# Duolingo vs Learn Russian

The clearest difference is ads: Learn Russian at none against Duolingo's shown. Learn Russian also leads on review sentiment (83% vs 65%) and device support (4 vs 2). Duolingo's advantage is update cadence (every 5 days vs every 5 months) and ratings volume (5.6M vs 351). On price, rating, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Duolingo sells 16 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month and Learn Russian sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Duolingo against 4.7 for Learn Russian. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Duolingo has 5.6M ratings behind it against 351, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 65% of Duolingo's written reviews are positive against 83% of Learn Russian's.

Duolingo ships an update every 5 days, Learn Russian every 5 months. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and October 29, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Duolingo | Learn Russian |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (5.6M ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/duolingo-learn-languages/id570060128/reviews)** | [4.7 (351 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/learn-russian-privyet/id1002266189/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **5.6M** | 351 |
| Positive reviews | 64.7% of reviews | **82.6% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | **Every 5 days** | Every 5 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | **#1** | — |
| Size | 490 MB | 236 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **12.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Duolingo, Inc](https://appshunter.io/developer/570060151) | [Online Language Help](https://appshunter.io/developer/355913258) |

## What reviewers say

### Duolingo

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/duolingo-learn-languages/id570060128)

**Currently charting:** #1 Top Free · Education, #1 Top Grossing · Education, #29 Top Grossing, #90 Top Free (US App Store)

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:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (16)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Super Duolingo | $9.99 | per month |
| Super Duolingo | $12.99 | per month |
| Super Duolingo | $12.99 | per month |
| Super Duolingo | $59.99 | per year |
| Super Duolingo | $79.99 | per year |
| Super Duolingo | $83.99 | per year |
| Super Duolingo | $83.99 | per year |
| Super Duolingo | $95.99 | per year |
| Super Duolingo | $119.99 | per year |
| Super Duolingo | $119.99 | per year |
| Chest of Gems | $0.99 | one-time |
| Barrel of Gems (1200) | $4.99 | one-time |
| Chest of Gems (1200) | $4.99 | one-time |
| Cart of Gems (3000) | $9.99 | one-time |
| Barrel of Gems (3000) | $9.99 | one-time |
| Cart of Gems (6500) | $19.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🤩 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

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🤖 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

**Reported bugs**

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

**Requested features**

- 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


### Learn Russian

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/learn-russian-privyet/id1002266189)

This app offers an engaging way to learn Russian through interactive lessons and games. It covers essential vocabulary, phrases, and grammar for various real-life situations. Features include native speaker audio, adaptive quizzes, and progress tracking.

**Highlights:** 45 real-life situation lessons, 2000+ vocabulary words and phrases, Hangman and Concentration games, Native speaker audio for pronunciation, Adaptive multiple-choice quizzes, Verb conjugation trainer, Alphabet course

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Apple Watch app, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Pangaea Passport | $2.99 | per month |
| Pangaea Passport | $9.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Great for beginners
- 👍 Effective for learning basics
- 👍 Helps memorize Cyrillic
- 👍 Good for brushing up
- 👍 Free lessons are good

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💰 Too much paid content
- 💰 Expensive for intermediate
- 💰 Difficult for beginners
- 💰 Disappointing, can't learn
- 💰 Not enough content

**Reported bugs**

- Cannot recover accounts
- Paid features not taking effect
- Apple Watch glitch
- Bar on top of screen hides accents/questions
- Two dots on ё hidden by screen bar

**Requested features**

- More intermediate content
- More advanced content
- Small test for placement
- More updates
- More themes/topics


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Duolingo free?

Duolingo is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Learn Russian free?

Learn Russian is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Duolingo or Learn Russian?

Duolingo is rated higher. Duolingo averages 4.7 out of 5 from 5.6M ratings, while Learn Russian averages 4.7 from 351 ratings.

### Do Duolingo or Learn Russian have ads?

Duolingo shows ads; Learn Russian does not.

### Which is updated more often, Duolingo or Learn Russian?

Duolingo ships an update every 5 days, and Learn Russian every 5 months. Most recently, Duolingo was updated on November 1, 2026 and Learn Russian on October 29, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*