Comparison

Duolingo vs Rocket Languages

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Duolingo

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
Read full description

Learn a new language, chess & more with the world's most downloaded education app! Duolingo is the fun, free app for learning 40+ languages through quick, bite-sized lessons. Practice speaking, reading, listening & writing to build your vocabulary & grammar skills. Designed by learning experts & loved by hundreds of millions worldwide, our lessons make learning effective & fun and help you prepare for real conversations in Spanish, French, Japanese, Korean, Chinese, Italian, German, English and more. And now, you can learn CHESS on Duolingo! Whether you're a total beginner or looking to level up your game, you'll love learning chess the Duolingo way. Play matches and fun chess lessons for all levels, no matter the language - chess, ajedrez, xadrez, schach, Шахматы, الشطرنج. • Chess: Learn the moves, level up your game & play matches in our Chess course. Learn the basics, solve fun chess puzzles & improve your strategy with guided lessons. Whether you're new to chess or already play, our course is designed to help you have fun and build real skills. Checkmate! • Math: Forget lectures and math worksheets! Built by learning experts, our Math course makes math feel like a game. Boost learning and fight the summer slide with standards-aligned math lessons for elementary school, middle school, and high school students. • Music: Learn how to read music & play songs in our Music course, no instrument needed! Using an on-screen keyboard, you'll learn bit-by-bit. Whether you're learning a language for travel, school, career or your brain health, you'll love learning with Duolingo. Why Duolingo? • Duolingo is fun & effective. Game-like language lessons & fun characters help you build speaking, reading, listening, & writing skills, plus enjoy fun chess & competitive online chess in one app. • Duolingo works. Designed by learning experts, Duolingo has a science-based teaching methodology proven to foster long-term knowledge retention across language lessons & chess lessons alike. • Track your progress. Work toward your learning goals with playful rewards & achievements when you make practicing language lessons or chess online part of your daily habit. • Join millions of learners. Stay motivated with competitive Leaderboards as you learn languages & play chess online alongside our global community. • Every course is free. Learn Spanish, French, German, Italian, Russian, Portuguese, Turkish, Dutch, Irish, Danish, Swedish, Ukrainian, Esperanto, Polish, Greek, Hungarian, Norwegian, Hebrew, Welsh, Arabic, Latin, Hawaiian, Scottish Gaelic, Vietnamese, Korean, Japanese, English, & even High Valyrian! And now, learn Math, Music & improve your Chess skills with fun, bite-sized lessons. What the world is saying about Duolingo: "Far & away the best language-learning app." - The Wall Street Journal "This free app & website is among the most effective language-learning methods I've tried… lessons come in the form of brief challenges, speaking, translating, answering multiple-choice questions, that keep me coming back for more." - The New York Times "Duolingo may hold the secret to the future of education." - TIME Magazine "Duolingo is cheerful, lighthearted & fun." - Forbes "I Can't Stop Playing Duolingo Chess." - Wired If you like Duolingo, try Super Duolingo for 14 days free! Learn a language fast with no ads & get fun perks like Unlimited Energy & Monthly Streak Repair. If you choose to purchase Super Duolingo, payment will be charged to your Apple account, and your account will be charged for renewal within 24-hours prior to the end of the current period. Auto-renewal may be turned off at any time by going to your settings in the App Store after purchase. Any unused portion of a free trial period, if offered, will be forfeited when the user purchases a subscription to that publication, where applicable. Privacy Policy: https://www.duolingo.com/privacy Terms of Service: https://www.duolingo.com/terms

About

Rocket Languages

Learn to speak new languages like Spanish, French, and Japanese with structured audio lessons and cultural insights. This app offers lifetime access to courses designed for real conversations, helping you overcome common learning frustrations and speak confidently from day one.

Highlights
  • Structured audio lessons for speaking
  • Lifetime access with free updates
  • Cultural insights and customs
  • Voice recognition for pronunciation
  • Adaptive review activities
  • Interactive audio and conversation practice
Features
Read full description

