Comparison

Duolingo vs كتبي Kutubee

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

Head to head
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

About

كتبي Kutubee

This app offers an interactive reading experience for children with hundreds of illustrated stories in Arabic and English. It transforms technology into a tool for learning and education, encouraging reading and engagement through fun, interactive features. Designed for both home and school use, it supports modern educational systems and can be integrated into classroom settings.

Highlights
  • Largest interactive digital library in Arabic and English
  • PYP and library system book classification
  • Over 1200 curated stories
  • Read-to-me feature with sound effects
  • Record stories in child's or parent's voice
  • Detailed statistical reports on reading habits
  • Gamified learning with badges and leaderboards
Features
Read full description

يوفَّر تطبيق ‘‘كتبي’’ تجربة فريدة للأطفال للاستمتاع بقراءة مئات القصص المصوَّرة باللغتين العربيَّة والإنكليزيَّة، والمنتقاة بعناية من قبل تربويِّين مختصِّين. بينما صار إبعاد أطفالنا عن استخدام وسائل التكنولوجيا عمليَّة شبه مستحيلة في عالم اليوم، جاء تطبيق ‘‘كتبي’’ ليوفِّر للأهل والأطفال معًا وسيلةً تتحوَّل فيها التكنولوجيا من وسيلة إلهاء وتسلية، إلى وسيلة بناء وتعليم تحفِّز أبناءنا على القراءة والتعلُّم بطريقة ممتعة وتفاعليَّة. جرى تطوير تطبيق ‘‘كتبي’’ ليُستخدم أيضًا في إطار المدرسة والصفّ، حيث عمل فريقٌ من التربويِّين على تصنيف الكتب بحسب أسس التعليم الحديثة، ووفق نظام ‘‘PYP’’، علاوة على إمكانية ربطه باللوح الذكي ليستخدمَه المعلِّمون في نطاق الغرفة الصفِّيَّة. ميزات كتبي: * أكبر مكتبة رقمية تفاعلية باللغتين العربية والانكليزية. * تصنيف الكتب اعتمادًا على نظام PYP ونظام المكتبات. * أكثر من 1200 قصة منتقاة من أشهر دور النشر. * سهولة البحث بحسب الموضوع أو الفئة العمرية. * ميزة اقرأ لي، فضلًا عن العديد من المؤثِّرات الصوتيَّة. * إمكانيَّة عرض القصص على اللوح الذكي (Smart Board) في المكتبة أو الغرفة الصفيَّة. * إمكانيَّة تسجيل القصة بصوت الطفل أو المعلِّم أوالوالدين. * يمكن تصفح القصص التي قمت بتحميلها دون الحاجة الى الإتصال بالإنترنت. * تقاريرُ إحصائيَّة مفصَّلة عن عدد الكتب والوقت الذي أمضاه الطفل في قراءتها، علاوة على تفاصيل مفيدة أخرى. * إمكانيَّة تعيين مجموعة من القصص للطلَّاب أو المجموعات بما يناسب مستواهم، وذلك بالاستفادة من برامج القراءة المتدرِّجة. * يعمل التطبيق على إثراء مفردات الطفل، وتحسين مخارج الحروف، وتنمية ثقافته وتوسيع مداركه. * تشجيع الطلَّاب على القراءة بمنحهم الأوسمة عند اجتياز كلِّ مرحلة، فضلًا عن لوحة شرف لأكثر الطلَّاب قراءة للقصص وتفاعلًا معها. الإشتراكات: 1- اشتراك شهري السعر : 3.99$ المدة: 1 شهر عدد الحسابات:3 حسابات شهر مجاني سيتم تجديد الاشتراك تلقائياً قبل يوم من انتهاء الاشتراك. 2- اشتراك سنوي السعر : 39.99$ المدة: 1 شهر عدد الحسابات:3 حسابات شهر مجاني سيتم تجديد الاشتراك تلقائياً قبل يوم من انتهاء الاشتراك. شروط الاستخدام وسياسة الخصوصية: https://www.kutubee.com/privacy-policy/ اتفاقية ترخيص المستخدم النهائي: https://kutubee.com/terms-and-conditions

