Is Duolingo entirely free?

You can use Duolingo for free in a limited capacity. With the free version, you have access to all the languages and course material. The biggest difference are the ads in the free version. Also with the free version, you only have 5 hearts. When you make a mistake, you lose 1 heart. When all hearts are gone, you have to wait until they refill to continue practicing.

Can you become fluent with Duolingo?

As with any language app, you probably won't become fluent just by using Duolingo. However, Duolingo is a great way to start learning a new language. The courses start from the basics of a language and continually add new vocabulary and grammar topics to what you have learned. But if you are an advanced learner, you may find that the lessons are too easy.

What are the disadvantages of Duolingo?

The biggest disadvantage of Duolingo are the repetitive lessons that focus on translation. Because they use direct translations, some of the words and phrases don’t feel very natural. Its content is focused on beginners, so it might not be that helpful for intermediate or advanced learners.

Is Babbel better than Duolingo?

Duolingo is the more fun and interactive app of the two. It is set up to feel like a game, and has many motivating factors, such as earning gems that can be spent in the Duolingo store or competing with friends. But for a more serious learner, Babbel is the better choice because it has higher-quality content.

Duolingo Review: How It Works, Price, and Best Alternatives

Chad Emery Published on October 8, 2022

6.5 TOTAL SCORE

Worth a try for the free features

Duolingo is a fun way to learn a language with interactive lessons and game-like features. It’s a great choice if you’re a beginner, but it’s not the best app if you want to get beyond a basic level. The lessons become repetitive, and there’s very little speaking practice, making it difficult to become conversational. Some languages are lacking content and depth, especially the ones that use non-Latin scripts. If you’re serious about learning a language, there are better language apps available.

Read reviews and comments Add your review

LANGOLY'S REVIEW 7.3

User Experience 8

Quality of Content 6.5

Features Available 7.5

Value for Money 7

USER REVIEWS 5.7

User Experience 8.2

Quality of Content 6.6

Features Available 5.7

Value for Money 2.2

PROS

Free version gives you access to all languages and content
The courses cover speaking, listening, reading, and writing
Great way to learn the basics of grammar
A lot of additional free features

CONS

Repetitive lessons
Words and phrases aren't always useful
Not helpful for intermediate/advanced learners

Disclaimer: Langoly selects and reviews products independently. If you buy through affiliate links, we may earn commissions that help support our testing at no extra cost to you. Please read our full disclosure for more information.

Try Duolingo for Free

Languages Available on Duolingo:

As an English speaker, you can take the following Duolingo language courses:

Spanish, French, German, Japanese, Italian, Korean, Chinese, Russian, Portuguese, Turkish, Arabic, Hindi, Dutch, Swedish, Latin, Greek, Irish, Polish, Norwegian, Finnish, Haitian Creole, Hebrew, High Valyrian, Vietnamese, Hawaiian, Danish, Romanian, Indonesian, Welsh, Czech, Swahili, Scottish Gaelic, Hungarian, Ukrainian, Klingon, Esperanto, Navajo, Yiddish, Zulu