Is Duolingo Worth It in 2026? I Tested Everything

Is Duolingo Worth It?

★★★★★ 4.6/5

Quick Verdict: Duolingo is the best free language learning app in the world. It teaches 42+ languages with fun, bite sized lessons. You won’t become fluent from Duolingo alone. But it’s a great place to start learning a new language. Over 50 million people use it every single day.

✅ Best For:

Beginners who want to learn a new language for free with fun, daily practice

❌ Skip If:

You need to become fully fluent or want deep grammar lessons and real conversations

📊 Daily Users	50M+ worldwide	🎯 Best For	Beginners & casual learners
💰 Price	Free (Super: $12.99/mo)	✅ Top Feature	Gamified bite sized lessons
🎁 Free Trial	14-day Super trial	⚠️ Limitation	Won’t make you fluent alone

How I Tested Duolingo

Want to learn a new language but don’t want to spend money?

You’ve tried apps before. Most are boring. Some cost too much. Others don’t actually teach you anything helpful.

Enter Duolingo.

It’s the most popular of all learning platforms in the world. And it’s free.

In this Duolingo review, I’ll share what happened after 180 days of daily use across 3 languages.

Duolingo

Start learning a new language today for free. Duolingo teaches 42+ languages with fun, bite sized lessons. Over 50 million people use it daily. No credit card needed to start.

TRY DUOLINGO NOW →

Qu'est-ce que Duolingo ?

Duolingo is a free app that teaches you languages through short, fun lessons.

Think of it like a game for your brain.

You earn points. You compete with friends. You unlock new levels.

But instead of winning trophies, you learn words and grammar in a new language.

Le Duolingo app offers courses on 42 languages. That includes popular ones like Spanish, French, and Japanese.

It also has less common options. You can even learn High Valyrian from Game of Thrones.

Beyond language, Duolingo now teaches math, music, and chess too.

The free version gives you access to every course. The paid version removes ads and gives you additional features.

Qui a créé Duolingo ?

Luis von Ahn et Severin Hacker started Duolingo in 2011.

Von Ahn grew up in Guatemala. He saw how rich kids got good education. Poor kids did not.

That bothered him. He wanted to create free education for everyone in the world.

Before Duolingo, he created reCAPTCHA. Google bought it in 2009.

Today, Duolingo has over 50 million daily users. The company is based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

It went public on NASDAQ in 2021. The app has been downloaded over 960 million times.

Top Benefits of Duolingo

Here’s what you actually get when you use Duolingo:

• Learn Any Language for Free: You get access to 42+ language courses without paying a dime. No other learning platform gives you this much for free.
• Stay Motivated Every Day: The Duolingo owl sends you reminders. Streaks, points, and leagues keep you coming back. It’s hard to quit once you start.
• Learn in 5 Minutes a Day: Each lesson takes about 5 minutes. You can practice on the bus, in bed, or during lunch. Bite sized lessons fit any schedule.
• Track Your Progress Easily: You can see how far you’ve come. Progress tracking shows your streaks, XP, and skills. It keeps you honest about your practice.
• Learn More Than Languages: Duolingo Math helps students with multiplication and fractions. Duolingo Music teaches piano basics. You get multiple subjects in one app.
• Great for Kids Too: Duolingo ABC helps kids ages 3-8 learn to read and write. It’s a safe, fun way for young learners to build reading skills.
• Works on Any Device: Use it on your phone, tablet, or the Duolingo website. Your account syncs across all appareils. You can practice anywhere in the world.

Best Duolingo Features

Let’s look at what Duolingo actually offers inside the app.

1. Duolingo pour l'école

Teachers love this feature. It lets them use Duolingo in the classroom.

You can create a class and invite students. Teachers track each student’s progress.

Over 100,000 teachers already use it. It’s free for all educators.

Students get homework that feels like a game. That’s a win for everyone.

2. Test d'anglais Duolingo

Need to prove your English skills? The Duolingo English Test costs about $65.

That’s way cheaper than TOEFL or IELTS. You can take the test from home on your web browser.

Over 3,000 écoles accept it. That includes Yale, Columbia, and Duke.

Results come in 48 hours. It tests your reading, writing, listening, and speaking skills.

3. Duolingo Podcast

Want to hear real stories in your target language? The podcast helps.

Each episode tells a true story. You hear native speakers talk at a natural pace.

It’s available on YouTube and all major podcast apps. Great for listening practice.

You can find podcasts in Spanish and French. It gives you real context for the words you learn.

4. Duolingo for Business

Companies use Duolingo to train employees in new languages.

It helps teams communicate across borders. Adults in the workplace can learn at their own pace.

Managers get reports on team progress. It’s a simple form of corporate language training.

Much cheaper than hiring a tutor for every employee.

5. Duolingo Max

Duolingo Max uses AI to help you practice speaking.

You can do video calls with AI characters. They give you real-time feedback on your answers.

The Roleplay feature lets you practice basic conversations. Like ordering coffee at a café.

It costs $29.99/month. Only available for Spanish and French right now. The future may bring more languages.

6. Duolingo ABC

Duolingo ABC is a free app for young kids ages 3 to 8.

It teaches letters, sounds, and phonics. Kids learn to read through fun story exercises.

No ads. No in-app purchases. Just safe, helpful learning for little ones.

Perfect if you want your child to start learning early.

7. Mathématiques Duolingo

Duolingo Math teaches multiplication, fractions, and geometry.

It uses the same gamified style as the language courses. Students earn points for solving problems.

