# Duolingo vs Migaku

The clearest difference is ads: Migaku at none against Duolingo's shown. Migaku also leads on review sentiment (73% vs 65%). Duolingo's advantage is ratings volume (5.5M vs 360) and rating (4.7 vs 4.4). On price, update cadence, 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 Migaku sells 13 in-app purchases, starting at $14.00 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Duolingo holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Duolingo has 5.5M ratings behind it against 360, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 65% of Duolingo's written reviews are positive against 73% of Migaku's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly weekly. The most recent releases landed on September 27, 2026 and September 25, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Duolingo | Migaku |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (5.5M ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/duolingo-language-lessons/id570060128/reviews)** | [4.4 (360 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/migaku-really-learn-languages/id1664096855/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **5.5M** | 360 |
| Positive reviews | 64.7% of reviews | **73.3% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Weekly | Weekly |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | **#1** | — |
| Size | 489 MB | 1.9 GB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **16.4** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [Duolingo, Inc](https://appshunter.io/developer/570060151) | [Migaku Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1625577898) |

## 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, #82 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


### Migaku

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/migaku-really-learn-languages/id1664096855)

This app helps you learn languages by making content interactive. Click words in subtitles or text to get definitions, create flashcards, and personalize study sessions. It focuses on high-frequency words for efficient learning.

**Highlights:** Interactive subtitles for YouTube, One-click media-rich flashcard creation, Personalized study sessions, Data-driven courses for beginners, Word frequency-based vocabulary learning, AI sentence breakdown and explanations

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

**In-app purchases (13)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Migaku Standard | $14.00 | per month |
| Migaku Standard | $14.00 | per month |
| Early Access | $21.00 | per month |
| Early Access | $21.00 | per month |
| Migaku Standard | $136.99 | per year |
| Migaku Standard | $136.99 | per year |
| Early Access | $179.99 | per year |
| Early Access | $179.99 | per year |
| Lifetime | $214.99 | one-time |
| Lifetime | $289.00 | one-time |
| Lifetime | $344.99 | one-time |
| Lifetime | $359.00 | one-time |
| Lifetime | $719.00 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Effective and convenient language learning
- 👍 Intuitive and visually appealing interface
- 🎓 Comprehensive courses and lessons
- 💡 Seamless integration with streaming platforms
- 🗣️ Helpful pronunciation and pitch accent features

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Occasional crashes and stability issues
- 🔒 Lack of free trial or free plan options
- 💰 Expensive subscription model
- 🤖 Inconsistent performance of AI-powered features
- 🔌 High storage and battery consumption on mobile

**Reported bugs**

- Unable to create new accounts in the app
- Broken kanji course with empty cards
- Inconsistent behavior when switching between apps

**Requested features**

- Offline mode for learning on the go
- Expanded support for more languages
- Better integration with Anki and other SRS apps
- More customization options for flashcards and reviews


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Duolingo free?

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

### Is Migaku free?

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

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

Duolingo is rated higher. Duolingo averages 4.7 out of 5 from 5.5M ratings, while Migaku averages 4.4 from 360 ratings.

### Do Duolingo or Migaku have ads?

Duolingo shows ads; Migaku does not.

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

Duolingo ships an update weekly, and Migaku weekly. Most recently, Duolingo was updated on September 27, 2026 and Migaku on September 25, 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.*