# Duolingo vs Mina

The clearest difference is rating: Duolingo at 4.7 against Mina's 4.0. Duolingo also leads on review sentiment (65% vs 33%) and update cadence (weekly vs every 6 weeks). Mina's advantage is ads (none vs shown). 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 Mina sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Duolingo holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Duolingo has 5.5M ratings behind it against 2, 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 33% of Mina's.

Duolingo ships an update weekly, Mina every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Duolingo | Mina |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (5.5M ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/duolingo-language-lessons/id570060128/reviews)** | [4.0 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mina-language-games/id6477296057/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **5.5M** | 2 |
| Positive reviews | **64.6% of reviews** | 33.3% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | **Weekly** | Every 6 weeks |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Freemium |
| Best chart rank | **#1** | — |
| Size | 489 MB | 111 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **16.4** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Duolingo, Inc](https://appshunter.io/developer/570060151) | [LUNATORI](https://appshunter.io/developer/1706305344) |

## 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


### Mina

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mina-language-games/id6477296057)

Learn new languages through engaging games and interactive challenges. Track your progress with visual activity maps and compete with friends to improve your vocabulary and performance. Unlock unlimited custom courses and illustrated content with a premium subscription.

**Highlights:** Gamified learning experience, Progress tracking with heatmap, Social competition with friends, Unlimited custom courses (subscription), Illustrated course creation (subscription), Access to all courses (subscription)

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

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Premium Monthly | $1.99 | per month |
| Premium Yealry | $17.99 | per year |
| Lifetime Premium | $114.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Duolingo free?

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

### Is Mina free?

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

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

Duolingo is rated higher. Duolingo averages 4.7 out of 5 from 5.5M ratings, while Mina averages 4.0 from 2 ratings.

### Do Duolingo or Mina have ads?

Duolingo shows ads; Mina does not.

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

Duolingo ships an update weekly, and Mina every 6 weeks. Most recently, Duolingo was updated on September 25, 2026 and Mina on September 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.*