# Duolingo vs Optimem

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Optimem at none against Duolingo's 28. Optimem also leads on ads (none vs shown) and review sentiment (80% vs 65%). Duolingo's advantage is ratings volume (5.5M vs 30) and update cadence (weekly vs monthly). On price, rating, 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. Optimem asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Duolingo against 4.7 for Optimem. 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 are what separate them: 65% of Duolingo's written reviews are positive against 80% of Optimem's.

Duolingo ships an update weekly, Optimem monthly. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and September 17, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Duolingo | Optimem |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.7 (5.5M ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/duolingo-language-lessons/id570060128/reviews) | [4.7 (30 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/optimem-smart-flashcards/id1574383108/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **5.5M** | 30 |
| Positive reviews | 64.6% of reviews | **80.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | **Weekly** | Monthly |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Best chart rank | **#1** | — |
| Size | 489 MB | 54 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **16.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Duolingo, Inc](https://appshunter.io/developer/570060151) | [Organic Software LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1574383110) |

## 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, #27 Top Grossing, #64 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


### Optimem

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/optimem-smart-flashcards/id1574383108)

Master any subject quickly with science-backed flashcards. Learn in short, engaging sessions using spaced repetition and multimedia support. Track your progress and customize your study experience with a simple, distraction-free interface.

**Highlights:** Bite-sized learning sessions, Spaced repetition system, Multimedia flashcard support, Progress tracking and stats, Customizable study settings, Dark mode, Content creation and sharing

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

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Duolingo free?

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

### Is Optimem free?

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

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

Duolingo and Optimem are both rated 4.7 out of 5 on the App Store, from 5.5M and 30 ratings respectively.

### Do Duolingo or Optimem have ads?

Duolingo shows ads; Optimem does not.

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

Duolingo ships an update weekly, and Optimem monthly. Most recently, Duolingo was updated on September 25, 2026 and Optimem on September 17, 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.*