Duolingo is a gamified language app with 40+ languages covered by free lessons supported by ads or premium paid subscription called Super. Duolingo Max extends Super with AI features like conversations with an AI character and GPT-4-powered grammatical explanations.
In place of the previous system where only mistakes deducted hearts, the new Energy system works like a battery charge: a certain amount of energy is depleted during each lesson regardless of performance and it needs to be replenished. Users run out of energy and have to wait for it to recharge, watch ads or purchase Gems to continue studying. The poll conducted among more than 11,000 users in Duolingo Community showed that almost half of them disliked the change with the primary complaint being that the Energy system penalizes skilled learners as well as struggling ones.
Duolingo decided to move its two flagship AI-powered features out of Max and make them available for all users — those using the free tier and those who subscribe to Super included. Video Call feature provides conversations with an AI character while Explain My Answer provides grammatical explanations powered by GPT-4. As a result, Max is differentiated only by Roleplay feature which provides AI-powered conversation scenarios. The value proposition is now significantly smaller compared to what Max used to offer which makes it harder to justify.
Super (formerly Duolingo Plus) does not unlock additional or more advanced lessons — the lessons' content is the same for the free version and premium subscription. What Super unlocks is the removal of energy limit, removing ads between lessons and providing offline access, personalized weak areas practice and streak repair. So, if your main issue with Duolingo is being penalized by the energy limit or watching ads, Super directly addresses those issues while if you are searching for different or deeper content, Super does not provide that.
According to current information, Duolingo imposes the energy limit only on mobile application while Duolingo on desktop does not have any energy restriction. Therefore, switching to Duolingo web browser version on desktop provides unlimited number of lessons without being restricted by the energy limit on mobile.
Streak Freezes bought with Gems help to protect your streak when you fail to study a language every day. In addition to that, reaching certain streak milestones (100, 200 or 300+ days) apparently grants several days of Super automatically regardless of the subscription status.
At about €122.99/year (varies regionally), Super Family Plan covers 6 users and allows them to have individual streaks and courses. Unlike Spotify Family Plans or similar, Duolingo's Family Plan does not require users to be on the same address. All members should be on the same app store region (Google Play or App Store) but there's no address verification required.
Popular languages like Spanish, French, and German receive updates more frequently and have access to AI features earlier, sometimes reaching even the content level of B2 CEFR. Languages that are less popular or preservation-focused (Navajo, Yiddish) are valuable in terms of cultural accessibility but typically have shorter courses and limited availability of AI features like Roleplay and Video Calls which might be important for some users when considering Duolingo subscription for that specific language.
A student plan providing a subscription at 50% off the normal price of Super appears to be available in-app for some users but not all and it is unclear why it appears for some and does not appear for others.
Probably, not for most people. Both of the two features that justified the price (Video Call and Explain My Answer) were made available to all users in January 2026. At the moment, the only differentiation that Max provides is the Roleplay feature which offers significantly narrower value proposition compared to what Max used to provide before the recent changes.
The energy limit in Duolingo is imposed only on mobile application, therefore, using Duolingo in a web browser on desktop provides unrestricted access to the lessons.
No. The lessons' content is the same both in free version and Super version. Super provides removal of energy limit, ads removal, offline access and personalized weak area practice and streak repair.
Yes. Unlike some subscription services, Duolingo Family Plan does not require the proof of sharing address — it is enough that members use the same app store region (Google Play or App Store).
Without Streak Freezes and Streak Repairs, your consecutive-days streak would reset to zero. However, reaching some consecutive-days milestones provides Streak Repairs automatically.
No. Popular languages receive more frequent updates and early access to AI features sometimes reaching even B2 CEFR level of content. Less common or preservation-focused languages (Navajo, Yiddish) usually have shorter courses with fewer AI conversation features so check a specific course's depth before subscription.
A discounted student plan providing subscription at 50% off is available in-app but not all users see it.