# Duolingo vs Hilokal

The clearest difference is ratings volume: Duolingo at 5.6M against Hilokal's 772. Duolingo also leads on rating (4.7 vs 4.4) and review sentiment (65% vs 44%). Hilokal's advantage is iOS requirement (15.1 vs 17.0). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Duolingo sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month and Hilokal sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. 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 5.6M ratings behind it against 772, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 65% of Duolingo's written reviews are positive against 44% of Hilokal's.

Duolingo ships an update every 5 days, Hilokal every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on November 9, 2026 and November 8, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Duolingo | Hilokal |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (5.6M ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/duolingo-learn-languages/id570060128/reviews)** | [4.4 (772 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hilokal-language-exchange-app/id1537500613/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **5.6M** | 772 |
| Positive reviews | **64.8% of reviews** | 43.9% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Every 5 days** | Every 9 days |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Freemium |
| Best chart rank | **#1** | — |
| Size | 499 MB | 219 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **15.1** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 9+ |
| Developer | [Duolingo, Inc](https://appshunter.io/developer/570060151) | [Hilokal](https://appshunter.io/developer/1537500615) |

## 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, #29 Top Grossing, #77 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


### Hilokal

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hilokal-language-exchange-app/id1537500613)

Learn languages like Korean and English with an AI tutor and a global community of learners. Practice speaking, writing, and listening with real-time feedback and interactive tools. Engage in themed chats and games to make learning fun and practical.

**Highlights:** AI-powered language tutoring, Real-time grammar and pronunciation correction, Interactive transcripts with AI insights, Word tracking and pronunciation analysis, Global language exchange community, Themed chat rooms and language games, Community-led learning sessions

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

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Premium Plus bundle 1 | $11.49 | one-time |
| Premium Plus bundle 3 | $37.00 | one-time |
| Premium Plus bundle 10 | $110.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Excellent for language exchange and practice
- 👍 Diverse community of users from around the world
- 🌟 Helpful and knowledgeable teachers/tutors
- 💡 Innovative features like AI tutor and role-playing
- 🤝 Great for making new friends and cultural exchange

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent bugs, crashes, and connection issues
- 🔊 Volume control problems, echo, and audio distortion
- 🤖 Inconsistent performance of AI tutor feature
- 🔒 Weak security and moderation, allowing harassment
- 💰 Expensive subscription, lack of affordable options

**Reported bugs**

- Inability to log in or create account
- Sudden loss of audio/voice functionality
- Incompatibility with older iOS/Android devices
- Disappearing user profiles and conversation history
- Inconsistent performance after recent app updates

**Requested features**

- Allow selecting multiple target languages
- Add option to save/review conversation transcripts
- Implement better filtering and search for tables
- Improve moderation system to address harassment
- Provide more affordable subscription plans


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Duolingo free?

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

### Is Hilokal free?

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

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

Duolingo is rated higher. Duolingo averages 4.7 out of 5 from 5.6M ratings, while Hilokal averages 4.4 from 772 ratings.

### Do Duolingo or Hilokal have ads?

Both Duolingo and Hilokal show ads.

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

Duolingo ships an update every 5 days, and Hilokal every 9 days. Most recently, Duolingo was updated on November 9, 2026 and Hilokal on November 8, 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.*