It’s free and built right into the main Duolingo app. Great for adults who need a math refresher too.

Research from Duolingo shows it helps build strong math foundations.

8. Super Duolingo

Super Duolingo is the paid version of the app.

It removes all ads. You get unlimited hearts so too many mistakes won’t stop your lessons.

You can also download Duolingo lessons for offline use. And you get a mistake review feature.

If ads frustrate you, Super is worth the money.

9. Music Study

Duolingo Music teaches you piano and sheet music basics.

It launched in 2023 for iOS users. Now it’s part of the main app.

The lessons are short and fun. You tap along to learn notes and rhythms.

Don’t expect to become a concert pianist. But it’s a great way to explore music for free.

Duolingo Pricing

Here’s what you’ll spend on each Duolingo plan.

Essai gratuit : Yes. You get a 14-day free trial of Super Duolingo.

Garantie de remboursement : Varies by app store. Check your account settings.

Is Duolingo Worth the Price?

Here’s the truth. The free version is really good. Most language learners never need to pay.

The ads are annoying but short. You can still learn everything without paying.

You’ll save money if: You use the free version and pair it with free YouTube videos for extra practice.

You might overpay if: You buy Duolingo Max but only learn casually once a week.

Duolingo Pros and Cons

✅ What I Liked

❌ What Could Be Better

Is Duolingo Right for You?

✅ Duolingo is PERFECT for you if:

• You want to start learning a new language for free
• You’re a beginner with zero experience
• You need short daily lessons that fit a busy schedule
• You want a fun way to build vocabulary and listening skills

❌ Skip Duolingo if:

• You need to become fluent for work or school
• You want deep grammar explanations and writing practice
• You prefer talking to real people instead of an app

My recommendation:

Use Duolingo as your starting point. It’s the best free tool for beginners.

But don’t rely on it alone. Add a tutor or conversation app when you’re ready for real speaking practice.

Duolingo vs Alternatives

Comment ça marche Duolingo stack up? Here’s the answer.

Quick picks:

• Best overall: Duolingo — unbeatable for free, gamified learning
• Best for speaking: Preply — real tutors give real feedback
• Best for grammar: Babbel — structured lessons that teach rules
• Best for vocabulary: Drops — beautiful visual word jeux

🎯 Duolingo Alternatives

Looking for Duolingo alternatives? Here are the top options:

• 🌟 Preply: Best for live conversation practice with real tutors in 50+ languages. Great for serious learners.
• 🧠 Brouhaha: Focuses on grammar and real-world conversations. Better for structured learning than Duolingo.
• 🎨 Drops: Beautiful visual design for vocabulary building. Only 5 minutes free per day, but very engaging.
• ⚡ Memrise : Uses native speaker videos to teach pronunciation. Great for hearing how real people talk.

⚔️ Duolingo Compared

Voici comment Duolingo stacks up against each competitor:

• Duolingo vs Preply: Duolingo is free and self-paced. Preply costs more but gives you a real professeur to talk to.
• Duolingo vs Babbel: Duolingo wins on price and fun. Babbel wins on grammar depth and conversation skills.
• Duolingo vs Drops: Both are gamified. Duolingo covers full courses. Drops focuses only on vocabulary words.
• Duolingo vs Memrise: Duolingo has more languages. Memrise has better native speaker videos for pronunciation.

My Experience with Duolingo

Here’s what actually happened when I used Duolingo:

The project: I tested 3 languages — Spanish, French, and Japanese — for 6 months.

Timeline: 180 consecutive days, about 15 minutes per day.

Résultats:

What surprised me: I could understand basic Spanish conversations after 3 months. That was faster than I expected from a free app.

What frustrated me: The grammar gaps. I learned many words but couldn’t form complex sentences. Duolingo lessons often skip the “why” behind grammar rules.

Would I use it again? Yes. But I’d pair it with a conversation tutor from day one. Duolingo builds your vocabulary. A tutor builds your fluency.

Réflexions finales

Get Duolingo if: You want to start learning a language today, for free, with zero risk.

Skip Duolingo if: You need to become fluent fast for a job or move abroad.

My verdict: Duolingo is the best free language learning app in the world. Period.

After 180 days, I’m a believer. It won’t make you fluent alone. But it will give you a strong start.

Use it with other tools. That’s how you go from knowing words to being able to actually communicate.

Rating: 4.6/5

Foire aux questions

Is Duolingo actually free?

Yes. The Duolingo free version gives you access to every language course. You’ll see ads and have limited hearts. But you can learn without paying a single dollar. Super Duolingo is the paid version that removes ads and adds additional features.

How much does Duolingo cost per month?

Super Duolingo costs $12.99 per month. The annual plan is $83.99 per year, which works out to about $7 per month. The Family Plan is $119.99 per year for up to 6 users. Duolingo Max costs $29.99 per month for AI features.

What’s better, Babbel or Duolingo?

It depends on what you need. Duolingo is better for beginners who want free, fun practice. Babbel is better for grammar and real-world conversations. Many learners use both together for the best results.

Is Duolingo actually effective?

Research shows mixed results. A 2022 study found Duolingo learners matched university students in reading and listening after four semesters. But a 2023 study found it didn’t teach much grammar. It’s great as a starting tool, but experts say you should use it alongside other resources for full fluency.

What are the downsides of Duolingo?

The biggest downsides are weak grammar teaching, repetitive exercises, and the fact it won’t make you fluent alone. Some users also find the notifications from the Duolingo owl too pushy. The free version has frequent ads that break your flow.