It's close: Duolingo edges it 9.0 to 8.8, so the right pick depends on what you need. Duolingo wins on 2 of the 5 scores, Anki on 3.
Beginners who want a fun, low-pressure daily habit in a new language
Med students, language learners and anyone memorizing large volumes of facts
Score by score
The details
| Feature | Duolingo | Anki |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Learning | Learning |
| Category rank | #2 of 8 | #3 of 8 |
| Developer | Duolingo | Damien Elmes and AnkiHub |
| Pricing | Free + paid plans | Free |
| Usable for free | Yes | Yes |
| iPhone & iPad | ✓ | ✓ |
| Android | ✓ | ✓ |
| Mac | — | ✓ |
| Windows | — | ✓ |
| Linux | — | ✓ |
| Web | ✓ | ✓ |
Strengths and weaknesses
Duolingo
- Free tier covers full courses, not just a sample
- Short lessons fit into any spare five minutes
- Habit features really do keep you practicing daily
- Limited open-ended speaking practice outside the Max plan
- Free version has ads and caps how much you can practice
Duolingo is the easiest way to build a daily language habit. Lessons take a few minutes, streaks and leagues keep you coming back, and the free tier covers whole courses. It now teaches math, music and chess too. The catch: it is better at recognition than real conversation, and free users see ads. Start here, then add a speaking app or tutor when you want fluency.
Full Duolingo review
Anki
- Smart scheduling means less review time for the same recall
- Free and open source on desktop, Android and the web
- Fully customizable cards, decks and study settings
- Dated interface with a steep learning curve
- The iPhone and iPad app, AnkiMobile, is a paid download
Anki is the most effective flashcard tool you can use, if you are willing to put in the work. Its spaced repetition scheduler, including the newer FSRS option, shows each card just before you would forget it. It is free and open source everywhere except iPhone, where AnkiMobile is a one-time purchase. The catch: the interface is dated and setup takes effort. Ideal for med students and serious language learners.
Full Anki review
