# Duolingo vs DuoCards

The clearest difference is ratings volume: Duolingo at 5.5M against DuoCards's 1.3K. Duolingo also leads on update cadence (weekly vs monthly) and chart position (#1 vs unranked). DuoCards's advantage is iOS requirement (13.0 vs 17.0). On price, rating, review sentiment and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Duolingo sells 16 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month and DuoCards sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $19.99 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 4.7 for DuoCards. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Duolingo has 5.5M ratings behind it against 1.3K, 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 63% of DuoCards's.

Duolingo ships an update weekly, DuoCards monthly. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Duolingo | DuoCards |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.7 (5.5M ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/duolingo-language-lessons/id570060128/reviews) | [4.7 (1.3K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/duocards-vocabulary-builder/id1508159917/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **5.5M** | 1.3K |
| Positive reviews | **64.6% of reviews** | 63.3% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Weekly** | Monthly |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | **#1** | — |
| Size | 489 MB | 19 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) | [DuoCards s.r.o](https://appshunter.io/developer/1508159916) |

## 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, #62 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


### DuoCards

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/duocards-vocabulary-builder/id1508159917)

Master a new language with interactive flashcards and video courses. This app helps you build vocabulary, guess words, and track your progress across over 50 languages. Learn effectively through spaced repetition and integrated translation tools.

**Highlights:** Flashcard learning with spaced repetition, Video language courses with interactive subtitles, Integrated translator for over 50 languages, Vocabulary builder and progress tracker, Guess words and phrases to sharpen skills, Read foreign language articles

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

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| DuoCards Premium | $19.99 | per month |
| DuoCards Plus | $33.00 | per 3 months |
| DuoCards Premium | $34.99 | per 3 months |
| DuoCards Premium | $49.99 | per year |
| DuoCards Premium | $64.90 | per year |
| DuoCards Premium | $67.99 | per year |
| DuoCards Premium | $107.99 | per year |
| DuoCards Premium | $109.00 | per year |
| DuoCards Premium | $113.99 | per year |
| DuoCards Premium | $162.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Easy to use
- 💡 Customizable flashcards
- 🚀 Efficient learning algorithm
- 🐘 Cute mascot (Memo the mammoth)

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Bugs and crashes
- ⚠️ Unreliable server connection
- 💰 Expensive subscription
- 🤔 Confusing interface

**Reported bugs**

- App freezes and crashes
- Issues with logging in and accessing content
- Inconsistent behavior when adding new words
- Problems with video playback and subtitles

**Requested features**

- Offline mode
- More customization options
- Improved spaced repetition system
- Better integration with other language learning tools


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Duolingo free?

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

### Is DuoCards free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Duolingo or DuoCards?

Duolingo and DuoCards are both rated 4.7 out of 5 on the App Store, from 5.5M and 1.3K ratings respectively.

### Do Duolingo or DuoCards have ads?

Both Duolingo and DuoCards show ads.

### Which is updated more often, Duolingo or DuoCards?

Duolingo ships an update weekly, and DuoCards monthly. Most recently, Duolingo was updated on September 25, 2026 and DuoCards on September 24, 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.*