# Duolingo vs Woodpecker

The clearest difference is ads: Woodpecker at none against Duolingo's shown. Woodpecker also leads on review sentiment (82% vs 65%) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 17.0). Duolingo's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs every 5 weeks) and ratings volume (5.5M vs 1K). 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 Woodpecker sells 5 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 4.8 for Woodpecker. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Duolingo has 5.5M ratings behind it against 1K, 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 82% of Woodpecker's.

Duolingo ships an update weekly, Woodpecker every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 27, 2026 and September 13, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Duolingo | Woodpecker |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.7 (5.5M ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/duolingo-language-lessons/id570060128/reviews) | **[4.8 (1K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/woodpecker-language-learning/id1067723008/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **5.5M** | 1K |
| Positive reviews | 64.7% of reviews | **81.7% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | **Weekly** | Every 5 weeks |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | **#1** | — |
| Size | 489 MB | 29 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **13.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [Duolingo](https://appshunter.io/developer/570060151) | [Woodpecker Learning Limited](https://appshunter.io/developer/1435002350) |

## What reviewers say

### Duolingo

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

**Currently charting:** #1 Top Free · Education, #1 Top Grossing · Education, #26 Top Grossing, #72 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


### Woodpecker

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/woodpecker-language-learning/id1067723008)

Learn languages by watching videos in your target language. Touch words in subtitles for instant definitions and save them for review. Explore content from YouTube and Netflix to immerse yourself in native-speaker material.

**Highlights:** Interactive video subtitles, Instant word definitions, Save vocabulary for review, YouTube video discovery, Netflix integration (iPad), Offline bilingual dictionaries, Flashcard creation

**In-app purchases (5)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Unlimited Video Player Monthly | $2.99 | per month |
| Woodpecker Tools Subscription | $7.99 | per month |
| Unlimited Video Player Yearly | $19.99 | per year |
| Export Word History | $0.99 | one-time |
| Woodpecker Web Browser | $14.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Helpful for learning a new language
- 👍 Good for practicing speaking and listening
- 👍 Diverse content selection
- 👍 Useful for improving vocabulary and reading skills
- 👍 Enjoyable and engaging learning experience

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Subtitle issues (not working, inconsistent)
- 💰 Confusing or expensive pricing
- 🐛 App crashes or doesn't work properly

**Reported bugs**

- Netflix subtitles not working
- App crashing or not opening
- Inconsistent subtitle display

**Requested features**

- Support for more languages
- Improved subtitle synchronization
- Clearer pricing structure
- Better user interface and navigation


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Duolingo free?

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

### Is Woodpecker free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Duolingo or Woodpecker?

Woodpecker is rated higher. Duolingo averages 4.7 out of 5 from 5.5M ratings, while Woodpecker averages 4.8 from 1K ratings.

### Do Duolingo or Woodpecker have ads?

Duolingo shows ads; Woodpecker does not.

### Which is updated more often, Duolingo or Woodpecker?

Duolingo ships an update weekly, and Woodpecker every 5 weeks. Most recently, Duolingo was updated on September 27, 2026 and Woodpecker on September 13, 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.*