# Duolingo: what people say on TikTok, Reddit, YouTube, X

Read 657 posts and comments on 2026-11-14; 431 were about Duolingo. Full report with links: https://sociallisteningai.com/samples/brand-duolingo/

Duolingo is praised as a free, accessible entry point that builds daily habits through streaks and a beloved owl mascot. However, many users complain that gamification and monetization distract from real learning, with long streaks not translating to speaking ability. Common frustrations include the energy/hearts system, pushy notifications, and removal of human-made features like stories and forums. Users frequently ask whether they can become fluent and when advanced content will arrive, while some switch to alternatives like Anki or Pimsleur. Surprisingly, the quirky marketing and mascot memes are widely loved, and some learners credit the app with real progress despite its flaws.

**How it feels** (431 on-topic): 10% positive, 27% negative, 10% mixed, 52% neutral.
- TikTok: 147 (6% positive, 10% negative)
- YouTube: 160 (11% positive, 24% negative)
- Reddit: 70 (10% positive, 46% negative)
- X: 54 (19% positive, 59% negative)

Not included this time: Instagram (the source did not answer).

## What people like

- **Streaks help users stay consistent and are a point of pride** (13 mentions)
  - "i think it is ok for very new beginers to get into the language. people might complain about the streak system and how it's like a game ect, but i think it actually is beneficial to *some* people, especially those with A…" Reddit https://i.redd.it/pys1cgwxjgth1.jpeg
  - "I never had notifications turned on… I don’t need them because the ritual I’m doing lessons at the moment I wake up, are probably more cemented than me brushing my teeth every day" YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ke5_q-Zqb0E&lc=Ugxw-xUFuZeFkAqEjf94AaABAg
- **Finishing a whole course feels like a real achievement worth celebrating** (11 mentions)
  - "i did too in several languages ✌🏼" TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@digitalfootprintofmaria/video/7684004968918977825
  - "I finished it a long time ago" TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@digitalfootprintofmaria/video/7684004968918977825
- **The owl mascot and funny marketing are widely loved and shared** (7 mentions)
  - "🍒Duolingo anime is so cute🍒" YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PYZky4BgyVs&lc=UgwsvUYwVfukFUw7dAl4AaABAg
  - "Who remembers when duo “died”? Or Spanish or Vanish?" YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r3-Hvms4tlo&lc=UgwwbZ4Crf0XM1JZNct4AaABAg
- **Great free entry point for beginners; opens the door to a language** (6 mentions)
  - "It's a good starter for a language. You can finish all Italian sections in under a year, but learning Italian from afar takes much longer. It just opens the door." YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ke5_q-Zqb0E&lc=UgxwTeLCfMam_b1lXVZ4AaABAg
  - "i think it is ok for very new beginers to get into the language. people might complain about the streak system and how it's like a game ect, but i think it actually is beneficial to *some* people, especially those with A…" Reddit https://i.redd.it/pys1cgwxjgth1.jpeg
- **Users who put in real effort do reach conversational ability or real progress** (6 mentions)
  - "I used duolingo for 4 years and now speak spanish daily. Never paid a cent and had a 1212 day streak. I was focused on the language though and quit duolingo when I took the next step away from structured learning to conv…" YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ke5_q-Zqb0E&lc=UgwDN0qPGb4ewpSmpQR4AaABAg
  - "I have completed the duolingo french tree, and although it is not perfect, it does work. I think what a lot of people do not understand is that you can't just keep a streak for 1000 days or more and expect to learn, you …" YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ke5_q-Zqb0E&lc=UgxdhsGSVOYq2W6yZu14AaABAg
- **Works well as a small daily habit or supplement alongside other study** (4 mentions)
  - "I still use Duolingo mainly as that reminder to take time in my day to do a lesson and follow up by communicating with family and friends in Spanish reenforcing what I learned for the last two years with the app. I can h…" YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ke5_q-Zqb0E&lc=Ugye7W2j4kpb8jLOzLV4AaABAg
  - "Nah. I'm not dropping Duo yet. I just finished the four basic sections of the Greek course by the one year mark and renewed the subscription for 2026. Because the daily exercises and the Streak help me with consistency. …" YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kgS7Iq8sKG4&lc=UgwXVlPKgby46d4gECl4AaABAg
- **Duolingo English Test is cheap and accessible for proving proficiency** (1 mention)
  - "I had to take this back when I was applying to colleges, and it is one of the cheapest and most accessible options to prove your English proficiency. It is separate from the Duolingo app though. It is not a weird place, …" Reddit https://i.redd.it/prxf0ofm9oyh1.jpeg

