-4 conversation practice) as Max only. We could not read the pricing pages, which render in the browser, so we state no amounts.
Duolingo's own FAQ says no single course, app, method or book gets you to every language goal, and that about half of learners reach on-target speaking scores. A learner who needs conversation with a person has a reason to add a tutor service, and one who wants a book-like course has reasons to look at the course apps below.
| Alternative | Headquarters | Free option | Pricing model | Switch if | Our rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Babbel | Germany | No free tier | Published | you want a guided dialogue course and a one-off lifetime price | #6 |
| Busuu | United Kingdom | Yes | Published | you want feedback from other learners and level certificates | #4 |
| Mondly | Romania | No free tier | Published | you want many languages in one cheap phrase-based subscription | #9 |
| Memrise | United Kingdom | Yes | Published | you want video clips of real speakers and a long list of languages | #5 |
| Rosetta Stone | United States | No free tier | Published | you want a single price covering 25 languages and speech feedback | #11 |
| Pimsleur | United States | No free tier | See profile | you learn by listening, for example while driving | #10 |
| LingQ | Canada | Yes | Published | you already read or listen to material in your target language | #2 |
| Rocket Languages | New Zealand | No free tier | Published | you want to own a course outright with no renewal | #1 |
| Lingoda | Germany | No free tier | Published | you need live classes and a CEFR curriculum | #3 |
| Preply | United States | No free tier | See profile | you want one tutor who adapts lessons to you | #7 |
| italki | Hong Kong | No free tier | See profile | you want to pay per lesson with no plan to cancel | #8 |
Germany · Published
Sold as a paid subscription with no free course: the sale page we read shows 3 months at EUR 17.99 a month, 12 months at EUR 8.99 a month and a one-time Lifetime price of EUR 299.99, all covering 14 languages. Lessons follow a set dialogue path, and Babbel Speak is a beta that may later be charged.
Switch from Duolingo if you want a guided dialogue course and a one-off lifetime price.
Read our review of Babbel (position 6 of 17 on the language learning apps list) →
United Kingdom · Published
Keeps a free account but gates ad-free study, offline mode and certificates behind Premium. Premium Plus adds AI conversations, speaking practice and Mistake Repair, which the vendor says run on mobile in selected languages only. Its community lets learners share language knowledge, and the company is registered in London. No prices appeared on the page we read.
Switch from Duolingo if you want feedback from other learners and level certificates.
Full verdict on Busuu, which sits at number 4 of 17 for language learning apps →
Romania · Published
Sells one paid tier at EUR 12.99 a month, EUR 30.96 a quarter or EUR 62.32 a year (the annual figure shown as a 60 percent sale), with 41 languages in each. It teaches through phrases, chatbots and voice recognition. Operated from Brasov, Romania, and backed by Pearson. It has no human teacher.
Switch from Duolingo if you want many languages in one cheap phrase-based subscription.
See the full Mondly entry, ranked 9 of 17 among language learning apps products →
United Kingdom · Published
Starts from vocabulary and short clips of native speakers, and its site lists far more languages than Duolingo's course catalogue. The free plan carries official courses for 23 languages, and Pro removes adverts and opens all learning features. The pages we read gave no price, so the cost of Pro could not be compared.
Switch from Duolingo if you want video clips of real speakers and a long list of languages.
Full verdict on Memrise, which sits at number 5 of 17 for language learning apps →
United States · Published
Immersion lessons without translation, with Chat Missions, flashcards and pronunciation feedback. A subscription covers all 25 languages: EUR 19.99 a month or EUR 13.25 a month billed yearly as EUR 159 on the page we saw.
Switch from Duolingo if you want a single price covering 25 languages and speech feedback.
Why Rosetta Stone is #11 among 17 language learning apps products →
United States · See profile
Teaches by 30-minute audio lessons you answer aloud, with reading lessons, flash cards and a pronunciation tool added. It is an imprint of Simon & Schuster Audio. Plans cover one language or all languages, with a 7-day trial. Its FAQ says website sign-up serves four countries, while others go through an app store.
Switch from Duolingo if you learn by listening, for example while driving.
More on Pimsleur: ranked 10 of 17 in language learning apps →
Canada · Published
Built on content you import: podcasts, books, videos and articles become lessons with saved words. Free accounts are capped (20 saved words, 5 imported lessons); Premium lifts those caps at EUR 14.99 a month, less on 12 or 24 months. A Canadian company. It has no gamified path to follow.
