# Duolingo vs French Language Learning

The clearest difference is rating: Duolingo at 4.7 against French Language Learning's 3.5. Duolingo also leads on update cadence (weekly vs every 6 months) and ratings volume (5.5M vs 2). French Language Learning's advantage is iOS requirement (15 vs 17.0). On price, ads, 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 French Language Learning sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Duolingo holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 3.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Duolingo has 5.5M ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two.

Duolingo ships an update weekly, French Language Learning every 6 months. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and June 1, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Duolingo | French Language Learning |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (5.5M ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/duolingo-language-lessons/id570060128/reviews)** | [3.5 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/french-language-learning/id1447516276/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **5.5M** | 2 |
| Positive reviews | 64.6% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Weekly** | Every 6 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | **#1** | — |
| Size | 489 MB | 49 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **15** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Duolingo, Inc](https://appshunter.io/developer/570060151) | [Imad Al-Zaidi.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1446309100) |

## 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, #27 Top Grossing, #65 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


### French Language Learning

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/french-language-learning/id1447516276)

Learn to read, write, and pronounce words and phrases in over 100 languages through fun, educational games. It covers thousands of words and phrases for everyday life and travel situations, categorized into 100 topics.

**Highlights:** Learn reading, writing, and pronunciation, Supports 100+ languages, Thousands of words and phrases, Categorized into 100 topics, Smart games for skill improvement, Tracks correct/incorrect answers

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Unlock Features | $6.99 | per month |
| Unlock Features | $7.99 | per 6 months |
| Unlock Features | $8.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Duolingo free?

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

### Is French Language Learning free?

French Language Learning is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Duolingo or French Language Learning?

Duolingo is rated higher. Duolingo averages 4.7 out of 5 from 5.5M ratings, while French Language Learning averages 3.5 from 2 ratings.

### Do Duolingo or French Language Learning have ads?

Both Duolingo and French Language Learning show ads.

### Which is updated more often, Duolingo or French Language Learning?

Duolingo ships an update weekly, and French Language Learning every 6 months. Most recently, Duolingo was updated on September 25, 2026 and French Language Learning on June 1, 2026.

---

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