Duolingo vs Rosetta Stone: which to choose, and what each costs
Prices checked 17 Oct 2026; Duolingo's on 7 Oct 2026 · How we check
Duolingo if you are not sure you will stick with it.
Rosetta Stone if you will pay $159 a year for a picture-led course with a 14-day money-back guarantee.
| Question | Duolingo | Rosetta Stone |
|---|---|---|
| A year costs | Free. Super's yearly price is not published; its US App Store purchases run $9.99 to $119.99 | $159 a year for all 25 languages, or $19.99 month to month |
| A lesson is | A few minutes of game-like exercises (translate, match, listen, speak), with English throughout. | Pictures and audio with no translation at all, and your pronunciation scored. |
| Try it | Free for good; Super has a 1-week free trial. | A 7-day free trial in the app, and a 14-day money-back guarantee when you buy on its site. |
| App Store rating, 10 Oct 2026 | 4.7 out of 5 from 5.5 million ratings | 4.6 out of 5 from 1,918 ratings |
| Most mentioned in 1- and 2-star App Store reviews, 15 Oct 2026 | the price, billing or the subscription (16 of 102) | the price, billing or the subscription (34 of 73) |
| Google Play rating, 11 Oct 2026 | 4.7 out of 5 from 50.8 million ratings | 4.6 out of 5 from 406,024 ratings |
How a lesson works in each
Both are course apps, so a lesson has the same shape
Side by side
| Compare | Duolingo | Rosetta Stone |
|---|---|---|
| CEFR levels | A1 to B2 | — |
| A year costs | Free. Super's yearly price is not published; its US App Store purchases run $9.99 to $119.99 | $159 a year for all 25 languages, or $19.99 month to month |
| 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: Immersion-style lessons without translation, with speech scoring |
| Per month at annual billing | — | $13.25/mo ($159 a year) |
| Monthly plan | — | $19.99 |
| 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 | Full free tier with ads and limits; Super removes the ads and limits, and Max adds AI practice (Video Call and Roleplay). | Free sample lessons on its site and a one-time 7-day free trial in the app; no lasting free plan. |
| Languages offered | 40 | 25 |
| Speech recognition | Yes | Yes |
| Live tutoring | No | Coaching sessions with a Rosetta Stone certified tutor. |
| Offline mode | Yes · Limited lessons available offline; progress syncs when connected | Yes |
| Placement test | Yes | — |
| Refund or trial | 1 week free trial on Super | A one-time 7-day free trial in the app. Bought from Rosetta Stone: a 14-day money-back guarantee, refunded by its Memberships team by email or phone. App Store purchases go through Apple; a retailer's follow that retailer's policy. |
| Platforms | iOS, Android, Web | iOS, Android, Web |
| Company | Duolingo, Inc | Rosetta Stone LLC (a division of IXL Learning) |
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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.
Rosetta Stone
Course app
In our comparison: strongest on trial and refund terms and the number of languages, weakest on the free tier.
$159 a year $13.25 a month, billed yearly$19.99 on the monthly plan
Immersion-style lessons without translation, with speech scoring. Live tutoring sold beside the app (Tutoring).
Choose Duolingo for a free daily routine, or Rosetta Stone if you prefer learning through pictures and immersion without translation. Rosetta Stone also offers offline lessons and optional tutoring. Try its approach first, because learners who want direct grammar explanations may find the lack of translation frustrating.
Which to choose
You want a serious course you will pay for
Rosetta Stone on the yearly plan
Rosetta Stone's yearly plan was $159 when checked, which is $13.25 a month, and covers all 25 languages. It states speech recognition, offline mode, a tutoring product and a 14-day money-back guarantee, which is more than most course apps state. The method is immersion without translation; if you want grammar explained in English, that is not what this app does, and its page does not claim otherwise.
You are not sure you will stick with it
Duolingo free first
Rosetta Stone has a one-time 7-day free trial rather than an ongoing free plan, so the cheap way to find out whether you will keep going is Duolingo's free tier, which is the full course set with ads. If a month later you are still opening the app, you know enough to spend $159 on the year somewhere.
You learn on a plane, a train or a shift with no signal
Rosetta Stone
Both apps support offline lessons. Duolingo describes limited offline lessons and syncing progress when connected; Rosetta Stone lets you download lessons in its mobile app.
You want a human at some point
Rosetta Stone's tutoring, or a marketplace
Rosetta Stone states a tutoring product; Duolingo's Video Call with Lily is an AI character inside Duolingo Max, not a person, and Max is sold only in-app with no published web price. If live conversation is the point, compare Rosetta Stone's tutoring against a marketplace such as Preply or italki, where you pay per lesson.
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. Rosetta Stone: $159 a year for all 25 languages, or $19.99 month to month.
- A lesson: Duolingo: A few minutes of game-like exercises (translate, match, listen, speak), with English throughout. Rosetta Stone: Pictures and audio with no translation at all, and your pronunciation scored.
- A real person: Duolingo has no tutors; the Video Call in Duolingo Max is an AI character. Rosetta Stone sells live tutoring alongside the app.
- Levels: Duolingo states CEFR levels A1 to B2. Rosetta Stone doesn't state CEFR levels.
- Trying it: Duolingo: Free for good; Super has a 1-week free trial. Rosetta Stone: A 7-day free trial in the app, and a 14-day money-back guarantee when you buy on its site.
- 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) |
Rosetta Stone
| Plan | Billing | Price | Per month | Covers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| YearlyLabelled "Save 33%" against the monthly plan. | Annual | $159 | $13.25/mo | all languages |
| MonthlyAll 25 languages. | Monthly | $19.99 | $19.99/mo | all languages |
What will Rosetta Stone cost you for the months you study?
Total billed over 12 months
$80.88 less on annual billingOne yearly payment of $159.00.
What each plan covers. Monthly: all languages. Yearly: all languages.
Questions people ask
Is Rosetta Stone worth it compared with Duolingo?
It depends on the learner. Rosetta Stone publishes a price ($19.99 a month, $159 a year when checked), speech scoring, offline mode, tutoring and a 14-day money-back guarantee. Duolingo is free with ads; Super is priced in the app, from $9.99 to $119.99 in the US App Store depending on the plan. Someone who has decided to pay for a structured course gets more stated features from Rosetta Stone; someone unsure whether they will keep going loses nothing starting with Duolingo.
How much does Rosetta Stone cost per month?
When checked, $19.99 on the monthly plan and $13.25 a month on the yearly plan ($159 a year), for all 25 languages, from rosettastone.com.
Do Duolingo and Rosetta Stone have free versions?
Duolingo's free tier is the full set of courses with ads and daily limits. Rosetta Stone has no ongoing free plan; its app has a one-time 7-day free trial.
Which is better for speaking?
Both state speech recognition. Rosetta Stone also sells a tutoring product, while Duolingo's only conversation feature is an AI character in the paid Max tier. On the facts each app states, Rosetta Stone offers more for speaking.
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