⚖️ Mondly vs Duolingo: Which Language App Is Right for You?
So, you’ve decided to learn a new language—fantastic! 🎉 But now comes the tricky part: choosing the right app to guide your journey.
Two of the most popular options out there are Mondly and Duolingo. At first glance, they might seem pretty similar—both promise fun, flexibility, and steady progress. But once you dive in, you’ll notice they have very different vibes, features, and learning approaches.
Whether you’re a total beginner, brushing up your skills, or looking for a more structured path, this comparison will help you figure out which app fits your learning style best.
In this article, we break down everything that matters: from teaching methods and personalization, to speaking practice, cultural depth, and pricing. No fluff—just a clear, side-by-side look to help you make an informed choice.
Let’s jump in!
Part 1: Learning Style and Personalization
🎯 Tailored Lessons
Does the app adapt to your level and learning speed?
Mondly: ❌ No. Mondly doesn’t offer much in terms of personalization. There’s a short placement test at the beginning, but after that, it’s a static path. Lessons don’t adapt based on how you’re doing. Whether you’re struggling or cruising through, the experience stays pretty much the same. It’s a consistent structure, but not a responsive one.
Duolingo: ❌ Not really. Duolingo does a bit more—there’s a placement test, and it can adjust slightly depending on your answers. If you make mistakes, it circles back for review. But overall, the journey feels rigid. You can skip ahead or repeat lessons, but the app won’t proactively adapt to your pace or goals.
Summary: Neither app really tailors your experience. Duolingo reacts a bit to your progress, but it’s not deeply personalized. Mondly offers a stable structure—but not one that adjusts to you.
📚 Teaching Methods
Does the app focus on reading, writing, listening, speaking, or a combination of all?
Mondly: ✅ Yes. Mondly covers all four major skills—reading, writing, listening, and speaking. It includes voice recognition, short conversations, and translation tasks. The speaking exercises are especially useful for practicing pronunciation, even if the feedback isn’t always perfect. It’s a well-rounded approach that helps you engage with the language in different ways.
Duolingo: ✅ Yes. Duolingo also offers a mix of core language skills, though it tends to lean a bit more on reading and writing. There’s some speaking and listening, especially in later units or with the mobile app. While it’s not as conversation-focused, the variety keeps things engaging and helps reinforce the basics from multiple angles.
Summary: Both apps check the boxes when it comes to skill diversity. Mondly feels slightly more geared toward spoken interaction, while Duolingo emphasizes reading and structure—but either way, you get a nice balance.
⚡ Flexibility
Does the app offer flexibility in how lessons are delivered?
Mondly: ✅ Yes. Mondly is built for on-the-go learning. Most lessons are short—just a few minutes each—so you can squeeze them into a coffee break or a commute. But if you’ve got more time, you can stack multiple lessons together for a longer, more immersive session. You’re in control of the pace, which makes it great for busy lifestyles.
Duolingo: ✅ Yes. Duolingo’s whole system is based around bite-sized lessons, and that’s one of its biggest strengths. You can fly through a quick round in under 5 minutes or spend more time reviewing, leveling up, or exploring extra challenges. It’s super flexible, which makes it easy to stay consistent—even when life gets hectic.
Summary: Both apps offer solid learning flexibility. Whether you’ve got 5 minutes or 50, Mondly and Duolingo let you fit language learning into your day—on your terms.
Part 2: Content Quality
📖 Vocabulary and Grammar Coverage
Does the app provide a well-rounded balance of vocabulary, grammar, and sentence structures?
Mondly: ✅ Yes. Mondly does a solid job covering the essentials of vocabulary and grammar. You’ll learn useful phrases, sentence structures, and everyday expressions in themed lessons like travel, work, or family. Grammar tips are sprinkled in—sometimes subtly—which helps you pick things up without feeling overwhelmed. It’s not academic, but it’s practical and structured.
Duolingo: ✅ Yes. Duolingo also offers a wide range of vocabulary and grammar practice, especially through its sentence-based exercises. It focuses on repetition and pattern recognition, which can really help the language stick. Grammar explanations used to be a bit hidden, but they’ve improved lately—especially in courses like French or Spanish. Still, it’s more intuitive than explicit.
