Comparison

50 languages vs Duolingo

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

50 languages

Master over 50 foreign languages with 100 free lessons designed for beginners. This app uses audio and text to teach practical vocabulary and sentence structures for real-world situations, aligning with CEFR levels A1 and A2.

Highlights
  • Learn 50+ languages
  • 100 basic vocabulary lessons
  • Audio and text learning method
  • Real-world situation practice
  • CEFR A1/A2 level alignment
  • MP3 audio file downloads
Features
Read full description

Learn 50 languages for free using your native language! 50languages.com contains 100 lessons that provide you with a basic vocabulary. With no prior knowledge, you will learn to fluently speak short sentences in real-world situations in no time. The 50languages method successfully combines audio and text for effective language learning. 50languages corresponds to the Common European Framework levels A1 and A2 and is therefore suitable for all types of schools and students. The audio files can also be effectively used as a supplement in language schools and language courses. Adults who have learned a language in school can refresh their knowledge using 50languages. 50languages is available in over 50 languages and in approximately 3000 language combinations, e.g. German to English, English to Spanish, Spanish to Chinese etc. The 100 lessons help you to quickly learn and use a foreign language in various situations (e.g. in a hotel or restaurant, on a vacation, small talk, getting to know people, shopping, at the doctor, at the bank etc.). You can download the audio files from www.50languages.com to your mp3-player and listen to them anywhere - at a bus stop or a train station, in the car, and during a lunch break! To get the most out of 50languages, learn one lesson a day and regularly repeat what you have already learned in previous lessons.

About

Duolingo

Learn languages, math, music, and chess through fun, bite-sized lessons. Build vocabulary, grammar, and real-world skills with a science-based methodology. Track progress and stay motivated with a global community.

Highlights
  • Bite-sized language lessons
  • Speaking, reading, listening, writing practice
  • Math skills development
  • Music reading and playing
  • Chess strategy and gameplay
  • Progress tracking and rewards
Features
Read full description

Learn a new language, chess & more with the world's most downloaded education app! Duolingo is the fun, free app for learning 40+ languages through quick, bite-sized lessons. Practice speaking, reading, listening & writing to build your vocabulary & grammar skills. Designed by learning experts & loved by hundreds of millions worldwide, our lessons make learning effective & fun and help you prepare for real conversations in Spanish, French, Japanese, Korean, Chinese, Italian, German, English and more. And now, you can learn CHESS on Duolingo! Whether you're a total beginner or looking to level up your game, you'll love learning chess the Duolingo way. Play matches and fun chess lessons for all levels, no matter the language - chess, ajedrez, xadrez, schach, Шахматы, الشطرنج. • Chess: Learn the moves, level up your game & play matches in our Chess course. Learn the basics, solve fun chess puzzles & improve your strategy with guided lessons. Whether you're new to chess or already play, our course is designed to help you have fun and build real skills. Checkmate! • Math: Forget lectures and math worksheets! Built by learning experts, our Math course makes math feel like a game. Boost learning and fight the summer slide with standards-aligned math lessons for elementary school, middle school, and high school students. • Music: Learn how to read music & play songs in our Music course, no instrument needed! Using an on-screen keyboard, you'll learn bit-by-bit. Whether you're learning a language for travel, school, career or your brain health, you'll love learning with Duolingo. Why Duolingo? • Duolingo is fun & effective. Game-like language lessons & fun characters help you build speaking, reading, listening, & writing skills, plus enjoy fun chess & competitive online chess in one app. • Duolingo works. Designed by learning experts, Duolingo has a science-based teaching methodology proven to foster long-term knowledge retention across language lessons & chess lessons alike. • Track your progress. Work toward your learning goals with playful rewards & achievements when you make practicing language lessons or chess online part of your daily habit. • Join millions of learners. Stay motivated with competitive Leaderboards as you learn languages & play chess online alongside our global community. • Every course is free. Learn Spanish, French, German, Italian, Russian, Portuguese, Turkish, Dutch, Irish, Danish, Swedish, Ukrainian, Esperanto, Polish, Greek, Hungarian, Norwegian, Hebrew, Welsh, Arabic, Latin, Hawaiian, Scottish Gaelic, Vietnamese, Korean, Japanese, English, & even High Valyrian! And now, learn Math, Music & improve your Chess skills with fun, bite-sized lessons. What the world is saying about Duolingo: "Far & away the best language-learning app." - The Wall Street Journal "This free app & website is among the most effective language-learning methods I've tried… lessons come in the form of brief challenges, speaking, translating, answering multiple-choice questions, that keep me coming back for more." - The New York Times "Duolingo may hold the secret to the future of education." - TIME Magazine "Duolingo is cheerful, lighthearted & fun." - Forbes "I Can't Stop Playing Duolingo Chess." - Wired If you like Duolingo, try Super Duolingo for 14 days free! Learn a language fast with no ads & get fun perks like Unlimited Energy & Monthly Streak Repair. If you choose to purchase Super Duolingo, payment will be charged to your Apple account, and your account will be charged for renewal within 24-hours prior to the end of the current period. Auto-renewal may be turned off at any time by going to your settings in the App Store after purchase. Any unused portion of a free trial period, if offered, will be forfeited when the user purchases a subscription to that publication, where applicable. Privacy Policy: https://www.duolingo.com/privacy Terms of Service: https://www.duolingo.com/terms