## Complaints and problems

- **Gamification, streaks and chests distract from actually learning** (26 mentions)
  - "I loved how accessible Duolingo was but the gamification aspect was what drove me away. Then they changed the content so it started asking me stuff it hadn’t taught me and it was all downhill from there." YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ke5_q-Zqb0E&lc=Ugw2biBf23gkKhbDtFF4AaABAg
  - "I’m not very competitive, so whenever someone tried to “gamify” something I was trying to learn, it caused me to lose interest. I prefer it when studying is methodical and structured." YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ke5_q-Zqb0E&lc=UgxY_Gs1tm6duOyfWTB4AaABAg
- **Long streaks don't translate to speaking or understanding** (16 mentions)
  - "Duolingo is the worst app for language learning. I've NEVER met anyone who became fluent in a foreign language by using Duolingo. Duolingo makes you good at answering quizzes and chasing streaks, not fluent in a language…" X https://x.com/aruvinchan/status/2106789291506417854
  - "Duolingo got really good at teaching people how to keep a streak alive. Speaking the language is a different story." YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ke5_q-Zqb0E&lc=UgyM4QqrABhhoSJqFF94AaABAg
- **Removed human features: forums, stories, discussion boards** (7 mentions)
  - "Duolingo started as a way to translate the web from English - van Ahn's own words - and you once could collaborate with others about how a page should be translated. It stopped being about learning the day they closed th…" YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ke5_q-Zqb0E&lc=UgzK7YZWYv1D-GOGPS14AaABAg
  - "Duolingo HAD features that helped my listening and conversation skills such as narrated stories and discussion boards. But they got rid of them for whatever reason. Anything that required actual humans, you know people w…" YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ke5_q-Zqb0E&lc=UgynlPJFXcfHjEIcFZ54AaABAg
- **Course quality varies wildly by language; some courses are thin or neglected** (7 mentions)
  - "I think I learned a lot from duo I did paid for the subscription because of all the ads, but my focus was not the streak it was learning the vocabulary. I silenced the alerts and only learned when I wanted to, once I got…" YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ke5_q-Zqb0E&lc=UgyfkO9dLy0xB1oKiux4AaABAg
  - "Hey, Im an american whos been living in finland for 4 years now and know the language pretty well but have wayyyys to go too. Duolingo is alright for learning phrases and such but it doesn't explain why things are the wa…" Reddit https://www.reddit.com/r/Finland/comments/1xj8h6c/american_trying_to_learn_finnish/
- **Nagging notifications and guilt-tripping from the owl** (6 mentions)
  - "Tried Duolingo for a year. Decided I was getting nagged and guilt tripped by too many real people to enjoy having an app do it so I just deleted it. Also the cringe of the lessons was really turning me off" YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ke5_q-Zqb0E&lc=Ugxq792x_RzUEHDVVjJ4AaABAg
  - "Honestly, the entire company and app has gone through some major construction and is hardly a language app. They don’t care about teaching a language, they care more about gamifying and annoying players so they do their …" Reddit https://i.redd.it/yd58o1m2hg1i1.jpeg
- **Energy/lives system and punishing mistakes make learning frustrating** (4 mentions)
  - "they kinda fucked up duolingo ever since they added that energy thingy" TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@digitalfootprintofmaria/video/7684004968918977825
  - "What really hit me was when Duolingo started punishing mistakes. That is the most antithetical thing to language learning." YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ke5_q-Zqb0E&lc=UgwZVsZw-W7cL6a7lpV4AaABAg
- **Too many ads and microtransactions** (2 mentions)
  - "i quit duolingo honestly. Its constant advertising microtransactions drove me crazy. Plus its removed features looked cooler than it does now." YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ke5_q-Zqb0E&lc=UgxdQOUXSS_Nyn3ohvF4AaABAg
  - "I think I learned a lot from duo I did paid for the subscription because of all the ads, but my focus was not the streak it was learning the vocabulary. I silenced the alerts and only learned when I wanted to, once I got…" YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ke5_q-Zqb0E&lc=UgyfkO9dLy0xB1oKiux4AaABAg

