# Duolingo vs Phrases

The clearest difference is ads: Phrases at none against Duolingo's shown. Phrases also leads on review sentiment (75% vs 65%). Duolingo's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs every 2 months) and ratings volume (5.5M vs 140). On price, rating, 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 Phrases sells 19 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Duolingo against 4.6 for Phrases. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Duolingo has 5.5M ratings behind it against 140, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 65% of Duolingo's written reviews are positive against 75% of Phrases's.

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

## The numbers

| Metric | Duolingo | Phrases |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (5.5M ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/duolingo-language-lessons/id570060128/reviews)** | [4.6 (140 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/phrases-learn-languages-fast/id949423502/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **5.5M** | 140 |
| Positive reviews | 64.6% of reviews | **74.7% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | **Weekly** | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | **#1** | — |
| Size | 489 MB | 199 MB |
| Requires iOS | **17.0** | 17.1 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Duolingo, Inc](https://appshunter.io/developer/570060151) | [Andrey Lebedev](https://appshunter.io/developer/636486462) |

## 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, #63 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


### Phrases

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/phrases-learn-languages-fast/id949423502)

Master a new language with engaging exercises and a smart learning algorithm. Offers ready-made or custom lessons, a built-in dictionary, and hands-free learning options. Track progress, earn rewards, and achieve fluency in just 20 minutes a day.

**Highlights:** 8 unique exercises, Customizable lessons, Built-in dictionary, Accurate pronunciations, Smart learning algorithm, Progress tracking and rewards, Hands-free and offline modes

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

**In-app purchases (19)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Premium Plus | $4.99 | per 7 days |
| Premium Plus | $5.99 | per 7 days |
| Premium (English) | $13.99 | per month |
| Premium (Spanish) | $19.99 | per year |
| Premium (English) | $19.99 | per year |
| Premium (German) | $19.99 | per year |
| Premium Plus | $24.99 | per year |
| Premium (English) | $39.99 | per 3 months |
| Premium (Spanish) | $39.99 | per 3 months |
| Premium (French) | $39.99 | per year |
| Premium (German) | $39.99 | per year |
| Premium Plus | $47.99 | per year |
| Premium (Russian) | $79.99 | per year |
| Premium (German) | $79.99 | per year |
| Premium (English) | $79.99 | per year |
| Premium (English) | $79.99 | per year |
| Premium (Spanish) | $79.99 | per year |
| Premium Plus | $95.99 | per year |
| Premium Plus | $129.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Duolingo free?

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

### Is Phrases free?

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

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

Duolingo is rated higher. Duolingo averages 4.7 out of 5 from 5.5M ratings, while Phrases averages 4.6 from 140 ratings.

### Do Duolingo or Phrases have ads?

Duolingo shows ads; Phrases does not.

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

Duolingo ships an update weekly, and Phrases every 2 months. Most recently, Duolingo was updated on September 25, 2026 and Phrases 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.*