# Duolingo vs LingoDeer

The clearest difference is monetization model: Duolingo at free with in-app purchases against LingoDeer's subscription. Duolingo also leads on ratings volume (5.5M vs 28K) and chart position (#1 vs #175). LingoDeer's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and review sentiment (77% vs 65%). On price, rating, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Duolingo sells 16 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month and LingoDeer sells 17 in-app purchases, starting at $12.99 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 LingoDeer. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Duolingo has 5.5M ratings behind it against 28K, 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 77% of LingoDeer's.

Duolingo ships an update weekly, LingoDeer every 3 weeks. Both last shipped on September 25, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Duolingo | LingoDeer |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.7 (5.5M ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/duolingo-language-lessons/id570060128/reviews) | [4.7 (28K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/lingodeer-learn-languages/id1261193709/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **5.5M** | 28K |
| Positive reviews | 64.6% of reviews | **76.6% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | **Weekly** | Every 3 weeks |
| Monetization | **Free with in-app purchases** | Subscription |
| Best chart rank | **#1** | #175 |
| Size | 489 MB | 216 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) | [LingoDeer Co, Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1261193708) |

## 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, #27 Top Grossing, #64 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


### LingoDeer

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/lingodeer-learn-languages/id1261193709)

**Currently charting:** #175 Top Grossing · Education (US App Store)

This app offers structured language lessons created by teachers, making learning effective and easy. It covers 20 languages, from beginner alphabets to conversational fluency, with interactive exercises and native speaker audio.

**Highlights:** Short, interactive lessons, Clear learning path, Grammar tips and notes, Native speaker audio, Flashcards and quizzes, Offline learning, Real-life conversation practice

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (17)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Spanish Monthly Subscription | $12.99 | per month |
| Japanese Monthly Subscription | $12.99 | per month |
| Korean Monthly subscription | $12.99 | per month |
| Multilingual Pass - Monthly | $14.99 | per month |
| Korean Quarterly subscription | $32.99 | per 3 months |
| Multilingual Pass - Quarterly | $34.99 | per 3 months |
| Korean Pass - Yearly | $76.99 | per year |
| Multilingual Pass - 6 Months | $83.99 | per 6 months |
| Multilingual Pass (Annual) | $95.99 | per year |
| Multilingual Pass (Annual) | $95.99 | per year |
| Yearly subscription - discount | $109.99 | per year |
| Buy 1200 Gems | $4.99 | one-time |
| Buy 3000 Gems | $9.99 | one-time |
| Multilingual Pass - Lifetime | $119.99 | one-time |
| Multilingual Pass - Lifetime | $159.99 | one-time |
| lifetime membership for new | $299.99 | one-time |
| lifetime membership discount | $499.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Great for learning Asian languages
- 👍 Thorough grammar and sentence structure explanations
- 🎨 Aesthetically pleasing design
- 📚 Comprehensive lessons and review features
- 🔊 Clear audio and pronunciation guidance

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💰 Paywall after initial lessons
- 🐛 Occasional bugs and glitches
- 🔍 Limited free content
- 🔀 Difficulty switching between languages
- 🔢 Lack of customization options (e.g., dark mode)

**Reported bugs**

- Progress bar not updating correctly
- Incorrect answers sometimes marked as correct
- Inability to resume lessons after app update
- Keyboard issues when typing answers

**Requested features**

- Allow typing answers instead of just selecting
- Provide feedback on pronunciation accuracy
- Improve spaced repetition for vocabulary review
- Add more languages, especially less common ones
- Implement a community feature to connect with other learners


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Duolingo free?

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

### Is LingoDeer free?

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

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

Duolingo and LingoDeer are both rated 4.7 out of 5 on the App Store, from 5.5M and 28K ratings respectively.

### Do Duolingo or LingoDeer have ads?

Duolingo shows ads; LingoDeer does not.

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

Duolingo ships an update weekly, and LingoDeer every 3 weeks. Most recently, Duolingo was updated on September 25, 2026 and LingoDeer on September 25, 2026.

### Which is more popular, Duolingo or LingoDeer?

Duolingo currently peaks at #1 in the App Store charts, and LingoDeer at #175. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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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.*