15 Best Duolingo Alternatives to Boost Your Language Skills

Published on March 21, 2024 at 11:01 pm by Talha Qureshi in Business, Industries, Lists, News

In this article, we will look at the 15 best Duolingo alternatives to boost your language skills. We will also discuss the language learning market. If you want to skip our detailed analysis, you can go directly to the 5 Best Duolingo Alternatives to Boost your Language Skills.

Duolingo: The Top Language Learning Platform

Duolingo, Inc. (NASDAQ:DUOL) is a leading language learning platform operator offering over 98 courses in almost 40 languages. The teaching model of Duolingo, Inc. (NASDAQ:DUOL) comprises speaking, listening, and translation training programs. The platform also provides testing services and grading for self-evaluation and improvement. The portfolio of Duolingo, Inc. (NASDAQ:DOUL) includes Duolingo English tests, tiny cards that help language learning, podcasts, stories, and dictionary services.

Moreover, Duolingo, Inc. (NASDAQ:DUOL) also features a school-based learning model called Duolingo for School, which enables teachers to track students’ performance and store data through Amazon Web Services. The platform operates on a free-for-all model. However, users can buy a monthly subscription to unlock premium features, including an add remover and offline access.

Over 30 million active users are learning new languages using Duolingo. The company is a major player in the language learning industry and recently reported stellar earnings. On February 28, Duolingo, Inc. (NASDAQ:DUOL) reported earnings for the fiscal fourth quarter of 2023. The company reported earnings per share of $0.26 and beat estimates by $0.10. The company’s revenue for the quarter grew by 45.42% and amounted to $150.99 million, ahead of market expectations by $2.60 million. Here are some comments from Duolingo, Inc.’s (NASDAQ:DUOL) Q4 2023 earnings call:

“The more learners we attract to our platform, the more learners we convert to subscribers. And the more subscribers we have, the more money we have to invest in our courses to make them even more fun, engaging and effective and so on. Since our IPO, we’ve added about 18 million daily active users and over 50 million monthly active users, most of whom have come to our platform through word of mouth. We’ve supplemented that organic growth with a cost-effective social-first marketing strategy, which earned us three billion social media impressions last year alone.”

Global Language Learning Market

According to a report by Global Market Insights, the global language learning market was valued at $52.7 billion in 2022. The market is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 20.8% from 2023 to 2032 and reach $337.2 billion by the end of the forecasted period. The individual learner segment held the largest market share of approximately 60% in 2022. The revenue for the segment amounted to $30 billion in 2022. Increased globalization, business expansion across borders, and advancement in artificial intelligence and natural language processing models across various language learning platforms are factors driving growth in the market. To read more about languages, you can look at the 12 Most Profitable Foreign Languages To Learn and the 15 Most Valuable Languages to Learn for International Business.

Noteworthy Competitors of Duolingo

Some of the leading players in the language learning market are Benesse Holdings Inc (TYO:9783), Chegg Inc (NYSE:CHGG), and Pearson Plc (NYSE:PSO).

Benesse Holdings Inc (TYO:9783) is one of the leading holding companies based in Japan that engages in education services, nursing homes, and child care services. The company operates through four segments: domestic education, the global Kodomo challenge segment, Nursing care, and the Berlitz language learning segment. The Berlitz segment provides language education for businesses and global human resource development, and is operated through the Berlitz corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of Benesse Holding Inc (TYO:9783). Berlitz Corporation is a leading international language training and education company that provides various programs, including language instructions, assessment, business communication training, institutional programs, and individual language learning. The corporation has over 140 years of experience in language and cultural training and is operational in 70 countries through numerous language schools and its online platform.

Chegg Inc (NYSE:CHGG) is an international direct student learning platform enabling learners to excel by providing essential educational course material and job skills. Busuu became a wholly owned subsidiary of Chegg Inc (NYSE:CHGG) in 2022. It is an online language-learning program offering courses in more than 12 languages. The platform operates through comprehensive self-paced lessons, live classes with language experts, and a community that connects learners with fellow members and provides practice sessions. On February 5, Chegg Inc (NYSE:CHGG) reported earnings for the fiscal fourth quarter of 2023. The company reported earnings per share of $0.36 and generated a revenue of $187.99 million in the quarter, which was ahead of market consensus by $2.02 million. Chegg Inc (NYSE:CHGG) is working on integrating AI into its offerings to facilitate growth. Here are some comments from the company’s Q4 2023 earnings call that talk about this:

We also plan to build out more AI capabilities within Chegg’s Skills and integrate pathways for students with assessments and other tools. We are already seeing a reduction in the time it takes to launch new skills programs by approximately 40%, which allows us to offer new courses at greater speeds and will significantly reduce our costs. And the importance of skills-based training has never been more critical. In fact, half of recent graduates are questioning how prepared they are to enter the workforce, given the disruption of artificial intelligence. And employers agree, a 79% say that workers need more training to work with AI more effectively. So the opportunity for Chegg Skills has never been greater or more important. There are a number of exciting opportunities ahead of us in 2024, and we remain focused on the following priorities: Returning to new account growth globally, maintaining strong margins and cash flow, rolling out the next phase of Chegg’s enhanced AI services and leveraging our momentum and skills for continued growth.

