Verithiathe honest score on any app
Updated July 2026 · real, multi-region App Store reviews
Head-to-head

Speak vs Duolingo

Speak 4.8★ · Free + IAP 85
Winner Speak
Duolingo 4.7★ · Free + IAP 70

Speak is the better choice for serious learners who prioritize conversational practice and are willing to pay, while Duolingo remains a solid option for casual, free language learning.

Full reviews: Speak · Duolingo

Speak offers a more immersive and conversational learning experience, often praised as superior to Duolingo for practical speaking skills, but it comes with a significant paywall. Duolingo, while popular for its free content, is seen by some as less effective for real-world communication.

Head to head

Effectiveness for Speaking edge: SpeakR8R11R27R36
Speak Speak is highly praised for helping users learn to speak fluently and confidently, with many feeling it's more effective than Duolingo for real-world conversations and retaining information R8R11R27R36. Users appreciate the focus on conversational practice and sentence learning over single words R44.
Duolingo Some Duolingo users, as cited by Speak users, found it only helpful for simple words and not effective for actual conversation or travel R8.
Free vs. Paid Content edge: DuolingoR1R4R10R18
Speak Speak has a very limited free tier, with most content behind a paywall R1R4R18. Many users express frustration about having to pay for almost the entire app, with some reporting unauthorized charges after free trials R10. However, paying users often feel it's worth the investment for serious learning .
Duolingo Duolingo is widely known for its extensive free content, though the reviews provided do not specifically detail user sentiment about its free tier versus paid options.
Speech Recognition & Practice tieR7R9R12R30
Speak Speak's speech recognition is a point of contention. Some users report it works slowly or requires multiple attempts to register words, sometimes demanding a specific accent R7. Others state it fails to recognize correct pronunciation or even marks incorrect pronunciation as correct R9R12R30.
Duolingo The provided reviews do not contain specific feedback on Duolingo's speech recognition.
Language and Dialect Options tieR2R3R14R17
Speak Speak users frequently request more languages, such as Greek, Russian, or Portuguese R2R17. There are also requests for specific dialects, like Dominican or Cuban Spanish, and the ability to choose between male or female voices R3R14. Some users are frustrated by the limited native language options for instructions .
Duolingo The provided reviews do not contain specific feedback on Duolingo's language or dialect options.
Learning Experience & Engagement edge: SpeakR26R27R43R44
Speak Speak is described as fun, easy, and engaging, with users learning quickly and feeling motivated R43. The app's conversational approach is a key differentiator R27R44. However, some users are disappointed by the phasing out of real-life tutors in favor of AI R26.
Duolingo Some users found Duolingo boring or too hard, leading them to switch to Speak R43.
Pick Speak if

You are serious about learning a language, prioritize conversational fluency, and are willing to pay for a premium experience that many users find more effective than Duolingo for real-world speaking R27R36.

Pick Duolingo if

You prefer a free language learning app for casual practice, are content with learning basic vocabulary, and are not primarily focused on achieving conversational fluency quickly R8.

Evidence note: The evidence for Duolingo is primarily derived from comparisons made by Speak users, rather than direct reviews of Duolingo itself. This creates an asymmetry where Speak's strengths are highlighted by direct user experience, often in contrast to perceived weaknesses of Duolingo. Many of Speak's negative reviews relate to its aggressive paywall, which is a common friction point for free-tier users.

Frequently asked

Is Speak better than Duolingo for learning to speak?
Yes, many users explicitly state that Speak is better than Duolingo for learning to speak and have conversations, helping them feel more confident and retain information more effectively R5R8R15R29.
How much does Speak cost?
Speak is primarily a paid app; users report that you get only one lesson for free or a limited trial, with most content behind a paywall R1R4R18. Some users mention being charged around $90 USD without authorization after a free trial R10.
Does Speak have good speech recognition?
Speak's speech recognition receives mixed reviews; some users report it works slowly, requires multiple attempts, or demands a specific accent to register words, while others note it sometimes marks incorrect pronunciation as correct R7R9R12R30.

What reviewers actually said

Built only from these 50 real reviews (foreign ones translated). Superscripts jump to the quote here. Apple has no per-review links, so [ref] opens that app's reviews on the App Store.

