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Updated July 2026 · real, multi-region App Store reviews
Head-to-head

Falou vs Duolingo

Falou 4.8★ · Free + IAP 65
Winner Tie
Duolingo 4.7★ · Free + IAP 68

Falou is better for those prioritizing conversational practice and a less gamified experience, while Duolingo offers a broader range of content and a more established platform, despite its monetization issues.

Full reviews: Falou · Duolingo

Falou excels in conversational practice and a less restrictive free tier, but suffers from significant content quality and voice recognition issues. Duolingo offers a vast array of languages and a gamified learning experience, though it faces criticism for repetitive content, aggressive monetization, and AI-related problems.

Head to head

Features & Content Quality tieR6R7R9R13
Falou Falou is praised for its focus on conversational practice and helping users form sentences quickly . However, many users report significant issues with content quality, including unidiomatic, ungrammatical, and nonsensical sentences, especially in more complex lessons R6R7R13R25. Some also find the content repetitive and lacking basic vocabulary for beginners R9.
Duolingo Duolingo is appreciated for teaching a wide range of languages and even other subjects like math, music, and chess . Users find it effective for learning vocabulary and basic sentences . However, similar to Falou, some users report issues with incorrect grammar and nonsensical sentences, particularly in European languages R63. There are also complaints about the content becoming repetitive .
Ease of Use & User Experience tieR3R6R15R18
Falou Falou is described as easy to use and friendly, with an interface that works well R6. Users enjoy its interactive nature and the focus on hearing and practicing sentences . However, many users report significant bugs, including voice recognition issues where the app doesn't understand what they're saying or incorrectly marks mistakes as correct R3R15R18R24. Some also find the pace too fast and struggle to review individual words .
Duolingo Duolingo is generally found to be fun, easy, and entertaining . However, it is criticized for its aggressive 'gamification,' with users disliking the XP, rankings, and the need to pay for gems to continue timed rounds . Users also report issues with the microphone not working on some words R63 and the app being repetitive . Some find the new AI-driven overhaul buggy and unhelpful .
Reliability & Performance tieR3R10R15R18
Falou Falou users frequently report bugs and performance issues. These include the app getting stuck, lessons not loading, and features changing or disappearing R10R15. Voice recognition is a major point of frustration, often being slow or failing to register speech R3R18R24R39.
Duolingo Duolingo also has reports of bugs, such as the lightning round being stuck , lessons not syncing , and issues with the AI . Some users also complain about the app not allowing them to delete it .
Price & Value edge: FalouR12R14R16R29
Falou Falou is a freemium app, with some users initially believing it's free R14R29. However, many free users quickly hit daily limits or are forced to pay for continued learning, which causes frustration R12R16R34. The cost of the premium subscription is mentioned as high . There are also complaints about features that were part of an original purchase being moved to a more expensive premium tier .
Duolingo Duolingo is also a freemium app, but its monetization tactics are a significant source of user frustration. Users complain about constant ads for Super Duolingo and family plans R63R64R82, and being forced to pay or use gems to continue lessons . Some feel that the free tier is too restrictive and that the app is not worth paying for given its shortcomings . There are also serious accusations of unauthorized charges even after cancellation R70.
Customer Support tieR13R22R70
Falou Falou receives negative feedback regarding its customer support. Users report not receiving responses to emails R22 and receiving useless AI bot replies when reporting issues like incorrect grammar R13.
Duolingo Duolingo reviews do not frequently mention customer support, but there are serious complaints about billing issues, including unauthorized charges and difficulty cancelling subscriptions R70.
Pick Falou if

You prioritize conversational practice and speaking over traditional grammar drills, and are willing to overlook potential content quality issues and bugs for a less gamified experience .

Pick Duolingo if

You prefer a highly gamified learning experience with a wide variety of languages and content, and are comfortable with frequent monetization prompts or willing to pay for a premium subscription .

