Comparison

Duolingo vs Learn German

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

Learn German

Learn new languages with personalized flashcard collections. Create your own lists, scan words from images, or use AI-generated content. Supports multiple languages and CEFR levels with audio pronunciation and offline access.

Highlights
  • Personalized vocabulary collections
  • AI-powered flashcard generation
  • AI vocabulary scanner from photos
  • Instant in-app translations
  • High-quality audio pronunciation
  • Offline access to words
Features
Read full description

Choose from 11 languages – English, German, Spanish, French, Italian, Dutch, Portuguese, Russian, Turkish, Ukrainian and Latin – and learn efficiently with personalized vocabulary collections! Vocabu lets you create your own vocabulary collections with instant in-app translations, making language learning truly personalized and effective. Import existing word lists from CSV, Anki, or Quizlet (web) to get started even faster. More than 40 professionally created vocabulary packs cover topics such as Leisure & Sports, Travel, and Business & Finance – with 4,300+ words and authentic example sentences. Latin learners get 6 dedicated core-vocabulary sets on top. **Proven 6-Level Spaced Repetition** Vocabu sorts every card into one of 6 levels. A correct answer moves the card up and pushes the next review further out – from minutes to weeks. That growing gap is what moves words into long-term memory. **Personalized Vocabulary Collections** Create your own vocabulary lists tailored to your needs – unlimited and effortless. Translate words automatically within the app, and add your own example sentences to maximize learning effectiveness. **AI-Powered Flashcard Generation** Just enter a topic, and Vocabu instantly generates word lists, translations, and examples — tailored to your needs. **AI Vocabulary Scanner** Scan vocabulary directly from photos, screenshots, textbooks, or handwritten notes. Vocabu's AI recognizes the words, extracts what's worth learning, and creates ready-to-use flashcards with translations and examples. **Audio Player for Your Whole List** Have an entire word list read aloud – with adjustable speed, pauses between words, shuffle, repeat, and example sentences. Perfect for studying on the bus or during a walk. Tap any card during playback to jump straight to it. **Perfect for Beginners and Advanced Learners** Look at the word, think of the answer, and flip the card to check. Got it right? Swipe right! Unsure? Swipe left to practice again later. Want to drill without touching your levels? Use Practice or Quiz mode. **Adapt the app to your language level (A1–C2)** Choose your current level based on the CEFR and get vocabulary collections and content tailored to your proficiency. **Widgets and Lock Screen** Add Vocabu to your Home Screen, Lock Screen, or Control Center to see at a glance how many cards are waiting – and start today's session with one tap. **Sync Your Vocabulary and Progress** Your words and learning progress automatically sync across all your Apple devices – iPhone, iPad, and Mac. **Track Your Personal Learning Progress** Your progress is saved automatically and displayed clearly in the Progress screen. Set daily learning goals and keep your streak alive in a motivational calendar! All Features at a Glance • Learn effectively with the proven flashcard system (6 levels) • Create unlimited, personalized vocabulary collections • Instant in-app translations for fast word creation • AI Vocabulary Scanner – scan photos, screenshots & handwritten notes • Audio player for the whole list, with speed, pauses and shuffle • Import vocabulary from CSV, Anki, and Quizlet (web) • Export any collection as CSV – your data stays yours • Share a collection via link – friends import it with one tap • Adapt content to your level (A1–C2, CEFR-based) • Track learning progress, daily goals and streaks • Add your own example sentences to any word • 40+ thematic vocabulary packs with 4,300+ words and authentic examples • Widgets for Home Screen, Lock Screen and Control Center • High-quality audio with natural pronunciation • Offline learning – perfect for studying on the go • Automatic sync across iPhone, iPad, and Mac Have suggestions or spotted any errors? Feel free to contact me at daniel@styrianapps.com – I'm looking forward to your feedback! Enjoy learning with Vocabu! Terms of Use (EULA) https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Duolingo4 screens
Learn German4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Learn German at none against Duolingo's shown. Duolingo's advantage is ratings volume (5.5M vs 72) and chart position (#1 vs unranked). On price, rating, review sentiment and update cadence 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 Learn German sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per month. 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 4.8 for Learn German. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Duolingo has 5.5M ratings behind it against 72, 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 67% of Learn German's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Duolingo ships an update weekly, Learn German every 5 days. Both last shipped on September 24, 2026.

Scorecard3 real differences · 8 level
Duolingo versus Learn German: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDuolingoLearn German
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (5.5M ratings)4.8 (72 ratings) — better
Positive reviews64.6% of reviews66.7% of reviews — better
Number of ratings5.5M — better72
Update frequencyWeeklyEvery 5 days — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#1 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, Mac — better
Requires iOS17.017.0
Further details — not scored
Size489 MB68 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperDuolingoDaniel Reicher

Customer experience

Duolingo

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

Learn German

All ratings72 ratings
Positive98.6%
Neutral0.0%
Negative1.4%
Written reviews27 reviews
Positive66.7%
Neutral14.8%
Negative18.5%

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

Learn German

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

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
5 purchases

Learn German

Subscriptions3
  • 1 Month Subscription$6.991 Month
  • 3 Month Subscription3 Days trial$12.993 Months
  • 1 Year Subscription7 Days trial$34.991 Year
One-time2
  • Lifetime Upgrade$69.99
  • Unlock Lifetime Access$79.99

Questions

Is Duolingo free?
Duolingo is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Learn German free?
Learn German is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Duolingo or Learn German?
Learn German is rated higher. Duolingo averages 4.7 out of 5 from 5.5M ratings, while Learn German averages 4.8 from 72 ratings.
Do Duolingo or Learn German have ads?
Duolingo shows ads; Learn German does not.
Which is updated more often, Duolingo or Learn German?
Duolingo ships an update weekly, and Learn German every 5 days. Most recently, Duolingo was updated on September 24, 2026 and Learn German on September 24, 2026.

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