App
Babbel
$17.99/mo(0)
8 Best Duolingo Alternatives (2026)
- Price
- Free
- Grades
- 2–12 · Adult
- Type
- App
Updated · By Edulist · 4 sources
Why families look for Duolingo alternatives
- Free version has ads and an energy limit
- Little speaking or real conversation practice
- Gamification can push speed over learning
- No parent dashboard or lesson plans for homeschool records
- Pre-readers (use Duolingo ABC instead)
- Students who need a credit-bearing course with a teacher
Duolingo alternatives compared
| Product | Grades | Type | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Duolingo | 2–12 · Adult | App | Free |
| Babbel | 8–12 · Adult | App, Course | From $8.95/mo |
| Rosetta Stone | 3–12 · Adult | App, Course | From $13.25/mo |
| Busuu | 8–12 · Adult | App, Course | Free |
| Pimsleur | 10–12 · Adult | App, Course | From $13.75/mo |
| Homeschool Spanish Academy | K–12 · Adult | Tutoring, Course | From $480 one-time |
| Dinolingo | Pre-K–8 | App, Curriculum | From $16.58/mo |
| Lingokids | Pre-K–2 | App | From $7.50/mo |
| Duolingo ABC | Pre-K–2 | App | Free |
The best Duolingo alternatives
Babbel is a subscription app with 10- to 15-minute lessons in 14 languages, built around real conversations and clear grammar notes.
Babbel vs Duolingo: Which Language App Fits Your Teen or Homeschool? →Rosetta Stone is an immersion-style language app with 25 languages in one subscription.
Duolingo vs Rosetta Stone: Which Language App Works for Homeschool? →Busuu is a language app with structured courses in 14 languages, from beginner A1 to C1, plus written and spoken feedback from native speakers in its learner community.
Busuu vs Duolingo: Which Language App Fits Your Teen? →Pimsleur is an audio-first language course with 30-minute spoken lessons in 50+ languages.
Duolingo vs Pimsleur: Which Builds Real Speaking for Kids and Teens? →Homeschool Spanish Academy (HSA) offers live, 1-on-1 or paired online Spanish classes with native-speaking teachers based in Antigua, Guatemala.
Dinolingo is an immersion language program for kids ages 2 to 14 with 50 languages and 40,000+ videos, songs, games, books and printable worksheets.
Lingokids is an ad-free learning app for ages 2 to 8 with more than 4,000 games, songs and shows covering early literacy, math, science, art, music and social-emotional skills.
A free, ad-free learn-to-read app from Duolingo with more than 700 bite-sized lessons and interactive stories covering the alphabet, phonics, sight words and early vocabulary for preschool through about first or second grade.
Compare Duolingo head to head
Can a scholarship pay for any of these?
Duolingo's courses are free, so there is nothing to fund unless you choose Super. Families who need a fuller course may find curriculum or tutoring more likely to be an allowable ESA expense; each program decides.
No program on Edulist lists Duolingo yet. Save it to your wishlist and we’ll tell you when one does. Many state ESAs let families buy products like this directly; each program decides.
Sources
Questions
What are the best Duolingo alternatives?
For teens and parents, Babbel explains more grammar, Rosetta Stone teaches by immersion with 25 languages in one plan, Busuu adds native-speaker feedback and has a free version, and Pimsleur builds speaking through audio lessons. Babbel and Busuu require users to be 13 or older, and Pimsleur is aimed at ages 16 and up. For younger kids, apps like Dinolingo and Lingokids are built for children.
Save Duolingo. Compare it later.
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