Comparison

Duolingo vs Shock Dictionary

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Duolingo

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
Read full description

Learn a new language, chess & more with the world's most downloaded education app! Duolingo is the fun, free app for learning 40+ languages through quick, bite-sized lessons. Practice speaking, reading, listening & writing to build your vocabulary & grammar skills. Designed by learning experts & loved by hundreds of millions worldwide, our lessons make learning effective & fun and help you prepare for real conversations in Spanish, French, Japanese, Korean, Chinese, Italian, German, English and more. And now, you can learn CHESS on Duolingo! Whether you're a total beginner or looking to level up your game, you'll love learning chess the Duolingo way. Play matches and fun chess lessons for all levels, no matter the language - chess, ajedrez, xadrez, schach, Шахматы, الشطرنج. • Chess: Learn the moves, level up your game & play matches in our Chess course. Learn the basics, solve fun chess puzzles & improve your strategy with guided lessons. Whether you're new to chess or already play, our course is designed to help you have fun and build real skills. Checkmate! • Math: Forget lectures and math worksheets! Built by learning experts, our Math course makes math feel like a game. Boost learning and fight the summer slide with standards-aligned math lessons for elementary school, middle school, and high school students. • Music: Learn how to read music & play songs in our Music course, no instrument needed! Using an on-screen keyboard, you'll learn bit-by-bit. Whether you're learning a language for travel, school, career or your brain health, you'll love learning with Duolingo. Why Duolingo? • Duolingo is fun & effective. Game-like language lessons & fun characters help you build speaking, reading, listening, & writing skills, plus enjoy fun chess & competitive online chess in one app. • Duolingo works. Designed by learning experts, Duolingo has a science-based teaching methodology proven to foster long-term knowledge retention across language lessons & chess lessons alike. • Track your progress. Work toward your learning goals with playful rewards & achievements when you make practicing language lessons or chess online part of your daily habit. • Join millions of learners. Stay motivated with competitive Leaderboards as you learn languages & play chess online alongside our global community. • Every course is free. Learn Spanish, French, German, Italian, Russian, Portuguese, Turkish, Dutch, Irish, Danish, Swedish, Ukrainian, Esperanto, Polish, Greek, Hungarian, Norwegian, Hebrew, Welsh, Arabic, Latin, Hawaiian, Scottish Gaelic, Vietnamese, Korean, Japanese, English, & even High Valyrian! And now, learn Math, Music & improve your Chess skills with fun, bite-sized lessons. What the world is saying about Duolingo: "Far & away the best language-learning app." - The Wall Street Journal "This free app & website is among the most effective language-learning methods I've tried… lessons come in the form of brief challenges, speaking, translating, answering multiple-choice questions, that keep me coming back for more." - The New York Times "Duolingo may hold the secret to the future of education." - TIME Magazine "Duolingo is cheerful, lighthearted & fun." - Forbes "I Can't Stop Playing Duolingo Chess." - Wired If you like Duolingo, try Super Duolingo for 14 days free! Learn a language fast with no ads & get fun perks like Unlimited Energy & Monthly Streak Repair. If you choose to purchase Super Duolingo, payment will be charged to your Apple account, and your account will be charged for renewal within 24-hours prior to the end of the current period. Auto-renewal may be turned off at any time by going to your settings in the App Store after purchase. Any unused portion of a free trial period, if offered, will be forfeited when the user purchases a subscription to that publication, where applicable. Privacy Policy: https://www.duolingo.com/privacy Terms of Service: https://www.duolingo.com/terms

About

Shock Dictionary

Instantly translate words and sentences between 133 languages with this AI-powered dictionary and translator. Engage in AI-driven chat for learning and receive customizable reminders to reinforce new vocabulary. Track your progress and save favorite words for easy access.

