# Duolingo vs iHuman Chinese

The clearest difference is ads: iHuman Chinese at none against Duolingo's shown. iHuman Chinese also leads on iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). Duolingo's advantage is ratings volume (5.6M vs 5.7K) and update cadence (every 5 days vs fortnightly). On price, rating, review sentiment and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Duolingo sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month and iHuman Chinese sells 10 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 iHuman Chinese. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Duolingo has 5.6M ratings behind it against 5.7K, 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 58% of iHuman Chinese's.

Duolingo ships an update every 5 days, iHuman Chinese fortnightly. Both last shipped on November 6, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Duolingo | iHuman Chinese |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.7 (5.6M ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/duolingo-learn-languages/id570060128/reviews) | **[4.8 (5.7K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ihuman-chinese/id1139733348/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **5.6M** | 5.7K |
| Positive reviews | **64.8% of reviews** | 58.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | **Every 5 days** | Fortnightly |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | **#1** | — |
| Size | 499 MB | 839 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **15.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Duolingo, Inc](https://appshunter.io/developer/570060151) | [iHuman Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1104233936) |

## What reviewers say

### Duolingo

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

**Currently charting:** #1 Top Grossing · Education, #2 Top Free · Education, #28 Top Grossing, #73 Top Free (US App Store)

Master new languages, chess, and math with fun, bite-sized lessons. This educational app uses a game-like approach to build vocabulary, grammar, and strategic skills. Track your progress and compete with a global community.

**Highlights:** Bite-sized language lessons, Chess learning and play, Interactive math courses, Music reading and playing, Progress tracking and achievements, Competitive leaderboards

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Super Duolingo | $9.99 | per month |
| Super Duolingo | $12.99 | per month |
| Super Duolingo | $83.99 | per year |
| Super Duolingo | $95.99 | 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 |
| 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


### iHuman Chinese

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ihuman-chinese/id1139733348)

This app helps young children learn Chinese characters through interactive games, songs, and stories. It offers a personalized learning experience with over 1300 characters and 50 idioms, making language acquisition fun and engaging.

**Highlights:** 1300 Chinese characters, 130 original picture books, 50 Chinese idioms with videos, Over 800 interactive activities, Personalized learning experience, Stroke and radical explanations

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 识字+子集绘本月卡 优惠价 | $2.99 | per month |
| 识字 + 子集绘本月卡 | $5.49 | per month |
| 识字+子集绘本季卡 优惠价 | $9.99 | per 3 months |
| 识字 + 子集绘本季卡 | $12.99 | per 3 months |
| 识字 + 子集绘本年卡 | $30.99 | per year |
| 永久成语包 | $14.99 | one-time |
| 子集绘本包 | $29.99 | one-time |
| 拼音永久包（老用户专享） | $29.99 | one-time |
| 识字+子集绘本永久包 | $69.99 | one-time |
| 识字+子集绘本+拼音永久包 | $79.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Fun and engaging learning experience
- 🚀 Effective character learning process
- 💡 Leveled books and stories
- 👍 Suitable for kids with zero Chinese background

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent crashes and login issues
- 🔒 Lack of English support and options
- 💰 Expensive subscription model
- 📢 Excessive advertisements even for paid users
- 🤖 Repetitive animations and game mechanics

**Reported bugs**

- Unable to log in or restore purchases
- Progress and account data being lost or reset
- Compatibility issues with newer device updates
- Inability to search for specific characters

**Requested features**

- Add English language support
- Improve customer service and account management
- Expand character library beyond 1300 words
- Provide more customization options for parents
- Introduce more diverse learning activities


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Duolingo free?

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

### Is iHuman Chinese free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Duolingo or iHuman Chinese?

iHuman Chinese is rated higher. Duolingo averages 4.7 out of 5 from 5.6M ratings, while iHuman Chinese averages 4.8 from 5.7K ratings.

### Do Duolingo or iHuman Chinese have ads?

Duolingo shows ads; iHuman Chinese does not.

### Which is updated more often, Duolingo or iHuman Chinese?

Duolingo ships an update every 5 days, and iHuman Chinese fortnightly. Most recently, Duolingo was updated on November 6, 2026 and iHuman Chinese on November 6, 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.*