Is Duolingo actually free?
How these scores work
Less than it used to be. The course content is still free — but in 2025 Duolingo replaced hearts with an 'energy' meter on mobile that drains with every exercise, right or wrong, walling most free users off after a couple of lessons a day.
Super costs real money monthly; free still teaches — now on a meter.
What you get free
- All course content in every language
- Streaks, leaderboards, and practice tools
- The web version, which still runs on the gentler hearts system
In practice: the full path in any language still costs nothing — free now just buys fewer minutes of it per day on mobile.
Drawbacks
- The energy meter drains even on correct answers (mobile)
- A practical cap of a couple of free lessons daily
- Ads between lessons
- Gamification sometimes outruns depth
Also paywalled
- Unlimited energy on mobile
- Ad removal
- Offline lessons and streak repair
Free facts
| Verdict | Free-ish |
| Card required | No |
| Auto-bills | — |
| Account | Required |
| Limits | Ads; an 'energy' meter caps daily lessons on mobile |
| The real cost | Ads, plus a daily energy wall that stops even perfect learners. |
The catch
Under hearts, a careful learner could study free all day; under energy, even perfect answers burn the meter, and refilling means watching ads, spending gems, waiting, or subscribing. The content is free. The time to actually learn it, on mobile, increasingly isn't — which is why we moved Duolingo down a tier.
The smart play
- Use the web version — as of our check it still runs the gentler hearts system, not the energy meter
- Where offered, practice and review sessions refill the meter without paying
- Serious about the language? Pair it with free Anki flashcards on desktop
More info — tap to expand
The energy system, precisely
The web loophole
Is free still worth it?
Last checked: July 2026 · Verdict: Free-ish — a free tier exists, but it's shaped to squeeze you toward paying.
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