# Duolingo vs RadioLingo

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.

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.

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.

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

## The numbers

| Metric | Duolingo | RadioLingo |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (5.5M ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/duolingo-language-lessons/id570060128/reviews)** | [4.6 (2K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/radiolingo-learn-languages/id1277631223/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **5.5M** | 2K |
| Positive reviews | 64.6% of reviews | **75.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | **Weekly** | Fortnightly |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | **#1** | — |
| Size | 489 MB | 70 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **12.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [Duolingo](https://appshunter.io/developer/570060151) | [Neronet Academy AB](https://appshunter.io/developer/1277631222) |

## 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, #25 Top Grossing, #69 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


### RadioLingo

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/radiolingo-learn-languages/id1277631223)

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:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Weekly Ad-Free Subscription | $1.99 | per 7 days |
| Monthly Ad-Free Subscription. | $4.99 | per month |
| 3-Month Ad-Free Subscription. | $12.99 | per 3 months |
| Annual Ad-Free Subscription. | $44.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

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

**What reviewers complain about**

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

**Reported bugs**

- App doesn't work
- Not working

**Requested features**

- Increase font size
- Improve accessibility for screen readers


## Frequently asked 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.

---

*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*