Summary: Both apps give you a balanced mix of vocabulary, grammar, and real-world usage. Mondly feels a bit more thematic; Duolingo leans on repetition and sentence-building—but either way, the foundations are strong.
🌍 Cultural Insights
Does the app include cultural information, idiomatic expressions, and real-life context?
Mondly: ⚠️ Some. Mondly sprinkles in a bit of cultural flavor, especially through themed lessons tied to real-world situations—like ordering in a restaurant or meeting new people. But it’s fairly surface-level. You won’t get much depth on cultural norms or idioms, and there’s little context beyond functional phrases. It’s a helpful start, but not enough for a deeper dive.
Duolingo: ⚠️ Yes, some—but it’s limited. Duolingo does a slightly better job at including idiomatic expressions and some light cultural references, especially in languages with rich course content like French or Spanish. That said, it still feels like an afterthought. The focus remains on language structure, not on culture or nuance.
Summary: If you’re looking for rich cultural context, neither app truly delivers. Duolingo gives you a slight edge with idioms and occasional tidbits, but both stay mostly on the language surface.
🎧 Authentic Materials
Does the app use native speakers in dialogues and audio recordings?
Mondly: ❌ No. Mondly uses voice actors for its audio, and while they’re clear and well-paced, they don’t always sound like natural conversation. The dialogues feel scripted and a bit robotic at times. There’s no real-world content like news, videos, or casual chats—so the listening practice can feel a bit artificial.
Duolingo: ✅ Yes. Duolingo makes use of native speakers in many of its audio exercises, and it shows. The pronunciation feels more authentic, especially in newer lessons. Plus, with Duolingo Stories and short audio-based challenges, you get a touch of real-world content—though it’s still simplified for learners.
Summary: Duolingo offers a more genuine listening experience, thanks to native speakers and its extra features. Mondly’s audio is helpful but lacks the natural flow and real-life feel.
Part 3: Engagement and Interactivity
🎮 Gamification
Does the app use gamified elements like rewards, levels, and streaks to keep you motivated?
Mondly: ✅ Yes. Mondly includes a range of gamified features—daily streaks, leaderboards, score tracking, and progress stats. It’s not overly flashy, but it gives you just enough motivation to keep going. The interface is clean and smooth, and the small rewards system adds a nice sense of progress without feeling too competitive.
Duolingo: ✅ Yes. Duolingo is the poster child for gamified learning. XP points, streaks, crowns, leaderboards, badges—you name it. It’s designed to keep you coming back every day, even if it’s just for a quick 5-minute session. For many learners, this system makes studying feel more like a fun challenge than a chore.
Summary: Both apps use game mechanics to keep you engaged. Mondly is a bit more subtle; Duolingo is fully gameified. If you like leveling up and chasing streaks, Duolingo might be your perfect match.
💥 Variety of Exercises
Are there multiple types of exercises to keep the learning process dynamic and challenging?
Mondly: ✅ Yes. Mondly mixes things up nicely. You’ll get listening tasks, translation exercises, flashcards, and some speaking practice with voice recognition. The variety helps prevent boredom and keeps your brain engaged. While the exercises follow a predictable structure, there’s enough range to make your study sessions feel dynamic.
Duolingo: ✅ Yes. Duolingo is also strong here. It offers a blend of fill-in-the-blanks, listening drills, speaking prompts, and even mini-stories in some courses. The mix keeps the experience fresh and interactive, even if some types (like speaking) are more limited on desktop. There’s a nice balance between challenge and repetition.
Summary: Both apps offer a solid mix of exercises to keep your learning experience engaging. Whether you like talking, tapping, or typing, you’ll find enough variety to stay interested and challenged.
🗣️ Interaction with Others
Does the app allow interaction with native speakers?
Mondly: ❌ No. Mondly is a solo experience. There are no forums, no built-in way to chat with others, and no language exchange features. While it offers simulated conversations, they’re pre-recorded and one-sided. If you’re hoping to connect with real people or practice live conversation, this isn’t the place.
