# Duolingo vs Russian Language Learning

The clearest difference is update cadence: Duolingo at weekly against Russian Language Learning's every 10 months. Duolingo also leads on ratings volume (5.5M vs 4) and chart position (#1 vs unranked). Russian Language Learning's advantage is iOS requirement (15 vs 17.0). On price, rating, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Duolingo sells 16 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month and Russian 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.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Duolingo against 4.8 for Russian Language Learning. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Duolingo has 5.5M ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two.

Duolingo ships an update weekly, Russian Language Learning every 10 months. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 22, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Duolingo | Russian Language Learning |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.7 (5.5M ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/duolingo-language-lessons/id570060128/reviews) | **[4.8 (4 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/russian-language-learning/id1546476894/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **5.5M** | 4 |
| Positive reviews | 64.6% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Weekly** | Every 10 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | **#1** | — |
| Size | 489 MB | 52 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **15** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Duolingo](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, #26 Top Grossing, #61 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


### Russian Language Learning

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/russian-language-learning/id1546476894)

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

**Highlights:** Learn reading, writing, and pronunciation, Supports 100 languages, Thousands of words and phrases, 100 topic categories, Smart educational games, Progress tracking

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

**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 Russian Language Learning free?

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

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

Russian Language Learning is rated higher. Duolingo averages 4.7 out of 5 from 5.5M ratings, while Russian Language Learning averages 4.8 from 4 ratings.

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

Both Duolingo and Russian Language Learning show ads.

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

Duolingo ships an update weekly, and Russian Language Learning every 10 months. Most recently, Duolingo was updated on September 24, 2026 and Russian Language Learning on September 22, 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.*