Switch from Duolingo if you already read or listen to material in your target language.
See the full LingQ entry, ranked 2 of 17 among language learning apps products →
New Zealand · Published
Sells each language as a course bought once, with lifetime access: the Spanish levels cost USD 149.95, 299.90 and 449.85, and a 60-day refund applies. The three-level bundle can be paid over six months. Every language is a separate purchase, and nothing in the course puts you in front of a person.
Switch from Duolingo if you want to own a course outright with no renewal.
Read our review of Rocket Languages (position 1 of 17 on the language learning apps list) →
Germany · Published
Swaps the app for scheduled 60-minute live classes with a teacher: group classes of 3 to 5 students or private ones, on plans that renew every four weeks. Five group classes cost EUR 134.99 on the page we read, with a 7-day trial. It lists six teaching languages, far fewer than Duolingo.
Switch from Duolingo if you need live classes and a CEFR curriculum.
Read our review of Lingoda (position 3 of 17 on the language learning apps list) →
United States · See profile
A marketplace of private tutors rather than a course. You buy a paid trial lesson of 25 or 50 minutes, then subscribe to a lesson plan charged every 28 days with a processing fee at checkout. Tutor rates differ by tutor, so a monthly cost cannot be quoted in advance.
Switch from Duolingo if you want one tutor who adapts lessons to you.
Read our review of Preply (position 7 of 17 on the language learning apps list) →
Hong Kong · See profile
Also a teacher marketplace, but with no subscription: you book single lessons, and teachers set their own prices (featured ones started from USD 8 to 12 on its homepage). It lists 150+ languages and group classes. A Hong Kong company. The cost per hour is only known once you pick a teacher.
Switch from Duolingo if you want to pay per lesson with no plan to cancel.
Full verdict on italki, which sits at number 8 of 17 for language learning apps →
Duolingo stays the right choice for a learner who wants to start today at no cost and accepts ads, because the vendor states every course is free to use. Its own guide counts over 100 courses teaching 40+ languages and also lists maths and music courses. Expect to add speaking practice with a person yourself, since the AI conversation features are in the Max tier.
Duolingo keeps progress and streaks inside its own accounts, and its own FAQ says it uses CEFR only as a guide. We found no export of your course history on the pages we read, so check the settings in your account before you leave. Plan to take a placement test or start a unit ahead in the new service.
Babbel, Busuu, Mondly, Memrise, Rosetta Stone, Pimsleur and Rocket Languages are courses you do alone. Lingoda, Preply and italki put you in front of a teacher. LingQ sits between: you choose the material. Pick by the skill you lack, not by the length of the language list.
Several services renew automatically: Busuu renews Premium for the period you bought, Preply charges every 28 days, Lingoda renews every four weeks. Rocket Languages and Babbel's lifetime price are one-off payments. Cancel any trial before it converts, and note that app-store purchases are cancelled in the store.
Its blog says every course is free to use, funded by in-app ads and the Super Duolingo and Duolingo Max subscriptions.
Super removes ads and gives unlimited energy, and Max adds the AI features Video Call and Roleplay. We could not read current subscription prices, so none are given here.
Mondly and Busuu are the closest in format: short app lessons across many languages. Mondly sells a paid tier in 41 languages from EUR 12.99 a month on its offer page.
Busuu keeps a free account and sells Premium and Premium Plus, with prices not shown on the page we read.
Lingoda sells scheduled group or private classes in six languages, Preply and italki list private tutors. Preply charges a paid trial lesson and then a 28-day plan, while italki has no subscription and lets teachers set their own price.
Rocket Languages sells each course for a single payment with lifetime access, and Babbel lists a one-time Lifetime price of EUR 299.99 on its sale page. Rosetta Stone's buy page shows only a monthly price of $19.99 and a yearly price of $159.
Memrise's site lists well over a hundred languages but says its free plan has official courses in 23. Duolingo's guide says 40+ languages, Mondly lists 41, Rosetta Stone 25 and Babbel 14. Check that your language has a full course, not only a phrasebook.
Its blog places its headquarters in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in the United States.
Founder of The Knowledge Engineers and of 2 Steps Ahead, an AI search visibility agency. Editorially responsible for every page on this site; research and drafting are AI-assisted.
Sebastiaan Smits wrote and checked this page, most recently on 7 November 2026. See how we review.
