meum lingua vs Duolingo
Duolingo teaches with short, game-like lessons on a fixed path, written for the app, from zero up to B2 in its biggest courses. meum lingua starts where many learners want to go next: reading real news, rewritten for their level, from newspapers they choose. They do different jobs, and they work well together.
| Feature | meum lingua | Duolingo |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free: 3 articles a day, with ads. Pro: US$12.99 a month or US$89.99 a year (7-day trial). New accounts get 3 days of Pro. | Free with ads and a daily Energy limit. Super (no ads, unlimited Energy) is about US$12.99 a month or US$83.99–95.99 a year; Duolingo doesn't publish its prices. |
| Platforms | iPhone (iOS 17 or later) | iPhone, Android and web |
| Languages | 41 | 40+ courses |
| Levels | A1 to C2 | From zero to B2 in the largest courses; the 148 courses built with AI in 2025 mainly cover beginner levels |
| What you read | Today's articles from 130+ newspapers you choose (including paid ones you subscribe to), rewritten by AI at your level | Lessons and stories written for the app, including Advanced Stories with its own characters |
| Speaking | Single-word pronunciation in exercises; no conversation practice | Video Call with an AI character (rolling out to Super in 2026) and Roleplay with feedback (Max) |
| Daily habit | Daily goal, streaks, friends and reminders; you can bring your existing Duolingo streak | Streaks, leagues and game mechanics are its specialty |
| Family plan | Up to 5 people, US$149.99 a year | Up to 6 people, about US$119.99 a year |
Where Duolingo is better
- Starting from zero: a structured path teaches the basics step by step.
- A generous free plan, and it is very good at turning practice into a daily game.
- Spoken practice with an AI character (Video Call), which meum lingua doesn't offer.
- Android, the web and 40+ languages.
- A cheaper family plan for more people.
Where meum lingua is better
- Real journalism instead of sentences written for an app: today's news from the papers you choose, including ones you already subscribe to.
- It goes beyond B2: articles at C1 and C2 for advanced learners.
- You read about what interests you, and learn the words that matter for those topics.
- Writing practice: a 2-minute journal with corrections.
Which one should you choose?
Choose Duolingo if you're starting from zero, want a free daily habit that feels like a game, or want to practise speaking with an AI character.
Choose meum lingua if you know the basics (roughly A2 or above) and want to understand real news in the language — the kind of reading you will actually do.
Or use both: keep your Duolingo routine for the basics and add five minutes of real news a day. meum lingua can count your existing Duolingo streak, so you don't start from zero.
Sources
- Duolingo on the App Store (US)
- Duolingo prices (dealnews, May 2026)
- Duolingo blog: courses and CEFR levels
- TechCrunch: Duolingo opens up advanced content (April 2026)
- TechCrunch: 148 courses created with AI (April 2025)
- Duolingo shareholder letter Q2 2026 (Video Call)
- Duolingo blog: Duolingo Max
- Duolingo blog: Energy
Try meum lingua
meum lingua is in beta on TestFlight for iPhone (iOS 17 or later). Tell us which language you're learning and we'll send you an invite.
Join the beta