Busuu vs Duolingo: which fits you
Prices checked 17 Oct 2026; Busuu's on 6 Oct 2026, Duolingo's on 7 Oct 2026 · How we check
Busuu if you want a person to correct you and a course with named levels.
Duolingo if you want a free daily habit in any of its 40 languages.
| Question | Busuu | Duolingo |
|---|---|---|
| A year costs | $72.99 a year for all 14 languages | Free. Super's yearly price is not published; its US App Store purchases run $9.99 to $119.99 |
| A lesson is | Short lessons with dialogues, grammar tips and exercises; you can send spoken or written answers for the community, native speakers included, to correct. | A few minutes of game-like exercises (translate, match, listen, speak), with English throughout. |
| Try it | A free account, then a 14-day money-back guarantee on your first Premium payment. | Free for good; Super has a 1-week free trial. |
| App Store rating, 10 Oct 2026 | 4.7 out of 5 from 101,167 ratings | 4.7 out of 5 from 5.5 million ratings |
| Most mentioned in 1- and 2-star App Store reviews, 15 Oct 2026 | ads (12 of 39) | the price, billing or the subscription (16 of 102) |
| Google Play rating, 12 Oct 2026 and 11 Oct 2026 | 4.7 out of 5 from 1.2 million ratings | 4.7 out of 5 from 50.8 million ratings |
How a lesson works in each
Both are course apps, so a lesson has the same shape
Side by side
| Compare | Busuu | Duolingo |
|---|---|---|
| CEFR levels | A1 to C1 (by course) | A1 to B2 |
| A year costs | $72.99 a year for all 14 languages | Free. Super's yearly price is not published; its US App Store purchases run $9.99 to $119.99 |
| What it is | Course app: corrections from native speakers and CEFR-labelled levels | Course app: Game-shaped lessons for every course; paid tiers remove the ads and the daily limits, and Max adds AI practice |
| Per month at annual billing | $6.08/mo ($72.99 a year) | — |
| Monthly plan | — | — |
| US in-app purchases | — | Super in the US App Store: $9.99 to $119.99, depending on the plan. |
| Lifetime plan | No lifetime plan | No lifetime plan |
| Free tier | Free account with the complete course in each language, community feedback and basic progress tracking; Premium adds review tools, offline mode and no ads. | Full free tier with ads and limits; Super removes the ads and limits, and Max adds AI practice (Video Call and Roleplay). |
| Languages offered | 14 | 40 |
| Speech recognition | Yes | Yes |
| Live tutoring | No · Live Lessons are exclusive to Busuu for Business, outside the consumer subscription | No |
| Offline mode | Yes | Yes · Limited lessons available offline; progress syncs when connected |
| Placement test | Yes · Dutch, English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese and Spanish | Yes |
| Refund or trial | 14-day money-back guarantee on the initial Premium payment; no renewal refunds. Apple and mobile-operator purchases require a refund from that provider. | 1 week free trial on Super |
| Platforms | iOS, Android, Web | iOS, Android, Web |
| Company | Busuu Limited, United Kingdom | Duolingo, Inc |
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Busuu
Course app
In our comparison: strongest on teaching depth and price, weakest on the number of languages.
$72.99 a year $6.08 a month, billed yearly · Premium
A structured course gives you a path through lessons, with corrections from native speakers. You can start with a free account before deciding whether the paid extras are useful.
Duolingo
Course app
In our comparison: strongest on the free tier and teaching depth, weakest on speaking practice.
Free Super removes the ads and limits: $9.99 to $119.99 in Apple's US App Store, depending on the plan, after a 1-week free trial.
Short, game-like lessons make it easy to practise a little every day. You can follow the whole course free, with ads and limits.
Choose Busuu if you want a structured course with corrections from native speakers and offline lessons. Duolingo is an easy way to start free and build a habit. Paying for Duolingo removes ads and limits, and its top tier, Max, adds AI conversation practice, so decide whether those are what is holding you back.
Which to choose
You want feedback from a person, not a score
Busuu
Busuu's community corrections are the feature Duolingo does not have: you write or record something and a native speaker marks it. Busuu Premium for 12 months was $72.99 when checked, which is $6.08 a month for all 14 of its languages; Premium Plus, which adds AI conversations and pronunciation practice, was $87.90, or $7.33 a month. Both were shown as sale prices against a struck-through reference equal to twelve months at the monthly rate. Busuu's site doesn't show a monthly price.