Rocket Languages - Finally Speak Spanish, French, Japanese & More Learn Spanish, French, Japanese, Italian, German, Korean, Chinese, and more with Rocket Languages - trusted by 2+ million learners worldwide. Unlike game-based apps, Rocket gives you lifetime access to structured lessons that teach you to speak confidently in real conversations. Start your free trial today and see how quickly you’ll go from learning words to actually speaking your new language. WHY ROCKET LANGUAGES WORKS • Speak in real conversations from day 1 – guided audio lessons get you talking fast • Get lifetime access with free updates – your course never expires, and you own it for life • Understand culture, not just grammar – greetings, customs, food, holidays, and everyday life • Perfect your pronunciation – state-of-the-art voice recognition with thousands of native audio examples • Fix weak spots fast – smart review activities adapt to your progress WHAT YOU’LL GET IN EACH LEVEL • 60+ hours of interactive audio lessons you can listen to anywhere — like a podcast, but designed to get you speaking • 60+ hours of Language & Culture lessons that explain the “why,” not just the “what” • Writing practice for Japanese, Korean, Chinese, and other script-based languages • Stress-free conversation practice – train both sides of real dialogues so you’re ready when it counts • Built-in motivational tools to keep you inspired and on track SOLVE THE BIGGEST LANGUAGE LEARNING FRUSTRATIONS • Forgetting what you’ve learned • Memorizing phrases you can’t use in real life • Feeling nervous speaking with locals • Struggling to find time in a busy schedule • Believing you’re too old to learn • Finding other apps unstructured or confusing With Rocket Languages, you’ll remember what you learn, practice until it sticks, and finally speak with confidence. EXTRA BENEFITS YOU WON’T FIND ELSEWHERE • Train your ear – interactive audio sharpens listening skills quickly • Learn how the language actually works – build sentences step by step • Get tailored courses – each one crafted for what’s practical and relevant • Stay motivated – built-in tools keep your learning on track WHY LEARNERS CHOOSE ROCKET LANGUAGES • Proven by millions worldwide • One-time purchase – no ads, no subscriptions • A complete method that teaches speaking, listening, reading, writing, and culture START SPEAKING TODAY Whether it’s for travel, work, or personal growth, Rocket Languages gives you everything you need to finally speak your new language with confidence. • Free trial included – explore the course with no time limit. • Try a set number of lessons for free, then unlock full levels when you’re ready for more. • Additional levels are available as optional in-app purchases, but you’ll always keep free access to your trial lessons. Download Rocket Languages today - start your free trial and begin speaking Spanish, French, Japanese, and more with confidence.

Screenshots

Duolingo4 screens
Rocket Languages4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Rocket Languages at none against Duolingo's shown. Duolingo's advantage is ratings volume (5.5M vs 2.4K) and update cadence (weekly vs every 3 weeks). On price, rating, review sentiment and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Duolingo sells 16 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month and Rocket Languages sells 49 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Duolingo against 4.6 for Rocket Languages. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Duolingo has 5.5M ratings behind it against 2.4K, 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 69% of Rocket Languages's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Duolingo ships an update weekly, Rocket Languages every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 7 level
Duolingo versus Rocket Languages: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDuolingoRocket Languages
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (5.5M ratings) — better4.6 (2.4K ratings)
Positive reviews64.6% of reviews69.2% of reviews — better
Number of ratings5.5M — better2.4K
Update frequencyWeekly — betterEvery 3 weeks
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#1 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.016.4 — better
Further details — not scored
Size489 MB44 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperDuolingo, IncLibros Media Ltd

Customer experience

Duolingo

All ratings5,464,639 ratings
Positive94.2%
Neutral2.4%
Negative3.4%
Written reviews29,453 reviews
Positive64.6%
Neutral9.6%
Negative25.7%

Rocket Languages

All ratings2,398 ratings
Positive91.0%
Neutral3.9%
Negative5.1%
Written reviews389 reviews
Positive69.2%
Neutral11.8%
Negative19.0%

User reviews

Duolingo

From 5.5M App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🤩 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

Room to improve

  • 🤖 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

Rocket Languages

From 2.4K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Interactive and engaging lessons
  • 🚀 Comprehensive and structured learning approach
  • 💡 Variety of practice methods (listening, speaking, writing)
  • 👍 Explanations of grammar and cultural context
  • 🚀 Detailed and accurate pronunciation feedback

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Voice recognition issues and inconsistencies
  • 🐛 App crashes and bugs
  • 🐛 Inability to review/replay recorded audio
  • 🐛 Lack of offline functionality
  • 🐛 Outdated or confusing user interface

Bugs and requests

Duolingo

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Freezing or crashing during lessons
  • Incorrect translations or answers marked wrong
  • Inconsistent behavior of certain features like leagues

Requested features

5 requests
  • 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

Rocket Languages

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Audio playback issues
  • Inconsistent voice recognition
  • Lesson progress not properly tracked
  • Compatibility problems with newer devices/OS
  • Crashes and freezes during use

