# Duolingo vs First Words

The clearest difference is price: Duolingo at Free against First Words's $19.00. Duolingo also leads on update cadence (weekly vs every 8 months) and ratings volume (5.5M vs 1). First Words's advantage is review sentiment (100% vs 65%) and in-app purchases (none vs 28). On device support there is nothing between them.

Duolingo is free to download; First Words costs $19.00 up front. Duolingo sells 16 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. First Words asks for nothing beyond the download.

First Words holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Duolingo has 5.5M ratings behind it against 1, 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 100% of First Words's.

Duolingo ships an update weekly, First Words every 8 months. The most recent releases landed on September 27, 2026 and September 16, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Duolingo | First Words |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **Free** | $19.00 |
| Rating | [4.7 (5.5M ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/duolingo-language-lessons/id570060128/reviews) | **[5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/first-words-talkable/id1285182049/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **5.5M** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | 64.7% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | **Weekly** | Every 8 months |
| Monetization | **Free with in-app purchases** | Paid |
| Best chart rank | **#1** | — |
| Size | 489 MB | 25 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **13.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Duolingo](https://appshunter.io/developer/570060151) | [Karen Nitsche](https://appshunter.io/developer/1285182048) |

## 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, #77 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


### First Words

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/first-words-talkable/id1285182049)

This app offers a ten-week program to support your baby's language development from infancy to toddlerhood. It provides weekly videos, baby sign language, and engaging activities to help nurture first words and communication skills.

**Highlights:** Ten-week language development program, Weekly video tutorials, Baby sign language (40 key signs), Interactive book-sharing sessions, Hands-on, playful activities, Book recommendations for language learning, Progress tracking for first words

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

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Duolingo free?

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

### Is First Words free?

First Words costs $19.00, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Duolingo or First Words?

First Words is rated higher. Duolingo averages 4.7 out of 5 from 5.5M ratings, while First Words averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.

### Do Duolingo or First Words have ads?

Duolingo shows ads; First Words does not.

### Which is updated more often, Duolingo or First Words?

Duolingo ships an update weekly, and First Words every 8 months. Most recently, Duolingo was updated on September 27, 2026 and First Words on September 16, 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.*