Duolingo vs Rocket Languages: which to choose, and what each costs
Prices checked 12 Oct 2026; Duolingo's on 7 Oct 2026 · How we check
Duolingo if you want a full course free for good.
Rocket Languages if you want to pay once rather than subscribe.
| Question | Duolingo | Rocket Languages |
|---|---|---|
| A year costs | Free. Super's yearly price is not published; its US App Store purchases run $9.99 to $119.99 | $149.95 once |
| A lesson is | A few minutes of game-like exercises (translate, match, listen, speak), with English throughout. | Audio lessons built on conversations, with language and culture lessons and voice-recognition drills alongside. |
| Try it | Free for good; Super has a 1-week free trial. | A free trial, then a 60-day money-back guarantee on purchases. |
| App Store rating, 10 Oct 2026 | 4.7 out of 5 from 5.5 million ratings | 4.6 out of 5 from 2,472 ratings |
| Google Play rating, 11 Oct 2026 | 4.7 out of 5 from 50.8 million ratings | 4.7 out of 5 from 3,762 ratings |
How a lesson works in each
Both are course apps, so a lesson has the same shape
Side by side
| Compare | Duolingo | Rocket Languages |
|---|---|---|
| CEFR levels | A1 to B2 | A1 to B2 (by course) |
| A year costs | Free. Super's yearly price is not published; its US App Store purchases run $9.99 to $119.99 | $149.95 once |
| What it is | Course app: Game-shaped lessons for every course; paid tiers remove the ads and the daily limits, and Max adds AI practice | Course app: Audio lessons, language and culture lessons and voice-recognition practice, bought once per level |
| Per month at annual billing | — | — |
| 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 | $99.95 to $449.85 once, for one language's course; the price depends on the language and how many levels you buy |
| Free tier | Full free tier with ads and limits; Super removes the ads and limits, and Max adds AI practice (Video Call and Roleplay). | A free trial; the page does not say what it includes or for how long. |
| Languages offered | 40 | 13 |
| Speech recognition | Yes | Yes |
| Live tutoring | No | No |
| Offline mode | Yes · Limited lessons available offline; progress syncs when connected | Yes · audio lessons download in the app; voice recognition needs a connection |
| Placement test | Yes | — |
| Refund or trial | 1 week free trial on Super | A free trial; 60-day money-back guarantee on purchases. |
| Platforms | iOS, Android, Web | iOS, Android, Web |
| Company | Duolingo, Inc | Libros Media Limited |
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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.
Rocket Languages
Course app
In our comparison: strongest on teaching depth and trial and refund terms, weakest on the free tier.
$149.95 once one language's course or first level, in 11 of its 13 languages; American Sign Language and English $99.95
Audio lessons, language and culture lessons and voice-recognition practice, bought once per level. Speech recognition scores your pronunciation.
Duolingo is a course app and Rocket Languages is one too. Both teach French, Spanish, Chinese, German and 8 more languages.
Which to choose
You would rather pay once than subscribe
Rocket Languages
Rocket Languages can be bought once and kept: $99.95 to $449.85 once, for one language's course; the price depends on the language and how many levels you buy. Duolingo's paid plans are subscriptions.
You want to learn without paying
Duolingo
Duolingo is free for good, with ads or limits; Rocket Languages has a free trial, not a free plan. What each free route includes is in the table above.
You want a trial, or your money back if it doesn't suit you
Rocket Languages
Rocket Languages: A free trial; 60-day money-back guarantee on purchases. Duolingo: 1 week free trial on Super.
Your language is less common
Duolingo
Duolingo teaches 40 languages and Rocket Languages 13; 12 are taught by both. Check that yours is on the list before paying.
Where they really differ
- Price: Duolingo: Free. Super's yearly price is not published; its US App Store purchases run $9.99 to $119.99. Rocket Languages: $149.95 once.
- A lesson: Duolingo: A few minutes of game-like exercises (translate, match, listen, speak), with English throughout. Rocket Languages: Audio lessons built on conversations, with language and culture lessons and voice-recognition drills alongside.
- A real person: Neither has live tutors. The Video Call in Duolingo Max is an AI character.
- Levels: Duolingo states CEFR levels A1 to B2. Rocket Languages states a CEFR range for each course, up to B2.
- Trying it: Duolingo: Free for good; Super has a 1-week free trial. Rocket Languages: A free trial, then a 60-day money-back guarantee on purchases.
- Both: Listen to you speak and work offline.