Evidence note: Both apps have a significant number of positive reviews, but recent negative reviews for both highlight issues with AI-generated content, voice recognition, and aggressive monetization. Duolingo's larger user base naturally leads to more reviews overall, but the proportion of negative sentiment regarding monetization and AI is notable for both.

Frequently asked

Is Falou truly free to use?
Falou offers free lessons initially, but many users report hitting daily limits or being required to pay for a premium subscription to continue learning, often in the middle of a session R12R16R34R40.
Does Duolingo have a lot of ads?
Yes, Duolingo users frequently complain about numerous ads for Super Duolingo and family plans, often appearing after every lesson, which disrupts the learning experience R63R64R82R87.
Which app is better for pronunciation practice?
Falou aims to help with pronunciation and using words in conversation , but many users report significant issues with its voice recognition, where it fails to understand speech or incorrectly marks answers as correct R3R15R24R39. Duolingo also has complaints about its microphone not working correctly for some words R63.
Are there issues with content accuracy in either app?
Both apps face criticism for content accuracy. Falou users report unidiomatic, ungrammatical, and nonsensical sentences, especially in more advanced lessons R6R7R13R25. Duolingo also has users reporting mistakes in sentences and issues with proper grammar, particularly in European languages R63.

What reviewers actually said

Built only from these 120 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. [R6] Falou 3/5 · US Good App, Bad Content: The interface this app is easy and the algorithm works well, but the content is a total mess. The transliteration of some of the Japanese words is in fact Chinese, and many of the sentences (and I mean many) are unidiomatic, ungrammatical, and outright nonsensical. It should not have been released before a rigorous quality assurance on content was made. I regret the purchase
  2. [R7] Falou 1/5 · US Uses AI to write nonsense: I have been studying korean and my wife is a native Korean speaker. The app seemed good at first but as the material got more complex the sentences became less intelligible. It started to have sentences which don’t have a sensible context and can’t be made with proper grammar. Don’t waste your time or money.
  3. [R9] Falou 3/5 · US Duolingo for Greek: This is the same as Duolingo. But Greek. So disappointed 10 chapters in still don’t know basic words like days of week numbers the only meal I can order is steak on a gyro or with bread and lemon or orange. I was hoping it would teach basics first . But I can say the big book is very good. I can’t say where is the bathroom or train station.
  4. [R13] Falou 1/5 · US AI Fail: I downloaded Falou because it had Slovak. The lessons were okay at first, but when I clicked on the grammar explanations they were wildly incorrect. I kept using it because the repetition was helpful. Then the sentences became more ridiculous and nonsensical, which is fine, until it started incorrect usage in the lessons. I emailed a few times with the screen shots and the replies were us
  5. [R3] Falou 3/5 · US Started good, got worse: There is nothing more frustrating than trying to use an app that refuses to understand what you’re saying. When I first got this app, it was absolutely terrific. I was learning a lot of words, and I was correcting my pronunciation as I went along. Now as I go back over words, I already know, I am no longer getting the same results from the AI that’s judging my pronunciatio
  6. [R15] Falou 3/5 · US needs improvement: has a ton of bugs and when i say the wrong word, it says that’s correct and after you buy your subscription, they’ll make you buy your a different subscription just use drops
  7. [R18] Falou 3/5 · US Good but slow: i love this app so far but sometime I would say the sentence and it would take a whole 5-10 sec before it registered it and accept it making it very frustrating because i don’t know if i did something wrong or if the app is just very slow. But otherwise I’m learning word in a very fun and easy to remember way.
  8. [R10] Falou 1/5 · US Lost the (my words): After installing the chats, couldn’t connect it with my Falou account and the ( my word) turned gray
  9. [R12] Falou 3/5 · US One drawback: Hello, dear creators of this app! I want to let you know that your app is quite excellent, but there's one drawback: the paid subscription. I can offer an idea: you could continue free lessons, but limit them to one per day. I think many users would like that, and I'd be very happy if you did it! For now, goodbye! · translated
