Hola! Hiya! Annyeonghaseyo! In the event you’re exploring language studying apps, Duolingo should be in your radar.
You’ve most likely encountered the lovable owl mascot making Instagram reels or haunting your desires when your streak breaks.
Duolingo’s reputation arises from its approachable design, gamified classes, and the quirky inexperienced mascot that has turn into a cultural icon. However past its playful appeal, is Duolingo good for studying languages, or do you have to contemplate one other app to attain fluency? And with Duolingo Tremendous out there, is it well worth the improve, or does the free model do the trick?
On this article, I’ll share my private expertise with Duolingo, mixed with insights from G2 customers, that will help you resolve if it’s the suitable language-learning device for you!
77%
of G2 customers have rated Duolingo 5 stars for the language studying class.
Supply: Duolingo evaluations on G2
Duolingo ranks #2 within the language studying software program class based mostly on G2’s Fall 2024 grid report. Consumers are inspired to think about particular person wants when making a purchase order choice.
What G2 customers like and dislike about Duolingo
Duolingo has its fair proportion of followers and critics. For some, it’s a fascinating strategy to begin studying a international language, whereas for others, the restrictions rapidly turn into obvious as they progress. On this part, we’ll break down the important thing features customers love about Duolingo and the areas the place it falls brief.
Whether or not you’re new to the device or contemplating it for the lengthy haul, understanding Duolingo’s professionals and cons will make it easier to resolve if it’s the suitable match on your language-learning journey.
What I like about Duolingo
Let’s begin with the positives—listed here are the important thing pointers that I really like about Duolingo.
- Person-friendly interface: Duolingo’s design is simple to navigate, visually interesting, and encourages constant use with its clear format and clear directions. The gamified strategy retains you engaged with out overwhelming you.
- Free entry: Duolingo’s primary model presents entry to classes and workout routines in over 30 languages utterly freed from cost. It’s a gorgeous possibility for anybody exploring a brand new language with out committing to a paid subscription.
- Gamified studying: The app’s game-like options, corresponding to streaks, rewards, and aggressive leaderboards, create a enjoyable, motivating atmosphere. These parts make language studying really feel like a recreation slightly than a chore, serving to customers keep engaged over the long run.
- Number of languages: Duolingo presents programs in over 30 languages, starting from fashionable ones like Spanish, French, German, and Chinese language to extra area of interest languages like Welsh and Hawaiian. This range makes it accessible to learners with totally different linguistic pursuits and wishes.
- Chunk-sized classes: Classes are damaged into brief, manageable chunks that solely take a couple of minutes to finish. This works nicely for busy learners, who can preserve their streaks even on the go.
- Progress monitoring: Duolingo’s built-in progress monitoring reveals your studying journey in actual time, serving to you keep motivated as you monitor new milestones. You’ll be able to simply see how far you’ve come and what areas want extra consideration, which helps with goal-setting and enchancment.
What G2 customers like greatest:
“I’ve been utilizing Duolingo for a few yr now, and I really like how I can maintain going over the identical classes to refine my information and overview my weak areas. I’m additionally utilizing it at the side of my Spanish programs, and it’s serving to me out with the coursework. The opposite good thing is that I resolve when to maneuver on to the next classes. I do it once I really feel prepared. In a standard classroom, it’s a must to go together with the course schedule and never really feel fully ready.”
– Duolingo Evaluation, Seychelle D.
What I dislike about Duolingo
Whereas Duolingo has its strengths, it additionally has some areas that might use enchancment.
- Restricted talking apply: Duolingo focuses totally on studying, writing, and listening. Whereas it does embody some talking workout routines, they’re comparatively minimal in comparison with different platforms. This is usually a limitation for customers who wish to enhance their conversational abilities or pronunciation.
- Lack of grammar explanations: The app emphasizes primary vocabulary and grammar however typically lacks depth. In the event you’re making an attempt to grasp a language with advanced grammar guidelines and writing techniques—like when an English speaker learns Japanese—you might discover Duolingo inadequate.
- Repetitive and monotonous classes: Duolingo’s studying course of is closely based mostly on repetition, which could be each a energy and a weak spot. Whereas repetition is beneficial for memorizing, it may possibly turn into tedious and monotonous over time, resulting in a decline in motivation for learners who want selection.
- Restricted real-world context: Duolingo doesn’t all the time present the cultural or contextual studying vital for real-world conversations. You could battle to know the nuances of the language or the way it’s utilized in every day conditions.
What G2 customers dislike:
“Its classes and sentences simply aren’t sensible sufficient for anybody who desires to actually turn into fluent or intermediate in a language. So mainly, you suppose you are getting a free language studying app, however actually, it is a supplemental research at greatest. You have to to purchase classes for those who truly wish to study.”
– Duolingo Evaluation, Tessa A.
What G2 reviewers say about Duolingo options
From video games that make apply enjoyable to instruments that monitor your progress, Duolingo presents a wide range of options to maintain learners on monitor. To seek out out if Duolingo is sweet for language studying, take a look at this overview of the appliance’s choices.
