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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	Pimsleur	Duolingo
Overall score	84	88
Tagline	Learn while your eyes are busy	The habit machine
Best for	Travel-ready basicsConversation fluency	Travel-ready basicsFamily conversation
Use-case fit	7	6
Level fit & AI tutor	Beginner Intermediate Fluent No AI tutor	Beginner Intermediate Fluent AI tutor
Verdict	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.	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.
Pros	Best-in-class for speaking confidence from day one Works entirely hands-free — commuting, cooking, running Spaced recall schedule is genuinely research-backed	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
Cons	Reading and writing are barely covered Expensive for the amount of content per level Pacing feels slow if you already know the basics	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
Full review	Read review →	Read review →

Quick takeaway

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