# Duolingo: Learn Languages reviews: what users love, hate and want

> Loved for teaching, but users are fed up with energy limits, ads, and AI changes.

- App: Duolingo: Learn Languages by Duolingo, Inc (Education, iOS)
- App Store page: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/duolingo-learn-languages/id570060128?uo=4
- Source: Apple App Store, United States store. The 500 most recent public reviews, written Oct 14 – Oct 18, 2026.
- Satisfaction score: 62/100 (how happy recent reviewers are; 0 = unhappy, 100 = delighted)
- Recent average: 3.7 stars. 25% of these reviews gave 1 or 2 stars.
- App Store rating: 4.7 stars from 5,513,488 ratings
- First published: 2026-10-19. Last updated: 2026-10-19.
- Canonical page: https://synthiya.ai/r/duolingo-learn-languages

## What users love

1. **Fun, effective language learning** (60 mentions). Quote: "It makes learning another language fun and easy."
2. **Learns many subjects, not just languages** (30 mentions). Quote: "learning languages, math, chess, and music"
3. **Streaks and daily habit building** (15 mentions). Quote: "It keeps me from doom scrolling"
4. **Cute owl and mascot charm** (10 mentions). Quote: "the Duolingo bird is soooo cute"

## What users hate

1. **Energy system cuts off lessons** (45 mentions). Quote: "the energy thing kinda ruins the entire experience"
2. **Aggressive ads and upsell screens** (35 mentions). Quote: "the ads for super Duolingo with a lot of payment a year"
3. **AI-generated content feels careless** (20 mentions). Quote: "AI Slop is ruining the app"
4. **Pushy paywalls and forced subscriptions** (18 mentions). Quote: "they subscribed me without any notice"
5. **Repetitive lessons, little real teaching** (15 mentions). Quote: "Very repetitive"

## What users want

1. **Bring back hearts instead of energy** (15 mentions). Quote: "why can't Duolingo turn the energy back into hearts"
2. **Fewer ads and fewer popups** (12 mentions). Quote: "stop asking for my contacts"
3. **Add more languages like Tagalog** (10 mentions). Quote: "Tagalog,bisaya u needa add that"
4. **Accessibility fixes for VoiceOver users** (5 mentions). Quote: "Please make it accessible"
5. **Option to disable chess and league features** (5 mentions). Quote: "I can't turn the feature off"

## Why people say they are leaving

- Leaving over energy limits blocking lessons
- Quitting after unwanted subscription charges
- Deleting over AI-generated content quality drops
- Ads and popups make learning frustrating

## What to fix first

Replace energy with hearts or generous free practice, and cut ads and upsell popups between lessons.

## Opportunity for a competitor

A focused, ad-light language app with real grammar explanations, no energy caps, and transparent pricing could win frustrated Duolingo users.

## Rating by app version

| Version | Average stars | Reviews |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 7.144.0 | 3.71 | 498 |

## Quick answers

### What do users like most about Duolingo?

Users like “Fun, effective language learning” the most. 60 reviews mention it. They also praise “Learns many subjects, not just languages” and “Streaks and daily habit building”.

### What are the biggest complaints about Duolingo?

The top complaint is “Energy system cuts off lessons”. 45 reviews mention it. Users also complain about “Aggressive ads and upsell screens” and “AI-generated content feels careless”. Of the 500 reviews we read, 25% gave 1 or 2 stars.

### What features do Duolingo users want?

The top request is “Bring back hearts instead of energy”. 15 reviews mention it. Users also ask for “Fewer ads and fewer popups” and “Add more languages like Tagalog”.

### Why do people stop using Duolingo?

The main reason people give is “Leaving over energy limits blocking lessons”. Others point to “Quitting after unwanted subscription charges” and “Deleting over AI-generated content quality drops”.

### Is Duolingo worth it, according to reviews?

It depends on what you need. Recent reviews give it 3.7 stars on average, and it scores 62 out of 100 for satisfaction. Check the top complaint, “Energy system cuts off lessons”, before you decide. Its overall App Store rating is 4.7 stars from 5,513,488 ratings.

### What should Duolingo fix first?

Based on the reviews, our teardown says: Replace energy with hearts or generous free practice, and cut ads and upsell popups between lessons.

## About this teardown

Synthiya read the 500 newest public reviews of Duolingo: Learn Languages on the App Store in the United States and summed up what people say. Each point comes with a real quote. Mention counts are estimates. How we make teardowns: https://synthiya.ai/methodology

Cite as: Synthiya. “Duolingo: Learn Languages reviews: what users love, hate and want.” Updated Oct 19, 2026. https://synthiya.ai/r/duolingo-learn-languages