Comparison

Duolingo vs RadioLingo

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

RadioLingo

Learn languages like Spanish, French, and German through podcasts that leverage subconscious learning. Listen to native speakers discuss various topics while you multitask, improving comprehension and pronunciation effortlessly.

Highlights
  • Subconscious learning through podcasts
  • Learn multiple languages
  • Content on diverse topics
  • Native speaker pronunciation
  • Beginner to advanced levels
  • Listen while multitasking
Features
Read full description

Learn Spanish, French, Russian, Italian, German, English, Arabic, Turkish, and more through podcasts that teach you these languages using your subconscious mind. Listen to conversations throughout the day while doing your daily activities. Start Your Language Learning Journey Easily and Quickly with RadioLingo! Are you looking for an easy and enjoyable way to learn languages? Look no further than RadioLingo! Our app is based on subconscious learning, where you can listen to interesting podcasts in different languages to learn extra words and phrases effortlessly. Studies have shown that listening to suitable language learning content for 30 minutes a day can improve listening and comprehension skills. What makes RadioLingo unique? Subconscious learning: Listen to the language you want to learn in the background while browsing social media or using other apps, and let your subconscious mind do the rest! Diverse content: Explore over 100 conversations covering various topics from daily life, such as travel, culture, English business, and technology. Correct pronunciation: Learn from native speakers and improve your pronunciation naturally. Multiple levels: Choose from beginner, intermediate, and advanced levels to suit your language proficiency and progress in your language learning journey. Most widely spoken languages: RadioLingo offers many languages, including: Spanish Podcast: Learn Spanish easily with RadioLingo. This Spanish learning app provides a fun and immersive way to learn Spanish and practice Spanish speaking. RadioLingo is perfect for Spanish learning for beginners, even if you're just starting with the alphabet learning Spanish. Get comfortable with Spanish speaking practice through engaging conversations. English Podcast: Learn English easily with the RadioLingo English learning app and enjoy diverse English conversations covering daily life topics, ranging from Hello English and asking for help to more complex subjects like travel, dating, culture, English business, technology, and even English proverbs. RadioLingo is a perfect free English learning app for all ages, including learn English for kids. It provides a unique feature of Arabic-English words with American English pronunciation, making it easier for both children and adults to learn English vocabulary and understand the English language. French Podcast: Join RadioLingo to learn French for beginners and discover the features of the best free French learning app. You can learn French at all levels, starting from learning French for beginners. RadioLingo provides French verbs conjugations to help you learn and practice verb forms. Learn common French idioms and expressions. Italian Podcast: Enjoy learning Italian easily with RadioLingo and learn Italian for beginners. Turkish Podcast: Join RadioLingo to learn Turkish free and practice Turkish. Russian Podcast: Learn Russian for beginners with RadioLingo. Our podcasts are created by the best Russian tutors. Arabic Podcast: Learn Arabic with RadioLingo! Our podcasts provide a fun and effective way to practice Arabic language skills, from pronunciation to conversation. Learn Arabic vocabulary and even the Arabic alphabet with ease! German Podcast: RadioLingo is the best German learning app that relies on real conversations to learn German for beginners and helps in conversational German. All you have to do is download the app, select your native language and the language you want to learn and enjoy a unique learning experience! RadioLingo is: Easy to use: No need to memorize words or language rules in a boring way. Just listen to RadioLingo and let the language flow into your subconscious mind. Convenient: You can learn languages while commuting, exercising, or doing household chores. Effective: The subconscious learning method has proven its effectiveness in helping people learn languages quickly and easily. Join RadioLingo today and start your language learning journey!

Screenshots

Duolingo4 screens
RadioLingo4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: RadioLingo at none against Duolingo's shown. RadioLingo also leads on review sentiment (75% vs 65%) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 17.0). Duolingo's advantage is ratings volume (5.5M vs 2K) and update cadence (weekly vs fortnightly). On price, rating, in-app purchases and monetization model 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 RadioLingo sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Duolingo against 4.6 for RadioLingo. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Duolingo has 5.5M ratings behind it against 2K, 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 75% of RadioLingo's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Duolingo ships an update weekly, RadioLingo fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 23, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
Duolingo versus RadioLingo: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDuolingoRadioLingo
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (5.5M ratings) — better4.6 (2K ratings)
Positive reviews64.6% of reviews75.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings5.5M — better2K
Update frequencyWeekly — betterFortnightly
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#1 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS17.012.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size489 MB70 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperDuolingoNeronet Academy AB

Customer experience

Duolingo

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

RadioLingo

All ratings2,025 ratings
Positive89.4%
Neutral4.5%
Negative6.1%
Written reviews20 reviews
Positive75.0%
Neutral10.0%
Negative15.0%

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

RadioLingo

From 2K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Amazing
  • 👍 Useful and informative
  • 👍 Great app
  • 👍 Good application

Room to improve

  • 🔊 Volume issues
  • 🤖 AI-generated voices
  • 🛑 Ads prevent progress

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

RadioLingo

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • App doesn't work
  • Not working

Requested features

2 requests
  • Increase font size
  • Improve accessibility for screen readers

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
4 purchases

RadioLingo

Subscriptions4
  • Weekly Ad-Free Subscription$1.997 Days
  • Monthly Ad-Free Subscription.3 Days trial$4.991 Month
  • 3-Month Ad-Free Subscription.3 Days trial$12.993 Months
Show 1 more
  • Annual Ad-Free Subscription.3 Days trial$44.991 Year

Questions

Is Duolingo free?
Duolingo is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is RadioLingo free?
RadioLingo is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Duolingo or RadioLingo?
Duolingo is rated higher. Duolingo averages 4.7 out of 5 from 5.5M ratings, while RadioLingo averages 4.6 from 2K ratings.
Do Duolingo or RadioLingo have ads?
Duolingo shows ads; RadioLingo does not.
Which is updated more often, Duolingo or RadioLingo?
Duolingo ships an update weekly, and RadioLingo fortnightly. Most recently, Duolingo was updated on September 24, 2026 and RadioLingo on September 23, 2026.

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