Cellular compatibility
Duolingo’s cellular app is optimized for each Android and iOS to permit entry to almost all options out there on the desktop model. Its cellular design presents ease of use, intuitive navigation, massive icons, and touch-friendly classes. This accessibility makes it straightforward for customers to apply constantly, anytime and wherever.
90%
of customers advocate Duolingo for its accessibility on cellular gadgets.
Supply: G2 Person Critiques
Gamification
Gamification lies on the coronary heart of Duolingo’s strategy. It makes use of rewards, factors, and interesting visuals to maintain customers motivated. Parts like streak counts reward every day apply, whereas gems and XP factors could be earned and spent throughout the app to unlock options like streak freezes, extra hearts, and bonus abilities. Leaderboards introduce a social, aggressive factor the place customers can compete with buddies or different learners globally.
This game-like construction boosts consumer engagement and retention by making studying interactive and enjoyable.
84%
of customers reward Duolingo for gamification parts geared toward boosting engagement.
Supply: G2 Person Critiques
Self-paced classes
Duolingo’s brief classes could be simply accomplished in as little as 5 to 10 minutes. On prime of that, customers can transfer at their very own tempo, repeat sections if wanted, or skip forward when prepared for a problem. The app additionally lets customers set every day objectives (starting from informal to intense) and adjusts to match their tempo and consistency.
The flexibleness supplied by Duo is useful for learners who might solely have brief breaks to check. It permits them to construct language abilities with out the stress of a strict, one-size-fits-all schedule.
82%
of customers endorse Duolingo for its versatile, self-paced classes that swimsuit learners throughout all proficiency ranges.
Supply: G2 Person Critiques
Multimedia studying
Duolingo offers a various vary of multimedia instruments, together with audio clips for pronunciation apply, visible aids for vocabulary constructing, and interactive quizzes for grammar. Pronunciation workout routines incorporate speech recognition know-how, giving learners an opportunity to apply talking and obtain rapid suggestions.
Along with core classes, Duolingo presents Duolingo Podcasts in selective languages for immersive listening apply. These different codecs assist totally different studying kinds, so language fans can interact with the language in a extra well-rounded manner.
82%
of Duolingo customers respect the usage of multimedia corresponding to video, audio, photographs, and animations.
Supply: G2 Person Critiques
What G2 customers like:
“The app is user-friendly and fairly straightforward to navigate which makes it preferrred for newbies. It additionally makes use of gamification to make language studying enjoyable and entertaining. Customers can earn factors, stage up, and unlock new content material as they progress. Duolingo helps customers to set personalised studying objectives and choose their most popular studying velocity.”
– Duolingo Evaluation, Abhishek G.
What G2 customers dislike:
“The workout routines are typically repetitive with restricted talking apply. The app emphasizes gamification over deep studying and typically options awkward or unnatural sentence examples.”
– Duolingo Evaluation, Musawwir Okay.
Duolingo is an efficient possibility for those who:
- Desire a enjoyable, accessible strategy to begin studying a language
- Are a newbie trying to construct primary abilities
- Choose self-paced classes
- Want a free studying possibility
- Are price-sensitive
- Have restricted time for brief, fast classes
- Battle with conventional language studying strategies
- Can fill in information gaps with your personal expertise
- Want further motivation or construction to remain on monitor
How a lot does Duolingo price?
Duolingo offers versatile choices for language learners, with plans and choices for people, groups, college students, and teams.
Let’s break down every plan so you may resolve which is greatest suited to your language objectives.
Free plan
Duolingo’s Free Plan presents entry to all language programs and core classes without charge. This ad-supported tier consists of the “hearts” system, which limits what number of errors you can also make earlier than needing to pause and look forward to hearts to generate. Regardless of these limitations, the Free Plan offers a completely practical language studying expertise.
Tremendous Plan
Previously often known as Duolingo Plus, the Tremendous Plan is Duolingo’s major paid providing. It presents limitless hearts, extra legendary challenges, personalised apply, and a rainbow app icon. The Tremendous Plan is obtainable as a month-to-month ($12.99 per thirty days) or annual subscription ($59.99 for the yr), with the annual plan providing price financial savings. New customers can strive it totally free with a 14-day free trial earlier than committing.
Tremendous Household Plan
It presents the advantages of the Tremendous Plan for as much as six customers below a single subscription. It’s a cheap resolution for households or good friend teams. Priced at $119.99 per yr, the Tremendous Household Plan plan offers a premium expertise to a number of customers.
Max Plan
This subscription consists of all Tremendous Plan advantages, with two new AI-powered options: Clarify My Reply and Roleplay. Clarify My Reply presents customers detailed explanations of errors to bolster studying, whereas Roleplay permits for simulated conversations with an AI chatbot, serving to customers apply real-world dialogues. The Max Plan is presently out there completely for choose languages in sure international locations and restricted to iOS gadgets.
