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Compare language-learning apps

Pick up to four apps and compare scores, features, pros, and cons.

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App	Duolingo	Pimsleur
Overall score	88	84
Tagline	The habit machine	Learn while your eyes are busy
Best for	Travel-ready basicsFamily conversation	Travel-ready basicsConversation fluency
Use-case fit	6	7
Level fit & AI tutor	Beginner Intermediate Fluent AI tutor	Beginner Intermediate Fluent No AI tutor
Verdict	The best place to start and the worst place to finish. Use it to build a daily habit and a first thousand words, then graduate to something with real conversation.	The strongest choice if your goal is to talk to people. Pair it with a reading-focused app and you have a near-complete beginner curriculum.
Pros	Free tier is genuinely usable — no other app comes close Streaks and daily goals build the habit that actually drives progress Max adds AI roleplay and per-answer explanations	Best-in-class for speaking confidence from day one Works entirely hands-free — commuting, cooking, running Spaced recall schedule is genuinely research-backed
Cons	Weak above intermediate — courses thin out fast at B2+ Sentences can be artificial and rarely teach connected speech Grammar is inferred rather than taught unless you pay for Max	Reading and writing are barely covered Expensive for the amount of content per level Pacing feels slow if you already know the basics
Full review	Read review →	Read review →

Quick takeaway

Duolingo leads this comparison with an overall score of 88. It is strongest for Travel-ready basics and Family conversation. Pimsleur is the closest alternative at 84. Choose Duolingo if free tier is genuinely usable — no other app comes close; pick Pimsleur if best-in-class for speaking confidence from day one.