Duolingo: ❌ No. Despite its massive community, Duolingo doesn’t provide direct interaction with native speakers or real-time conversation tools. It used to have community forums, but those have been phased out. The focus is purely individual—great for self-paced learners, but limited in human connection.
Summary: Neither app offers true social interaction or language exchange. If speaking with real people is a priority, you’ll need to look beyond Mondly and Duolingo.
Part 4: Progress Tracking
📊 Clear Goals and Tracking:
Does the app provide clear learning goals and track your progress over time?
Mondly: ✅ Yes. Mondly gives you a clear sense of direction. It shows daily goals, weekly stats, and a visual overview of your lesson path. You can track your streaks, scores, and milestones, which makes it easy to see how far you’ve come. While it doesn’t include formal proficiency tests, the steady structure helps you feel like you’re always moving forward.
Duolingo: ✅ Yes. Duolingo is built around goal setting and visual progress. From daily XP targets to leveling up in specific skills, you always know where you are and what’s next. It also shows strength bars for skills you’ve learned, helping you review what’s fading. No official tests here either—but the constant feedback loop is great for motivation and momentum.
Summary: Both apps do a great job of making your progress visible. Whether it’s scores, streaks, or skill levels, you’ll feel rewarded and on track every step of the way.
📝 Feedback Mechanism
Does the app provide immediate and constructive feedback on your mistakes?
Mondly: ✅ Yes. Mondly gives instant feedback as you go through exercises. When you make a mistake, it shows the correct answer right away, often with a quick translation or context hint. It’s simple, but effective. There’s not much in-depth explanation, but the feedback is clear and encouraging, helping you stay aware of your weak spots.
Duolingo: ✅ Yes. Duolingo is also great at offering immediate feedback. It marks wrong answers on the spot and often gives short explanations or tips, especially for grammar or tricky vocabulary. You can also tap on words to see meanings or translations, which helps reinforce learning as you go. The feedback loop is fast, friendly, and designed to keep you engaged.
Summary: Both apps provide quick, constructive feedback. It’s not overly detailed, but it’s enough to keep you learning from your mistakes—without losing momentum.
Part 5: Speaking and Pronunciation Practice
🗣️ Speech Recognition
Does the app include speech recognition technology to help you practice pronunciation?
Mondly: ✅ Yes. Mondly offers speech recognition in many of its speaking exercises. You’ll get the chance to repeat phrases aloud, and the app checks your pronunciation. The feedback is pretty basic—usually just a green light or a try-again message—but it’s enough for getting started. It helps build confidence, even if it’s not super advanced.
Duolingo: ✅ Yes. Duolingo also uses speech recognition, especially on mobile. It’s designed to encourage you to speak out loud, though the system is more forgiving than precise. You’ll often get credit even if your pronunciation is a bit off. It’s great for forming the habit, but less useful for fine-tuning your accent.
Summary: Both apps include speaking practice with voice recognition. Don’t expect perfect feedback, but it’s a useful tool to get you comfortable speaking out loud.
🗣️ Speaking Practice
Does the app provide opportunities to practice speaking?
Mondly: ✅ Yes. Mondly encourages active speaking through short dialogues and pronunciation practice. You can record your voice and get feedback through its voice recognition system. It even simulates basic conversations, which adds a bit of real-life feel. While you’re not talking to a real person, it’s a solid way to build speaking confidence.
Duolingo: ✅ Yes. Duolingo includes speaking prompts in many of its exercises, particularly on mobile. You’re asked to repeat words or full sentences, and the app listens. It’s more of a listen-and-repeat system, with limited interaction, but it’s still useful for developing a speaking habit and hearing your own voice in the language.
Summary: Both apps give you the chance to practice speaking, mostly through repetition and recording. Mondly leans slightly more toward simulated conversations, while Duolingo focuses on short, consistent prompts.
Part 6: Levels Offered
📈 Skill Levels
Does the app cater to your current level, whether you’re a complete beginner, intermediate, or advanced learner?
Mondly: ✅ Yes—but better for beginners. Mondly supports different levels and lets you choose your starting point. But in practice, it’s best suited for beginners. Intermediate learners may find the content too easy or not deep enough, and advanced users might feel limited by the lack of complex grammar or nuanced topics. It’s great for getting started, but less so for pushing further.