## Questions people ask

- **When will more languages or advanced content come?** (12 mentions)
  - "now do other languages to 100%" TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@digitalfootprintofmaria/video/7684004968918977825
  - "theres other languagues left" TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@digitalfootprintofmaria/video/7684004968918977825
- **Can you actually speak the language fluently after finishing?** (8 mentions)
  - "can she speak the language fluently?" TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@digitalfootprintofmaria/video/7684004968918977825
  - "THATS POSSIBLE?" TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@digitalfootprintofmaria/video/7684004968918977825
- **What happens after finishing a course / what now?** (4 mentions)
  - "What now [Photo]" TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@digitalfootprintofmaria/video/7684004968918977825
  - "Yes only a daily refresh after that [Photo]" TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@digitalfootprintofmaria/video/7684004968918977825
- **Is Duolingo good for specific languages like Zulu or Chinese?** (2 mentions)
  - "I finished the entire Zulu course, and I’ve learnt two other foreign languages to fluency, so I can give you a good perspective on this. The short answer is, no. At least not just doing it by itself. You have to suppleme…" Reddit https://www.reddit.com/r/askSouthAfrica/comments/1xhv2nf/is_duolingo_good_for_learning_zulu/
  - "You would need to spend at least 4-5 years to be proficient enough in Chinese in order to read RI in its original text. Furthermore, Duolingo is not really a good tool for learning Chinese in the first place. Duolingo—si…" Reddit https://www.reddit.com/gallery/1xt8yym
- **What is Duolingo's edge if AI can replicate it?** (2 mentions)
  - "What exactly is their edge if AI can easily replicate everything they’re doing?" X https://x.com/OptTraderzs/status/1995148012558159886
  - "Still waiting to hear what the moat is" X https://x.com/PilotInvestor/status/1995223888285044968
- **Does the premium version include speaking and listening practice?** (1 mention)
  - "We can buy its premium version that includes talking and listining too. Right?" YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kgS7Iq8sKG4&lc=UgyaECYzu7dsPSB7CgN4AaABAg
- **Why are music and chess courses missing on Windows?** (1 mention)
  - "Duo, why is no music and chess course is available on windows? It would be really fun 😢" YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B1QJlun36eU&lc=Ugw8_-VMg31BJffVm8d4AaABAg

## Buying signals

- **Investors debate whether to buy DUOL stock, split between bulls and skeptics** (7 mentions)
  - "ed my first position in $DUOL 191.39 long. Price dipped below 200ma 215.36 then hit near 8/2024 lows 166.27. Plus only 40M o/s, 99% institutional ownership (the right ones own the most) and added more actually. Also fina…" X https://x.com/DaveTrader/status/1995162746531524642
  - "https://t.co/k0g5prFU87" X https://x.com/CDarnton0/status/1995847222051963279
- **Users actively seek alternatives and switch apps** (6 mentions)
  - "What is the best free language learning app apart from Duolingo?. It seems to have gotten worse since I last used it years ago. Any alternatives?" Reddit https://www.reddit.com/r/languagelearning/comments/1vqgyip/what_is_the_best_free_language_learning_app_apart/
  - "What language learning app are you actually using right now?. I’m looking for a good language learning app that actually helps with speaking and everyday conversation. No Duolingo this time i’m curious what other apps pe…" Reddit https://www.reddit.com/r/learnfrench/comments/1wy57tu/what_language_learning_app_are_you_actually_using/
- **Users pay for subscription to remove ads but focus on vocab** (1 mention)
  - "I think I learned a lot from duo I did paid for the subscription because of all the ads, but my focus was not the streak it was learning the vocabulary. I silenced the alerts and only learned when I wanted to, once I got…" YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ke5_q-Zqb0E&lc=UgyfkO9dLy0xB1oKiux4AaABAg
- **Users subscribe yearly then regret it after changes** (1 mention)
  - "Used to love Duolingo but recently it feels lacking. Other language app recommendations please.. I was really into Duolingo around Dec/Jan. So much so that I subscribed for a year. Many of the recent changes have left me…" Reddit https://www.reddit.com/r/duolingo/comments/1xmd9s6/used_to_love_duolingo_but_recently_it_feels/
- **Some see $DUOL as a potential trillion-dollar company and a good pick for parents** (1 mention)
  - "I love this take. Parents are looking for good educational/gaming platforms for their kids" X https://x.com/BrattoBiz/status/1995164709822337268
- **A user asks for help affording a subscription because card payment is blocked in Egypt** (1 mention)
  - "اوكي براين انت هتفهمني جدا بما انك بتتحدث العربية انا فقيرة جدا و لا املك حتى كريديت كارد ادفع بيها الاشتراك و لان في مصر حتى ان الدفع بالبطاقة مسبقة الدفع ممنوع انا استحالة هقدر استفيد من الابليكشن وانا ازمتي في الحياة …" YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kgS7Iq8sKG4&lc=Ugw6PTybRohztb1TtIt4AaABAg

