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They say Duolingo is bad – but I don't

I keep hearing people say that Duolingo is just a game, and not useful for actual language learning. Often it is an advertisement for a competing app but sometimes I hear it also from people who use or have used Duolingo themselves. I disagree: it depends on how you use it.

6 Apr 2026 by Niko Lipsanen

A 7-day Super Duolingo trial about to end; switched to Spanish for a while A 7-day Super Duolingo trial about to end; switched to Spanish for a while (photo by the author)

With around 130 million active users (according to Wikipedia), Duolingo has become the world’s most popular online language-learning platform. But the real question is: does it actually help you learn?

In my case, I use Duolingo primarily to study Spanish. I also practice French, though that’s more about maintaining what I already know—I speak it fairly well and don’t want to lose it. In the past, I also did some Russian, but I lost motivation after the war in Ukraine escalated four years ago.

Whenever people see me doing my daily lessons, they tend to ask the same question: “Do you actually learn anything from that?” My answer is yes—at least when I’m fully focused. One of Duolingo’s biggest strengths is repetition. For learners like me, repeating words and structures over time is essential for making them stick.

That said, I didn’t start from scratch. Before using Duolingo, I had taken university courses in Spanish (and Russian as well), which gave me a solid grammatical foundation—even if there was a gap of several years. Interestingly, when I use Duolingo now, I try not to think too much about grammar rules. Instead, I focus on getting a feel for the language—absorbing patterns and correct forms intuitively, a bit like how children learn. Spending several months each year in Spain also makes a big difference, as it provides valuable real-life practice.

Free vs paid: does it change how you learn?

I don’t use a Super or Max subscription. In fact, I feel like the free version forces me to concentrate more. When mistakes actually matter, you naturally pay closer attention. This was especially true back when Duolingo used the “hearts” system—you would lose one for every mistake. Now hearts have been replaced by “energy,” which gets consumed even if you don’t make mistakes, although you can earn some back by completing five flawless exercises in a row. So accuracy still counts, at least to some extent.

With Super, however, mistakes don’t really matter. And that makes it much easier to slip into fast mode and stop focusing.

Whenever I get a free 3- or 7-day trial of Super or Max, I usually switch to French. Since I’m not really trying to learn anything new there—just keeping the language active—I don’t mind going into “game mode.” I can collect points quickly, aim for a top-three spot in the weekly league, and satisfy my occasional competitive urge while still getting some useful practice.

The psychology of streaks and rewards

It’s quite fascinating how rewarding Duolingo’s “prizes” feel. At the same time, losing them can be surprisingly demotivating. I once lost my streak after losing my phone in the Lapland wilderness (I did get it miracuously back the next day, miraculously, but the streak was alrready gone.) Even though I had fewer than 200 days at the time, it still took me almost a month to start again.

Streak freezes help, of course, but I try not to rely on them. And realistically, skipping a single day shouldn't be a disaster if you’re otherwise consistent.

Streaks are great for maintaining momentum, but they also raise an interesting question: could language learning be gamified in a way that rewards focus rather than just speed? Learning something meaningful, instead of just collecting points as quickly as possible.

Slowing down and accepting ads

When a trial ends, I switch back to Spanish—and to a slower, more focused approach. Without Super, competing for the top positions in the most competitive leagues is difficult anyway, so I don’t really try. My goal is simply to maintain my streak and earn enough points to avoid dropping down a league.

Oddly enough, the occasional 30-second ad becomes a useful feature. It creates a natural pause—a moment to take a sip of tea. A 15-second ad is good enough for a fast energy drink sip

Downside of the free version

The biggest drawback of the free version, for me, is stability. The app tends to crash on my phone every couple of lessons, forcing me to restart it. Interestingly, this doesn’t happen when I have Super. It makes me wonder whether ads play a role—although the crashes don’t usually occur during ads themselves.

Duolingo often highlights that paid subscriptions help provide free education to millions. While that's a great mission it also raises a question: what about users with older devices? Shouldn’t the free version be optimized for them as well?

For me, this issue will probably resolve itself soon, as I’ll need to replace my phone anyway. It’s a shame, because I like my current one and most apps still work fine (apart from Facebook—but that’s manageable in a browser). Still, without software updates, it’s probably time to get a new phone.

Annoying English, or useful?

One thing I’m still undecided about is whether it’s annoying or actually useful: quite often, my mistakes aren’t in Spanish or French, but in English.

Since English isn’t my native language—even if it’s my strongest foreign language—I still make errors. It can feel frustrating, especially given how irregular the language is. At times, it seems less like a structured system and more like a collection of idioms. Mastering it perfectly feels almost impossible, even for native speakers.

Still, I try to see this as a bonus. Even when it’s frustrating to lose points because of mistakes in English while studying another language, it’s also an opportunity to improve my English along the way.

So does Duolingo work?

For me, the answer is yes—but with an important caveat. Duolingo works best when used with intention. It’s easy to turn it into a game, chasing points and streaks. But real learning happens when you slow down, focus, and engage with the material.

In the end, the app is just a tool. Whether it truly helps you learn depends on how you use it.

Some of my Duolingo statistics (as of 6-Apr-2026) if anyone is interested:

UPDATE 10 APR 2026: I added subtitles to increase readability, and made some small changes to the text.

2024-charcoeldiablo

The author also made a few lessons of Czech when a Czech friend made Finnish a few years ago. I can only remember that 'auto' means car because that's the same word as in Finnish.

2024-charcoeldiablo

The author also made a few lessons of Czech when a Czech friend made Finnish a few years ago. I can only remember that 'auto' means car because that's the same word as in Finnish.

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