Learners look past Duolingo when short game-style exercises stop producing conversation, when energy limits and ads interrupt the free version, or when a job or exam needs a person to correct them. They go to Babbel or Busuu for structured courses, to Lingoda, italki or Preply for human teachers, and to Speak or Pimsleur for spoken practice.
Visibility in our rankings can be paid for. Payment moves a vendor's position within
the shortlist; it never adds a vendor, and it never changes a word of the review or of this page. The first three alternatives
go to challengers, vendors outside the best-known brands in a category, wherever the category has them; the
established names follow in their ranked order. How it works:
placement disclosure · editorial process.
What each alternative does differently
1. Babbel
Subscription language courses built around real conversations · Germany
The nearest structured replacement. Lessons are a fixed adult curriculum aimed at everyday conversation rather than streak mechanics, across 14 languages, with an AI speaking feature named Babbel Speak. Its price page did not render for us, and the free tier that Duolingo offers is not part of the pitch.
Switch from Duolingo if you want a lesson-by-lesson curriculum for adults without game mechanics.
Pricing: Subscription with price tiers; the price page renders only in a browser and was not readable in the page we fetched, so no figure is quoted here. (none)
Full review: #4 of 12 in our ranking ·
Visit Babbel →
2. Busuu
Courses with feedback from native speakers · United Kingdom
Still a free-to-start course, but with answers from other people. The home page describes feedback from fluent speakers in its community and lists material from A1 to C1 across 14 languages. Premium sits above the free level. Feedback speed from volunteers is uneven, and it is not a teacher.
Switch from Duolingo if you want a free course where native speakers comment on what you write.
Pricing: Free to start with a Premium membership; Premium prices are not in the page text we could fetch, so no figure is quoted. (free plan)
Full review: #7 of 12 in our ranking ·
Visit Busuu →
3. Memrise
Native-speaker video courses for specific goals · United Kingdom
Courses are built around short videos of native speakers, which trains the ear on real speech. Its navigation lists more languages than any other product here. The page that shows plan prices did not render for us, so cost is unknown, and depth varies a lot by language.
Switch from Duolingo if you want to hear real native speakers instead of synthesized voices.
Pricing: Subscription; plans are reached through a payment page that renders only in a browser, so no figure is quoted here. (none)
Full review: #11 of 12 in our ranking ·
Visit Memrise →
4. Speak
AI tutor that makes you speak out loud · United States
Built around talking aloud to an AI tutor from the first minute, with no tapping of answer tiles. It offers a seven-day trial and two paid plans, with prices shown inside the app. Only seven target languages are listed for English speakers, and no human corrects you.
Switch from Duolingo if you want to speak out loud all session and accept an AI as the partner.
Pricing: 7-day free trial, then two paid plans, Speak Premium and Speak Premium Plus; the vendor says prices vary by plan, region and promotion and are shown inside the app. (free trial)
Full review: #8 of 12 in our ranking ·
Visit Speak →
5. Pimsleur
Audio-first language courses with listen-and-respond lessons · United States
An audio method with about 30-minute lessons where you answer aloud, usable offline and through CarPlay or Android Auto. Programs start at $150 on the page we read, with subscriptions as an alternative. Reading and writing get less attention, and gamification is mild.
Switch from Duolingo if you study while commuting and want audio recall instead of screen exercises.
Pricing: Language programs shown as starting at $150, plus a single-language Premium subscription and an All Access subscription covering 50+ courses; subscription prices were not in the page text we fetched. (free trial)
Full review: #6 of 12 in our ranking ·
Visit Pimsleur →
6. Lingoda
Live online language classes in small groups or one to one · Germany
Live classes with a teacher, in groups of three to five or one to one, organized by CEFR level. Pricing is by class credit, renewing every four weeks. The catalog is narrow (German, French, English, Spanish, Italian and Business English), and there is no phone game layer.
Switch from Duolingo if you need a teacher and a CEFR level you can show an employer.