## Compared with other brands

- **Other apps (Lingopie, Speak, Langua, Natulang, Rosetta Stone, Pimsleur, Busuu, etc.) suggested as replacements** (15 mentions)
  - "Duolingo is the worst app for language learning. I've NEVER met anyone who became fluent in a foreign language by using Duolingo. Duolingo makes you good at answering quizzes and chasing streaks, not fluent in a language…" X https://x.com/aruvinchan/status/2106789291506417854
  - "What’s a good app to transition to from Duolingo?. I’m about halfway through the French course after a few years on Duolingo. I’m not a hater but would like a change of scenery. Not a big fan of all the chests and suits …" Reddit https://www.reddit.com/r/duolingo/comments/1xpcs58/whats_a_good_app_to_transition_to_from_duolingo/
- **Anki recommended over Duolingo for efficient vocab** (6 mentions)
  - "nah man, you have to use 5 different apps that teach the same material. duolingo, lingodeer, busuu, bunpo, renshuu. maybe you will learn kana by the end of the year. /uj while it's hard to be as bad as Duolingo (80% of t…" Reddit https://www.reddit.com/r/languagelearningjerk/comments/1xtsbjy/are_apps_really_bad/
  - "The main difference in playing video games and using Duolingo is video games provide a lot of context for what you're learning; in most cases entire stories if you've changed the spoken language too Duolingo and others s…" Reddit https://www.reddit.com/r/languagelearningjerk/comments/1xtsbjy/are_apps_really_bad/
- **People compare it unfavorably to real conversation practice and in-person classes** (3 mentions)
  - "100%, I was living in Tulum, thought I had amazing Spanish with Duolingo, ya, no, first conversation sounded like gibberish to me. Duolingo is useless." X https://x.com/Refusenik6969/status/2106994853230113191
  - "Mark me down as first then. After finishing the Spanish Duolingo course (~15 months) I signed up for in-person Spanish lessons and was typed as A2 with peculiarly large vocabulary and ability to discuss any subject with …" X https://x.com/matus_danko/status/2107030241327960344
- **Immersion (media, dating apps, changing phone language) beats apps** (2 mentions)
  - "Lol, you're damn right. I learned Spanish FAST when I realized everyone spoke only Spanish on the dating apps." X https://x.com/aruvinchan/status/2106820010207223952
  - "Real life immersion is something that'll make you improve quickly without you noticing it. Change your phone's language, and watch content only in that language for as long as you can." X https://x.com/LuBuRedWine/status/2106812422204121229
- **Textbooks and real courses beat apps for structured learning** (1 mention)
  - "Have you learned English from Duolingo? No. You had a structured text book with texts, exercises, vocabulary and grammar in the back. Get one for German it will get you twice as far in half the time you spend on an app t…" Reddit https://www.reddit.com/r/German/comments/1xto3wd/how_can_a_college_student_with_zero_german/
- **Some say a one-prompt AI-built language app is Duolingo-level, others insist Duolingo is better** (1 mention)
  - "Duolingo is better" X https://x.com/BitGrateful/status/2021778871641911728
- **Stock commenters compare $DUOL to $PLTR and $ABNB** (1 mention)
  - "The old huge market and winner take old. The only problem is that $Duol is more like $ABNB than $PLTR you delusional retard" X https://x.com/EVPR34895/status/1995069916190593415

