Duolingo is the world's most popular language learning app — and most people use it entirely free. Duolingo Plus (now called Duolingo Super in some regions) costs around $7/month and adds several features. Whether it is worth it depends entirely on how you use the app.
What Duolingo Plus actually adds
- No ads — the biggest practical difference
- Unlimited hearts — mistakes do not pause your session
- Streak repair — protects your streak if you miss a day
- Offline lessons — download for no-internet practice
- Monthly review — personalized practice on weak areas
What the free tier gives you
Everything that actually teaches the language — all courses, all exercises, all levels — is free. Duolingo's core learning methodology does not change with Plus. The company's free tier is genuinely generous compared to most apps.
The hearts system
In the free tier, you have a limited number of hearts (lives) per session. Lose them all and you must wait or practice old material to refill them. This is the most common reason users upgrade to Plus — the forced pauses are genuinely frustrating during an active session. If this annoys you, Plus is worth it.
Is Duolingo actually effective?
For building vocabulary and reading comprehension, yes — research supports it. For speaking fluency, it needs to be combined with other methods: conversation practice, listening to native content, and a structured grammar resource. Duolingo is best understood as a habit-building tool and vocabulary builder, not a complete language solution.
Our verdict
The free tier is sufficient for casual learners. Upgrade to Plus if you use Duolingo daily and the hearts system interrupts your flow. At $7/month or ~$84/year, it is one of the cheaper subscriptions in online learning.
Try Duolingo Plus →14-day free trial availableBest language learning books
These books complement Duolingo and accelerate progress faster than the app alone.
Further reading
Take the Luctura Course Finder — answer 4 questions and get a personalised match.