Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Duolingo VS Preply

Compare Duolingo VS Preply and see what are their differences

Duolingo logo Duolingo

Duolingo is a free language learning app for iOS, Windows and Android devices. The app makes learning a new language fun by breaking learning into small lessons where you can earn points and move up through the levels. Read more about Duolingo.

Preply logo Preply

Large database of experienced English language tutors. Native speakers. Flexible payment system
  • Duolingo Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-09-19
  • Preply Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-04-24

Duolingo

Release Date
2011 January
Startup details
Country
United States
State
Pennsylvania
City
Pittsburgh
Founder(s)
Luis von Ahn
Employees
500 - 999

Preply

Website
preply.com
Release Date
2012 January
Startup details
Country
United States
City
Brookline
Founder(s)
Dmytro Voloshyn
Employees
1,000 - 1,999

Duolingo features and specs

  • Gamification
    Duolingo uses game-like features such as points, levels, and streaks to motivate learners to practice regularly.
  • Accessibility
    Duolingo is available on multiple platforms, including web browsers, iOS, and Android, making it easy to use anywhere, anytime.
  • Free Tier
    The app offers a substantial amount of content for free, making language learning accessible to users without financial commitment.
  • Variety of Languages
    Duolingo offers courses in numerous languages, providing learners with a wide range of options to choose from.
  • Interactive Learning
    The app includes various exercises that require active participation, such as typing translations, listening, and speaking practice.
  • Regular Updates
    Duolingo frequently updates its content and adds new features, ensuring that the learning experience remains fresh and current.
  • Community and Social Features
    Includes forums and social media-style interactions where learners can connect, share experiences, and motivate each other.

Possible disadvantages of Duolingo

  • Lack of Depth
    The app often focuses on vocabulary and simple sentences, which may not be sufficient for advanced learners looking for in-depth language skills.
  • Ad Interruptions
    Free users experience frequent ads between lessons, which can be disruptive and annoying.
  • Limited Practice for Conversations
    While Duolingo offers some speaking exercises, the app lacks the ability to simulate real-life conversation scenarios fully.
  • Accuracy of Content
    There are occasional errors in translations or exercises, which can be confusing for users.
  • Repetitive Exercises
    The types of exercises available can become repetitive over time, potentially leading to decreased engagement.
  • Gaps in Grammar Coverage
    The app does not always provide comprehensive grammar explanations, which may leave users with gaps in their understanding.
  • In-App Purchases
    While the free tier is generous, some advanced features and ad-free experience are locked behind a subscription paywall.

Preply features and specs

  • Wide Variety of Tutors
    Preply offers a large selection of tutors for various subjects and languages, providing users the flexibility to choose based on qualifications, teaching style, and rates.
  • Customizable Learning Experience
    Students can tailor their learning experience by selecting tutors that fit their learning pace, preferences, and specific needs.
  • User-Friendly Platform
    The platform is designed to be easy to navigate, allowing for efficient scheduling, messaging, and payment processing.
  • Flexible Scheduling
    Preply allows students to schedule lessons at their convenience, accommodating varying time zones and personal schedules.
  • Variety of Price Points
    With tutors from different backgrounds and expertise levels, Preply offers a range of pricing options that can fit different budgets.
  • Free Trial Lessons
    Students can often try a lesson with a new tutor at a lower cost or sometimes for free, helping them to make an informed decision.

Possible disadvantages of Preply

  • Quality Variability
    With a wide range of tutors, the quality of teaching can vary significantly, which may require students to try multiple tutors before finding a suitable one.
  • Platform Fees
    Preply charges a commission fee on each lesson, which can make the overall cost higher than if you were to pay a tutor directly.
  • Cancellation Policies
    The cancellation policy may vary from tutor to tutor, and some may have strict rules that can lead to loss of payment if lessons are canceled last minute.
  • Potential Communication Barriers
    Given the global network of tutors, language barriers or differing communication styles can sometimes be an issue.
  • Limited In-Person Interaction
    As an online platform, it lacks the face-to-face interaction that some learners may prefer for more effective learning.
  • Dependence on Technology
    Lessons conducted online require reliable internet access and adequate technology, which may be a limitation for some users.

Duolingo videos

Duolingo Review: Does it really work?