Duolingo: ✅ Yes. Duolingo is designed to work across all levels. It starts with very basic content but gradually builds up to more complex grammar and vocabulary. You can take a placement test to skip ahead, and some courses (like French and Spanish) are rich enough for intermediate learners. Advanced learners may still crave more depth, but the app scales well overall.
Summary: Both apps offer multiple levels, but Mondly shines most for beginners. Duolingo provides a broader learning curve, especially for popular languages.
Part 7: Offline Availability
🌍 Offline Mode
Can you use the app without an internet connection?
Mondly: ✅ Yes. Mondly offers a fully functional offline mode. You can download lessons in advance and access them anytime, anywhere—perfect for flights, road trips, or spotty Wi-Fi. It’s a big plus for learners who want flexibility without being tied to a connection.
Duolingo: ❌ No. Duolingo does not support full offline access. While the app may cache a few exercises, it requires an internet connection for most lessons and features. That means if you’re off the grid, your learning might be too. It’s a bit of a downside for otherwise super mobile-friendly learning.
Summary: Mondly wins here with true offline access, making it ideal for on-the-go learners. Duolingo keeps things online—great for everyday use, but less so for travel or low-connectivity zones.
Part 8: Cost and Subscription Model
💸 Free vs. Paid
Is there a free plan?
Mondly: ❌ No true free plan. Mondly offers a very limited free version, mostly as a demo. You’ll get access to a few basic lessons, but most content—including grammar tools, conversation practice, and themed courses—is locked behind a paid subscription. If you’re serious about using it, you’ll need to upgrade fairly quickly.
Duolingo: ✅ Free plan with ads. Duolingo is famously free to use, with access to the full course content. The catch? You’ll see ads and face some limitations like fewer review options and no offline mode. Still, it’s one of the most generous free plans out there, and you can always upgrade to Super Duolingo for extras like ad-free use and progress tracking.
Summary: Duolingo stands out with a robust free version—ads included. Mondly, on the other hand, is more of a freemium model, where meaningful access requires a paid plan.
💳 Subscriptions
How much does full access cost?
Mondly:
- Free plan: Very limited (just a few basic lessons)
- Monthly subscription: Around $9.99/month
- Yearly subscription: Around $47.99/year (often discounted)
- Lifetime plan: One-time payment (frequently offered at $89.99–$99.99 for all languages)
- Pricing varies with promotions—watch for discounts
Duolingo:
- Free plan: Full course access with ads
- Super Duolingo (monthly): Around $12.99/month
- Super Duolingo (yearly): About $83.99/year (~$6.99/month)
- Family plan: About $119.99/year for up to 6 people
Summary: Both apps use subscription models, but Duolingo lets you get far without spending a cent. Mondly offers more features—but you’ll need to pay to unlock its full potential.
Part 9: Certification or Qualification
📜 Language Certification
Does the app grant a certification document?
Mondly: ❌ No. Mondly helps you build real skills, but it doesn’t offer any official certificates or tie-ins to recognized standards like CEFR. There’s no way to prove your progress outside the app, so it’s best suited for personal learning goals, not formal requirements.
Duolingo: ❌ No. While Duolingo helps you track progress and build strong habits, it doesn’t provide official certification for completing a course. However, Duolingo does offer a separate product—the Duolingo English Test, which is accepted by some universities and institutions. But for regular language courses in the app? No certificate.
Summary: Neither app gives you a certificate of completion or recognized qualification. They’re fantastic for learning, but not for official proof of proficiency.
Part 10: Support and Community
🛠️ Customer Support
How is the customer support?
Mondly: ⚠️ Mixed. Mondly offers email-based support, but responses can be slow or inconsistent. There’s a basic help center with FAQs, but if you hit a technical issue or need lesson clarification, you might find yourself waiting. There’s no live chat or community forum, so it feels a bit disconnected from its users.
Duolingo: ⚠️ Limited. Duolingo also lacks strong customer support. There’s a help center and in-app bug reporting, but no live support or fast responses. In the past, forums were a helpful way to ask questions, but those have been removed. Now, most users rely on Reddit, social media, or third-party groups for tips and answers.
