# Duolingo vs LingualMuse

Duolingo and LingualMuse both sit at 4.7 stars, but that hides the real split: 100% of LingualMuse's written reviews are positive against 65% of Duolingo's. LingualMuse also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 28) and ads (none vs shown). Duolingo's advantage is ratings volume (5.5M vs 3) and update cadence (weekly vs monthly). On price, rating and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Duolingo sells 16 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. LingualMuse 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 LingualMuse. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Duolingo has 5.5M ratings behind it against 3, 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 100% of LingualMuse's.

Duolingo ships an update weekly, LingualMuse monthly. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and August 9, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Duolingo | LingualMuse |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.7 (5.5M ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/duolingo-language-lessons/id570060128/reviews) | [4.7 (3 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/lingualmuse/id1613852004/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **5.5M** | 3 |
| Positive reviews | 64.6% of reviews | **100.0% 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 | 32 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **13.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Duolingo, Inc](https://appshunter.io/developer/570060151) | [LingualMuse.com Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1564765052) |

## 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, #29 Top Grossing, #62 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


### LingualMuse

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/lingualmuse/id1613852004)

This app helps language learners manage their lessons, schedule, and practice with an AI tutor. It combines live human coaching with AI-powered study tools to enhance fluency and cultural understanding.

**Highlights:** Live lesson scheduling, AI-powered practice sessions, Multi-language support, Customizable study areas, Guardian login for parents, Account management

**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 LingualMuse free?

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

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

Duolingo and LingualMuse are both rated 4.7 out of 5 on the App Store, from 5.5M and 3 ratings respectively.

### Do Duolingo or LingualMuse have ads?

Duolingo shows ads; LingualMuse does not.

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

Duolingo ships an update weekly, and LingualMuse monthly. Most recently, Duolingo was updated on September 25, 2026 and LingualMuse on August 9, 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.*