Do You Need Super Duolingo? Language-Learning Technology Review (2023)
I discovered Duolingo back in 2014 at the very beginning of my French-learning journey. At the time, I was doing anything and everything I could to become fluent in French โ and Duolingo absolutely played a role in getting me there. Almost a decade later, I have successfully passed the DALF C2, taught English in French middle and high schools with the Teaching Assistant Program in France (TAPIF), obtained a master’s degree from a French university, and even found full-time employment in France where I speak French daily. Though I don’t use Duolingo to improve my French anymore, I still use the app to study other languages. After years of debating whether I should upgrade to Super Duolingo, I finally made the decision to take my language-learning experience to the next level. With the New Year’s discount pricing, I paid 70.99 โฌ for a year of Super Duolingo. Keep reading to learn why I subscribed to the paid version of Duolingo and whether I think the experience is worth the money.
Seamless Learning
When I’m studying with Super Duolingo, I feel unstoppable. Unlike the free version, Super Duolingo lets me breeze through lessons uninterrupted, which means I get more practice and have a more satisfying experience. Super Duolingo doesn’t punish users when they make mistakes, which means I don’t have to worry about running out of hearts and being forced to stop my lesson. Moreover, getting Super Duolingo removes the ads that appear after each and every lesson on the free version. Without the barrage of ads, I’m no longer discouraged from doing multiple lessons in a row. Sailing through lesson after lesson is a huge Super Duolingo perk that helps me improve my language skills in less time.
From a breakthrough at work to, literally, saving the day, these stories remind us that you never know when your new language will come in handy! ๐ https://t.co/w5pD1q2G6b
โ Duolingo (@duolingo) January 13, 2023
Customized Experience
With Super Duolingo, no two users’ journeys are exactly the same. I like being able to personalize my language-learning experience in ways that were impossible with the free version. For example, I have the option to follow the classic learning pathway, but I can also add other elements to my routine, such as lessons that specifically work on speaking skills, sharpen my listening abilities, or review the mistakes I made previously. This tailored experience means I can progress in the categories that stump me without wasting time on concepts I’ve already mastered. Super Duolingo feels more like a bespoke language journey than a pre-planned language curriculum.
@duolingo disgusting!! #duolingo #dulapeep #languagelearning โฌ Yotube AstroCapella – AstroCapella
Stress-Free Streaks
Duolingo streaks are arguably the most motivating feature on the app, so when you forget to do your daily lesson, it can be really disappointing! Sometimes life gets in the way of you logging in to Duolingo every day, and with the free version of the app, you’ll have to be sure that you have a streak freeze on the ready at all times to avoid losing your streak. However, Super Duolingo users get a free streak repair every month, which really comes in handy on those days when language learning gets put on the back burner. I enjoy watching my streak climb every day, and feel relieved that I don’t have to worry about missing a day and resetting all of my progress as a Super Duolingo subscriber.
Reasonable Pricing
In my opinion, the best part about Duolingo is that it makes language learning accessible to anyone with a smartphone and time for a daily lesson or two. The free version of Duolingo helped me learn my first foreign language, which ultimately changed my life for the better. I feel strongly about helping keep the app free for other users by paying less than six euros per month for the Super Duolingo advantages that greatly improve my experience as an avid language learner. Because Super Duolingo fit into my personal budget without any trouble, and I know I’m helping keep the basic version free, I don’t regret taking the plunge.
@duolingo A toxic win for the big green owl๐ #staytoxic #redflag #duolingo #dualipa โฌ original sound – ๐ฐ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐
All things considered, if you’re an enthusiastic, devoted language learner like me, Super Duolingo is well worth the price. If you don’t mind watching ads and aren’t obsessed with your streak, however, continuing to use the free version is probably just fine. I’m excited to see how learning languages with Duolingo continues to shape my life, and I would love to know what you think of studying with gamified language-learning apps. If you have any thoughts or questions, let me know in a comment!
9 Comments
Dave Fowler
Jalen,
I enjoyed your post on Duolingo. I bought Rosetta Stone for a trip to France last year and have continued daily lessons. I feel like I’m struggling with foundational French and would like to know how you learned the basics like verb tense, etc. Was Duolingo sufficient for you or did you supplement that with another source?
Thanks
Dave
Jalen & Maria
Hi Dave,
Iโm glad you enjoyed the post. Thanks for reading. When it comes to learning verb tenses, I canโt say with certainty that Duolingo was the sole source responsible for my mastery of those concepts. At that stage in my French-language journey, I was doing a multitude of things like listening to podcasts for French learners, watching YouTube videos in French, and listening to music in French. Maybe you could give those things a try as well. Good luck, and keep up the good work!
David
Thanks for this page. Was exactly what I needed to know.
I’m going to do some googling on the value of a duolingo streak. If you’re able to provide some info, that’d be great.
I wonder if it’s just personal satisfaction of maintaining the streak.
Or does it give you more or better bonuses or other kind of reward?
Jalen & Maria
Youโre welcome. Thanks for reading! I find that Duolingo streaks are a good way to feed my motivation to continue using the app at least a little bit every day, which is widely considered a better way to learn as opposed to studying for longer periods a couple times per week.
Additionally, reaching certain milestones in your streak (100 days, for example) will result in extra rewards, points, or badges.
Elina Pongracz
Thanks for posting this information. I am attempting to learn Turkish, and I did buy a simplified language course to expand my lessons. For the time being, I will continue with the free version of Duolingo. I do find it frustrating though when the pronunciation differs so much between the male and female voices.
I wonder if it is just me that hears this way?
Jalen & Maria
Hey, Elina. Thank you for reading! I have never studied Turkish on Duolingo. However, with the languages I have studied on the app, I do notice small differences in all of the charactersโ speech patterns. I donโt find it particularly frustrating. On the contrary, I quite like being able to hear the slight differences in pronunciation, cadence, and intonation as I feel they are representative of the sorts of variations one might encounter when conversing with different native speakers. Thanks for sharing and good luck with learning Turkish! ๐
Jeanette Johansson
It was really a disaster when they last updated Duolingo with this new “step-stones”. All the short stories that comes up I did before the update, I still don’t get stories I don’t recognice. Another thing they distroyed was the word-list with all the words you’ve learned and how “strong” they are (based on how long it’s been since you’ve last practised them). What I want to ask is: Is the word-list on Super Duolingo? Or is it all gone?
Jeffrey Penna
I’m a paid subscriber to Duolingo, I’m getting asked to pay for timer boosts is there something wrong is it not detecting I’m already paying or are they charging on top of what they are getting from paying subscibers do you know?
Thank you
Jalen & Maria
Hello Jeffrey, I donโt use time boosts myself, but I believe as a paid Duolingo subscriber, I would still have to โpayโ for them on timed challenges if I wanted more time by โspendingโ the gems I earn from doing lessons.