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

Duolingo vs Busuu

Duolingo 4.7★ · Free + IAP 70
Winner Busuu
Busuu 4.7★ · Free + IAP 75

Busuu is generally preferred for deeper language learning and cultural context, while Duolingo excels in gamified learning and a wider variety of subjects.

Full reviews: Duolingo · Busuu

Duolingo offers a fun, gamified approach to learning languages, math, music, and chess, but users often complain about excessive ads and a 'pay-to-learn' free tier. Busuu is praised for its structured lessons, cultural insights, and community features, though some users find its free version too limited and its higher-level courses inconsistent for certain languages.

Head to head

Features & Content Variety edge: DuolingoR5R6R13R17
Duolingo Duolingo offers a wide range of languages, plus other subjects like math, music, and chess, making it a versatile learning platform R5R17. However, some users find the language content repetitive and not deep enough for conversational fluency R6R34R46. There are also complaints about new words being introduced without prior explanation R13R34.
Busuu Busuu is praised for its structured language courses, which include grammar, vocabulary, and cultural tidbits R62R113. It also offers a social aspect where users can connect with native speakers . However, its language selection is more limited compared to Duolingo , and some users find the content for higher levels or specific languages (like Arabic or Chinese) to be inconsistent or lacking .
Ease of Use & Learning Experience edge: BusuuR3R4R6R7
Duolingo Duolingo is often described as fun and engaging, with a gamified approach that helps users stay motivated R17. However, recent updates have introduced issues like deleted progress R7, poor spelling/listening detection R4R9, and an emphasis on advancing too quickly without enough repetition R6. Some users also find the constant tapping annoying R3.
Busuu Busuu's teaching style is generally found easy to follow and effective for learning R62. Users appreciate the pace and the comprehensive approach to listening, reading, speaking, and writing . However, some report muffled or computerized voices that are hard to understand , and a lack of repetition which makes it hard to remember concepts .
Reliability & Technical Issues edge: BusuuR1R4R7R9
Duolingo Duolingo users report significant issues with deleted progress after updates R7, inaccurate flashcard tests , and voice recognition problems R4R9. There are also complaints about poor integration with app stores and customer service regarding billing discrepancies R1R55.
Busuu Busuu users occasionally experience the app freezing, requiring them to retake lessons . Some also report that the review section is not working properly . Technical issues like muffled audio are also mentioned .
Price/Value & Free vs. Paid Experience tieR1R12R15R16
Duolingo Duolingo's free version is heavily criticized for excessive ads R12R16, an 'energy' system that limits learning R15R25R42R60, and constant pressure to upgrade to Super Duolingo . Paying users also report still seeing ads R12 and issues with billing and refunds R1R55.
Busuu Busuu's free version is also limited, with many features locked behind a paywall R78R84R85 and frequent ads . However, some users note that Busuu provides full courses and explanations for free, making premium optional for basic learning R113. There are complaints about automatic enrollment in yearly plans and refusal of refunds R64R67.
Customer Support tieR1R67R88R109
Duolingo Duolingo receives negative feedback for its customer service, with one user reporting being told to 'pound sand' after a billing discrepancy R1.
Busuu Busuu also has negative reviews regarding customer support, with users reporting refusal of refunds R67 and accounts being deleted without assistance during issues R88. There are also complaints about existing customers not receiving new customer deals R109.
Pick Duolingo if

you want a gamified learning experience for a wide variety of languages and other subjects like math, music, and chess R5R17.

Pick Busuu if

you prefer a more structured approach to language learning with grammar explanations, cultural insights, and opportunities to interact with native speakers R62R113.

Evidence note: Both apps have a significant number of complaints regarding their free tiers being heavily restricted by ads and paywalls, which is a common free-vs-paid asymmetry. Duolingo's larger user base naturally leads to more varied complaints, but the core issues around ads and free-tier limitations are consistent across both.

