# Duolingo vs iTranslate Lingo

The clearest difference is ads: iTranslate Lingo at none against Duolingo's shown. iTranslate Lingo also leads on iOS requirement (13.0 vs 17.0). Duolingo's advantage is ratings volume (5.6M vs 4.5K) and review sentiment (65% vs 40%). On price, rating, 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 iTranslate Lingo sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. 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 iTranslate Lingo. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Duolingo has 5.6M ratings behind it against 4.5K, 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 40% of iTranslate Lingo's.

Duolingo ships an update every 5 days, iTranslate Lingo every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 8, 2026 and November 2, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Duolingo | iTranslate Lingo |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (5.6M ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/duolingo-learn-languages/id570060128/reviews)** | [4.6 (4.5K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/itranslate-lingo/id1436833817/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **5.6M** | 4.5K |
| Positive reviews | **64.8% of reviews** | 40.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | **Every 5 days** | Every 2 weeks |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Freemium |
| Best chart rank | **#1** | — |
| Size | 499 MB | 156 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **13.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Duolingo, Inc](https://appshunter.io/developer/570060151) | [Mosaic S.r.l.](https://appshunter.io/developer/570748343) |

## 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, #27 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


### iTranslate Lingo

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/itranslate-lingo/id1436833817)

Learn new languages playfully with short, daily lessons. Focus on vocabulary, spelling, listening, and pronunciation with interactive exercises and progress tracking. Unlock all features with a PRO subscription.

**Highlights:** Learn 14 languages, Short daily lessons (5 mins), Vocabulary and spelling practice, Audio and pronunciation training, Personalized learning categories, Progress tracking and awards

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

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| iTranslate Lingo PRO | $4.99 | per month |
| iTranslate Lingo PRO | $4.99 | per month |
| iTranslate Lingo PRO | $6.99 | per month |
| iTranslate Lingo PRO | $39.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Free version available
- 👍 Easy and fun learning process
- 🚀 Effective vocabulary learning
- 👍 Clean and intuitive interface
- 👍 Helpful for beginners

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Poor speech recognition
- 🔒 Subscription-based model
- 🐛 Inconsistent lesson progress tracking
- 🐛 Limited free version
- 🐛 Unclear pronunciation of words

**Reported bugs**

- Free version only allows one lesson
- Subscription charges even after cancellation
- Inconsistent app behavior after updates

**Requested features**

- Add more language options
- Implement a review/practice mode for previously learned words
- Improve speech recognition accuracy
- Allow users to revisit past lessons
- Provide more detailed feedback on mistakes


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Duolingo free?

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

### Is iTranslate Lingo free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Duolingo or iTranslate Lingo?

Duolingo is rated higher. Duolingo averages 4.7 out of 5 from 5.6M ratings, while iTranslate Lingo averages 4.6 from 4.5K ratings.

### Do Duolingo or iTranslate Lingo have ads?

Duolingo shows ads; iTranslate Lingo does not.

### Which is updated more often, Duolingo or iTranslate Lingo?

Duolingo ships an update every 5 days, and iTranslate Lingo every 2 weeks. Most recently, Duolingo was updated on November 8, 2026 and iTranslate Lingo 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.*