Pearson plc (NYSE:PSO) is another leading international education courseware, assessment, and digital services company. The company publishes curriculums for various educational services, engages in teacher development and provides educational software. Pearson plc (NYSE:PSO) operates through five segments, including assessment and qualifications, virtual reality learning, language learning, workforce skills, and higher educational services. The language learning segment of Pearson plc (NYSE:PSO) is run through Mondly’s online language learning platform. Mondly provides interactive language learning in more than 41 languages in over 190 countries. The platform uses artificial intelligence, virtual reality, chatbots, and speech recognition to incorporate real-life scenarios and enhance the language learning experience for its users. The platform also features an app-based model available on Android and iOS devices.

While Duolingo is one of the top platforms for learning a new language, there are several others. With that said, let’s take a look at the best Duolingo alternatives to boost your language skills.

Our Methodology

To curate the list of the 15 best Duolingo alternatives to boost your language skills, we employed a consensus approach. We consulted more than 10 rankings online to aggregate the best Duolingo alternatives. We picked platforms that appeared in at least 50% of our sources. We then ranked these platforms based on Trustpilot’s total number of reviews and customer star ratings. Please note that we only selected items with more than 450 reviews and customer star ratings of at least 3.0. Please note that the list is in ascending order of customer reviews as a primary metric and star ratings as a secondary metric.

15 Best Duolingo Alternatives to Boost Your Language Skills

15. Mondly

Customer Reviews: 455

Star Rating: 3.3

Number 15 on our list is Mondly by Pearson plc (NYSE:PSO). Mondly is a freemium language learning platform that offers interactive learning in more than 41 languages. The platform operates through its websites and an app that is compatible with both iOS and Android devices. The platform also offers VR and AR language learning experiences. Mondly has a customer star rating of 3.3.

14. Berlitz

Customer Reviews: 630

Star Rating: 3

Berlitz by Benesse Holdings Inc (TYO:9783) ranks 14th on our list with 630 customer reviews. The platform offers a wide range of language learning services, including language instructions, language assessment and testing, business language skills and communication, global leadership programs, and specialized language programs for children, teenagers, and adults.

13. Verbal Planet

Customer Reviews: 640

Star Rating: 4.4

Verbal Planet is an interactive online language-learning platform that provides live language programs through Skype. The platform ranks 13th with 640 customer reviews and a star rating of 4.4.

12. Verbling

Customer Reviews: 755

Star Rating: 4.7

Owned by Chegg Inc’s (NYSE:CHGG) subsidiary Busuu, Verbling is an online language-learning platform that connects learners with language experts via one-on-one live video chats. The platform ranks 12th and has 755 reviews on Trustpilot.

11. Accent Advisor

Customer Reviews: 949

Star Rating: 4.9

Accent Advisor is an American English language learning platform that provides accent reduction training services to improve communication skills for its users. The platform operates through an online language learning model featuring all-in-one and one-to-one classes for a personalized learning experience.

10. Tutoroo

Customer Reviews: 1,101

Star Rating: 4

Tutoroo is a Singapore-based language learning platform that connects learners with native language experts. The platform provides specialized courses in various languages, including English, Spanish, French, Chinese, Arabic, and Italian, matching the time, budget, and specifications of both the language expert and the learner. Tutoroo ranks 10th on our list and has a star rating of 4.

9. Lingopie

Customer Reviews: 1,571

Star Rating: 4.6

9th on our list is Lingopie. One of the first platforms that uses translation of TV shows and movies to teach new languages to its users. The company operates on the mission of making language learning fun for its users and utilizes interactive learning tools to enhance the learning experience.

8. Yabla

Customer Reviews: 3,136

Star Rating: 4.5

Yabla ranks 8th on our list with 3,136 customer reviews. It is an online language-learning platform that operates through interactive videos, including TV shows, music, interviews, and documentaries, to teach various languages to its users.

7. Lingoda GmBH

Customer Reviews: 4,823

Star Rating: 4.4

Lingoda GmBH is an online language-learning platform that provides interactive English, French, Spanish, and German courses. The platform operates via voice and video calls with native tutors, allowing students to design their curriculum.

6. Open English

Customer Reviews: 6,275

Star Rating: 4.2

Open English ranks 6th on our list with 6,275 customer reviews. It is an online English language-learning platform combining interactive video lectures with multimedia learning content to enhance users’ learning experience.

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