Highlights
  • AI dictionary and translator
  • AI-driven chat for learning
  • Translate between 133 languages
  • Save favorite words and phrases
  • Learning progress tracking
  • Customizable vocabulary reminders
Features
Read full description

Your Ultimate Multilingual Companion! Ready to break language barriers? Isn't it to time to memorize the word you are still searching? Don't you know how many time you search a word or sentence? With Shock, effortlessly translate words and sentences between any language to 133 languages, instantly expanding your linguistic horizons! Features: * Your first AI dictionary and translator! * AI driven Chat... Talk and learn. * 133 Language and translate to any language and vice versa! * Word and sentence meanings! * Universal dictionary journey * Fast app * Never miss a beat with our powerful notification feature! Set reminders hourly, daily, weekly, or monthly to keep new vocabulary fresh in your mind, ensuring continuous language growth. * Love a word or phrase? Save it for quick access later! Easily organize and revisit your favorite translations with just a tap, making learning a breeze. * Keep track of your learning journey! Shock lets you monitor your search history, providing valuable insights into your progress and indicating when it's time to commit certain words to memory. Experience the convenience of Shock - download now from the Apple Store and embark on a journey of linguistic mastery! Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://shockdictionary.com/policy

Screenshots

Duolingo4 screens
Shock Dictionary4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Shock Dictionary at 100% against Duolingo's 65%. Shock Dictionary also leads on ads (none vs shown) and monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases). Duolingo's advantage is ratings volume (5.5M vs 8) and update cadence (every 5 days vs every 3 weeks). On price, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Duolingo sells 16 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month and Shock Dictionary sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Shock Dictionary holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Duolingo has 5.5M ratings behind it against 8, 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 100% of Shock Dictionary's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Duolingo ships an update every 5 days, Shock Dictionary every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 28, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard8 real differences · 3 level
Duolingo versus Shock Dictionary: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDuolingoShock Dictionary
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (5.5M ratings)5.0 (8 ratings) — better
Positive reviews64.7% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings5.5M — better8
Update frequencyEvery 5 days — betterEvery 3 weeks
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
Best chart rank#1 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS17.015.1 — better
Further details — not scored
Size490 MB63 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperDuolingo, IncPinecone Software LLC

Customer experience

Duolingo

All ratings5,540,071 ratings
Positive94.2%
Neutral2.5%
Negative3.4%
Written reviews30,718 reviews
Positive64.7%
Neutral9.6%
Negative25.6%

Shock Dictionary

All ratings8 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews11 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

Duolingo

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Freezing or crashing during lessons
  • Incorrect translations or answers marked wrong
  • Inconsistent behavior of certain features like leagues

Requested features

5 requests
  • 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

Shock Dictionary

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

16 purchases

Duolingo

Subscriptions10
  • Super Duolingo7 Days trial$9.991 Month
  • Super Duolingo7 Days trial$12.991 Month
  • Super Duolingo14 Days trial$12.991 Month
Show 7 more
  • Super Duolingo2 variants$59.991 Year
  • Super Duolingo14 Days trial2 variants$79.991 Year
  • Super Duolingo14 Days trial4 variants$83.991 Year
  • Super Duolingo7 Days trial$83.991 Year
  • Super Duolingo7 Days trial4 variants$95.991 Year
  • Super Duolingo1 Month trial$119.991 Year
  • Super Duolingo7 Days trial$119.991 Year
One-time6
  • Chest of Gems$0.99
  • Barrel of Gems (1200)$4.99
  • Chest of Gems (1200)$4.99
Show 3 more
  • Cart of Gems (3000)$9.99
  • Barrel of Gems (3000)$9.99
  • Cart of Gems (6500)$19.99
3 purchases

Shock Dictionary

Subscriptions3
  • Weekly7 Days trial$1.997 Days
  • Monthly$4.991 Month
  • Yearly$29.991 Year

Questions

Is Duolingo free?
Duolingo is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Shock Dictionary free?
Shock Dictionary is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Duolingo or Shock Dictionary?
Shock Dictionary is rated higher. Duolingo averages 4.7 out of 5 from 5.5M ratings, while Shock Dictionary averages 5.0 from 8 ratings.
Do Duolingo or Shock Dictionary have ads?
Duolingo shows ads; Shock Dictionary does not.
Which is updated more often, Duolingo or Shock Dictionary?
Duolingo ships an update every 5 days, and Shock Dictionary every 3 weeks. Most recently, Duolingo was updated on October 28, 2026 and Shock Dictionary on October 24, 2026.

Other comparisons