Duolingo Alternatives 2026: 5 Free Options
Duolingo alternatives: Anki, Busuu, Memrise, LingQ and 1 more. Prices and licenses checked October 23, 2026.
•2 min read•Learning & Everyday Apps
Verdict:Leave Duolingo if streaks and game points keep you opening the app but not actually speaking. It is a fine habit builder for the first weeks, and the free tier is enough for that. Language Transfer is worth trying first: the audio courses are free with no ads or sign-up and explain how the language fits together, which Duolingo's tile exercises rarely do. Anki fits once you have a base and need to remember words for good; it is free, though you have to build or download your own decks. Busuu and Memrise keep the structured-course feel, with free starts, so they are the least jarring switch, but check each pricing page before you subscribe. LingQ suits people who read and listen to real material and want a tool that tracks the words they learn. The trade-off is guidance. Duolingo tells you what to do next every day; most alternatives expect you to choose, so pair one structured course with Anki or a tutor. Stay with Duolingo if your main goal is a light daily habit and the ads do not bother you. Move when you plateau and want real conversation practice.
Quick comparison
| Tool | Price | Platforms | Best for | Tested |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anki | Free (Desktop app free on all major platforms; AnkiWeb sync free; AnkiDroid free. AnkiMobile (iOS) is an official app with no price shown on the page) | Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS | Self-built vocabulary decks | Docs only |
| Busuu | Free (The site title reads 'Start for Free' and buttons say 'Learn for free'; free-plan limits are not listed on the page) | Web, iOS, Android | Structured courses on a phone | Docs only |
| Memrise | Free (Learning can start for free; a paid plan unlocks extra features (limits not itemised on the home page)) | Web, iOS, Android | Vocabulary and listening practice | Docs only |
| LingQ | Free (Home page promotes 'Start Learning for Free'; free-plan limits not itemised) | Web, iOS, Android | Reading and listening in context | Docs only |
| Language Transfer | Free (No price tags, no ads and no sign-ups; the project runs on donations) | Web, iOS, Android | Free audio lessons for beginners | Docs only |
Independent comparison. Paid placements are labelled separately; editorial links earn no affiliate commissions. Learn more.
Good fit if
- You want free audio lessons that explain the language (Language Transfer is the pick)
- You need to memorise vocabulary for good (Anki is the pick)
- You want a similar course-style app with a free start (Busuu is the pick)
- You are intermediate and want to read real content (LingQ is the pick)
Not ideal if
- You rely on Duolingo features or integrations that these tools do not replicate
Duolingo today: Free (Duolingo pricing, checked 2026-10-23).
Anki
Compared with Duolingo: Free flashcards with spaced repetition on desktop, Android and AnkiWeb; iOS app is separate. You lose Duolingo's game-like lessons and must build or download decks, but you control what you memorise and pay nothing on most devices.
Price: Free (Desktop app free on all major platforms; AnkiWeb sync free; AnkiDroid free. AnkiMobile (iOS) is an official app with no price shown on the page) (Anki pricing, checked 2026-10-22).
Platforms and license: Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS. AGPL-3.0-or-later (some contributed parts BSD-3) (open source).
Project activity: 32.3k GitHub stars · latest release 26.09.3 (Sep 23, 2026) · last commit Oct 27, 2026
Best for: Self-built vocabulary decks.
Busuu
Compared with Duolingo: Promotes a free start with 'Learn for free'; check the pricing page for Premium plans. Busuu is course-based like Duolingo, so the switch is smooth, but free limits need checking before you commit.
Price: Free (The site title reads 'Start for Free' and buttons say 'Learn for free'; free-plan limits are not listed on the page) (Busuu pricing, checked 2026-10-23).
Platforms and license: Web, iOS, Android. Proprietary.
Best for: Structured courses on a phone.
Memrise
Compared with Duolingo: Learning can start free, and a paid plan unlocks extra features. Strong on vocabulary and listening compared with Duolingo's grammar tiles; check the pricing page for plan prices.
Price: Free (Learning can start for free; a paid plan unlocks extra features (limits not itemised on the home page)) (Memrise pricing, checked 2026-10-23).
Platforms and license: Web, iOS, Android. Proprietary.
Best for: Vocabulary and listening practice.
LingQ
Compared with Duolingo: Free start promoted on its home page; Premium unlocks 50+ languages. It teaches by reading and listening to real content rather than Duolingo's drills, which suits intermediate learners more than complete beginners.
Price: Free (Home page promotes 'Start Learning for Free'; free-plan limits not itemised) (LingQ pricing, checked 2026-10-23).
Platforms and license: Web, iOS, Android. Proprietary.
Best for: Reading and listening in context.
Language Transfer
Compared with Duolingo: Free audio courses with no ads or sign-ups, funded by donations, for languages including Spanish, German and French. There is no streak game or visual practice, but it explains grammar in a way Duolingo does not.
Price: Free (No price tags, no ads and no sign-ups; the project runs on donations) (Language Transfer pricing, checked 2026-10-23).
Platforms and license: Web, iOS, Android. Free, donation-funded.
Best for: Free audio lessons for beginners.
Worth knowing: Audio courses for languages including Spanish, German, Italian, French, Turkish, Greek, Arabic and Swahili per the site's links.
Which one to pick
- You want free audio lessons that explain the language: Language Transfer
- You need to memorise vocabulary for good: Anki
- You want a similar course-style app with a free start: Busuu
- You are intermediate and want to read real content: LingQ
Limits of this review
Docs-only for Anki, Busuu, Memrise, LingQ, Language Transfer: we did not install or run them, so feature claims come from vendor pages and we did not test import from Duolingo. Vendor prices and free limits change; confirm on the linked pricing page before you buy or migrate.
Related guides
More in Learning & Everyday Apps
All Learning & Everyday Apps alternatives →Sources
Kevin Fan
Kevin Fan is a SaaS founder. He runs Free Instead Of, which tracks free and open-source alternatives to paid software and checks each price and free-plan limit against the vendor's own pages.
Methodology
Based on official pricing and product pages checked between 2026-10-22 and 2026-10-23: Duolingo, Anki, Busuu, Memrise, LingQ, Language Transfer. Prices, free limits and licenses are the figures shown on those pages on those dates. No tool on this page was installed or run. No accounts were created.