Duolingo

Duolingo is a gamified learning app from Duolingo, Inc. that started with languages and now also offers courses in chess, math and music, according to its blog. Lessons are short exercises arranged in a path of sections and units, and each language section in the course carries a Duolingo Score tied to the CEFR proficiency scale, which the vendor says it uses to design courses.

The app is free to use with ads. Super Duolingo is the paid tier that removes ads, gives unlimited energy and adds personalised review through the Practice Hub. Duolingo Max sits above it and, per the vendor's launch post, adds AI-powered Video Call and Roleplay. The vendor also runs the Duolingo English Test, Duolingo for Schools and a business offering, listed in its footer.

• Learning path with review. Courses are organised in sections and units, and learners can reopen completed sections from the unit label. The vendor describes this as control over learning new content or reviewing earlier topics on demand.
• Duolingo Score and CEFR levels. Each section in a language course shows a Duolingo Score. Tapping it reveals the section's CEFR level, such as A1, and the vocabulary and grammar covered, for example possessives in the Italian course for English speakers.
• Image Flashcards. Introduced in October 2026, these show a picture at the end of a lesson and ask the learner to say the word aloud without answer options. Missed words return later with translations, the vendor says.
• Video Call and Roleplay (Max). Video Call is a conversation with an AI character named Lily, who remembers earlier chats. Roleplay places learners in scenarios with AI characters and gives feedback. The vendor's 2023 launch post says both are Max features powered by GPT-4.
• Practice Hub (Super). The launch post lists unlimited energy, no ads and personalised review through the Practice Hub as Super benefits that Max includes. Current feature lists should be checked on the vendor's plans page.
• Chess, math and music courses. The blog covers subjects beyond language. A chess Game Review feature, added in October 2026, replays key positions from a match history and lets the learner find a stronger move, with an AI character explaining the choice.

• A beginner picking up Spanish for travel. Works through the free path in short sessions and uses the CEFR-labelled sections to see how close the material is to A1, with the vendor's phrase guides on its blog as extra reading.
• A returning learner who wants to revisit weak topics. Uses the unit label to reopen earlier sections and reviews them directly, or uses Image Flashcards at the end of lessons to practise recalling words aloud.
• A learner who wants conversation practice. Considers Max for Video Call and Roleplay, which the vendor says offer AI conversation for several languages, while remembering the vendor's own note that these are not live humans.

The vendor's blog says Duolingo is a free download and lists the iOS and Android apps, a desktop version and a web version in its footer. Pricing and sign-up pages are rendered in the browser, so we could not read their contents with a plain fetch.

Based on the blog, a learner picks a course, follows the path section by section, and can add a new course later. Review of earlier content is available by tapping the unit label. Learning Score and CEFR labels help set expectations. No setup or import steps beyond creating an account were described on the pages we could read.

Duolingo lets you take any course without paying, funded by in-app ads and its Super and Max subscriptions. Super removes ads, and Max adds AI-powered Video Call and Roleplay.

Pricing pages were client-rendered, so no amounts were checked. Game mechanics keep a daily habit going but do not replace speaking with a person, and the best features sit in the top tier.

In our language learning apps ranking Duolingo stands at #12 of 17: Rosetta Stone sits directly above it and Drops directly below. After the challenger places, Duolingo is one of the established names, ranked in order and without a score.

Home market: the United States, one of 6 North America bases among the 17 products here.

Max sits above Super and adds Video Call and Roleplay, announced on its blog in 2023.

Courses cover language, chess, math and music.

Duolingo's blog places its headquarters in Pittsburgh.

Charging model: Free with ads; Super and Max subscriptions.

No amounts could be checked: the Super and Max pricing pages are client-rendered and returned no text to a plain fetch. What the vendor's blog states is the structure: the app is free to download, Super Duolingo is a paid tier with unlimited energy, no ads and Practice Hub review, and Duolingo Max is a tier above Super with Video Call and Roleplay. Family plans, regional prices and billing periods were not on the pages we could read. Check the vendor's Super page for current figures in your country.

Read from duolingo.com when Best Language Learning Apps in 2026 was last reviewed (7 November 2026).

Not stated on the vendor pages we could read. The privacy and terms pages are client-rendered, and the footer links to a privacy notice, terms and a do-not-sell-my-personal-information page. Hosting region, certifications and data export are therefore not described here.

Integrations the vendor names (6):

• iOS app
• Android app
• Duolingo for Desktop
• Duolingo English Test
• Duolingo for Schools
• Duolingo for Business

4 products in this guide come closest to Duolingo on tags, pricing and region.

A full write-up exists: Duolingo alternatives, with reasons buyers leave and what moving involves.

• Busuu (#4 of 17): 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 if you want feedback from other learners and level certificates. (United Kingdom)
• Pimsleur (#10 of 17): 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 if you learn by listening, for example while driving.
• Rosetta Stone (#11 of 17): 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 if you want a single price covering 25 languages and speech feedback.
• HelloTalk (#14 of 17): Not for: learners wanting graded lessons, exercises and a fixed study path. Mobile app for chatting with native speakers instead of taking lessons.

When Duolingo is still the right call: 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.

Read from the vendor’s own pages on 5 November 2026.

• blog.duolingo.com/duolingo-max: Max tier, Video Call, Roleplay, Super benefits, availability
• blog.duolingo.com/how-to-review-lessons-on-duolingo: Path, review, Duolingo Score and CEFR
• blog.duolingo.com/october-2026-update: Image Flashcards, Avatar Suits, Game Review

We rank on what separates products after the demo: time to useful, the real price, the exit and who the product is for. On those tests Duolingo lands at place 12 of 17. Read the editorial process for the method and where paid visibility fits in.