Speak vs Duolingo: which to choose, and what each costs
Prices checked 6 Sept to 7 Oct 2026 · How we check
Speak if you want to practise talking aloud with an AI that corrects you, in one of its six languages.
Duolingo if you want a free course that covers reading, writing and vocabulary.
| Question | Speak | Duolingo |
|---|---|---|
| A year costs | $83.99 a year, or $17.99 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 | Talk out loud with an AI tutor that answers and corrects what you said. | A few minutes of game-like exercises (translate, match, listen, speak), with English throughout. |
| Try it | 7-day free trial; no permanently free tier is published. | Free for good; Super has a 1-week free trial. |
How a lesson works in each
Speak: AI conversation
Duolingo: course app
Side by side, as published
| Compare | Speak | Duolingo |
|---|---|---|
| CEFR levels stated | — | A1 to B2 |
| A year costs | $83.99 a year, or $17.99 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 | AI conversation practice: AI-led speaking practice with feedback on what you said | Course app: Game-shaped lessons for every course, with paid tiers that remove the ads and the daily limits |
| Per month at annual billing | $7/mo ($83.99 a year) | — |
| Monthly plan | $17.99 | — |
| US in-app purchases | — | Super in the US App Store: $9.99 to $119.99, depending on the plan. |
| Lifetime plan | none | none |
| Free tier | 7-day free trial; no permanently free tier is published | Full free tier with ads and limits; paid tiers remove ads and limits. |
| Languages offered | 6 | 40 |
| Speech recognition | Yes | Yes |
| Live tutoring | No | No |
| Offline mode | — | Yes · Limited lessons available offline; progress syncs when connected |
| Placement test | — | Yes |
| Refund or trial | 7-day free trial; refunds for App Store and Google Play purchases go through Apple or Google, and website purchases through Speak support | 1 week free trial on Super |
| Platforms | iOS, Android | iOS, Android, Web |
| Company | Speakeasy Labs, Inc., United States | Duolingo, Inc |
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Vendor links are untracked and earn nothing today. Commissions never affect which apps we recommend. Affiliate disclosure and how the data is collected.
Speak
AI conversation practice
In our comparison: strongest on speaking practice and staying power, weakest on the free tier.
$83.99 a year $7 a month, billed yearly · Premium$17.99 on the monthly plan
AI-led speaking practice with feedback on what you said. Conversation practice with an AI that corrects you (Speak Tutor).
- Free tier
- 7-day free trial; no permanently free tier is published
- Languages
- 6
- Speech recognition
- Yes
- Live tutoring
- No
- Offline mode
- —
- CEFR levels
- —
- Refund or trial
- 7-day free trial; refunds for App Store and Google Play purchases go through Apple or Google, and website purchases through Speak support
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.
- Free tier
- Full free tier with ads and limits; paid tiers remove ads and limits.
- Languages
- 40
- Speech recognition
- Yes
- Live tutoring
- No
- Offline mode
- Yes · Limited lessons available offline; progress syncs when connected
- CEFR levels
- A1 to B2
- Refund or trial
- 1 week free trial on Super
Speak is built around speaking: you talk to an AI tutor that answers and corrects what you said. Duolingo is a short game-like course on a screen, free with ads. Speak teaches six languages; Duolingo teaches 40.
Which one, for whom
You freeze when you have to speak
Speak
Speak's lessons are conversations with an AI tutor that gives feedback on what you said. Annual Premium was $83.99 a year ($7 a month) for one language, after a 7-day free trial. It teaches Spanish, French, Italian, Japanese, Korean and Mandarin.
You want to start free
Duolingo
Duolingo is free for good with ads and daily limits; Speak has a free trial, not a free tier. Duolingo's Video Call, in its paid Max tier, is also an AI character, not a person.
Your language is not one of Speak's six
Duolingo, or a tutor
Speak covers six languages. For anything else, Duolingo's 40 courses, or a person on Preply or italki, are the options here.
Where they really differ
- Price: Speak: $83.99 a year, or $17.99 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: Speak: Talk out loud with an AI tutor that answers and corrects what you said. 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: Speak doesn't state CEFR levels. Duolingo states CEFR levels A1 to B2.
- Offline: Speak doesn't say whether it works offline. Duolingo works offline.
- Trying it: Speak: 7-day free trial; no permanently free tier is published. Duolingo: Free for good; Super has a 1-week free trial.
- Both: Listen to you speak.
Every published plan
Speak
| Plan | Billing | Price | Per month | Covers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Annual PremiumPremiumUS App Store price; Speak's website shows no prices. | Annual | $83.99 | $7/mo | one language |
| Annual Premium PlusPremium PlusUS App Store price; Speak's website shows no prices. | Annual | $164.99 | $13.75/mo | one language |
| Monthly PremiumPremiumSpeak prices its plans only in the app; this is the US App Store price. | Monthly | $17.99 | $17.99/mo | one language |
| Monthly Premium PlusPremium PlusUS App Store price; Speak's website shows no prices. | Monthly | $39.99 | $39.99/mo | one language |
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 MaxMax | Other | — | — | all languages |
What will Speak cost you for the months you study?
Total billed over 12 months
$131.89 less on annual billing1 full annual payment · $83.99 at the start of each year.
Check coverage. Monthly: one language. Annual: one language. Features and language coverage may differ.
Questions people ask
Is Speak better than Duolingo for speaking?
Speaking is what Speak is built for: every lesson is a conversation with an AI that corrects you. Duolingo's exercises include speaking, but most of the time goes on reading, matching and translating.
How much does Speak cost compared with Duolingo?
Speak's Annual Premium was $83.99 a year for one language when checked, or $17.99 month to month. Duolingo is free; Super is sold in the app, from $9.99 to $119.99 in the US App Store, with no term stated.
Can Speak replace a tutor?
It gives speaking practice and feedback at any hour, but it is an AI, not a person. A tutor marketplace is the step up when you want a real conversation.