# Duolingo vs Breakthrough! Visual Novel

The clearest difference is rating: Duolingo at 4.7 against Breakthrough! Visual Novel's 3.7. Duolingo also leads on ratings volume (5.5M vs 3) and chart position (#1 vs unranked). Breakthrough! Visual Novel's advantage is review sentiment (100% vs 65%) and iOS requirement (11.0 vs 17.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Duolingo sells 16 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month and Breakthrough! Visual Novel sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Duolingo holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 3.7. 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 complicate that: 65% of Duolingo's written reviews are positive against 100% of Breakthrough! Visual Novel's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

## The numbers

| Metric | Duolingo | Breakthrough! Visual Novel |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (5.5M ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/duolingo-language-lessons/id570060128/reviews)** | [3.7 (3 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/breakthrough-visual-novel/id1639829477/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **5.5M** | 3 |
| Positive reviews | 64.6% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | Weekly | — |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | **#1** | — |
| Size | 489 MB | 732 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **11.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [Duolingo, Inc](https://appshunter.io/developer/570060151) | [Eric Ding](https://appshunter.io/developer/1639829479) |

## 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, #69 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


### Breakthrough! Visual Novel

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/breakthrough-visual-novel/id1639829477)

This educational game helps intermediate language learners improve vocabulary and reading comprehension through interactive stories and flashcards. It offers multiple languages and cultural insights, making learning engaging.

**Highlights:** Vocabulary building mode, Interactive story reading, Flashcard deck building, Unlockable in-game content, Multiple language support, Cultural exploration

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Character Pack | $4.99 | one-time |
| Yuri - Story Pack | $7.99 | one-time |
| Jose - Story Pack | $7.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Duolingo free?

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

### Is Breakthrough! Visual Novel free?

Breakthrough! Visual Novel is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Duolingo or Breakthrough! Visual Novel?

Duolingo is rated higher. Duolingo averages 4.7 out of 5 from 5.5M ratings, while Breakthrough! Visual Novel averages 3.7 from 3 ratings.

### Do Duolingo or Breakthrough! Visual Novel have ads?

Both Duolingo and Breakthrough! Visual Novel show ads.

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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.*