Busuu vs Duolingo:
feedback from native speakers or game-style lessons

Both apps give full courses for free with ads. Pick Busuu if you want CEFR levels up to C1 and native speakers who correct your writing and speaking: Premium costs €57.99 a year in the EU. Pick Duolingo if you want more languages, 42 against 14, and a game with streaks and leagues.

How Busuu and Duolingo compare

Price per month

Busuu: Premium €9.69, Premium Plus €11.90 (EU, busuu.com)
Duolingo: Super €10.49 in the App Store, Netherlands (billing period not labelled)

Free version

Busuu: Complete courses and the community, a short ad before each lesson.
Duolingo: Every course free, with ads and limited hearts.

Languages

Busuu: 14.
Duolingo: 42, including High Valyrian and Klingon.

Live classes with teachers

Busuu: Only on business accounts: 45-minute private or group lessons.
Duolingo: No. Duolingo Max adds video calls with Lily, an AI character.

How lessons work

Busuu: Lessons of 3 to 5 minutes on the CEFR scale, a checkpoint after each chapter.
Duolingo: Short game-like lessons with hearts, streaks and weekly leagues.

Trustpilot

Busuu: 4.2 from 19,815 reviews.
Duolingo: 1.6 from 8,166 reviews, unclaimed profile.

Busuu vs Duolingo: side by side

Price per month
Premium €9.69, Premium Plus €11.90 (EU, busuu.com)
Super €10.49 in the App Store, Netherlands (billing period not labelled)
Yearly plan
Premium €57.99, Premium Plus €69.90 (EU, busuu.com)
Super €89.99 to €110.99 in the App Store, Germany, likely yearly
Free version
Complete courses and the community, a short ad before each lesson
Every course free, with ads and limited hearts
Languages
14
42, including High Valyrian and Klingon
Live classes with teachers
Only on business accounts: 45-minute private or group lessons
No. Duolingo Max adds video calls with Lily, an AI character
Feedback from people
Native speakers in the community correct exercises, free for every account
—
AI speaking practice
AI Conversations in Premium Plus, apps only
Roleplay and Video Call in Duolingo Max, apps only. Price not published
How lessons work
Lessons of 3 to 5 minutes on the CEFR scale, a checkpoint after each chapter
Short game-like lessons with hearts, streaks and weekly leagues
Highest level
C1 in English, French, German and Spanish
—
App Store rating, US
4.7 (101K)
4.7 (5.5M)
Trustpilot
4.2 from 19,815 reviews
1.6 from 8,166 reviews, unclaimed profile
Refunds
14-day money-back guarantee on the first payment. Renewals not refunded
In-app charges are generally nonrefundable. Apple handles iOS refunds
Plan for companies
Busuu for Business, prices on request
Duolingo for Business, $75.09 per seat a year at 500 seats
Founded / HQ
2008 in Madrid, London. Owned by Chegg
2011, Pittsburgh

Which one fits you?

Choose Busuu if:

You want native speakers to correct your written and spoken answers. You need a CEFR level: English, French, German and Spanish go up to C1. You want the cheaper paid plan: Premium costs €57.99 a year in the EU. Your company wants live lessons with tutors inside the same app.

Choose Duolingo if:

Your language is outside Busuu’s 14, for example Greek, Hebrew or Swedish. Streaks, hearts and leagues keep you practising every day. You want a team plan with a public price: $75.09 per seat a year at 500 seats. You want the app with the most ratings: 5.5 million on the US App Store.

Price: Busuu vs Duolingo

Both apps give complete courses for free and show ads. Busuu Premium costs €57.99 a year or €9.69 a month in the EU. Premium Plus adds AI Conversations and costs €69.90 a year or €11.90 a month.

Super Duolingo costs €89.99 to €110.99 in the German App Store and €10.49 in the Dutch store, which does not label the billing period. Duolingo tests prices, so stores list several Super items. On a yearly plan Busuu Premium is the cheaper of the two.

Method: community corrections or a daily game

Busuu lessons take 3 to 5 minutes and follow the CEFR scale. Learners send written and spoken exercises to the community, and native speakers of the language correct them. English, French, German and Spanish courses reach C1.

Duolingo turns lessons into a game. Mistakes cost hearts on the free plan, streaks count days in a row, and leaderboards rank learners each week.

Teachers and AI practice

Busuu sells live lessons with tutors only to business accounts. Duolingo has no human teachers. Both sell AI conversation practice in the apps: Busuu Premium Plus for English, Spanish, French, German and Italian, Duolingo Max for English, French, Spanish, Italian, German and Portuguese.

Reviews

Both apps hold 4.7 on the US App Store: Duolingo from 5.5 million ratings, Busuu from 101,000. On Trustpilot Busuu has 4.2 from 19,815 reviews and Duolingo 1.6 from 8,166.

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FAQ

Busuu fits learners who want CEFR levels and corrections from native speakers. Duolingo fits learners who want 42 languages and a game-like daily habit. On the US App Store both rate 4.7.

Both are free with ads. On a yearly plan Busuu Premium costs €57.99 in the EU, Super Duolingo €89.99 to €110.99 in the German App Store.

Yes. A free Busuu account opens complete courses and the community, with a short ad before each lesson. Premium adds grammar and vocabulary review, offline mode and certificates.

Busuu offers 45-minute live lessons with tutors, only on business accounts. Duolingo has no human teachers. Duolingo Max has video calls with Lily, an AI character.