Plans and prices
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) |
Rocket Languages
| Plan | Billing | Price | Per month | Covers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rocket Sign LanguageComplete courseOne-time payment with lifetime access; 96 hours of lesson time. | Lifetime | $99.95 | one-time | American Sign Language, beginner to intermediate |
| Rocket EnglishComplete courseOne-time payment with lifetime access; 132 hours of lesson time. | Lifetime | $99.95 | one-time | English, beginner to intermediate |
| Rocket Spanish Level 1Level 1One-time payment with lifetime access; 138 hours of lesson time. | Lifetime | $149.95 | one-time | Spanish, Level 1 |
| Rocket French Level 1Level 1One-time payment with lifetime access; 138 hours of lesson time. | Lifetime | $149.95 | one-time | French, Level 1 |
| Rocket Italian Level 1Level 1One-time payment with lifetime access; 134 hours of lesson time. | Lifetime | $149.95 | one-time | Italian, Level 1 |
| Rocket German Level 1Level 1One-time payment with lifetime access; 136 hours of lesson time. | Lifetime | $149.95 | one-time | German, Level 1 |
| Rocket Japanese Level 1Level 1One-time payment with lifetime access; 175 hours of lesson time. | Lifetime | $149.95 | one-time | Japanese, Level 1 |
| Rocket Chinese Level 1Level 1One-time payment with lifetime access; 156 hours of lesson time. | Lifetime | $149.95 | one-time | Chinese, Level 1 |
| Rocket KoreanComplete courseOne-time payment with lifetime access; 156 hours of lesson time. | Lifetime | $149.95 | one-time | Korean, beginner to intermediate |
| Rocket Russian Level 1Level 1One-time payment with lifetime access; 146 hours of lesson time. | Lifetime | $149.95 | one-time | Russian, Level 1 |
| Rocket ArabicComplete courseOne-time payment with lifetime access; 155 hours of lesson time. | Lifetime | $149.95 | one-time | Arabic, beginner to intermediate |
| Rocket HindiComplete courseOne-time payment with lifetime access; 151 hours of lesson time. | Lifetime | $149.95 | one-time | Hindi, beginner to intermediate |
| Rocket PortugueseComplete courseOne-time payment with lifetime access; 138 hours of lesson time. | Lifetime | $149.95 | one-time | Portuguese, beginner to intermediate |
| Rocket Spanish Levels 1 & 2Levels 1-2One-time payment with lifetime access; 260 hours of lesson time. | Lifetime | $299.90 | one-time | Spanish, Levels 1 and 2 |
| Rocket French Levels 1 & 2Levels 1-2One-time payment with lifetime access; 262 hours of lesson time. | Lifetime | $299.90 | one-time | French, Levels 1 and 2 |
| Rocket Italian Levels 1 & 2Levels 1-2One-time payment with lifetime access; 257 hours of lesson time. | Lifetime | $299.90 | one-time | Italian, Levels 1 and 2 |
| Rocket German Levels 1 & 2Levels 1-2One-time payment with lifetime access; 266 hours of lesson time. | Lifetime | $299.90 | one-time | German, Levels 1 and 2 |
| Rocket Japanese Levels 1 & 2Levels 1-2One-time payment with lifetime access; 314 hours of lesson time. | Lifetime | $299.90 | one-time | Japanese, Levels 1 and 2 |
| Rocket Chinese Levels 1 & 2Levels 1-2One-time payment with lifetime access; 304 hours of lesson time. | Lifetime | $299.90 | one-time | Chinese, Levels 1 and 2 |
| Rocket Russian Levels 1 & 2Levels 1-2One-time payment with lifetime access; 231 hours of lesson time. | Lifetime | $299.90 | one-time | Russian, Levels 1 and 2 |
| Rocket Spanish Levels 1, 2 & 3Levels 1-3One-time payment with lifetime access; 382 hours of lesson time. A 6-month payment plan is also offered. | Lifetime | $449.85 | one-time | Spanish, Levels 1 to 3 |
| Rocket French Levels 1, 2 & 3Levels 1-3One-time payment with lifetime access; 385 hours of lesson time. A 6-month payment plan is also offered. | Lifetime | $449.85 | one-time | French, Levels 1 to 3 |
| Rocket Italian Levels 1, 2 & 3Levels 1-3One-time payment with lifetime access; 374 hours of lesson time. A 6-month payment plan is also offered. | Lifetime | $449.85 | one-time | Italian, Levels 1 to 3 |
| Rocket German Levels 1, 2 & 3Levels 1-3One-time payment with lifetime access; 389 hours of lesson time. A 6-month payment plan is also offered. | Lifetime | $449.85 | one-time | German, Levels 1 to 3 |
| Rocket Japanese Levels 1, 2 & 3Levels 1-3One-time payment with lifetime access; 451 hours of lesson time. A 6-month payment plan is also offered. | Lifetime | $449.85 | one-time | Japanese, Levels 1 to 3 |
| Rocket Chinese Levels 1, 2 & 3Levels 1-3One-time payment with lifetime access; 451 hours of lesson time. A 6-month payment plan is also offered. | Lifetime | $449.85 | one-time | Chinese, Levels 1 to 3 |
| Rocket Russian Levels 1, 2 & 3Levels 1-3One-time payment with lifetime access; 312 hours of lesson time. A 6-month payment plan is also offered. | Lifetime | $449.85 | one-time | Russian, Levels 1 to 3 |
Questions people ask
Is Duolingo better than Rocket Languages?
Neither is better for every learner. Choose Duolingo if you want a full course free for good and more languages to choose from. Choose Rocket Languages if you want to pay once rather than subscribe and a trial or money back. In our comparison, Duolingo is strongest on the free tier and teaching depth, weakest on speaking practice, and Rocket Languages strongest on teaching depth and trial and refund terms, weakest on the free tier.
Which is cheaper, Duolingo or Rocket Languages?
They are priced differently. On Duolingo, every course is free, and Super is priced in the app. On Rocket Languages, you pay $99.95 to $449.85 once, for one language's course; the price depends on the language and how many levels you buy.
Do Duolingo and Rocket Languages teach the same languages?
Duolingo lists 40 languages and Rocket Languages 13, each counting varieties its own way; 12 languages are taught by both. Each app's page here lists its languages, with a page for each language two or more apps teach.
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