Duolingo is a name that every language learner has heard of. Launched in 2011 with the promise of making language learning free, fun, and accessible, the app quickly became a global phenomenon. Its playful design, gamified lessons, and ever-persistent mascot Duo helped turn daily language practice into a habit for millions.
At its peak, Duolingo lived on nearly every smartphone, redefining how people approached learning a new language. But the landscape has changed.
As Duolingo rose in popularity, it also inspired fierce competition. Platforms like Babbel and Rosetta Stone emerged with a more structured, curriculum-driven approach. They offered courses that were structured and curated by people with years of experience in the curriculum, which motivated learners.
One example of such a structure is the emphasis of real-life dialogues Babbel provides, which clearly define lessons. This structure contrasts with Duolingo’s playful but sometimes shallow format.
Busuu and Memrise integrated social learning and spaced repetition techniques to improve vocabulary retention. Busuu’s ability to connect learners with native speakers added a layer of authenticity and feedback absent from Duolingo’s largely automated system. More recently, AI-driven platforms such as Talkpal have pushed the envelope further by offering immersive, real-time conversation practice within cultural contexts. It directly addresses one of Duolingo’s longest-standing weaknesses: meaningful speaking practice.
On a Reddit post under r/duolingo, a user said that Duolingo is ‘dead’, which means that the platform has lost all of its credibility in learning languages. Duolingo’s ‘death’ is mostly because it artificially limits lesson flow and focus towards a surge of ads and subscriptions, which makes users feel more like monetisation pressure rather than support. Its competitors utilise the freemium space effectively and provide the perfect structure before showing ads and subscriptions.
The only reason why Duolingo is common among language learners is because of the Duolingo English Proficiency test, which is paid and accepted in some countries. Students who lack English proficiency take the exam to obtain admission abroad. This is something where the competitors fail. It’s more like you win some and you lose some structure.
In that sense, Duolingo exists in a delicate balance. It may be losing the cultural dominance and trust it once enjoyed, but it has not disappeared from the language-learning ecosystem. Duolingo would truly face extinction only if a competitor managed to introduce an internationally accepted English proficiency test that rivals its own. Until then, Duolingo is not dead, but it is no longer untouchable.