Apart from these, Duolingo presents particular plans designed for companies and colleges. Let’s break them down.
Duolingo for Enterprise
Designed for organizations, Duolingo for Enterprise enrolls staff in language coaching programs with Tremendous Plan advantages. Right here, firms acquire entry to progress monitoring and analytics to watch worker engagement and enchancment. Pricing is decided based mostly on the variety of learners. For teams of 500 to 1,000, the fee is fastened at $49.99 per consumer per yr. For groups exceeding 1,000 learners, you may attain out to the Duolingo staff for a custom-made quote.
Duolingo for Faculties
Duolingo for Faculties is a free, classroom-friendly model of the app designed to assist academics incorporate language studying into their curriculum. Academics can arrange lecture rooms, assign classes, and monitor college students’ progress by way of a dashboard.
What G2 customers suppose
“There are numerous nice options to discuss this software, however the very best amongst them is that it’s free for the consumer, the place one can study a language of his option to the fullest. And, the educational interface they provide is unparalleled.”
– Duolingo Evaluation, Revanth G.
Is Tremendous Duolingo value it?
We’ve lined Duolingo options, the professionals and cons of the appliance, and the pricing. However do you have to go for a paid plan? Is Duolingo Premium value it? Let’s discover out.
Duolingo Premium, referred to as Tremendous Duolingo, guarantees to boost the language studying expertise with added options and fewer interruptions. For a month-to-month charge, customers acquire entry to an ad-free platform, limitless errors on ‘hearts,’ and higher progress monitoring and talent constructing.
For learners who need a extra seamless and uninterrupted expertise, Tremendous Duolingo is usually a nice possibility. The ad-free atmosphere removes distractions, whereas the limitless hearts system offers a extra relaxed studying tempo. What’s extra, Tremendous Duolingo presents you progress quizzes to check your abilities, mistake evaluations to apply weak areas, and early entry to new options.
Nevertheless, whether or not these further options justify the fee relies on your studying objectives. In the event you’re an informal learner or simply beginning out, the free plan would possibly present all the pieces it’s essential get began. In the end, it comes all the way down to how a lot worth you place on the added options.
What G2 customers suppose
“I do not like what number of advertisements Duolingo makes you watch between classes. Offline studying will not be attainable in Duolingo. Moreover, the educational interface turns into a bit repetitive, which can frustrate some customers.”
– Duolingo Evaluation, Ghazala P.
What Duolingo options do G2 reviewers use?
Duolingo is a well-liked alternative for language fans to develop their information, nevertheless it’s not the one possibility. Discover feature-rich options:
Duolingo: Incessantly requested questions (FAQs)
Q. Are you able to turn into fluent with Duolingo?
Duolingo will help you construct a powerful basis in a language, however reaching full fluency requires extra apply and immersion past the app’s classes.
Q. Can I study a number of languages directly on Duolingo?
Sure, Duolingo permits customers to study totally different languages concurrently, even on the free plan. Every language has its personal development and ranges, so you may swap between them at any time.
Q. Does Duolingo have ASL?
As of 2024, Duolingo doesn’t provide a course on American Signal Language (ASL). Nevertheless, different devoted apps and assets can be found for customers.
Q. Is Duolingo good for teenagers?
Sure, Duolingo is usually a useful gizmo in introducing youngsters to studying new languages. Nevertheless, dad and mom ought to make certain the teachings match their baby’s age and studying stage. For youths below 5, Duolingo ABC teaches studying, writing, and phonics in a enjoyable manner, constructing early literacy abilities.
Q. Is Babbel higher than Duolingo?
Duolingo is a free language studying software program that focuses on fast classes, gamification, and accessibility. Babbel, however, emphasizes structured programs and is a paid-only platform. The selection relies on your studying model and objectives.
Q. Can I cancel my Duolingo subscription anytime?
Sure, Duolingo permits customers to cancel their Tremendous Duolingo subscription at any time. If canceled earlier than the following billing interval, customers retain Tremendous entry till the subscription expires.
So does Duolin-go or keep?
From my expertise, I discovered Duolingo satisfying to make use of. Whereas among the repetitive classes bought a bit tedious, total, the app was enjoyable, and I used to be capable of grasp the fundamentals pretty rapidly. There are numerous language studying instruments on the market—some battle to maintain you engaged, others lock content material behind paywalls, and some don’t provide a lot real-world software.
What’s most necessary is discovering a device that retains you motivated, whether or not that’s by way of a fast five-minute lesson or an extended, extra in-depth session.
Duolingo shines in its accessibility, gamified parts, and versatile studying tempo, making it a strong alternative, particularly for learners or these in search of constant apply. Whereas it won’t be excellent, it presents nice worth, particularly in its free model. In the event you’re curious, I’d advocate giving Duolingo a try to seeing if it matches your studying model.
Want extra choices? Try our listicle on the 9 greatest free language studying apps to seek out the suitable device for your self.
