The world's most popular language learning app. Best for beginners who want bite-sized lessons and gamified learning.
Our Rating
8.5/10
Best for
Beginners & casual learners
No credit card required
What is Duolingo?
Duolingo is a free language learning app that makes studying English fun. More than 500 million people have downloaded it worldwide. The app uses games, short lessons, and daily challenges to keep you motivated.
You can use Duolingo on your phone, tablet, or computer. Lessons take only 5-10 minutes each. This makes it easy to practice every day, even if you are busy. The app tracks your "streak" — how many days in a row you have studied. Many users love this feature because it creates a habit.
Duolingo was founded in 2011 and is based in Pittsburgh, USA. It offers courses in 40+ languages, including English for speakers of Spanish, Chinese, French, and many other languages.
How Does It Work?
Duolingo organizes learning into "skills." Each skill has several lessons. You earn points (called "Lingots" or "Gems") for completing lessons. You lose points if you answer incorrectly. This gamification keeps users engaged and coming back.
Lessons include:
- Translation exercises — Translate sentences between English and your language
- Listening practice — Hear sentences and choose the correct answer
- Speaking drills — Record yourself speaking English and get feedback
- Fill-in-the-blank — Complete sentences with missing words
- Matching games — Connect words with their meanings
The app uses "spaced repetition" — it shows you words again just before you forget them. This helps you remember vocabulary better. You also unlock new levels as you progress, which keeps the learning feeling fresh.
Pricing
Free Plan
$0
- ✓ All basic lessons
- ✓ Daily streak tracking
- ✓ Basic vocabulary practice
- ✗ Ads displayed between lessons
- ✗ Limited hearts (lives)
- ✗ No offline mode
Super Duolingo
$12.99/month
Or $69.99/year
- ✓ Ad-free learning
- ✓ Unlimited hearts
- ✓ Offline mode
- ✓ Progress explanations
- ✓ Unlimited Legendary levels
- ✓ Monthly streak repair
Note: Pricing may vary by region. The free plan is very usable, but the paid plan removes ads and limitations that can interrupt your learning.
✅ Pros
- ✓ Completely free core lessons
- ✓ Gamification keeps beginners motivated
- ✓ Beginner-friendly with lessons from zero
- ✓ Short 5-10 minute daily lessons
- ✓ One of the best-designed language apps
- ✓ Strong community of learners
⚠️ Cons
- − Grammar explanations are basic
- − No real conversation practice
- − Ads can disrupt free users
- − Limited speaking practice with AI
- − Heart system can be frustrating
- − Not enough to reach fluency alone
Who Should Use Duolingo?
Best for:
- Complete beginners starting from zero
- Casual learners who want short, daily practice
- Students who enjoy gamified learning
- People testing if they enjoy learning English
- Young learners (ages 8+) enjoying a game-like app
Not ideal for:
- Intermediate or advanced learners needing deeper study
- Business English students needing professional vocabulary
- People who need structured curriculum and accountability
- Learners who want to practice real conversations
How Does It Compare?
| Feature | Duolingo | Babbel | iTalki |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | Free / $12.99/mo | $13.95/mo | $5+/hour |
| Speaking Practice | AI only | AI only | Real tutors |
| Grammar Depth | Basic | Good | Varies |
| Best for Level | Beginner | Beginner-Int. | All levels |
| Human Interaction | ✗ None | ✗ None | ✓ 1-on-1 |
Rating Breakdown
Final Verdict
Duolingo is an excellent starting point for learning English. The free access, gamified lessons, and bite-sized format make it perfect for beginners. If you have never studied English before, Duolingo will teach you basic vocabulary and simple sentences.
However, Duolingo alone will not make you fluent. The grammar explanations are shallow, and you cannot practice real conversations with the app. Once you finish the basics, you will need to add other tools — like a tutor on iTalki or structured lessons — to reach intermediate or advanced levels.
Our recommendation: Start with Duolingo to build a daily habit and learn vocabulary. After 2-3 months, add a tutoring platform like iTalki for speaking practice. Together, these tools create a strong foundation for English fluency.
Ready to Start?
Download Duolingo free and start learning today. No credit card required.
Try Duolingo Free →We recommend starting with free lessons first. Upgrade to Super Duolingo only if you find the ads disruptive to your learning.
About This Review
This review is based on research of Duolingo's features, pricing, and user feedback as of April 2026. We update our reviews regularly when platforms change their offerings. LearnEnglish.Life is an independent review site. We may earn a commission from qualifying purchases, but this does not affect our editorial decisions.