  1. [R8] Speak 5/5 · US Really good app: I used to use Duolingo, thinking it would help me during traveling and talking to my family, but it never did anything really. All Duolingo did was help me with simple words and since I usually remember by saying something out loud, speak helped really me. It’s a really good app if you’re looking for something easy and quick to know. Hope this helped!
  2. [R11] Speak 5/5 · US Speak: This app has helped me with so much things I totally recommend now I know how to communicate with persons
  3. [R27] Speak 5/5 · US MUST TRY THIS APP: This app is a really good app to use if you want to learn spanish and expand your knowledge. Personally i like this app because it allows me to have conversations , say “spanish phrases” aloud and many more.
  4. [R36] Speak 5/5 · US We love speak ❤️❤️❤️: This makes me feel so comfortable and I get to learn how to speak fluently
  5. [R1] Speak 1/5 · US just a cash grab: you literally only get ONE lesson for free and have to pay to pretty much use the whole app. I expected an option where u can pay to have no adds, unlimited content etc, but the only way we can learn a different language is to pay for it entirely?? lame asf. Id rate 0 stars if I could
  6. [R4] Speak 2/5 · US Paywall Demons: Everything is behind a paywall
  7. [R10] Speak 1/5 · US Débito bancario sin autorización: Debitaron de mi cuenta 90usd sin haber aceptado la suscripción y solo aceptar la prueba gratuita.
  8. [R18] Speak 2/5 · US Pointless: Pointless if you don’t pay.
  9. [R7] Speak 2/5 · US Ehhh…: Thought this was great at first, but a deeper dive has shown that the app processes your responses super slowly and you end up having to say a word multiple (7x-10x) to get it to register. You end up having to say something in a very heavy American accent to be recognized as correct. Please take the money I threw away on this app to improve the speech recognition processor so that your cust
  10. [R9] Speak 3/5 · US Technical issue: The app wouldn’t recognize my voice input on the core lessons. I reported the problem and received initial replies but no acknowledgement that the problem was fixed. Thankfully I was able to cancel my trial before I was billed. I downloaded the app to try again, but the main lessons are all restricted to subscribers. I’m not willing to risk my money to see if it is fixed now.
  11. [R12] Speak 1/5 · US Even if you pronounce words wrong it still says you got it right: That is bad because for new learners they might think how they’re saying it is correct even though it’s completely wrong
  12. [R30] Speak 1/5 · US Speech Recognition: Doesn’t work! I have to manually press the skip button on every prompt. It’s not recognizing when I get a word correct
  13. [R2] Speak 4/5 · US good but i had a suggestion :>: is it ok if you guys added more languages, like greek or russian?
  14. [R3] Speak 3/5 · US Voice switching: I don’t like how they don’t give you an option to choose wether is a man or woman speaking because everytime they repeat the words it sounds different I don’t wanna speak Japanese like a woman I wanna speak how a man would speak and they pronounce stuff a little different also when they have that segment of you practicing they just throw a whole bunch of new words you’ve never eve
  15. [R14] Speak 2/5 · US things to change: i think there should be a way to save words you don’t understand maybe in a dictionary format. for the mini quizzes i know some spanish and if i say a sentence correct but in a slightly different way it doesn’t acknowledge that my answer is also correct. it would be awesome if you could choose what dialect to speak in. for example I would like to learn dominican spanish and slan
  16. [R17] Speak 5/5 · US Language: I use the spanish for PR dialect and wanted to know if Portugués would be added ?
  17. [R26] Speak 2/5 · US Used to be a 5: I’ve been using this app daily for a little over three months. Part of what made this effective was the mix of AI assistance and real life tutors. The real life tutors have been completely phased out in favor of the blue blob cartoon which killed the differentiator Speak had vs every other AI app on the market. Still ok…but not top tier anymore. Please bring back Dalma and Andres (
  18. [R43] Speak 5/5 · US It’s really fun not gonna lie: It’s been so fun so far and I feel like I’m learning it and it makes me feel like I’m getting real help I honestly think it’s better than Duolingo but his need to be at least top 3 in apps and if it is it’s well deserved I got bored of Duolingo fast or it would be so much harder but now it’s easier and fun so ty to who made this!
  19. [R44] Speak 5/5 · US Real talk: I enjoy having conversations with the app that would most likely occur in real time. The combinations of words and sentences are helping me learn quicker than single word lessons.
  20. [R5] Speak 5/5 · US speak: When I’m telling you in my personal opinion like this is way better than Duolingo hundred percent!!! not hating btw!
  21. [R15] Speak 5/5 · US Idk what title to put: Bruh in the first two thingies I learned more then the Duolingo lessons
  22. [R29] Speak 5/5 · US Best: Learned more in a week on here then I did when I did Duolingo for 2 months

Synthesized from 50 recent App Store reviews · updated July 2026 · View on the App Store