Is Duolingo Max worth it? What you get over Super, and who should pay

What Duolingo Max is, in plain words

Duolingo's announcement describes Duolingo Max as a new subscription tier above Super Duolingo that gives learners access to two brand-new features and exercises: Video Call and Roleplay. Max gives learners all the benefits of Super, which Duolingo lists as unlimited energy, no ads and personalised review through the Practice Hub, as well as the AI-powered features.

Duolingo said it was using GPT-4, the newest technology from OpenAI at the time, to make learning more powerful, and that its curriculum experts and designers work with AI-generated content to create the lessons. The same post says that Duolingo Max is available in 188 countries for both iOS and Android devices.

Timeline, from a review site's history: Duolingo originally launched Max back at the start of 2023 to a select group of users. As of January 2025, Duolingo Max has been rolled out to more users than ever before. That means the details have changed over time, so always check what Max includes for your course and country in the app before you pay.

The three Max features, and what each one is for

Reviews of Duolingo Max list three AI features. One review lists them as Video Call, Roleplay and Explain My Answer, which came with the new AI-powered tier in 2023.

On Video Call, Duolingo's own post says that Lily starts the call and the learner can talk about any topic. It is a feature for Duolingo Max subscribers, announced on 24 September 2024 for English, Spanish, French, German, Italian and Portuguese, with Japanese and Korean on iOS.

Availability depends on your course and device, and Duolingo changes which features sit in which tier. Check the current comparison in the app, and see whether the language you study is included.

What does Duolingo Max cost?

Prices change and vary by country, so treat every number as a snapshot.

• Max: a review site states that Duolingo Max currently starts at $14 a month in the US and £9.99 a month in the UK. We could not confirm this on Duolingo's own pages, so check the price on your screen.
• Super Duolingo, the tier below: the US App Store listing (checked 20 October 2026) shows Super at $9.99 and $12.99 for a month, and at $83.99, $95.99 and $119.99 for a year. Several prices are listed for the same period, which usually means different plans or offers. Duolingo Max prices were not shown in the first ten in-app purchases on that page.
• Free: Duolingo still lets users learn for free. A 2026 review notes that core lesson content remains available on the free tier, while paid plans mainly reduce friction and add extra features.

How to read this: Max is the most expensive tier, so you are paying for the AI features and not for more lessons. Ask whether you would use Video Call, Roleplay and the explanations at least a few times a week. If not, Super or the free version may serve you better.

Who should pay for Max

Max makes sense in these cases.

• You already use Duolingo most days and want to speak inside the same app without adding another subscription.
• You are a beginner or lower-intermediate learner who needs a gentle, scripted way to start speaking.
• You often get an answer wrong and do not know why. Explain My Answer is built for that.
• You like the structure of short lessons and want a bit more AI help alongside them.

One more fact helps here: the level the course aims for. According to Duolingo, as a review summarises it, its largest programmes are designed to take users up to a B2 level, while smaller ones may end sooner depending on how complete they are. For learners at C1 to C2, the platform can be a way to maintain contact with English as an additional interactive tool, not a complete course.

If you are intermediate or advanced and your goal is to speak at length about work, travel or opinions, Max can be a supplement, not the whole plan.

Who should skip Max

Max is not the best use of money in these cases.

• You rarely open Duolingo. The best subscription is the one you use.
• You want long, unscripted conversations. A call with a character is helpful practice, but a dedicated speaking tutor is built for hours of talk, and gives you scores for pronunciation and fluency.
• You are preparing for an exam. IELTS, TOEFL and PTE need timed speaking practice and exam-style feedback. See our IELTS speaking mock test.
• Free Duolingo already meets your needs. If you only want vocabulary and short lessons, you may not need any paid tier.

Compare before you pay. Our guide to Duolingo alternatives for speaking explains which type of app fits which goal, and our table of English speaking app prices puts the main prices side by side.

We make YoFluent, so take this with that in mind. It is a voice-conversation app, not a course: you speak with AI tutors in 16 situations such as job interviews and small talk, and get scores for pronunciation, fluency, grammar and vocabulary after each call. In the US it costs $14.99 a month or $59.99 a year, with a 3-day free trial on the yearly plan.

A simple way to decide in a week

Test before you commit.

1. Use the free version for a week. Notice what you wish you could do: speak more, understand mistakes, or practise real situations.
2. Try a short Max plan or trial if one is offered in your country. Start with one month, not a year.
3. Count how often you use the AI features. If you use Video Call or Roleplay fewer than a few times a week, the extra cost is not paying off.
4. Compare with a speaking-first app for the same month. Same time, same goal, and see which one you speak more in.
5. Decide with your own numbers. Time spent speaking out loud is the measure that matters.

For the bigger picture of how to improve speaking, our guide to how to speak English fluently lists techniques that work whichever app you choose. Many learners combine a course for structure with a conversation app for speaking, because the two do different jobs.