Is Duolingo Free To Use? (If Yes! Which Part is Paid and Which is Free?)

Being on a language-learning journey is definitely exciting but costly at the same time. I have checked multiple resources to learn a language online. Most of the platforms have a high subscription plan. Not everyone can afford to pay for it. There are many good platforms where you can learn the language, and Duolingo is one of them. But the question still remains the same – Is Duolingo Free To Use? Don’t worry. Be with me till the end, and I will help in finding out the answer to it. 

Is Duolingo Free To Use? 

Duolingo is a platform which helps you to learn different languages like French, Italian, Spanish, Japanese, etc. But do you know what’s the best part of the platform? The platform is absolutely free and you can take up the course of your choice. You can learn the lessons and take as many courses as you want. Each of the features on the platform is free but you may need to earn gems to unlock new lessons. Every free platform has its premium version. Similar is the working of Duolingo. There is also a premium version of this platform which is known as Super Duolingo.

Is Duolingo Free for teachers?

Duolingo is a platform which is also used by teachers and schools. As Duolingo provides you with a lot of free features, it is also free for the teachers and the schools. However, it will be different if you are using it as a teacher. You will have to sign up for a teacher account first to get the benefits of using it.

How many courses can you do on Duolingo for free?

Duolingo is a platform which you can use for free. Despite giving free services, it does not restrict you take more than a single course. It means there is no limit on the number of courses you can take on Duolingo for free. You can access more than 100 courses for different languages on this platform for free. However, taking 2 or more languages at a single time may be difficult for you to cope with. Thus try to focus on a single language and enjoy the Duolingo Owl anytime you want to for free.

Will Duolingo Be Free Forever?

Every time I open up Duolingo, I always wonder if Duolingo will be free forever or not. Undoubtedly, I would not want to waste the streak score that I have received so far. When I checked for their official statement, it said it would be free for everyone who wants to learn a new language. Thus, we can say that it is free forever. 

How does Duolingo make money?

Despite offering free courses, the platform can earn a lot of revenue. In fact, if we talk about the 2023 ending statistics, the amount of revenue it generated was $531.11M. It has an increase of 43.74% from 2022. In addition to it, they also pay course specialists who may have been the part of incubator earlier. But I always wonder how they do it. When I tried finding it out, I got to know the platform follows the freemium business model. In this model, they earn money in these three ways-

1. Offering the premium version 

As mentioned above there is a premium version of this platform. This premium version, also known as super Duolingo, provides users with some features that are not available in the free version. The total share of it is about 76.91% of the revenue according to 2021 statistics.

2. Advertisements running on the platform

Have you ever wondered why there are so many ads on the platform? It is because they earn money from the ads running on the platform. The platform offers bonuses when you watch full ads on the platform. When you watch the full ad, they are able to get the advertising revenue from them. This advertising revenue contributes 9.38% to the revenue generated in 2023.

3. In-app purchases

When you are using Duolingo, you may see some features you will need to purchase them. Suppose you want to get a streak freezer or get more gems, you will have to pay extra money for it. Additionally, there is a Duolingo English test, that you can take instead of a TEFOL exam. If we talk about statistics for 2023, 7.72% was contributed from the Duolingo English Test and 6.65% from other In-app purchases.

How to get the features of the Duolingo family plan for free?

As it does not give me many benefits other than saving money, I do not want to use a single penny of mine. Thus, I try to find some of the ways by which I can get the features of the Duolingo family plan freely. Luckily I was able to get four such ways which are mentioned below-

1. 14-Days free trial

The first way that I used was to take advantage of the 14-day free trial. All you need to do is to activate your subscription account. Once you start it you will get a 14-day free trial pack. Don’t worry there will be no deduction in these 14 days. Use the features of the subscription plan for 14 days and before the plan is finished, cancel your subscription.

You must remember that you will have to add the details of your cards while taking the plan. However, do not worry as there will be no charges for it. But don’t forget to cancel the plan before the trial period is over. Otherwise, you will be losing your money.

2. Increasing the streaks

When you increase your streaks on Duolingo, you get some exciting goodies. But the best thing it gives you is a free trial for a maximum of 3 days.

Update: It is no longer working

3. Look for Promo Codes

Duolingo keeps bringing various promo codes that help you get a free trial for specific days. Suppose you get a promo code that offers a 15-day free trial. You can use the code to get the free trial. Again you will have to put the details of your account. However, there will be no deduction till those 15 days.

4. Using the mobile app

If you are using Duolingo on your mobile, you will get unlimited health which is a prime feature of the subscription plan. Thus if you are taking the subscription plan only for unlimited health, you can always use it on the mobile app.

Note: Earlier it was available on the desktop version.

Does Duolingo charge after a free trial?

When you add the payment details for taking the subscription plan, you will get a 14-day free trial. Though there will be no deduction for those 14 days, once you have used your free trial, you will have to pay the amount of the subscription plan you have chosen. Also, the amount will be automatically deducted from the account which you have added. Further, we have discussed what is the subscription plan for Duolingo.

Conclusion

I have always loved Duolingo because it is a free platform to use. All the lessons on this platform are free to use. In fact, according to the official website of Duolingo, it will be free for a lifetime. Despite being a free platform, Duolingo earns a lot. This is because they are using the freemium business model which has three different versions – offering a premium version, in-app purchase, and providing advertisements on the platform. If you are interested in using the paid subscription plan, you can always take advantage of the 14-day trial plan or look for the promo codes.

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