# Duolingo vs Wortschatz

The clearest difference is monetization model: Duolingo at free with in-app purchases against Wortschatz's subscription. Duolingo also leads on ratings volume (5.5M vs 79) and review sentiment (65% vs 46%). Wortschatz's advantage is ads (none vs shown). On price, rating, update cadence 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 Wortschatz sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per 7 days. 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 4.8 for Wortschatz. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Duolingo has 5.5M ratings behind it against 79, 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 46% of Wortschatz's.

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Duolingo | Wortschatz |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.7 (5.5M ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/duolingo-learn-languages/id570060128/reviews) | **[4.8 (79 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/wortschatz-learn-german/id1660563339/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **5.5M** | 79 |
| Positive reviews | **64.7% of reviews** | 46.2% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Every 5 days | Every 5 days |
| Monetization | **Free with in-app purchases** | Subscription |
| Best chart rank | **#1** | — |
| Size | 490 MB | 104 MB |
| Requires iOS | **17.0** | 26.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Duolingo](https://appshunter.io/developer/570060151) | [Karen Karapetyan](https://appshunter.io/developer/1092956865) |

## 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, #24 Top Grossing, #81 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


### Wortschatz

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/wortschatz-learn-german/id1660563339)

Master a new language with engaging, bite-sized lessons and real-life dialogues. Practice speaking with instant pronunciation feedback and learn on the go with offline access. Build vocabulary and track your progress to speak confidently in any situation.

**Highlights:** Bite-sized lessons, Real-life dialogues, Speech recognition pronunciation feedback, Offline lessons, Spaced repetition vocabulary building, Interactive exercises, Custom word lists

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

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Weekly | $2.99 | per 7 days |
| Monthly | $9.99 | per month |
| Yearly | $79.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Duolingo free?

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

### Is Wortschatz free?

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

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

Wortschatz is rated higher. Duolingo averages 4.7 out of 5 from 5.5M ratings, while Wortschatz averages 4.8 from 79 ratings.

### Do Duolingo or Wortschatz have ads?

Duolingo shows ads; Wortschatz does not.

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

Duolingo ships an update every 5 days, and Wortschatz every 5 days. Most recently, Duolingo was updated on October 29, 2026 and Wortschatz on October 25, 2026.

---

*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*