# Duolingo vs Japanese Dictionary Pro+

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Duolingo at 65% against Japanese Dictionary Pro+'s 0%. Duolingo also leads on rating (4.7 vs 4.0) and update cadence (every 5 days vs every 16 months). Japanese Dictionary Pro+'s advantage is iOS requirement (15.6 vs 17.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Duolingo sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month and Japanese Dictionary Pro+ sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Duolingo holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Duolingo has 5.6M ratings behind it against 33, 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 0% of Japanese Dictionary Pro+'s.

Duolingo ships an update every 5 days, Japanese Dictionary Pro+ every 16 months. The most recent releases landed on November 8, 2026 and November 2, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Duolingo | Japanese Dictionary Pro+ |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (5.6M ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/duolingo-learn-languages/id570060128/reviews)** | [4.0 (33 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/japanese-dictionary-pro-plus/id1373735654/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **5.6M** | 33 |
| Positive reviews | **64.8% of reviews** | 0.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Every 5 days** | Every 16 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | **#1** | — |
| Size | 499 MB | 31 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **15.6** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Duolingo, Inc](https://appshunter.io/developer/570060151) | [Puju Dekivadiya](https://appshunter.io/developer/1289574712) |

## What reviewers say

### Duolingo

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/duolingo-learn-languages/id570060128)

**Currently charting:** #1 Top Grossing · Education, #2 Top Free · Education, #26 Top Grossing, #72 Top Free (US App Store)

Master new languages, chess, and math with fun, bite-sized lessons. This educational app uses a game-like approach to build vocabulary, grammar, and strategic skills. Track your progress and compete with a global community.

**Highlights:** Bite-sized language lessons, Chess learning and play, Interactive math courses, Music reading and playing, Progress tracking and achievements, Competitive leaderboards

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Super Duolingo | $9.99 | per month |
| Super Duolingo | $12.99 | per month |
| Super Duolingo | $83.99 | per year |
| Super Duolingo | $95.99 | 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 |
| 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


### Japanese Dictionary Pro+

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/japanese-dictionary-pro-plus/id1373735654)

Learn and translate Japanese with this offline dictionary and translator app. It offers a Japanese keyboard, word quizzes, and text-to-speech functionality. Save favorite words and access search history easily.

**Highlights:** Offline dictionary and translator, Japanese keyboard with suggestions, Interactive word quizzes, Text-to-speech for English words, Save words to favorites, Search history, Share words and meanings

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Weekly Pro Plan | $1.99 | per 7 days |
| Monthly Pro Plan | $4.99 | per month |
| Yearly Pro Plan | $29.99 | per year |
| Lifetime Access | $39.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Duolingo free?

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

### Is Japanese Dictionary Pro+ free?

Japanese Dictionary Pro+ is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Duolingo or Japanese Dictionary Pro+?

Duolingo is rated higher. Duolingo averages 4.7 out of 5 from 5.6M ratings, while Japanese Dictionary Pro+ averages 4.0 from 33 ratings.

### Do Duolingo or Japanese Dictionary Pro+ have ads?

Both Duolingo and Japanese Dictionary Pro+ show ads.

### Which is updated more often, Duolingo or Japanese Dictionary Pro+?

Duolingo ships an update every 5 days, and Japanese Dictionary Pro+ every 16 months. Most recently, Duolingo was updated on November 8, 2026 and Japanese Dictionary Pro+ on November 2, 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.*