Requested features

5 requests
  • Ability to slow down audio playback
  • More grammar and vocabulary review tools
  • Improved search and navigation within the app
  • Customizable learning plans and progress tracking
  • Integration with other language learning resources

In-app purchases

16 purchases

Duolingo

Subscriptions10
  • Super Duolingo7 Days trial$9.991 Month
  • Super Duolingo7 Days trial$12.991 Month
  • Super Duolingo14 Days trial$12.991 Month
Show 7 more
  • Super Duolingo2 variants$59.991 Year
  • Super Duolingo14 Days trial2 variants$79.991 Year
  • Super Duolingo14 Days trial4 variants$83.991 Year
  • Super Duolingo7 Days trial$83.991 Year
  • Super Duolingo7 Days trial4 variants$95.991 Year
  • Super Duolingo1 Month trial$119.991 Year
  • Super Duolingo7 Days trial$119.991 Year
One-time6
  • Chest of Gems$0.99
  • Barrel of Gems (1200)$4.99
  • Chest of Gems (1200)$4.99
Show 3 more
  • Cart of Gems (3000)$9.99
  • Barrel of Gems (3000)$9.99
  • Cart of Gems (6500)$19.99
49 purchases

Rocket Languages

One-time49
  • Rocket Sign Language Level 1$39.99
  • Rocket Spanish Level 1$59.99
  • Rocket Japanese Level 1$59.99
Show 46 more
  • Rocket Italian Level 1$59.99
  • Rocket Korean Level 1$59.99
  • Rocket Arabic Level 1$59.99
  • Rocket French Level 1$59.99
  • Rocket Portuguese Level 1$59.99
  • Rocket Sign Language Level 1$59.99
  • Rocket Spanish Level 1$89.99
  • Rocket Korean Level 1$89.99
  • Rocket Arabic Level 1$89.99
  • Rocket French Level 1$89.99
  • Rocket German Level 1$89.99
  • Rocket Italian Level 1$89.99
  • Rocket Japanese Level 1$89.99
  • Rocket French Level 1$99.99
  • Rocket Japanese Level 1$99.99
  • Rocket Italian Level 1$99.99
  • Rocket Spanish Level 1$99.99
  • Rocket Spanish Levels 1 & 2$119.99
  • Rocket Spanish Premium: Level 1$149.99
  • Rocket French Premium: Level 1$149.99
  • Rocket German Premium: Level 1$149.99
  • Rocket Italian Premium: Level 1$149.99
  • Rocket Japanese Premium: Level 1$149.99
  • Rocket Chinese Premium: Level 1$149.99
  • Rocket Arabic Premium: Level 1$149.99
  • Rocket Portuguese Premium: Level 1$149.99
  • Rocket Korean Premium: Level 1$149.99
  • Rocket Russian Premium: Level 1$149.99
  • Rocket Spanish Levels 1, 2 & 3$179.99
  • Rocket French Levels 1, 2 & 3$179.99
  • Rocket Japanese Level 1, 2 & 3$179.99
  • Rocket Russian Levels 1, 2 & 3$179.99
  • Rocket German Levels 1, 2 & 3$179.99
  • Rocket Chinese Levels 1, 2 & 3$179.99
  • Rocket Italian Levels 1, 2 & 3$179.99
  • Rocket Spanish Levels 1, 2 & 3$249.99
  • Rocket Japanese Level 1, 2 & 3$249.99
  • Rocket Italian Levels 1, 2 & 3$249.99
  • Rocket German Levels 1, 2 & 3$249.99
  • Rocket Chinese Levels 1, 2 & 3$249.99
  • Rocket Russian Levels 1, 2 & 3$249.99
  • Rocket French Levels 1, 2 & 3$249.99
  • Rocket Japanese Level 1, 2 & 3$259.99
  • Rocket Italian Levels 1, 2 & 3$259.99
  • Rocket Spanish Levels 1, 2 & 3$259.99
  • Rocket French Levels 1, 2 & 3$259.99

Questions

Is Duolingo free?
Duolingo is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Rocket Languages free?
Rocket Languages is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Duolingo or Rocket Languages?
Duolingo is rated higher. Duolingo averages 4.7 out of 5 from 5.5M ratings, while Rocket Languages averages 4.6 from 2.4K ratings.
Do Duolingo or Rocket Languages have ads?
Duolingo shows ads; Rocket Languages does not.
Which is updated more often, Duolingo or Rocket Languages?
Duolingo ships an update weekly, and Rocket Languages every 3 weeks. Most recently, Duolingo was updated on September 25, 2026 and Rocket Languages on September 24, 2026.

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