You want to learn two or more languages
Either, if Busuu teaches both
One Busuu Premium plan covers all 14 of its languages, and Busuu says you can learn as many of them as you like. Duolingo's free tier covers every one of its 40 courses. If you are splitting time between, say, Spanish and Italian, neither app charges more for the second language; Duolingo reaches the languages Busuu does not teach.
You want a stated level to aim at
Busuu
Busuu organises each course by CEFR level, and the range of each course is on its page here. Duolingo measures progress with its own Duolingo Score and says its courses in nine major languages now reach B2 on the CEFR scale. If you are working toward a certificate, a course arranged by named CEFR levels is easier to plan around.
You want it free and you want it fun
Duolingo
Busuu's free account includes its complete courses, without the review tools, offline lessons and ad-free learning of Premium; Duolingo's free tier is the whole course set with ads, in 40 languages to Busuu's 14. For a learner who will not pay, Duolingo reaches more languages, and its streak mechanics are the reason it is the biggest app in the category.
Where they really differ
- Price: Busuu: $72.99 a year for all 14 languages. Duolingo: Free. Super's yearly price is not published; its US App Store purchases run $9.99 to $119.99.
- A lesson: Busuu: Short lessons with dialogues, grammar tips and exercises; you can send spoken or written answers for the community, native speakers included, to correct. Duolingo: A few minutes of game-like exercises (translate, match, listen, speak), with English throughout.
- A real person: Neither has live tutors. The Video Call in Duolingo Max is an AI character.
- Levels: Busuu states a CEFR range for each course, up to C1. Duolingo states CEFR levels A1 to B2.
- Trying it: Busuu: A free account, then a 14-day money-back guarantee on your first Premium payment. Duolingo: Free for good; Super has a 1-week free trial.
- Both: Listen to you speak and work offline.
Plans and prices
Busuu
| Plan | Billing | Price | Per month | Covers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Premium, 12 monthsPremiumA sale price; the crossed-out $149.88 is twelve months at the monthly rate. | Annual | $72.99 | $6.08/mo | all languages |
| Premium Plus, 12 monthsPremium PlusA sale price, against a crossed-out $178.80. Adds AI conversations, pronunciation practice and extra content to Premium. | Annual | $87.90 | $7.33/mo | all languages |
| 1 monthPremiumBusuu's site doesn't show its monthly price. Apple's US App Store lists a "Monthly Premium Plan" at $23.49. | Monthly | — | — | all languages |
Duolingo
| Plan | Billing | Price | Per month | Covers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Super Duolingo, in the app (US)Apple's listing doesn't say which price is monthly, yearly or Family; the app shows yours at checkout. | Shown at checkout | $9.99, $12.99, $79.99, $83.99, $95.99, $119.99 | — | No ads or limits; 1-week free trial |
| FreeEvery course, with ads and daily limits. | Other | $0 | $0/mo | all languages |
| Super DuolingoSuper | Other | — | — | all languages |
| Super Family | Family | — | — | family up to 6 |
| Duolingo MaxMaxFor English speakers, Max has Video Call and Roleplay in Spanish, French, German, Italian and Portuguese, and Video Call in Japanese, Korean and Chinese (blog.duolingo.com/duolingo-max, read 13 Oct 2026: 'English speakers learning Spanish, French, German, Italian, and Portuguese have access to both Video Call and Roleplay, and those learning Japanese, Korean, and Chinese can use the new Video Call feature'). | Other | — | — | every course; its AI only in some (see the note) |
Questions people ask
Is Busuu better than Duolingo?
For a learner who wants corrections from native speakers, offline mode and a course with named CEFR levels, Busuu states more. For a learner who wants a free daily habit, in any of 40 languages, Duolingo gives more for nothing. Neither is better overall.
How much is Busuu compared with Duolingo?
When checked, Busuu Premium was $72.99 for 12 months ($6.08 a month) and Premium Plus $87.90 ($7.33 a month), each covering all 14 of Busuu's languages. Duolingo is free with ads; Super costs $9.99 to $119.99 in Apple's US App Store, depending on the plan.
Does Busuu have a free version?
Yes. Busuu's free account includes its complete courses, with feedback from the community; Premium adds review tools, offline lessons and ad-free learning.
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