# Duolingo vs Brighter Bambini

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Brighter Bambini at none against Duolingo's 28. Brighter Bambini also leads on ads (none vs shown) and rating (5.0 vs 4.7). Duolingo's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs every 17 months) and ratings volume (5.5M vs 1). On price 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. Brighter Bambini asks for nothing beyond the download.

Brighter Bambini 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 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

Duolingo ships an update weekly, Brighter Bambini every 17 months. The most recent releases landed on September 27, 2026 and June 12, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Duolingo | Brighter Bambini |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.7 (5.5M ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/duolingo-language-lessons/id570060128/reviews) | **[5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/brighter-bambini/id6639610706/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **5.5M** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | 64.7% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | **Weekly** | Every 17 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Best chart rank | **#1** | — |
| Size | 489 MB | 50 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **15.6** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Duolingo](https://appshunter.io/developer/570060151) | [sugarCoded LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1725891690) |

## 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, #26 Top Grossing, #77 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


### Brighter Bambini

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/brighter-bambini/id6639610706)

This app provides an interactive way for children and adults with unique learning needs to learn about shapes and American Sign Language. It uses colorful animations and engaging exercises to make learning fun and accessible, helping to enhance early learning and communication skills.

**Highlights:** Learn fundamental shapes, Introduction to American Sign Language, Colorful animations, Delightful exercises, Focus on inclusivity, Enhances early learning, Improves communication skills

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Duolingo free?

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

### Is Brighter Bambini free?

Brighter Bambini is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Duolingo or Brighter Bambini?

Brighter Bambini is rated higher. Duolingo averages 4.7 out of 5 from 5.5M ratings, while Brighter Bambini averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.

### Do Duolingo or Brighter Bambini have ads?

Duolingo shows ads; Brighter Bambini does not.

### Which is updated more often, Duolingo or Brighter Bambini?

Duolingo ships an update weekly, and Brighter Bambini every 17 months. Most recently, Duolingo was updated on September 27, 2026 and Brighter Bambini on June 12, 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.*