Duolingo review: Super is worth it when Energy kills your streak

Duolingo is still the language app we’d hand someone who needs a short lesson every day. The path, XP, streaks and leagues make practice feel like a game you reopen without thinking. Full courses stay free across 40+ languages, plus side paths like chess and music.

The catch is the free meter. Energy replaced Hearts for many accounts, and it drains as you answer, right or wrong. Ads sit between lessons. When that friction starts breaking a streak you care about, Super is the plan that buys unlimited Energy and removes ads. We’d stay free for light daily use, then take Super once waiting for a refill becomes the main ritual.

Duolingo’s path breaks a language into short units with listening, reading, translation and speaking tiles. Lessons are paced for a few minutes, which is why people finish them on a commute. Explain My Answer is free as of January 2026, so you get more feedback without paying.

The courses teach vocabulary and pattern recognition better than deep grammar. Advanced learners will outgrow the path and need real conversation or textbooks. For beginners and intermediates who want a clear next lesson every day, the structure holds up.

Streaks, Friend Streaks, Daily Quests and leagues are Duolingo’s real product. A 365-day badge and a Diamond League table turn practice into social pressure that works. Quests and XP keep the home screen busy without inventing a new course each week.

That same design is why Super sells. Once a long streak is on the line, Energy limits feel expensive. Super’s monthly streak repair and unlimited Energy exist for that moment. We’d treat the gamification as the feature, then decide if paying to protect it is worth the yearly bill.

Duo the owl, green progress rings and unit chests make the app easy to scan. Animations celebrate perfect lessons. The path view shows where you are and what comes next without much hunting.

It is loud by design. Notifications, ads on free and upgrade prompts compete with the lesson. On iPhone and Android the app stays quick between tiles. The web version still helps when you want a bigger keyboard or a quieter session.

Speaking Adventures and spoken answer prompts get you saying words out loud early. Video Call with Lily, Duolingo’s AI character, is the bigger speaking step, and it is rolling into Super for many new subscribers after sitting on Max.

Roleplay and unlimited Video Call have lived on Max, and Duolingo has said Max’s long-term role is still in flux. For serious speaking practice we’d still add a tutor, a conversation partner or an AI chat outside the app. Duolingo gets you started; it does not finish fluency alone.

US prices as of October 2026. Duolingo does not publish a single public price list; App Store and Play checkout vary by account. Confirm before you subscribe.

• FreeFull courses with ads and daily Energy limits$0
• SuperNo ads, unlimited Energy; annual often ~$84 to $96~$12.99/mo
• Super FamilyUp to 6 Super accounts, billed yearly~$119.99/yr
• MaxAI Roleplay and Video Call where still offered; ~$168/yr~$29.99/mo

Free keeps the full course catalog with ads and Energy limits. Super removes ads and Energy caps. Monthly Super often shows around $12.99; annual Super commonly lands near $83.99 to $95.99, with Family around $119.99 a year for up to six accounts. Max, where still offered, sits near $29.99 a month or about $168 a year for AI Roleplay and Video Call.

We’d buy Super only after Energy and ads interrupt a habit you already have. Max is harder to recommend while its feature set keeps moving. Value sits at 7 because the free path is real, and the paid tier mostly removes friction rather than adding new lessons.

Duolingo’s May 2026 privacy policy covers account data, learning activity, ads on free, and voice recordings used for pronunciation feedback and product improvement. You can limit some audio sharing and tracking toggles in settings. Child accounts get tighter defaults.

There is no end-to-end encryption for lesson history, and the free experience is funded by ads and conversion prompts. That is normal for this category and still a weaker fit if you want a learning log that never leaves a device you control. Export and deletion options live in account settings on web.

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  Claude

  Stronger for free-form conversation practice and writing corrections once you already know the basics. It will not replace Duolingo's structured path or streak system.

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  ChatGPT

  Flexible roleplay and translation help on demand. Weaker as a daily curriculum with levels, XP and leagues.

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  Notion

  Useful for vocabulary decks and study notes beside Duolingo. It is a workspace, not a language course.

Install Duolingo and run free for a few weeks. If Energy refills and ads start costing you the streak, take Super at the annual price your account shows. Skip Max until Duolingo settles what it includes. Pair the path with real conversation when you outgrow multiple-choice Spanish.