Duolingo is the better app overall, scoring 9.0 to 7.9. Duolingo wins on 4 of the 5 scores, Speak on 1.
Beginners who want a fun, low-pressure daily habit in a new language
Learners who understand a language but freeze up when it is time to speak
Score by score
The details
| Feature | Duolingo | Speak |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Learning | Learning |
| Category rank | #2 of 8 | #8 of 8 |
| Developer | Duolingo | Speakeasy Labs |
| Pricing | Free + paid plans | Subscription |
| Usable for free | Yes | No |
| iPhone & iPad | ✓ | ✓ |
| Android | ✓ | ✓ |
| 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
Speak
- Gets you speaking out loud from the first lesson
- Open-ended AI chats feel close to a real tutor
- Low-pressure practice without a human audience
- Little free use beyond a trial
- Weak on reading, writing and long-term vocabulary review
Speak is built for the hardest part of learning a language: actually talking. You repeat phrases, then hold open conversations with an AI tutor that corrects your pronunciation and phrasing. It is great for getting past the fear of speaking. The catch: there is little free use, the course gets repetitive at higher levels, and reading and vocabulary review are thin. Pair it with a structured course.
Full Speak review