Summary: Support is not a strong suit for either app. Mondly offers slow direct help; Duolingo leans on self-service resources. If responsive support matters to you, both could be a bit underwhelming.
🌐 Community Features:
Does the app have an active community where you can ask questions, get support, or interact with other learners?
Mondly: ❌ No. Mondly doesn’t include any built-in community features. There are no forums, discussion boards, or ways to connect with fellow learners inside the app. It’s a solo learning experience—great for independent users, but not ideal if you enjoy sharing progress or asking questions in a group setting.
Duolingo: ✅ Yes. While Duolingo recently removed its official forums, it still has a very active global community. You’ll find plenty of engagement through unofficial channels like Reddit, Discord groups, and social media. Some users even organize study groups or competitions. It’s not built into the app, but the community is alive and buzzing elsewhere.
Summary: Duolingo fosters a strong learner community, even outside the app. Mondly, on the other hand, keeps things strictly one-on-one, with no space for user interaction.
Part 11: Cultural and Dialectical Accuracy
🌍 Regional Variations
Does the app offer regional variations or allow you to focus on specific dialects, like Canadian, Belgium, or Swiss French?
Mondly: ❌ No. Mondly teaches a standardized version of each language. There’s no option to choose or switch between regional dialects. For example, you’ll learn general French—but not the nuances of Canadian or Swiss usage. It’s straightforward and practical, but not ideal if you’re aiming for cultural or regional specificity.
Duolingo: ❌ No. Duolingo also sticks to a general, standard version of each language. While some regional vocabulary may appear in popular courses, there’s no way to select or focus on a specific dialect. If you’re learning French, for instance, you’ll get mostly Parisian French—not Quebecois or Belgian variants.
Summary: Neither app supports regional variations or dialect options. If you need a specific cultural version of the language, you may need to supplement with other resources.
🌎 Cultural Relevance
Does the app incorporate cultural information, idiomatic expressions, and real-life context?
Mondly: ❌ No. Mondly offers practical phrases and themed lessons, but they’re mostly functional and generic. There’s little to no reference to current events, local customs, or culturally specific expressions. It’s a solid tool for language basics, but if you’re looking to understand how the language lives and breathes in real communities, you’ll find it a bit flat.
Duolingo: ✅ Yes. While not its main focus, Duolingo does sneak in local expressions, idioms, and cultural references—especially in more developed courses like French or Spanish. Duolingo Stories sometimes reflect real-life situations or quirky cultural moments, making learning feel a bit more connected to the world where the language is actually spoken.
Summary: Duolingo adds a touch of cultural flavor, while Mondly stays strictly textbook-style. For cultural depth, Duolingo offers a slight but welcome edge.
🏁 Final Verdict: Which One Should You Choose?
Choosing between Mondly and Duolingo really comes down to what kind of learner you are—and what you’re looking for in a language app.
If you want a sleek, structured app with a gentle approach, Mondly might be the one for you. It’s ideal for beginners, great for quick sessions, and offers offline access, which makes it perfect for learning on the go. The downside? It’s a bit light on cultural depth, and you’ll need to pay to unlock most of the content.
Duolingo, on the other hand, is incredibly accessible. With its robust free version, playful gamification, and daily encouragement, it’s easy to stay motivated. It also adds just a touch more cultural flavor and variety. However, it lacks offline functionality and can feel more repetitive over time.
Final Scores:
- 🟡 Mondly: 73/100
- 🟢 Duolingo: 65/100
Mondly takes the lead in overall performance, especially for learners who value structure, flexibility, and speech-focused tools. Duolingo shines for its fun, habit-forming design and unbeatable value for free users. Your choice depends on whether you’re after a more polished experience—or a more playful, budget-friendly one.
👉 Still unsure? Try both for a week! See which one fits your learning style best. Whether you go with Mondly’s structure or Duolingo’s charm, what matters most is staying consistent—and having fun with it.
Looking for more options beyond Duolingo? Discover our list of the best apps to learn French and find the one that fits your style.
Bonne chance! 🇫🇷