Screenshots

50 languages4 screens
Duolingo4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: 50 languages at none against Duolingo's shown. 50 languages also leads on review sentiment (80% vs 65%) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 17.0). Duolingo's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs every 5 weeks) and ratings volume (5.5M vs 607). On price, rating, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. 50 languages sells 17 one-off in-app purchases and Duolingo sells 16 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for 50 languages against 4.7 for Duolingo. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Duolingo has 5.5M ratings behind it against 607, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 80% of 50 languages's written reviews are positive against 65% of Duolingo's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

50 languages ships an update every 5 weeks, Duolingo weekly. The most recent releases landed on September 23, 2026 and September 25, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
50 languages versus Duolingo: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
Parameter50 languagesDuolingo
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (607 ratings) — better4.7 (5.5M ratings)
Positive reviews80.3% of reviews — better64.6% of reviews
Number of ratings6075.5M — better
Update frequencyEvery 5 weeksWeekly — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank—#1 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS12.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size46 MB489 MB
Age rating12+4+
Developer50LANGUAGES LLCDuolingo, Inc

Customer experience

50 languages

All ratings607 ratings
Positive94.9%
Neutral2.5%
Negative2.6%
Written reviews188 reviews
Positive80.3%
Neutral5.3%
Negative14.4%

Duolingo

All ratings5,464,639 ratings
Positive94.2%
Neutral2.4%
Negative3.4%
Written reviews29,453 reviews
Positive64.6%
Neutral9.6%
Negative25.7%

User reviews

50 languages

From 607 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Great language learning app
  • 🚀 Efficient and easy to use
  • 💡 Covers many languages
  • 👍 Useful for beginners and experienced learners
  • 👍 Clear audio and pronunciation

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Occasional crashes and freezes
  • 🐛 Mismatched translations and pronunciation issues
  • 🔋 High data usage for downloading content
  • 🔒 Lack of family sharing for in-app purchases
  • 👎 Intrusive ads in free version

Duolingo

From 5.5M App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🤩 Fun and entertaining learning experience
  • 🎉 Motivating streak and league features
  • 🎨 Cute and engaging animations
  • 📚 Effective for learning vocabulary and basics
  • 🤖 Useful AI-powered features like voice lessons

Room to improve

  • 🤖 Issues with voice recognition and pronunciation feedback
  • 🤑 Aggressive monetization tactics and paywall for key features
  • 🤯 Frustrating heart/health system that penalizes mistakes
  • 🤔 Lack of grammar explanations and focus on just memorizing phrases
  • 🤷‍♀️ Inconsistent app experience across platforms

Bugs and requests

50 languages

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Vocabulary tests freezing or pausing unexpectedly
  • Audio tracks not working or getting lost after closing the app
  • Inconsistent translations and pronunciation issues
  • Incompatibility with some devices or operating system versions

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add more language options like Cantonese, Basque, and Native American languages
  • Improve speech recognition and feedback for user pronunciation
  • Implement a 'play all' feature for audio tracks
  • Add more interactive and gamified learning modes
  • Provide more detailed grammar and sentence structure lessons

Duolingo

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Freezing or crashing during lessons
  • Incorrect translations or answers marked wrong
  • Inconsistent behavior of certain features like leagues

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add more languages, especially less common ones
  • Improve grammar lessons and explanations
  • Allow more flexibility in navigating the course content
  • Provide better feedback and corrections for mistakes
  • Sync progress and features consistently across app and web

In-app purchases

17 purchases

50 languages

One-time17
  • Arabic Language Package$2.99
  • Bosnian Language Package$2.99
  • German Language Package$2.99
Show 14 more
  • British English Language Package$2.99
  • Spanish Language Package$2.99
  • Italian Language Package$2.99
  • Albanian Language Package$2.99
  • Serbian Language Package$2.99
  • American English Language Package$2.99
  • Ad removal$2.99
  • Russian Language Package$2.99
  • Farsi Language Package$2.99
  • French Language Package$2.99
  • Slovenian Language Package$2.99
  • Georgian Language Package$2.99
  • Portuguese Language Package$2.99
  • All Languages Package$9.99
16 purchases

Duolingo

Subscriptions10
  • Super Duolingo7 Days trial$9.991 Month
  • Super Duolingo7 Days trial$12.991 Month
  • Super Duolingo14 Days trial$12.991 Month
Show 7 more
  • Super Duolingo2 variants$59.991 Year
  • Super Duolingo14 Days trial2 variants$79.991 Year
  • Super Duolingo14 Days trial4 variants$83.991 Year
  • Super Duolingo7 Days trial$83.991 Year
  • Super Duolingo7 Days trial4 variants$95.991 Year
  • Super Duolingo1 Month trial$119.991 Year
  • Super Duolingo7 Days trial$119.991 Year
One-time6
  • Chest of Gems$0.99
  • Barrel of Gems (1200)$4.99
  • Chest of Gems (1200)$4.99
Show 3 more
  • Cart of Gems (3000)$9.99
  • Barrel of Gems (3000)$9.99
  • Cart of Gems (6500)$19.99

Questions

Is 50 languages free?
50 languages is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Duolingo free?
Duolingo is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, 50 languages or Duolingo?
50 languages is rated higher. 50 languages averages 4.8 out of 5 from 607 ratings, while Duolingo averages 4.7 from 5.5M ratings.
Do 50 languages or Duolingo have ads?
Duolingo shows ads; 50 languages does not.
Which is updated more often, 50 languages or Duolingo?
50 languages ships an update every 5 weeks, and Duolingo weekly. Most recently, 50 languages was updated on September 23, 2026 and Duolingo on September 25, 2026.

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