# Duolingo vs Learn Chinese

The clearest difference is update cadence: Duolingo at every 5 days against Learn Chinese's every 4 months. Duolingo also leads on ratings volume (5.6M vs 7) and review sentiment (65% vs 50%). Learn Chinese's advantage is iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). On price, rating, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Duolingo sells 16 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month and Learn Chinese sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $12.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Duolingo against 4.9 for Learn Chinese. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Duolingo has 5.6M ratings behind it against 7, 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 50% of Learn Chinese's.

Duolingo ships an update every 5 days, Learn Chinese every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on November 2, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Duolingo | Learn Chinese |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.7 (5.6M ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/duolingo-learn-languages/id570060128/reviews) | **[4.9 (7 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/learn-chinese-readle-mandarin/id6475353300/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **5.6M** | 7 |
| Positive reviews | **64.7% of reviews** | 50.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Every 5 days** | Every 4 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | **#1** | — |
| Size | 499 MB | 141 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **15.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [Duolingo](https://appshunter.io/developer/570060151) | [A-Type Technologies](https://appshunter.io/developer/1574889877) |

## 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, #25 Top Grossing, #88 Top Free (US App Store)

This educational app offers fun, bite-sized lessons for learning over 40 languages, plus chess, math, and music. It uses a science-based methodology to build vocabulary and grammar skills, making learning effective and engaging for millions worldwide.

**Highlights:** Learn 40+ languages, Bite-sized lessons, Practice speaking, reading, listening, writing, Learn chess, Math courses, Music lessons, Track progress and achievements

**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


### Learn Chinese

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/learn-chinese-readle-mandarin/id6475353300)

Master Mandarin Chinese with engaging stories and news articles tailored to your HSK level. Improve vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation through interactive tools and daily quizzes. Designed for learners from HSK1 to HSK4, it offers an immersive approach to fluency.

**Highlights:** Real-world news and stories, Vocabulary and flashcards, Pinyin and pronunciation helper, Instant dictionary and translation, Grammar explanations, Daily quizzes, Graded lessons

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Learn Chinese: Premium | $12.99 | per month |
| Readle Quarterly Subscription | $44.99 | per 3 months |
| Learn Chinese: Premium | $69.99 | per year |
| Readle Premium Lifetime | $249.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Duolingo free?

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

### Is Learn Chinese free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Duolingo or Learn Chinese?

Learn Chinese is rated higher. Duolingo averages 4.7 out of 5 from 5.6M ratings, while Learn Chinese averages 4.9 from 7 ratings.

### Do Duolingo or Learn Chinese have ads?

Both Duolingo and Learn Chinese show ads.

### Which is updated more often, Duolingo or Learn Chinese?

Duolingo ships an update every 5 days, and Learn Chinese every 4 months. Most recently, Duolingo was updated on November 2, 2026 and Learn Chinese on October 24, 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.*