# Duolingo vs Learn Chinese for Beginners

The clearest difference is update cadence: Duolingo at weekly against Learn Chinese for Beginners's every 2 months. Duolingo also leads on ratings volume (5.5M vs 132) and rating (4.7 vs 4.4). Learn Chinese for Beginners's advantage is review sentiment (93% vs 65%) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 17.0). On price, ads, 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 Chinese for Beginners sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Duolingo holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Duolingo has 5.5M ratings behind it against 132, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 65% of Duolingo's written reviews are positive against 93% of Learn Chinese for Beginners's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Duolingo ships an update weekly, Learn Chinese for Beginners every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 10, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Duolingo | Learn Chinese for Beginners |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (5.5M ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/duolingo-language-lessons/id570060128/reviews)** | [4.4 (132 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/learn-chinese-for-beginners/id1269136257/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **5.5M** | 132 |
| Positive reviews | 64.6% of reviews | **93.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Weekly** | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | **#1** | — |
| Size | 489 MB | 26 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **13.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Duolingo](https://appshunter.io/developer/570060151) | [Hector Gonzalez Linan](https://appshunter.io/developer/1185483007) |

## 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, #61 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 Chinese for Beginners

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/learn-chinese-for-beginners/id1269136257)

This app offers a fun and easy way for children and beginners to learn Chinese. It includes interactive lessons, exercises, and tests across 36 topics and 3 levels, covering vocabulary with images and audio.

**Highlights:** Interactive lessons and exercises, Reading, writing, and speaking practice, 4 activities and exams per topic, 36 topics across 3 levels, 500 words with images and audio, Taiwanese accent audio

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Family Sharing, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Remove Ads | $3.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Duolingo free?

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

### Is Learn Chinese for Beginners free?

Learn Chinese for Beginners is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Duolingo or Learn Chinese for Beginners?

Duolingo is rated higher. Duolingo averages 4.7 out of 5 from 5.5M ratings, while Learn Chinese for Beginners averages 4.4 from 132 ratings.

### Do Duolingo or Learn Chinese for Beginners have ads?

Both Duolingo and Learn Chinese for Beginners show ads.

### Which is updated more often, Duolingo or Learn Chinese for Beginners?

Duolingo ships an update weekly, and Learn Chinese for Beginners every 2 months. Most recently, Duolingo was updated on September 24, 2026 and Learn Chinese for Beginners on September 10, 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.*