  10. [R14] Falou 5/5 · US The best!: it’s really similar to Duolingo, but it’s a little better than Duolingo as well. I learned so much already. This was recommended to me a lot on my TikTok FYP. I recommend this app. This is a really good app. Does it have any ads? You don’t really have to pay for anything? It’s pretty free. five stars!!
  11. [R16] Falou 1/5 · US Makes you pay in the middle of the session: It won’t tell you but it will give you free lessons at first then when you are in the middle of learning your class and starting to learn Spanish it will make you pay or you can’t learn Spanish and it makes you feel like if you don’t pay and download another app you lose all your progress and you will feel like you need to pay even though you can just do
  12. [R29] Falou 5/5 · US The best app ever: This app is so good I’ve only used it for five minutes and I am already speaking sentences like it’s nothing. This app is awesome because you can use it as much as you want Duolingo you buy or you can only do it a certain amount of time.
  13. [R22] Falou 1/5 · US Zero customer support: I have reached out to support with email and have not received a response in regard to my purchase and what is included.
  14. [R70] Duolingo 1/5 · US DO NOT USE. SCAM: They charge you without notifying you and they tried to charge my son and he doesn’t even have a credit card on file. They tried to charge me over $160 on 4 separate occasions even after I cancelled and uninstalled the app. 3 months of not using it and they still tried to charge me. They said e notify you 3 days before but that’s a lie. They’ll charge you 2 days before the free t
  15. [R34] Falou 1/5 · US Don't fall for it: Bro so I was just having fun at first then after you get to like 20 minutes of practicing it say "Oh you reached your daily limit" and I had to wait 10 hours so at like 11pm I can start practicing you think I'm going to start practicing at 11pm NO I get tired at that time and you have to pay money to learn more Spanish you think I'm going to pay that NO! Fix this don't fall for
  16. [R40] Falou 1/5 · US 😒: Sin solo tener un día te pide que pagues el modo premiun y ósea yo solo vengo a aprender no a pagar.
  17. [R63] Duolingo 3/5 · US OK, I Guess: I guess it's good to start somewhere, but I noticed that there are a lot of mistakes in the app. Sentences which I know are correct keep getting marked as incorrect only because the app doesn't hear you correctly. You check with other sources and it is confirmed I'm saying it correctly. The app is just not very accurate. The only ads I ever see are for Duolingo. The app you are alre
  18. [R64] Duolingo 2/5 · US Can you stop constantly trying to: Force us to use your stupid family plan. I pay for no ads. I get spammed with ads to sign up for family plan. How does that make any sense I do not have a family. I do not want a family plan. I do not want ads. Stop spamming me with family plan ads.
  19. [R82] Duolingo 1/5 · US Too many ads not enough learning: After every lesson there is an ad and the whole battery thing makes no sense. Why is there a limit to learning?
  20. [R87] Duolingo 3/5 · US Too many ads for me: I loved this app it was so much fun but now with so many ads popping up all over the place. Im finding it hard to apply the lessons being taught. Every time I think I'm on to something there's another ad and my train of thought is derailed. Duo wasn't like this until recently so it makes me sad.
  21. [R24] Falou 3/5 · US Listening: Great idea and generally is ok. But it definitely cannot hear you many times. Regardless of near or far, fast or slow you speak into the mic. If it listened better, it would be great. Being that basis of the program is to hear you speak, it is a frustrating weakness.
  22. [R39] Falou 3/5 · GB Ok. But problems with voice recognition: Good program but let down by poor voice recognition
  23. [R25] Falou 2/5 · US Has potential but…: Pros: I really like the way it sets up the sentences and mixes up the vocabulary in various sentences. I also appreciate that it has an option to break down the grammar so you understand why the sentence is structured a certain way. Cons: I don’t like the weird AI generated sentences. It confuses to/from with time and distance topics. “We went from Tokyo to 9pm.” It has a

Synthesized from 120 recent App Store reviews · updated July 2026 · View on the App Store