## What people want next

- **Add more languages: European Portuguese, Slovak, Tagalog, Thai, ASL, Serbo-Croatian, Interlingua** (6 mentions)
  - "Can we please get some new languages? Maybe European Portuguese, Slovak, even Tagalog and Thai?" YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B1QJlun36eU&lc=UgxTIURy95THg9Fnc-x4AaABAg
  - "Duolingo we need a ASL course" YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B1QJlun36eU&lc=UgxGS_P-m6moi_pKehF4AaABAg
- **Add advanced levels (B2, C1/C2) for various languages** (4 mentions)
  - "PLS C1 C2 AND C3 ON INTERMEDIATE ENGLISH AND NORMAL ENGLISH" YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B1QJlun36eU&lc=Ugytp5F7_L-7_kY4vTh4AaABAg
  - "I was hoping for C1/C2 in Spanish... Duolingo has B2 in Spanish for a couple of years now." YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B1QJlun36eU&lc=UgwTBG5txlhuXFwsLwh4AaABAg
- **Update and give attention to neglected languages (Russian, Dutch, Hindi)** (3 mentions)
  - "and Russian remains neglected" YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B1QJlun36eU&lc=Ugwu1e3CaFM0YVtctPR4AaABAg
  - "@Duolingo please give the Dutch language course some much needed updates and attention!!!" YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B1QJlun36eU&lc=Ugy1vTnwldp7ipEgGvp4AaABAg
- **Bring back human-made features like stories and forums** (2 mentions)
  - "Duolingo HAD features that helped my listening and conversation skills such as narrated stories and discussion boards. But they got rid of them for whatever reason. Anything that required actual humans, you know people w…" YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ke5_q-Zqb0E&lc=UgynlPJFXcfHjEIcFZ54AaABAg
  - "Duolingo started as a way to translate the web from English - van Ahn's own words - and you once could collaborate with others about how a page should be translated. It stopped being about learning the day they closed th…" YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ke5_q-Zqb0E&lc=UgzK7YZWYv1D-GOGPS14AaABAg
- **Less gamification and cosmetic clutter** (2 mentions)
  - "i hate this feature in duolingo like i absolutely do not care about skins in a "language" learning app" Reddit https://i.redd.it/owi67fvi180i1.jpeg
  - "What’s a good app to transition to from Duolingo?. I’m about halfway through the French course after a few years on Duolingo. I’m not a hater but would like a change of scenery. Not a big fan of all the chests and suits …" Reddit https://www.reddit.com/r/duolingo/comments/1xpcs58/whats_a_good_app_to_transition_to_from_duolingo/
- **Add a speaking/practice partner feature inside the app** (2 mentions)
  - "Duolingo is the top 1 learning app if you only had someone to practice with (Spanish)" TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@zina_malas/video/7696543684065561877
  - "с кем заниматься вместе, соревноваться там не знаю, ищу напарника" TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@digitalfootprintofmaria/video/7684004968918977825
- **Add an option to not translate at advanced levels** (1 mention)
  - "Can you please add an option so I don’t have to translate at advanced levels" YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B1QJlun36eU&lc=Ugz-tIgo3TYNOYezBqN4AaABAg

## Quotes

> I loved how accessible Duolingo was but the gamification aspect was what drove me away. Then they changed the content so it started asking me stuff it hadn’t taught me and it was all downhill from there.
> -- @DeadDancers on YouTube, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ke5_q-Zqb0E&lc=Ugw2biBf23gkKhbDtFF4AaABAg

> Duolingo is the worst app for language learning. I've NEVER met anyone who became fluent in a foreign language by using Duolingo. Duolingo makes you good at answering quizzes and chasing streaks, not fluent in a language. You only need 3 apps to get fluent in a language: 1. A "tutor" app (ChatGPT, Claude) 2. An AI speaking app (Langua, Speak, Praktika, etc.) 3. A listening app (Lingopie) The rest …
> -- @aruvinchan on X, https://x.com/aruvinchan/status/2106789291506417854

> Last year when Duo was particularly annoying in his nudging, for over two months I used to open the app and listen to the same audio exercise just to keep the streak. No learning at all, just annoyance at the damn owl.
> -- @DarkMartianFighter on YouTube, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ke5_q-Zqb0E&lc=Ugy_Ix1Rpq1K5caB84N4AaABAg

> I left duolingo when the 5 hearts turned into an energy bar that you have to watch ads to refill (even if you got a perfect lesson)
> -- @domco5672 on YouTube, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ke5_q-Zqb0E&lc=UgyxYvtQyeMYSlLHFwl4AaABAg

> I once met a girl who was on the 1300 day streak for learning english but could barely form a sentence. the next day I deleted the app. it should be studied for how good it is at retaining users without actually helping them achieve any meaningful transformation
> -- @dariusthehunter on X, https://x.com/dariusthehunter/status/2107005342697845209

> smartest move ever was including dua lipa in the marketing stunt it was so funny
> -- @christsleiman on TikTok, https://www.tiktok.com/@zina_malas/video/7696543684065561877