# Duolingo vs DK Illustrated Dictionary

The clearest difference is rating: Duolingo at 4.7 against DK Illustrated Dictionary's 3.7. Duolingo also leads on ratings volume (5.5M vs 6) and chart position (#1 vs unranked). DK Illustrated Dictionary's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 28) and ads (none vs shown). On price, review sentiment, update cadence and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Duolingo sells 16 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. DK Illustrated Dictionary asks for nothing beyond the download.

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 6, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 65% of Duolingo's written reviews are positive against 67% of DK Illustrated Dictionary's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Duolingo ships an update weekly, DK Illustrated Dictionary every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on September 26, 2026 and August 12, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Duolingo | DK Illustrated Dictionary |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (5.5M ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/duolingo-language-lessons/id570060128/reviews)** | [3.7 (6 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/dk-illustrated-dictionary/id6448794266/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **5.5M** | 6 |
| Positive reviews | 64.6% of reviews | **66.7% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | **Weekly** | Every 9 days |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Best chart rank | **#1** | — |
| Size | 489 MB | 29 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **12.4** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Duolingo, Inc](https://appshunter.io/developer/570060151) | [Dorling Kindersley](https://appshunter.io/developer/316351361) |

## 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, #66 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


### DK Illustrated Dictionary

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/dk-illustrated-dictionary/id6448794266)

Learn over 10,000 words and phrases with clear illustrations and native speaker audio. This app supports the printed DK Illustrated Dictionary series, offering offline access to pronunciation guides and over 7 hours of high-quality audio.

**Highlights:** 10,000+ words and phrases, Crystal-clear illustrations, Offline audio recordings, Native speaker pronunciation, Over 7 hours of audio, Supports printed books

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Duolingo free?

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

### Is DK Illustrated Dictionary free?

DK Illustrated Dictionary is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Duolingo or DK Illustrated Dictionary?

Duolingo is rated higher. Duolingo averages 4.7 out of 5 from 5.5M ratings, while DK Illustrated Dictionary averages 3.7 from 6 ratings.

### Do Duolingo or DK Illustrated Dictionary have ads?

Duolingo shows ads; DK Illustrated Dictionary does not.

### Which is updated more often, Duolingo or DK Illustrated Dictionary?

Duolingo ships an update weekly, and DK Illustrated Dictionary every 9 days. Most recently, Duolingo was updated on September 26, 2026 and DK Illustrated Dictionary on August 12, 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.*