# Duolingo vs Learn Chinese Fast?

The clearest difference is ads: Learn Chinese Fast? at none against Duolingo's shown. Learn Chinese Fast? also leads on review sentiment (75% vs 65%) and iOS requirement (13.4 vs 17.0). Duolingo's advantage is update cadence (every 6 days vs every 5 weeks) and ratings volume (5.5M vs 13). On price, in-app purchases, monetization model and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Duolingo sells 16 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month and Learn Chinese Fast? sells 11 in-app purchases, starting at $10.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Duolingo holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Duolingo has 5.5M ratings behind it against 13, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 65% of Duolingo's written reviews are positive against 75% of Learn Chinese Fast?'s, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Duolingo ships an update every 6 days, Learn Chinese Fast? every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 25, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Duolingo | Learn Chinese Fast? |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (5.5M ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/duolingo-learn-languages/id570060128/reviews)** | [4.4 (13 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/learn-chinese-fast/id1509689319/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **5.5M** | 13 |
| Positive reviews | 64.7% of reviews | **75.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | **Every 6 days** | Every 5 weeks |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | **#1** | — |
| Size | 491 MB | 76 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **13.4** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Duolingo, Inc](https://appshunter.io/developer/570060151) | [Global Learning Universe, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1509689318) |

## 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, #81 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


### Learn Chinese Fast?

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/learn-chinese-fast/id1509689319)

This app offers an entertaining approach to learning Mandarin Chinese through a talk show format. It uses mnemonic entertainment principles to help users learn vocabulary and phrases without traditional studying or memorization. Enjoy comedy, music, and engaging segments to accelerate your language acquisition.

**Highlights:** Talk show format for language learning, Mnemonic entertainment principles, Learn without memorization or tests, Interactive PIE-Smashing Dialogues, COMBO-Word-Cooking game, TONGUE-Twisting Sitcoms

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (11)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Play Videos | $10.99 | per month |
| 3-Month Plan | $27.00 | per 3 months |
| Quarterly Subscription Plan | $33.00 | per 3 months |
| 1 Year Plan | $48.00 | per year |
| Annual Subscription | $49.00 | per year |
| Play Videos | $49.99 | per 6 months |
| Play Videos | $69.99 | per year |
| Life-time Plan | $64.00 | one-time |
| Play Videos | $69.99 | one-time |
| One Time Purchase | $77.00 | one-time |
| Play Videos | $99.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Duolingo free?

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

### Is Learn Chinese Fast? free?

Learn Chinese Fast? is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Duolingo or Learn Chinese Fast??

Duolingo is rated higher. Duolingo averages 4.7 out of 5 from 5.5M ratings, while Learn Chinese Fast? averages 4.4 from 13 ratings.

### Do Duolingo or Learn Chinese Fast? have ads?

Duolingo shows ads; Learn Chinese Fast? does not.

### Which is updated more often, Duolingo or Learn Chinese Fast??

Duolingo ships an update every 6 days, and Learn Chinese Fast? every 5 weeks. Most recently, Duolingo was updated on October 25, 2026 and Learn Chinese Fast? on October 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.*