Duolingo has nonstop enshittfied. Just getting worse and worse
this post was submitted on 30 Apr 2025
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And yet, people fall completely into their marketing.
What alternatives are there to Duolingo?
I wanted to know the same thing so this is what my searching has brought up, specifically for Scots Gaelic as that's what I've been learning.
Speak Gaelic - Gaelic only, government funded, free
IndyLan - for endangered European languages, made by Heriot-Watt University and EU funded, free
Mango Languages - appears to be the closest to a Duolingo replacement. Many languages, subscription.
Glossika - another Duo replacement however that URL doesn't fill me with confidence that they're not going down the same route... Subscription for most languages, endangered ones are free.
Apart from the first Mango lesson for free and a few IndyLan lessons I've not tried any of these so can't speak for their quality but thought a list might still be handy.
Mango is really good and you might be able to use it for free with your library card if you're in the US!
HelloChinese for Mandarin
I like Busuu. But like Duolingo, using it by itself isn't a good idea; you need to study grammar and vocabulary separately to learn at a decent pace.
Busuu's best feature is its community corrections from native speakers, but they've been nerfed a lot in the past decade. You can still get something out of it though, just don't pay for premium (even on sale) because it's not really worth it.
There used to be something called Conversation Exchange that was useful for for supplementation, but it was a pretty big jump from what I would get from Duolingo to speaking with someone there.
Clozemaster and AnkiCard
As a researcher studying French, how would you say hello?
"Hello" oder "Bonjour"
👋
Lol, that's my default!
Yo
Bonjour, bonsoir, bonuit?
But they said they weren't getting rid of anyone. 🤣 Capitalism strikes again.