Screenshots

Duolingo4 screens
كتبي Kutubee4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Duolingo at 4.7 against كتبي Kutubee's 4.0. Duolingo also leads on monetization model (free with in-app purchases vs subscription) and ratings volume (5.5M vs 427). كتبي Kutubee's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and iOS requirement (15.1 vs 17.0). On price, in-app purchases and device support 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. Duolingo sells 16 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month and كتبي Kutubee sells 8 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Duolingo holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Duolingo has 5.5M ratings behind it against 427, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 65% of Duolingo's written reviews are positive against 43% of كتبي Kutubee's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Duolingo ships an update weekly, كتبي Kutubee fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and September 21, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard8 real differences · 3 level
Duolingo versus كتبي Kutubee: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDuolingoكتبي Kutubee
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (5.5M ratings) — better4.0 (427 ratings)
Positive reviews64.6% of reviews — better42.7% of reviews
Number of ratings5.5M — better427
Update frequencyWeekly — betterFortnightly
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases — betterSubscription
Best chart rank#1 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS17.015.1 — better
Further details — not scored
Size489 MB49 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperDuolingo, IncJabal Amman Publishers

Customer experience

Duolingo

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

كتبي Kutubee

All ratings427 ratings
Positive74.2%
Neutral3.3%
Negative22.5%
Written reviews143 reviews
Positive42.7%
Neutral12.6%
Negative44.8%

User reviews

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

كتبي Kutubee

From 427 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 📚 Great for learning languages
  • 📚 Useful resource with many books
  • 🎧 Books can be read or listened to
  • 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Good for children and teenagers
  • 🌟 Amazing and fun app

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Too many bugs and glitches
  • 🐌 Slow loading times
  • ❌ App crashes frequently
  • 🚫 Cannot change password
  • ⚠️ Login issues and sign-out problems

Bugs and requests

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

كتبي Kutubee

Reported bugs

24 issues
  • App crashes frequently
  • Login issues and sign-out problems
  • Cannot change password
  • Slow loading times
  • Inconsistent progress tracking (not counting completed books)
Show 19 more
  • App kicks users out
  • Stuck at loading screen
  • Updates are problematic or don't work
  • Frequent need to log in
  • Cannot make a new password
  • Scroll function not working
  • App closes immediately upon opening
  • Issues with step 1 (subject selection)
  • Saving recordings of reading is not good
  • Avatar change causes crash
  • English story section doesn't show completion checkmark
  • Problem with Julius Caesar story test
  • Cannot sign up or register
  • Account expired issues
  • Payment and subscription cancellation issues
  • Sign in error after update
  • Coloring and note-taking not working
  • Kicking out after answering 1 question wrong
  • Crashing upon 2 questions wrong

Requested features

8 requests
  • Add games
  • Increase number of stories
  • Enable zoom in for reading
  • Add audio and motivational images
  • Add translation feature
Show 3 more
  • Fix leaderboard bug
  • Add dark mode
  • Make content slightly harder for advanced learners

In-app purchases

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
8 purchases

كتبي Kutubee

Subscriptions8
  • Standard Subscription1 Month trial$3.991 Month
  • Monthly Subscription$3.991 Month
  • Additional Subscription1 Month trial$4.991 Month
Show 5 more
  • Premium Subscription1 Month trial$5.991 Month
  • 3 Months Subscription$20.993 Months
  • 6 Months Subscription$35.996 Months
  • Yearly Subscription$39.991 Year
  • 12 Months subscription$47.991 Year

Questions

Is Duolingo free?
Duolingo is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is كتبي Kutubee free?
كتبي Kutubee is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Duolingo or كتبي Kutubee?
Duolingo is rated higher. Duolingo averages 4.7 out of 5 from 5.5M ratings, while كتبي Kutubee averages 4.0 from 427 ratings.
Do Duolingo or كتبي Kutubee have ads?
Duolingo shows ads; كتبي Kutubee does not.
Which is updated more often, Duolingo or كتبي Kutubee?
Duolingo ships an update weekly, and كتبي Kutubee fortnightly. Most recently, Duolingo was updated on September 25, 2026 and كتبي Kutubee on September 21, 2026.

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