# Duolingo vs ChatLingo

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Duolingo at 65% against ChatLingo's 0%. Duolingo also leads on rating (4.7 vs 3.9) and ratings volume (5.5M vs 27). ChatLingo's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). 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 ChatLingo sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Duolingo holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 3.9. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Duolingo has 5.5M ratings behind it against 27, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 65% of Duolingo's written reviews are positive against 0% of ChatLingo's.

Duolingo ships an update weekly, ChatLingo every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and June 1, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Duolingo | ChatLingo |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (5.5M ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/duolingo-language-lessons/id570060128/reviews)** | [3.9 (27 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chatlingo-language-learning/id6447771594/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **5.5M** | 27 |
| Positive reviews | **64.6% of reviews** | 0.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Weekly | **Every 4 days** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | **#1** | — |
| Size | 489 MB | 7 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **15.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [Duolingo, Inc](https://appshunter.io/developer/570060151) | [Codeflow Limited Liability Company](https://appshunter.io/developer/1645918906) |

## 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, #28 Top Grossing, #71 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


### ChatLingo

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chatlingo-language-learning/id6447771594)

An AI-powered language learning companion that offers personalized conversational practice to build fluency and confidence. Engage in 24/7 dialogues on custom topics, receive AI-powered corrections, and improve speaking and listening skills anytime, anywhere.

**Highlights:** AI-powered conversational practice, Personalized conversation topics, 24/7 AI conversation partner, AI-reviewed corrections, Adjustable AI speaking rate, Saved chat history, Speech feature for listening/speaking

**In-app purchases (6)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| ChatLingo Plus Weekly | $1.99 | per 7 days |
| ChatLingo Plus Monthly | $3.99 | per month |
| ChatLingo Plus Yearly | $9.99 | per year |
| 150 Message Sends | $0.99 | one-time |
| 500 Message Sends | $1.99 | one-time |
| 1000 Message Sends | $2.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Duolingo free?

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

### Is ChatLingo free?

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

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

Duolingo is rated higher. Duolingo averages 4.7 out of 5 from 5.5M ratings, while ChatLingo averages 3.9 from 27 ratings.

### Do Duolingo or ChatLingo have ads?

Duolingo shows ads; ChatLingo does not.

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

Duolingo ships an update weekly, and ChatLingo every 4 days. Most recently, Duolingo was updated on September 25, 2026 and ChatLingo on June 1, 2026.

---

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