# Duolingo vs effectLang

Duolingo and effectLang both sit at 4.7 stars, but that hides the real split: 65% of Duolingo's written reviews are positive against 0% of effectLang's. Duolingo also leads on ratings volume (5.5M vs 7) and update cadence (weekly vs every 3 weeks). 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 effectLang sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $3.49 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 effectLang. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Duolingo has 5.5M ratings behind it against 7, 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 0% of effectLang's.

Duolingo ships an update weekly, effectLang every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and June 24, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Duolingo | effectLang |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.7 (5.5M ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/duolingo-language-lessons/id570060128/reviews) | **[4.7 (7 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/effectlang-spaced-repetition/id1567070251/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **5.5M** | 7 |
| Positive reviews | **64.6% of reviews** | 0.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Weekly** | Every 3 weeks |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | **#1** | — |
| Size | 489 MB | 93 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **16.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad** | iPhone |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [Duolingo](https://appshunter.io/developer/570060151) | [Dawid Wnukowski](https://appshunter.io/developer/1444193124) |

## 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


### effectLang

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/effectlang-spaced-repetition/id1567070251)

Master new languages with an effective, free system. Create custom flashcards with images and audio, and utilize spaced repetition for optimal memorization. Learn at your own pace, even offline, with a fun, game-like approach to vocabulary building.

**Highlights:** Custom flashcard creator, Spaced repetition algorithm, Image and audio integration, Offline learning capability, Excel import/export, Text-to-speech pronunciation

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Premium | $3.49 | per month |
| Premium | $21.49 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Duolingo free?

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

### Is effectLang free?

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

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

effectLang is rated higher. Duolingo averages 4.7 out of 5 from 5.5M ratings, while effectLang averages 4.7 from 7 ratings.

### Do Duolingo or effectLang have ads?

Both Duolingo and effectLang show ads.

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

Duolingo ships an update weekly, and effectLang every 3 weeks. Most recently, Duolingo was updated on September 24, 2026 and effectLang on June 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.*