Frequently asked

Is Duolingo truly free to use?
While Duolingo offers a free version, many users report that it is severely limited by excessive ads and an 'energy' system that restricts how much you can learn daily, pushing users to purchase a subscription R16R25R42R60.
Does Busuu offer a good free experience?
Busuu's free version provides full courses and explanations, which some users find helpful, but it is heavily interrupted by ads and locks many features like review sections and AI conversations behind a premium paywall R78R84R85R113.
Which app is better for conversational fluency?
Busuu is generally considered better for achieving conversational fluency due to its structured lessons, grammar explanations, cultural tidbits, and opportunities to practice with native speakers R62R113, whereas Duolingo is often criticized for advancing too quickly and not providing enough repetition or depth for real conversation R6R34R46.
Are there issues with subscriptions and refunds for these apps?
Both apps have user complaints regarding subscription issues; Duolingo users report billing discrepancies and difficulty with refunds R1R55, while Busuu users mention automatic enrollment in yearly plans, refusal of refunds, and poor customer service when issues arise R64R67R88.

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. [R5] Duolingo 5/5 · US Probably the best: Look at the title just learn chess or Spanish , french, Chinese and Japanese and all of the things .That owl does not understand how to be passionate he be yelling at you. I still love it you can have friends and family. You can’t have Infnady charge so sorry but you can with super Duolingo and the super super stuff is definitely Duolingo. You can get it free on the App Store.
  2. [R6] Duolingo 3/5 · US Advances Too Fast: I have been using the app for over two years. Honestly, I have learned some Spanish for sure. However while I can understand some written Spanish here and there and a bit of conversational, I am far from being able to converse in Spanish. For me the big major issue is the app puts an emphasis on advancing you with words and grammar too quickly rather than reinforcing what on
  3. [R13] Duolingo 1/5 · US The last update was terrible.: The latest update is a disaster. They've added a ton of words to the course that I've never practiced and don't even know. I'm fed up with them changing the whole course with every update, but this one is especially bad.
  4. [R17] Duolingo 4/5 · US Download NOW!💎💎😁🩷: I know if you clicked on this your problem trying to learn a language, well you came to the right app! Duolingo is very fun and exciting. You can learn basically any languages you want! You also can learn math, piano, and chess!♟️ I love this app for a lot of reasons, and one is because it’s kind of silly. And after completing a lesson it rewards you. And to have no ads and unli
  5. [R3] Duolingo 3/5 · US So much tapping: The amount of tapping on this app after a lesson is so annoying.
  6. [R4] Duolingo 1/5 · US App doesn’t listen well: I will say the word and the app gives me a blue word saying it right. Then I say the next word and it removes the word before it. Very frustrating. I might quit this app for another method
  7. [R7] Duolingo 1/5 · US deleted progress: my app updated automatically and deleted so much of my progress (said i hadn't done 15 units legendary) and made me use a streak freeze even tho i did my lesson to continue my streak yesterday. this is probably the third or fourth time this app has done this, and it is so frustrating to have to redo a ton of stuff because the app can't ever work normally. ever since they started
  8. [R1] Duolingo 1/5 · US Bad Integration w/ App Store and horrible customer service: The app pushes “super” which is fine. It works well enough to teach you a sufficient amount of a language to get around. However, when the trial ended I got billed for the family plan yearly but the app never updated and would only show that I had an individual plan. Sent screenshots to customer service showing the discrepancy and was
  9. [R9] Duolingo 3/5 · US Bad Spelling detection: Need to improve the spelling detection, I said the same thing yet the app got it wrong
  10. [R12] Duolingo 3/5 · US Learning part is good BUT: The learning part of the program is good but even paying for this app, be prepared for CONSTANT annoying ads. Paying for an app used to mean not being constant pestered by ads. We’re looking for an alternative so we can cancel Duolingo. In addition, the insanely loud ding when you get the correct answers make it impossible to do it without disturbing everyone around - i
  11. [R15] Duolingo 3/5 · US Energy is bad: Energy is annoying because you only have 25 chances to answer questions. Even if you do all perfect lessons.
  12. [R16] 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?
  13. [R67] Busuu 1/5 · US No refund: Busuu promised a refund. They mentioned 14 days for a refund. After a day, I asked for a refund and they refused. Buyer beware! This program reminds me of all the reasons I hated High School Spanish class.
