# Duolingo vs Mango Reader

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Mango Reader at none against Duolingo's 28. Mango Reader also leads on ads (none vs shown). Duolingo's advantage is ratings volume (5.5M vs 13) and update cadence (weekly vs monthly). On price, rating, review sentiment 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. Mango Reader asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Duolingo against 4.6 for Mango Reader. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Duolingo has 5.5M ratings behind it against 13, 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 63% of Mango Reader's.

Duolingo ships an update weekly, Mango Reader monthly. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and September 7, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Duolingo | Mango Reader |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (5.5M ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/duolingo-language-lessons/id570060128/reviews)** | [4.6 (13 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mango-reader/id6470522701/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **5.5M** | 13 |
| Positive reviews | **64.6% of reviews** | 62.5% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | **Weekly** | Monthly |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Best chart rank | **#1** | — |
| Size | 489 MB | 10 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **16.4** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [Duolingo, Inc](https://appshunter.io/developer/570060151) | [Creative Empire, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/443516519) |

## 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, #62 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


### Mango Reader

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mango-reader/id6470522701)

This app helps intermediate language learners improve their skills by providing real-time translations and pronunciation for words on any website. Users can save new vocabulary, bookmark content, and enjoy an ad-free reading experience.

**Highlights:** Real-time website translation, Word and phrase pronunciation, Personalized vocabulary lists, Ad-free reader mode, Website and article bookmarking, Supports 14 languages

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Duolingo free?

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

### Is Mango Reader free?

Mango Reader is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Duolingo or Mango Reader?

Duolingo is rated higher. Duolingo averages 4.7 out of 5 from 5.5M ratings, while Mango Reader averages 4.6 from 13 ratings.

### Do Duolingo or Mango Reader have ads?

Duolingo shows ads; Mango Reader does not.

### Which is updated more often, Duolingo or Mango Reader?

Duolingo ships an update weekly, and Mango Reader monthly. Most recently, Duolingo was updated on September 25, 2026 and Mango Reader on September 7, 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.*