Duolingo review: price, free version and privacy

Our verdict

Duolingo is the easiest free way to start a language and keep a daily habit. Learners who need grammar depth, exam preparation or conversation should add a second resource, and privacy-minded users should note its tracking.

What Duolingo is

Duolingo teaches languages through short, game-like lessons for reading, listening, writing and speaking, wrapped in streaks, leaderboards and rewards that encourage daily practice. The description lists more than 40 languages, from Spanish, French and Japanese to Irish, Hawaiian and Latin, and courses in chess, math and music. Every course is free, according to the listing, with Super Duolingo as the paid tier.

Who it suits

• Beginners who want a free daily habit
• Learners on a budget
• Trying several languages or subjects in one app

Strengths

• Every course is free, according to the description
• Streaks, leaderboards and short lessons that make a daily routine easy
• 40+ languages plus chess, math and music, with an interface in 32 languages
• Apple Editors' Choice, rated 4.7 from about 5.6 million ratings, updated on November 2, 2026

Limits

• The free version has ads and an energy limit shown in each lesson
• The privacy label declares eight data types used to track you and links eleven types to your identity
• The description does not mention grammar explanations or exam levels such as JLPT, HSK or CEFR
• Short drills give little practice in long listening or real conversation
• Requires iOS 17 or later

What the free version does

The description says every course is free. The free version runs with ads and an energy meter; Super Duolingo removes ads and adds unlimited energy and a monthly streak repair, with a 14-day free trial.

Price

On the US App Store in November 2026, Super Duolingo is listed at $9.99, $12.99, $83.99, $95.99 and $119.99, without billing periods in the item names. Gem packs, the in-app currency, cost $0.99 to $19.99.

Privacy

The developer declares that purchases, location, contact info, user content, identifiers, usage data, diagnostics and other data may be used to track you. Eleven data types, including financial info, contacts and search history, are linked to your identity.

What the screenshots show

The screenshots show a course picker with Spanish, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Chess, Math, Music, Chinese and Korean, and a Japanese exercise where you hear 牛乳 and pick the picture of milk, with an energy counter at the top.