Pricing: Class-credit plans in euros: per-class prices from €7.49 to €26.99 depending on bundle size and class type as listed on the page we fetched, renewing every four weeks with unused credits rolling over. (free trial)
Full review: #1 of 12 in our ranking ·
Visit Lingoda →
7. italki
Marketplace for one-to-one language lessons · Hong Kong
A marketplace, not a course. You book individual teachers at their own rates, and the English page states $4 to $60 per hour. Over 130 languages are claimed, which helps for rare ones. There is no curriculum, and you vet teachers yourself.
Switch from Duolingo if you want to speak with a person in a language the apps barely cover.
Pricing: Pay per lesson at the teacher's own rate; the English tutor page states $4 to $60 per hour, with a 30-minute lesson typically $4 to $10. (none)
Full review: #2 of 12 in our ranking ·
Visit italki →
8. Preply
Marketplace for private online language tutors · United States
Another tutor marketplace, with a price per lesson on each profile and a separate subscription page for ongoing lessons with one tutor. It links corporate training in the footer. The listed prices we read were €34 and €53 a lesson, so monthly cost depends on how often you book.
Switch from Duolingo if you want a steady weekly tutor and might later need training for a team.
Pricing: Pay per lesson at the tutor's listed rate (profiles we read showed €34 and €53 per lesson), with a separate subscription page for steady ongoing lessons. (none)
Full review: #3 of 12 in our ranking ·
Visit Preply →
9. Rocket Languages
Online courses with lifetime access and voice recognition · New Zealand
A course you buy once instead of renting. The home page promises lifetime access with free updates, voice recognition for pronunciation and 14 languages. A free trial exists. Each language is a separate purchase, no person reviews your speaking, and we could not read the price.
Switch from Duolingo if you prefer to buy a course once and keep it.
Pricing: Course purchase with lifetime access and free updates, per the home page; the pricing page did not render in our fetch, so no figure is quoted. (free trial)
Full review: #9 of 12 in our ranking ·
Visit Rocket Languages →
10. LingQ
Learn from real content you import · Canada
Learning happens inside real content you import, such as podcasts, books and TV, with unknown words saved as you read. It is built on comprehensible input and offers free sign-up. It assumes you can already follow simple text, so it is wrong for a first week.
Switch from Duolingo if you have outgrown beginner exercises and want to learn from real material.
Pricing: Free sign-up with paid membership above it; the pricing page returned a not-found error in our fetch, so no figure is quoted here. (free plan)
Full review: #10 of 12 in our ranking ·
Visit LingQ →
11. Drops
Five-minute visual vocabulary games · Estonia
Vocabulary only, in five-minute picture games across more than 55 languages. Premium is priced openly at $11 monthly, $69.99 yearly or $150 once. The free version is time-limited. It teaches no grammar or conversation, so it works beside a course, not instead of one.
Switch from Duolingo if you only want vocabulary practice and a published price, including a one-time option.
Pricing: Premium listed at $11 monthly, $69.99 yearly (with 7 days free) and $150 one-time; the free version is time-limited. (free plan)
Full review: #12 of 12 in our ranking ·
Visit Drops →
Questions and answers
Is Duolingo really free?
Yes, its own blog says everyone can use the courses without paying, funded by in-app ads and by subscribers to Super Duolingo and Duolingo Max. Prices for the paid tiers were not readable on the pages we fetched, so we quote none.
What does the paid tier remove?
Super removes ads and gives unlimited energy, according to the Duolingo Max announcement, which also lists personalized review through the Practice Hub. The Max tier adds Video Call and Roleplay. Check the exact feature list in the app, because plans change.
Can I export my progress to another app?
We found no page describing a progress export, and the terms and help pages did not render for us. Assume your streak and score stay at Duolingo, and check the account settings in the app before you cancel.
Will Duolingo take me to B2?
Its own score post says the most advanced courses cover content through 129 points, the end of CEFR level B2, and that depends on the course. Many courses cover less. Check the language you want before relying on it for a job.
Which alternative gives me a real person?
Lingoda, italki and Preply all put a human teacher in the lesson. Lingoda sells class credits renewing every four weeks, while italki and Preply price each lesson by tutor. Speak and Pimsleur give spoken practice without a person.
Does the Family Plan move with me?
No, it is a Duolingo plan. It covers six Super accounts, paid yearly by one manager. If you leave, each member loses the shared Super benefits at the end of the plan, so agree the date with them.
