# Duolingo vs SmartHebrewFlashcards

The clearest difference is rating: Duolingo at 4.7 against SmartHebrewFlashcards's 4.1. Duolingo also leads on update cadence (weekly vs every 2 months) and ratings volume (5.5M vs 30). SmartHebrewFlashcards's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 28) and ads (none vs shown). On price, review sentiment, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Duolingo sells 16 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. SmartHebrewFlashcards asks for nothing beyond the download.

Duolingo holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Duolingo has 5.5M ratings behind it against 30, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 65% and 65% positive.

Duolingo ships an update weekly, SmartHebrewFlashcards every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and August 12, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Duolingo | SmartHebrewFlashcards |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (5.5M ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/duolingo-language-lessons/id570060128/reviews)** | [4.1 (30 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/smarthebrewflashcards/id1542032613/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **5.5M** | 30 |
| Positive reviews | 64.6% of reviews | **64.7% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | **Weekly** | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Best chart rank | **#1** | — |
| Size | 489 MB | 2 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **16.6** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Duolingo, Inc](https://appshunter.io/developer/570060151) | [Grossman Labs](https://appshunter.io/developer/1515839128) |

## 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, #25 Top Grossing, #72 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


### SmartHebrewFlashcards

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/smarthebrewflashcards/id1542032613)

This app makes learning Hebrew vocabulary, prayers, and holiday words engaging for students. It's designed for Bar/Bat Mitzvah preparation and anyone wanting to improve Hebrew reading skills. The app offers a progress tracking feature to monitor learning.

**Highlights:** Learn common Hebrew words, Includes Hebrew prayers and holiday words, Progress tracking screen, Ideal for Bar/Bat Mitzvah prep, Easy setup for teachers, Engaging for students

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Duolingo free?

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

### Is SmartHebrewFlashcards free?

SmartHebrewFlashcards is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

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

Duolingo is rated higher. Duolingo averages 4.7 out of 5 from 5.5M ratings, while SmartHebrewFlashcards averages 4.1 from 30 ratings.

### Do Duolingo or SmartHebrewFlashcards have ads?

Duolingo shows ads; SmartHebrewFlashcards does not.

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

Duolingo ships an update weekly, and SmartHebrewFlashcards every 2 months. Most recently, Duolingo was updated on September 25, 2026 and SmartHebrewFlashcards on August 12, 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.*