# Duolingo vs EchoHands

The clearest difference is rating: Duolingo at 4.7 against EchoHands's 2.6. Duolingo also leads on ratings volume (5.5M vs 9) and chart position (#1 vs unranked). EchoHands's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (daily vs every 5 days). On price, in-app purchases, monetization model 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 and EchoHands sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Duolingo holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 2.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Duolingo has 5.5M ratings behind it against 9, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 65% of Duolingo's written reviews are positive against 75% of EchoHands's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Duolingo ships an update every 5 days, EchoHands daily. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Duolingo | EchoHands |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (5.5M ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/duolingo-learn-languages/id570060128/reviews)** | [2.6 (9 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/echohands-learn-sign-language/id6475081399/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **5.5M** | 9 |
| Positive reviews | 64.7% of reviews | **75.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Every 5 days | **Daily** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | **#1** | — |
| Size | 490 MB | 70 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **13.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Duolingo, Inc](https://appshunter.io/developer/570060151) | [Lollipop Technology](https://appshunter.io/developer/1269972831) |

## What reviewers say

### Duolingo

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/duolingo-learn-languages/id570060128)

**Currently charting:** #1 Top Free · Education, #1 Top Grossing · Education, #29 Top Grossing, #73 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


### EchoHands

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/echohands-learn-sign-language/id6475081399)

Learn American Sign Language with engaging lessons, personalized progress tracking, and instruction from expert Deaf instructors. Connect with the Deaf community and break down communication barriers.

**Highlights:** Engaging, intuitive lessons, Personalized progress tracking, Expert Deaf instructors, Connect with the Deaf community, Break down communication barriers

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

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| EchoHands Monthly Prime | $9.99 | per month |
| EchoHands Yearly Prime | $34.99 | per year |
| EchoHands Yearly Prime | $59.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Duolingo free?

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

### Is EchoHands free?

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

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

Duolingo is rated higher. Duolingo averages 4.7 out of 5 from 5.5M ratings, while EchoHands averages 2.6 from 9 ratings.

### Do Duolingo or EchoHands have ads?

Duolingo shows ads; EchoHands does not.

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

Duolingo ships an update every 5 days, and EchoHands daily. Most recently, Duolingo was updated on October 29, 2026 and EchoHands on October 24, 2026.

---

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