Comparison

Duolingo vs Hand Talk

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

Hand Talk

Learn and practice American, Brazilian, and British Sign Language with virtual translators. Translate text or voice into signs, access a dictionary of thousands of signs, and practice through interactive characters. Offers offline access and customizable features.

Highlights
  • Text and voice translation to sign language
  • Learn ASL, Libras, and BSL
  • Virtual translators Hugo and Maya
  • Offline dictionary with thousands of signs
  • 360-degree sign viewing
  • Customizable translation speed
  • Educational videos
Features
Read full description

Practice Sign Language in a fun and free way with Hugo and Maya, our virtual translators, through the Hand Talk App, elected by the UN as the best social app in the world! Developed by experts, the app not only works as a pocket dictionary, but also helps you learn and practice Libras (Brazilian Sign Language), ASL (American Sign Language), and BSL (British Sign Language), whether to communicate with those you love, to connect with deaf people in your daily life, to reinforce your vocabulary, or to develop in a new language. Why use the Hand Talk App? Translate text or voice into Sign Languages anywhere and anytime, for free. Practice Libras, ASL, and BSL in a fun and efficient way, with the support of characters designed to facilitate your learning. Consult thousands of signs to expand your vocabulary, even offline, through updated dictionaries and educational videos. Translations are performed automatically through artificial intelligence, trained with more than 38,000 words validated by specialists. Personalize your experience and adapt the app to your needs! Adjust the translation speed, view the signs in 360 degrees, consult your history, create a favorites list, and customize Hugo and Maya with exclusive items! If you like the Hand Talk App, try becoming a subscriber! Practice Libras, ASL, and BSL without ads, translate text contained in images, earn coins, and get exclusive access to new features. In addition, you also support our mission to keep education free for thousands of people! Download now and start learning a new language today! Hugo and Maya are already super excited to meet you! Frequently Asked Questions: Who is the app recommended for? The app can be used by anyone interested in learning and practicing Libras, ASL, or BSL in an effective and fun way! What are the available languages? Hugo and Maya master Libras, ASL, and BSL! They translate content searched in Portuguese into Brazilian Sign Language and in English into American Sign Language. To access the ASL version of the app, just click on the arrow next to the Brazilian flag in the lower-left corner and select the ASL option, identified by the design of the United States flag. To access BSL, select the British flag. How to use the Hand Talk App? Using the Hand Talk App is super easy. On the home screen, you can already perform your translations, just type or record an audio with the words you want to consult, send it, and right after, Hugo or Maya will perform the translation of your sentence into Sign Language. You can also explore other functions of the app in the menu at the bottom of the screen, such as the Dictionary, which groups signs within the same context for you to consult, the Store to customize the Hand Talk App as you prefer, and the Education section, which contains our series of educational videos #HugoTeaches. Follow Hand Talk: Website: https://www.handtalk.me/en/ Blog: https://www.handtalk.me/en/blog/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/handtalkapp/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/hand-talk/ Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/HandTalkTV/videos Do you have any suggestions to improve the app? Send them to us! Access your profile by clicking on Account, go to the Suggestions area, and send us yours. Privacy Policy: https://suporte.handtalk.me/kb/article/240748/politica-de-privacidade?menuId=25979-69987-240748&ticketId=&q= Terms of Use: https://suporte.handtalk.me/kb/article/240749/termos-de-uso?menuId=25979-69987-240749&ticketId=&q

Screenshots

Duolingo4 screens
Hand Talk4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Duolingo at 4.7 against Hand Talk's 4.2. Duolingo also leads on ratings volume (5.5M vs 891) and review sentiment (65% vs 44%). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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 Hand Talk sells 7 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Duolingo holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Duolingo has 5.5M ratings behind it against 891, 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 44% of Hand Talk's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Duolingo ships an update every 5 days, Hand Talk every 3 weeks. Both last shipped on October 29, 2026.

Scorecard5 real differences · 6 level
Duolingo versus Hand Talk: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDuolingoHand Talk
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (5.5M ratings) — better4.2 (891 ratings)
Positive reviews64.7% of reviews — better44.2% of reviews
Number of ratings5.5M — better891
Update frequencyEvery 5 days — betterEvery 3 weeks
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#1 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.016.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size490 MB120 MB
Age rating4++4
DeveloperDuolingo, IncHand Talk Servicos Ltda

Customer experience

Duolingo

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

Hand Talk

All ratings891 ratings
Positive77.4%
Neutral4.6%
Negative18.0%
Written reviews215 reviews
Positive44.2%
Neutral13.0%
Negative42.8%

User reviews

Duolingo

From 5.5M App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🤩 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

Room to improve

  • 🤖 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

Hand Talk

From 891 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Helpful for learning sign language
  • 🚀 Great for communication
  • 💡 Customizable avatar
  • 👍 Useful for working with special needs children/adults

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Crashes frequently
  • 🐛 Inaccurate sign language translations
  • 🐛 Lacks diversity in sign language models
  • 🐛 Outdated and incorrect signs
  • 🐛 Slow performance and lag

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

Hand Talk

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • App crashes on launch
  • Translations not working correctly
  • Inability to open or use the app
  • Incorrect sign language representations

Requested features

6 requests
  • Add more sign language options (e.g. BSL, SSL)
  • Improve sign language accuracy and grammar
  • Allow pasting text for translation
  • Provide visual cues for sign language
  • Offer free trial for subscription
Show 1 more
  • Improve overall stability and performance

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
7 purchases

Hand Talk

Subscriptions2
  • Premium(1 month)$4.991 Month
  • Premium (1 Year)$44.991 Year
One-time5
  • 10 HTCoins$2.99
  • 30 HTCoins$7.99
  • 50 HTCoins$12.99
Show 2 more
  • 100 HTCoins$24.99
  • 200 HTCoins$39.99

Questions

Is Duolingo free?
Duolingo is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Hand Talk free?
Hand Talk is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Duolingo or Hand Talk?
Duolingo is rated higher. Duolingo averages 4.7 out of 5 from 5.5M ratings, while Hand Talk averages 4.2 from 891 ratings.
Do Duolingo or Hand Talk have ads?
Both Duolingo and Hand Talk show ads.
Which is updated more often, Duolingo or Hand Talk?
Duolingo ships an update every 5 days, and Hand Talk every 3 weeks. Most recently, Duolingo was updated on October 29, 2026 and Hand Talk on October 29, 2026.

Other comparisons