Duolingo: Language Lessons Review Analysis
Analyzed Jun 1, 2026
Duolingo is alienating a significant portion of its user base with an aggressive monetization strategy that feels deceptive and undermines its educational mission. The recent replacement of the 'Hearts' system with a more restrictive 'Energy' system is the top complaint, severely throttling the free user experience and creating a 'pay-to-learn' wall. This is compounded by numerous, serious allegations of deceptive billing, where users across multiple countries (e.g., GB, FR, PL) report being charged for expensive annual subscriptions without the promised notification before their free trials end. A surge in technical bugs, especially a game-breaking freeze in the new Chess feature, and a perceived decline in lesson quality since a switch to AI-generated content are further eroding user trust and goodwill.
Rating distribution
The rating distribution is highly polarized, with a strong majority of 5-star reviews (62%) but a very significant number of 1-star reviews (13%). This indicates a 'love it or hate it' user base, likely split between happy subscribers who enjoy the gamified learning and deeply frustrated free users or those who have encountered serious billing or technical issues. The yearly trend data confirms this, showing a notable drop in the average rating in 2025 and 2026, coinciding with these more aggressive monetization changes.
Rating trend by year
Review-level analysis below covers the latest 10,000 reviews.
Key themes
Despite frustrations, the core value proposition of Duolingo remains strong. Many users, especially new ones, love the gamified experience, finding it fun, motivating, and effective for building vocabulary and a daily learning habit. The characters, streaks, and game-like rewards are frequently cited as reasons for their continued engagement.
The most frequent complaint is the replacement of the 'Hearts' system with a new 'Energy' system. Users are furious that energy depletes even on correct answers, effectively punishing usage rather than mistakes. This severely limits free users to only one or two lessons per day, which they feel is insufficient for learning and is a transparent attempt to force subscriptions.
A significant number of users across various countries (GB, FR, PL, ES, CL) report being charged for expensive annual subscriptions immediately after a free trial without the promised notification. They label this practice a 'scam' and 'deceptive'. Many also complain about the incessant pop-ups and ads pushing for Super and Max upgrades, even after paying for a subscription tier.
A large cluster of recent reviews reports a critical bug in the new Chess feature where matches freeze, forcing a resignation and loss of ELO. Other common technical complaints include faulty voice recognition, non-functional or inaccurate widgets, app crashes, and progress not being saved, leading to lost streaks and wasted XP boosters.
The addition of courses beyond languages—specifically Music, Math, and Chess—is a widely praised strategic expansion. Users are excited to learn these new skills within the familiar Duolingo framework, which significantly broadens the app's appeal and value.
Several long-term users have noticed a drop in the quality of translations and course content, which they attribute to the company's recent, public shift to using AI. They describe translations as 'awkward' or incorrect and feel the educational integrity of the courses is degrading.
Users who encounter critical issues like billing errors or lost progress report receiving only automated responses or no response at all from customer support. This lack of human support exacerbates frustration and leaves users feeling unheard and ripped off.
A small but vocal minority of users from countries including Mexico, the US, and Vietnam express strong disapproval of the inclusion of same-sex couples and LGBTQ+ themes in lessons. They label it as 'inappropriate for children' and an unnecessary 'agenda'.
Tap a theme to expand. Counts represent reviews mentioning the theme.
Notable reviews
(Translated from PL) 'I decided on 30 days of free super duolingo... Unfortunately, no one informed me... I cancelled in the app 2 days before the end of the trial period... After two days, the amount for a full-year subscription was withdrawn from my account... I warn everyone against the thieving practice of Duolingo!!!'
I was offered 30 days of Duolingo plus... they stated there would be a warning in the days before the charge... I have been on the app everyday and received no warning, or any email from Apple/duolingo. Apple has refused my refund request, I am not happy at all with this outcome.
I remember the days where you could literally spend an hour learning... Now you only have limited ‘energy’ and can only really get through one lesson before you’re out. I’m not paying for this god forsaken, AI using app just so I can learn a language.
The implementation of the “energy bar” is the worst thing the developers ever could have done... Now that i have to pay more just to learn is completely ridiculous... Duo used to be awesome, now it’s average on a good day.
The new update is causing me to lose chess matches against Oscar. It freezes up and the time stops. Or I move into a check position and it says not good enough but it won't let me change my move. This is killing my ELO score!!
since it announced using AI-generated content in its course development, the English translations for Japanese have become very awkward, and I am forced to follow the awkwardness just to get past the content.
(Translated from ES) 'They have introduced another payment option (max) and they bombard you with advertising despite already paying for premium. An absolutely pitiful service, not to mention the change to AI, where you can see the drop in quality in the texts. Greed apparently knows no limits.'
BUT, having paid €147.99 for a FULL annual family subscription, being charged for ‘extra gems’ when completing more complex timed challenges, and LOOSING all progress when you refuse to spend money on extra gems, is NOTHING SHORT OF A MONEY MAKING SCAM.
I got locked out of my yearlong subscription after buying a new phone... I wrote them 5 or 6 times asking for help and only got automated responses. I was only in a couple of months. So they kept 10 months of paid contract.
(Translated from FR) 'I was offered a 7-day trial so I chose the monthly subscription, I pay (it's not supposed to be charged) but I am charged anyway before the trial. No refund despite canceling 1 hour later (not even 7 days).'
You changed half my life and made my life communicate with my family thank you so much
I’m a Canadian in a province with some Francophones, and I work a customer service job... after only six days I’m already noticing a significant improvement (on the free version, too!). Upon receiving some good reviews... my manager has informed me that he’s raising my pay if I act as a sort of French translator.
If you want a app that lets you learn math reading music chess and foreign languages while having fun this is the app for you I love it because now I can learn German for my classes while not being bored 2000/10 definitely would try
i absolutely LOVE how you make a language learning app feel like a game!! bc of u i got super for free !! bc practise pays off
The best part of learning with Duolingo is that it’s a lot of fun. Some of the stories are so funny. I love the characters, especially Junior, Eddy, and Lily.
Feature requests from users
A large number of users are explicitly requesting the removal of the new 'Energy' system and a return to the old 'Hearts' system. They feel the heart system was fairer because it only punished mistakes, allowing for unlimited practice if a user was performing well. The current energy system is seen as a restrictive paywall that punishes usage itself.
Users consistently request the addition of more languages. The most frequently mentioned are Thai, Sign Language (ASL), Farsi/Persian, Punjabi, and various European languages like Croatian and Luxembourgish. Users often point out the existence of fictional languages like Klingon as a reason why their real, widely-spoken language should be included.
Users of the new Chess course are requesting fixes and improvements. The most urgent is to fix the bug that causes matches to freeze, forcing a loss. Other requests include the ability to disable Oscar's hints during matches, to review past games, and to stop Oscar's 'trash talk'.
Users from Portugal and those learning Portuguese for travel to Portugal are asking for a dedicated European Portuguese course. They find the current course, which is based on Brazilian Portuguese, to be significantly different and sometimes causes errors in their lessons.
Tap a request to see what users said. Counts are the number of reviews explicitly asking for it.
Recommendations
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