Memrise vs Duolingo: vocabulary app against course app
Prices checked 17 Oct 2026; Memrise's on 6 Sept 2026, Duolingo's on 7 Oct 2026 · How we check
Memrise for real speech and vocabulary once you have the basics.
Duolingo to get the basics for free.
| Question | Memrise | Duolingo |
|---|---|---|
| A year costs | $61.99 a year for all 149 languages, or $24.99 month to month | Free. Super's yearly price is not published; its US App Store purchases run $9.99 to $119.99 |
| A lesson is | Short clips of native speakers saying words and phrases, then spaced review. | A few minutes of game-like exercises (translate, match, listen, speak), with English throughout. |
| Try it | A limited free version, then a 30-day money-back guarantee. | Free for good; Super has a 1-week free trial. |
| App Store rating, 10 Oct 2026 | 4.8 out of 5 from 217,240 ratings | 4.7 out of 5 from 5.5 million ratings |
| Most mentioned in 1- and 2-star App Store reviews, 15 Oct 2026 | the price, billing or the subscription (32 of 166) | the price, billing or the subscription (16 of 102) |
| Google Play rating, 11 Oct 2026 | 4.4 out of 5 from 1.6 million ratings | 4.7 out of 5 from 50.8 million ratings |
How a lesson works in each
Memrise: vocabulary app
Duolingo: course app
Side by side
| Compare | Memrise | Duolingo |
|---|---|---|
| CEFR levels | — | A1 to B2 |
| A year costs | $61.99 a year for all 149 languages, or $24.99 month to month | Free. Super's yearly price is not published; its US App Store purchases run $9.99 to $119.99 |
| What it is | Vocabulary and flashcards: Short video clips of native speakers plus spaced-repetition review | 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 | $5.17/mo ($61.99 a year) | — |
| Monthly plan | $24.99 | — |
| US in-app purchases | — | Super in the US App Store: $9.99 to $119.99, depending on the plan. |
| Lifetime plan | $329.99 once, all languages | No lifetime plan |
| Free tier | Limited free version of the app; the paid plan unlocks the rest. | Full free tier with ads and limits; Super removes the ads and limits, and Max adds AI practice (Video Call and Roleplay). |
| Languages offered | 149 | 40 |
| Speech recognition | Yes | Yes |
| Live tutoring | — | No |
| Offline mode | No · The current experience needs cloud-based tools | Yes · Limited lessons available offline; progress syncs when connected |
| Placement test | — | Yes |
| Refund or trial | 30-day money-back guarantee; monthly plans have a 14-day refund window. Apple purchases require a refund from Apple. | 1 week free trial on Super |
| Platforms | iOS, Android, Web | iOS, Android, Web |
| Company | Memrise, United Kingdom | Duolingo, Inc |
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Memrise
Vocabulary and flashcards
In our comparison: strongest on the number of languages and price, weakest on teaching depth.
$61.99 a year $5.17 a month, billed yearly$24.99 on the monthly plan
Short video clips of native speakers plus spaced-repetition review. Speech recognition scores your pronunciation.
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.
Duolingo is a useful starting point for a free course, while Memrise adds vocabulary practice with clips of native speakers. They work well together if you want to hear familiar words in real voices. Use Memrise as extra practice rather than expecting vocabulary drills to cover every part of a course.
Which to choose
You understand the grammar but freeze on real speech
Memrise
Memrise's clips are people on the street saying the phrase at normal speed, which is the thing textbooks and most apps do not give you. Its annual plan was $61.99 when checked, or $5.17 a month for all languages, shown as a flash-sale price beside a crossed-out $299.88; the monthly plan is $24.99 and there is a $329.99 lifetime plan. The free version is limited; the paid plan unlocks the rest. Both apps state speech recognition.
You are starting from zero
Duolingo first, Memrise alongside
A vocabulary app assumes you have something to hang the words on. Duolingo's free tier gives you the skeleton of the language for nothing; Memrise fills it with phrases you will hear. If the budget is one subscription, spend it on Memrise once you are past the first few weeks, because that is when the extra listening starts to pay.
You are buying on price
Duolingo free; Memrise only on the annual plan
Memrise's monthly price is among the highest we cover at $24.99; its annual price is among the lowest per month at $5.17. The monthly plan is for a specific trip or exam, not for a year of learning. Duolingo costs nothing until you decide the ads are worth removing, at a price you can only see in the app.
Where they really differ
- Price: Memrise: $61.99 a year for all 149 languages, or $24.99 month to month. Duolingo: Free. Super's yearly price is not published; its US App Store purchases run $9.99 to $119.99.
- A lesson: Memrise: Short clips of native speakers saying words and phrases, then spaced review. Duolingo: A few minutes of game-like exercises (translate, match, listen, speak), with English throughout.
- A real person: Memrise doesn't mention live tutors. Duolingo has no tutors; the Video Call in Duolingo Max is an AI character.
- Levels: Memrise doesn't state CEFR levels. Duolingo states CEFR levels A1 to B2.
- Offline: Memrise needs a connection. Duolingo works offline.
- Trying it: Memrise: A limited free version, then a 30-day money-back guarantee. Duolingo: Free for good; Super has a 1-week free trial.
- Both: Listen to you speak.
Plans and prices
Memrise
| Plan | Billing | Price | Per month | Covers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AnnualProSold as a flash sale against a crossed-out $299.88, which is twelve months at the monthly price. Apple's US App Store lists the same plan at $61.99. | Annual | $61.99 | $5.17/mo | all languages |
| MonthlyProApple's US App Store sells the same plan for $24.99. | Monthly | $24.99 | $24.99/mo | all languages |
| LifetimeProApple's US App Store sells the same plan for $329.99. | Lifetime | $329.99 | one-time | 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) |
What will Memrise cost you for the months you study?
Total billed over 12 months
$237.89 less on annual billingOne yearly payment of $61.99.
What each plan covers. Monthly: all languages. Yearly: all languages.
Questions people ask
Is Memrise better than Duolingo?
They do different jobs. Memrise is a vocabulary and listening app with native-speaker video and spaced repetition; Duolingo is a course app with a free tier. A learner who has the basics and wants real speech gets more from Memrise; a beginner gets more from Duolingo for free.
How much does Memrise cost?
When checked, $24.99 a month, $61.99 a year ($5.17 a month, shown as a flash-sale price) or $329.99 for a lifetime plan, all languages included, from app.memrise.com.
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