# Duolingo vs Learn Spanish

The clearest difference is update cadence: Duolingo at every 5 days against Learn Spanish's every 12 months. Duolingo also leads on ratings volume (5.6M vs 155) and chart position (#1 vs unranked). Learn Spanish's advantage is review sentiment (89% vs 65%) and 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 10 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month and Learn Spanish sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. 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 4.6 for Learn Spanish. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Duolingo has 5.6M ratings behind it against 155, 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 89% of Learn Spanish's.

Duolingo ships an update every 5 days, Learn Spanish every 12 months. The most recent releases landed on November 12, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Duolingo | Learn Spanish |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (5.6M ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/duolingo-learn-languages/id570060128/reviews)** | [4.6 (155 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/learn-spanish-speak-lesson/id1629210888/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **5.6M** | 155 |
| Positive reviews | 64.8% of reviews | **89.1% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Every 5 days** | Every 12 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | **#1** | — |
| Size | 499 MB | 9 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **15** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Duolingo, Inc](https://appshunter.io/developer/570060151) | [叶 李](https://appshunter.io/developer/1144762363) |

## What reviewers say

### Duolingo

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/duolingo-learn-languages/id570060128)

**Currently charting:** #1 Top Free · Education, #1 Top Grossing · Education, #27 Top Grossing, #73 Top Free (US App Store)

Master new languages, chess, and math with fun, bite-sized lessons. This popular education app uses game-like challenges and expert-designed methods to build vocabulary, grammar, and strategic skills. Track your progress and compete with a global community.

**Highlights:** Bite-sized language lessons, Learn chess strategy and play matches, Interactive math courses, Music reading and playing, Progress tracking and achievements, Competitive leaderboards

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Super Duolingo | $9.99 | per month |
| Super Duolingo | $12.99 | per month |
| Super Duolingo | $79.99 | per year |
| Super Duolingo | $83.99 | per year |
| Super Duolingo | $95.99 | per year |
| Super Duolingo | $119.99 | per year |
| Chest of Gems | $0.99 | one-time |
| Barrel of Gems (1200) | $4.99 | one-time |
| Cart 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


### Learn Spanish

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/learn-spanish-speak-lesson/id1629210888)

This app offers a comprehensive approach to learning Spanish, featuring structured lessons for beginners, vocabulary building, and grammar explanations. Practice listening skills and learn in short, manageable 3-minute segments, all developed by a qualified instructor.

**Highlights:** Beginner Spanish lessons, Spanish vocabulary and words, Spanish listening practice, 3-minute learning chunks, Spanish grammar lessons, Qualified instructor-taught content

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

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Remove Ads | $4.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Great pace for lessons
- 👍 Helps speak Spanish to others
- 👍 Explains formal/informal language
- 👍 Direct and understandable teaching
- 👍 Makes learning interesting

**What reviewers complain about**

- ❌ Cannot access content without rating
- ❌ Forced to rate to unlock videos
- ❌ App not working for some

**Reported bugs**

- Not letting me in
- App not working


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Duolingo free?

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

### Is Learn Spanish free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Duolingo or Learn Spanish?

Duolingo is rated higher. Duolingo averages 4.7 out of 5 from 5.6M ratings, while Learn Spanish averages 4.6 from 155 ratings.

### Do Duolingo or Learn Spanish have ads?

Both Duolingo and Learn Spanish show ads.

### Which is updated more often, Duolingo or Learn Spanish?

Duolingo ships an update every 5 days, and Learn Spanish every 12 months. Most recently, Duolingo was updated on November 12, 2026 and Learn Spanish on November 3, 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.*