More videos:

  • Review - ONE THOUSAND (1000) days of Duolingo 🔥 - Was it worth it? (+FULL REVIEW)
  • Review - DUOLINGO Review - What is Duolingo and what do I think about it?

Preply videos

Preply Review - Learn Languages Online {Learn Spanish Online}

More videos:

  • Review - PREPLY REVIEW: +29,000 Tutors Are Willing to Help You. This Is How It Works!

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Duolingo and Preply)
Education
86 86%
14% 14
Language Learning
87 87%
13% 13
Spaced Repetition
100 100%
0% 0
Online Learning
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Duolingo and Preply

Duolingo Reviews

  1. A review

    It's incredibly easy to use and the regular reminder from the app about practicing more keep you consistent. Besides,in my opinion,it also can be not only a tool for learning languages,but a good entertainment for kids too. I've been practicing here almost every day throughout the year and i highly recommend Duolingo:))

    👍 Pros:    I added everything i want to be mentioned above
    👎 Cons:    Perhaps the design may look "too childish" for some adults,but it's only the matter of taste
  2. Pretty good

    Duolingo is a quite nice language learning app for the begginers and for those who want to know a certain language on a pretty good medium level(It's like something between A2-B1,i suppose). Moreover, I'd like to admit it's can be useful for kids as well because the app has cute design and playable interactions , challenges and its own little app - shop where you can buy different bonuses for you ,and in my opinion,children could like an idea of learning languages in a playable form. Though, Duolingo can be rather annoying, when you miss one or two days of studying ,so it'd be really awesome if my brother,for example, who uses this app ,could make his own studying schedule here.

  3. Best Language Learning App
    👍 Pros:    Supports multiple languages|Variety of languages|Tasks|Daily routines

Best Memrise Alternatives (February 2025) – UPDATED
Our team of dedicated writers and language enthusiasts is committed to bringing you insightful content and expert advice to enhance your Duolingo experience. From language-learning tips to in-depth analyses of Duolingo courses, we're here to guide you on your journey to linguistic mastery. Join us as we explore the exciting world of languages together and unlock the doors to...
Source: lingoly.io
15 Language Learning Apps Compared - Personally Tested
Language learning apps such as Duolingo, Babbel and others have millions of registered users worldwide. Duolingo alone has over 300 million registered users.
Source: www.krioda.com
Apps Similar To Duolingo: Best Language Learning Alternatives
Duolingo, Memrise, LingoDeer, Busuu, and Babbel are popular choices. Duolingo makes learning fun with games. Babbel designs its interface for each language.
10 Best Babbel Alternatives in 2024
Having tested dozens of language learning apps, Duolingo is our top pick. There is no better free program to learn a new language than Duolingo, as it provides a seamless experience with no ads, a special mode for practicing your mistakes and other perks. The best part is it makes the process easier by offering learners strong content.
14 Best Duolingo Alternatives to Learn New Languages
Considering that constructed languages such as High Valyrian and Klingon have made it to Duolingo, it’s a bit frustrating that the above languages are still not in the app. And with the now-defunct Duolingo Incubator, you can’t even see if Duolingo plans to add your desired language to their courses.

Preply Reviews

15 Language Learning Apps Compared - Personally Tested
Preply is an education platform that connects qualified language teachers with learners. I found that the platform makes it easy to plan lessons and find competent teachers for language learning. The teachers are helpful and supportive in achieving learning goals. Though the platform does not offer a lot of teaching material, I was satisfied with my experience and have...
Source: www.krioda.com
The 12 best online tutoring services for 2020
Preply is THE online destination for tutors to help you speak confidently in a number of different languages. They offer nearly 2,600 tutors in the English language, as well as more than 800 Spanish tutors and more than 400 tutors in the Chinese language. Other languages include German, French, Russian, Arabic and more. Working with a live tutor rather than an automated app...
Source: www.care.com
Top 10 Best Websites for Finding an English Tutor [2020 UPDATED]
Introduction: A fierce competitor of italki, Preply also hosts a large number of online language tutors. It currently has nearly 2,500 online English tutors available and its lessons take place over Skype. It has generous cancellation (4 hrs before lessons) and refund (100% refund or tutor change if you are not satisfied) policies as opposed to the other platforms. Same as...
Source: aaac.co
Best 15 Genuine Online Tutoring Sites for Teachers | Get Paid to Teach
To become a tutor on Preply.com, you have to first signup using Facebook or email and then submit your application for moderation once you are done with filling up basic details about you. Don’t add any contact information while writing up profile description. During verification they thoroughly check details like profile completeness, quality and qualification of tutor. To...
Source: incomopedia.com
10 Sites for Online Tutoring/Teaching
If you are a tutor who would love a well-paying online tutoring company, then it’s wise to work for Preply. With a team of motivated students, you will enjoy flexibility as well as for your students. You can also control your schedule easily with the site.
Source: tutorroom.net