  14. [R88] Busuu 1/5 · US No Transparency, No Support, No Respect for Customers: A disappointing customer experience. I paid for a subscription using a valid payment method from a supported country. During the internet disruptions in Iran, I contacted support to explain my situation and request assistance. Instead of helping, the company deleted my account and later ignored my follow-up messages. This is not about company
  15. [R109] Busuu 2/5 · GB A great app terrible for existing customers: I loved this app. Bought the premium version to avoid advertising. Less than £50 . At the end of the year the premium version was nearly double!!! I contacted Busuu and they said no deals for existing customers. So I had to delete my account and lose a year’s worth of learning. Then use a different email to re subscribe for the reduced price for new cus
  16. [R25] Duolingo 2/5 · US Unfair: I don’t think it’s fair that you have to pay to get more energy to learn. Each day I do like 1 lesson and half of the time it takes is to watch ads and then I can’t do anymore because I ran out of energy so I either have to watch like 10 more ads, buy more energy, or use my money to buy super Duolingo.
  17. [R42] Duolingo 3/5 · US Energy: Dear Duolingo you told me to learn more and I can’t learn more if I have no energy. And I have no money so I can’t get super family plan literally a brokey. So please stop with the energy or buy me super Duolingo/ family plan. Thank you for your time.
  18. [R60] Duolingo 3/5 · US The free version is not good anymore: I downloaded Duolingo for free a couple of years ago and could have simple conversations in Japanese after just a few months of learning. However, once the new energy system was introduced, it made it incredibly difficult for learners who are not subscribed to the paid version Super Duolingo to learn anything at all. You can now only complete 2.5 lessons a day
  19. [R78] Busuu 3/5 · US worth it for learning: its great for learning a new language and it allows you to help others through their journey in learning a new language, but when you do not have premium in the app you have endless ads and you cant use the review section.
  20. [R84] Busuu 3/5 · US This is very good app: The only nit pick I have is that you can’t do the AI conversations or the AI listening without premium. And unfortunately, for kids trying to learn languages, premium really gets in the way with that. It would be nice to have access to the AI stuff even without premium, as for me, I found that’s the best way I learn German. Side note: they already have adds, why do they need
  21. [R85] Busuu 2/5 · US Pay to win app: A lot of the thing are lock behind a paywall and the fact that I have to watch an ad to unlock a lesson is just absurd.
  22. [R113] Busuu 4/5 · US Phenomenal: Unlike the majority of language learning apps, Busuu is legitimately helpful. They teach grammar, vocabulary, and throw in cultural tidbits. Not only that, but premium is actually optional. Most apps would make you buy premium just to get a full course and learn the basics, Busuu provides full courses and explanations for free. There are ads, but not enough to be annoying. I’ve learned
  23. [R34] Duolingo 2/5 · US It’s okay: It’s partially effective. In some ways it’s annoying. How many times does Duolingo think I need to be tested on the word “pizza” in Italian, though? And why does it never explain the DIFFERENCE between lì and là, ora and adesso, etc? And why does it test me on new words I’ve never been shown even once, nor focus on teaching me *those* words instead of repeating “pizza” a million tim
  24. [R46] Duolingo 2/5 · US Don’t Get Duolingo.: I’ve had the Duolingo app since December of 2023 and although I liked it at first it’s just gone downhill since then. 1st of all it isn’t actually a good way to learn a new language. Although I did like that they offer a variety of languages, it was just repetitive learning and I never saw any real improvement in any of the ones I tried. Instead I just started to watch kids sh
  25. [R62] Busuu 5/5 · US Lessons stick and are easy to follow: I love the teaching style and how their lessons are easy to follow. They also give tips for learning as well as a good explanation for why something is. Great learning tool!
  26. [R55] Duolingo 1/5 · US Took money: Took money that I didn’t have without notifying me or my permission, I’m trying to get a refund but it’s saying the 120$ subscription went through, even though you took money from my apple that I didn’t even have, I canceled it and it still says I have it till 2027 and I have the 120 pending, I did not want and cannot afford that.
  27. [R64] Busuu 1/5 · US I just downloaded may have gotten charged: I was downloading the app because I wanted to learn French when o downloaded the app I went on ChatGPT which told me it was free and I didn’t need a subscription but now I believed it charged me 200 dollars so I’m not sure why it wasn’t clear and I DO NOT want to get charged cause I am fully ok which just having the basics

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