Duolingo Max
Verified Oct 16, 2026 ActiveDuolingo's top subscription tier, adding AI roleplay and video-call speaking practice to the gamified lessons
Listed on EffectHub ·
Pricing
- Pricing model
- Freemium
No public price: Max is sold only inside the mobile app above Super Duolingo, and the help centre says it cannot be bought on web. The US App Store listing shows Super Duolingo in-app purchases at $12.99 a month and $83.99 to $119.99 a year but no Max item, so the Max price is left unconfirmed; the base app stays free with ads.
Use tool ↗About Duolingo Max
Duolingo Max is the subscription tier above Super Duolingo in the Duolingo language app: it keeps the short gamified lessons and ad-free, unlimited-hearts benefits of Super and adds two conversational features built on OpenAI models — Roleplay, scripted real-world scenarios with feedback, and Video Call, an unscripted spoken conversation with the character Lily. It launched in March 2023 for English speakers learning Spanish, French, German, Italian and Portuguese, with Video Call extended to Japanese, Korean and Chinese later. Max is bought and used in the iOS and Android apps; the web version cannot sell it, and the price is shown only in the app's shop and varies by region.
- API
- Not confirmed
- Last verified
- Oct 16, 2026
Verified sources
- Launch post dated 14 March 2023: Duolingo Max is 'a new subscription tier above Super Duolingo' with Video Call and Roleplay built on GPT-4, on iOS and Android, for English speakers learning Spanish, French, German, Italian and Portuguese, with Video Call only for Japanese, Korean and Chinese; no price stated (15 October 2026)blog.duolingo.com ↗
- Help centre: Duolingo Max includes all Super Duolingo benefits plus Roleplay and Video Call with Lily; Video Call is available to Max subscribers on iOS and Android; upgrades go through the mobile app and Max cannot be purchased on web (15 October 2026)duolingo.com ↗
- US App Store listing by seller Duolingo, Inc. shows Super Duolingo in-app purchases at $9.99, $12.99 (month) and $83.99, $95.99, $119.99 (year) and no Duolingo Max item (15 October 2026)apps.apple.com ↗
Is Duolingo Max legit?
We don’t label tools safe or unsafe. Below are the records we checked ourselves, each with the date we read it.
- Domain registered
- Jan 26, 2010 (16 years ago)Registry record (RDAP), registrar Amazon Registrar, Inc., looked up Sep 6, 2026
- TLS certificate
- Issued by Amazon, valid until Dec 24, 2026Seen in our own connection to the site on Oct 16, 2026
- Last checked
- Oct 16, 2026The site answered
- On the market since
- 2023The vendor's own material, read by us
- Operated by
- Duolingo, Inc., United StatesOur research, card verified Oct 15, 2026
Pros & cons of Duolingo Max
Max is worth it for a learner who already finishes Duolingo lessons daily and wants to speak out loud without a tutor: Video Call is the one Duolingo feature that forces unscripted talking, and Roleplay fills the gap between drills and conversation. Anyone not yet consistent with the free app is paying for features they will not reach, and the price is only visible in the app, differs by country and sits well above Super.
Pros
- Video Call gives unscripted spoken conversation that adapts to your level, which the free and Super tiers lack
- Roleplay scenarios come with feedback on what you said, not just a right-or-wrong mark
- Everything in Super (no ads, unlimited hearts, practice mode) is included, so there is no separate upgrade
- Backed by a public company with a large, actively updated app on both mobile platforms
Cons
- The price is shown only in the app's shop and changes by region, so it cannot be compared before installing
- Video Call and Max purchases are mobile-only; the web app cannot sell or fully run the tier
- The AI features cover a subset of the 40-plus courses, so learners of smaller languages pay Max prices for Super features
- Billing runs through the App Store or Google Play, so refunds and cancellation follow Apple's or Google's rules
Best for
- Daily Duolingo users who want speaking practice with feedback at a fraction of a tutor's rate
- Learners of Spanish, French, German, Italian or Portuguese, where both Roleplay and Video Call are available
- People who prefer a game loop with streaks and leagues over a textbook course
Not for
- Beginners who have not yet made the free app a habit — the AI features assume you can already form sentences
- Learners who need grammar depth, exam preparation or a human correcting pronunciation
Watch out: Check which features your language actually gets before upgrading: for languages outside the five European courses Max may add only Video Call, and the app sells it at a regional price that can differ from the US figure quoted in reviews.
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