Social recommendations and mentions

Preply might be a bit more popular than Duolingo. We know about 84 links to it since March 2021 and only 70 links to Duolingo. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Duolingo mentions (70)

  • how gamifying my life helped me build better habits and achieve my goals
    Duolingo: a language-learning app that uses points, levels, and rewards to keep you motivated. This is the most effective when you do it with your friends or a group of people who share your learning goals. I got really addicted to checking my leaderboard rankings everyday. Source: almost 2 years ago
  • Brushing up on Spanish
    Hi! I wish I'd seen a post like this a few months ago. I would have been interested then. By now it's a little late for me. I just signed up for the 2 week free trial since that's about all the time I have left before I leave. If you can, use a desktop computer/laptop to do duolingo.com and it will have no ads and unlimited hearts! Not as convenient as the app on a phone but saves tons of time and you can do it... Source: almost 2 years ago
  • What is the best method to learn Japanese?
    If you want a guided course try Memrise or Duolingo. Source: almost 2 years ago
  • This is where you can change your avatar to a custom profilephoto!
    I appreciate the energy to help, but if there are 5 posts in a day all on the same topic with the answer 'use duolingo.com' I don't expect anyone who has the "I'll just create a reddit post" idea to find this post and read it, they didn't read any of the others. Source: almost 2 years ago
  • [OC] Started learning French over again but this time from Spanish, was curious how different the vocabulary was
    Source: duolingo.com for my vocabulary lists. Source: almost 2 years ago
View more

Preply mentions (84)

  • Production-grade gradient bordered, transparent, and rounded button
    There are a lot of articles out there on making gradient-bordered buttons, but the ones I read do not provide a production-grade solution. At Preply, we needed to have a partially transparent background button with rounded corners, and with gradient border. We need to get it in our Design System, to think about a React Native solution. I know this article is long, but it includes the links to all the resources I... - Source: dev.to / over 1 year ago
  • Looking for Ukrainian Teacher for US Native Online
    Preply is a Ukrainian-run tutor platform that is awesome. I have a tutor for Ukrainian language on there and he’s quite affordable and really good at what he does. Highly recommend the platform, feel free to DM me if you’re interested in my particular tutor (I’m sure the other Ukrainian tutors on there are great, too). Source: almost 2 years ago
  • If you were broke right now, and needed to earn money today, what would you do?
    You could try to teach on Preply maybe? Source: almost 2 years ago
  • 5 Side Hustles (Some haven't heard before) 1. sharetown.com 2. drivevinty.com / driveshare.com 3. sharegrid.com 4. acx.com 5. cambly.com / preply.com
    Sharetown.com 2. drivevinty.com / driveshare.com 3. sharegrid.com 4. acx.com 5. cambly.com / preply.com. Source: almost 2 years ago
  • Cheapest way to learn German in Zurich ? (for absolute beginner)
    You could try online lessons e.g. Preply. I'v never used it myself, but heard only good things from a colleague at work. Source: almost 2 years ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Duolingo and Preply, you can also consider the following products

Memrise - Learn a new language with games, humorous chatbots and over 30,000 native speaker videos.

Italki - italki is a language learning social network that connects students and language teachers.

Busuu - Join the global language learning community, take language courses to practice reading, writing, listening and speaking and learn a new language. Learn English with busuu's .

Babbel - Babbel is a paid language learning service that aims to strike a balance between thoroughness and cost efficiency.

Rosetta Stone - Rosetta Stone is the world's most popular software for learning languages. It is offered at a cost of just $169 when purchased outright, but it is also possible to purchase language programs in a subscription format that offers ongoing support.

Cambly - Private language tutors on demand.