# Duolingo vs Learn German

The clearest difference is ads: Learn German at none against Duolingo's shown. Learn German also leads on review sentiment (80% vs 65%) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 17.0). Duolingo's advantage is ratings volume (5.5M vs 539) and rating (4.7 vs 4.5). On price, update cadence, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Duolingo sells 16 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month and Learn German sells 8 in-app purchases, starting at $14.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Duolingo holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Duolingo has 5.5M ratings behind it against 539, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 65% of Duolingo's written reviews are positive against 80% of Learn German's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Duolingo ships an update weekly, Learn German every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Duolingo | Learn German |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (5.5M ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/duolingo-language-lessons/id570060128/reviews)** | [4.5 (539 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/learn-german-studycat/id870623264/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **5.5M** | 539 |
| Positive reviews | 64.6% of reviews | **79.8% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | **Weekly** | Every 2 weeks |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | **#1** | — |
| Size | 489 MB | 232 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **13.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Duolingo, Inc](https://appshunter.io/developer/570060151) | [Studycat Limited](https://appshunter.io/developer/428920242) |

## 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


### Learn German

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/learn-german-studycat/id870623264)

This app offers interactive games and activities designed to teach children German through virtual language immersion. It focuses on everyday language, speaking challenges, and pronunciation, with lessons developed by early-education experts. The app is safe for kids, ad-free, and supports offline learning.

**Highlights:** Virtual language immersion, Interactive games and activities, Everyday language lessons, Speaking challenges, Ad-free and safe for kids, Offline learning support

**Features:** Family Sharing

**In-app purchases (8)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly Subscription | $14.99 | per month |
| Unlimited Access | $14.99 | per month |
| Learn German | $14.99 | per month |
| Annual Subscription | $59.99 | per year |
| Unlimited Access | $59.99 | per year |
| Learn German | $59.99 | per year |
| Numbers Lesson | $2.99 | one-time |
| Eight Lesson Pack | $12.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🎮 Engaging and fun game-based learning format
- 👶 Excellent for young children (ages 3-8)
- 🎯 Effective vocabulary retention through repetition
- 🗣️ Clear pronunciation with human voices
- 🎨 Well-designed graphics and user-friendly interface

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💰 Expensive subscription pricing ($24.49/month mentioned)
- 📚 Limited content - runs out quickly (1 month for young learners)
- 🔊 Pronunciation sometimes sounds computer-generated
- ⚠️ Allows progression without mastery
- 😴 Too simplistic for older children (7+)

**Reported bugs**

- App glitches preventing progression in certain exercises
- Gender errors in vocabulary (e.g., 'der Hase' marked as 'die Hase')
- Microphone/voice recognition issues
- Spelling exercise instructions unclear or missing
- Unresponsive developer support for reported issues

**Requested features**

- More lessons and content to extend learning duration
- Italian language version
- Verb and sentence structure lessons
- Lower subscription pricing or bundle with other Studycat languages
- More challenging difficulty levels for older children


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Duolingo free?

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

### Is Learn German free?

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

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

Duolingo is rated higher. Duolingo averages 4.7 out of 5 from 5.5M ratings, while Learn German averages 4.5 from 539 ratings.

### Do Duolingo or Learn German have ads?

Duolingo shows ads; Learn German does not.

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

Duolingo ships an update weekly, and Learn German every 2 weeks. Most recently, Duolingo was updated on September 25, 2026 and Learn German 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.*