Duolingo vs Busuu: Which Language Learning App is Better?

Hello, language learners! If you’ve been searching for a clear and honest comparison between Duolingo and Busuu but haven’t found the right one yet don’t worry, you’re finally in the right place. In this article, I’ll walk you through everything you need to know about these two popular language learning apps.

Both Duolingo and Busuu have their own strengths and weaknesses, and I’m here to break them down for you in a simple, helpful way. So, are you ready for the ultimate Duolingo vs Busuu comparison? Let’s get started!

Duolingo and Busuu are popular language learning apps that help users build a strong foundation in new languages. Both offer budget-friendly premium plans Duolingo at $13/month and Busuu at $14/month but if you’re not looking to spend money, both apps also provide free versions. Duolingo’s free plan gives full access to all languages with the option to learn multiple languages at once, though it includes ads. Busuu’s free version is more limited, allowing access to just one language. Duolingo is ideal for vocabulary and speaking practice, while Busuu stands out for its grammar lessons. Both are excellent for improving reading skills.

Duolingo is a language learning app where you can learn your favorite language. This language learning app is pretty famous all over the world for its engaging tone and effective learning style. The duration of the lesson is 3-5 minutes and is also known as bite size lessons.

Busuu is a very famous language learning app that helps you to build a strong foundation and with the help of this a user will also be able to talk to the non native peoples. The lessons are pretty short so it is easy to take lessons even on a busy schedule.

I have also shared an Article about Duolingo Vs Rosetta Stone so, don’t forget to check it out!

Duolingo and Busuu both have different features and need a proper comparison, so Here is the proper Key Feature Comparison Of Duolingo And Busuu: 

The methods of both Duolingo and Busuu are pretty interesting to know and can be very informative for those who are looking for a better language-learning app for themselves. So, here are the methods of both of them;

Duolingo Teaching Methods?

• Teach with gamification method: Duolingo is famous for gamification means having fun while learning. This helps the user to have a fresh and cheerful mind even during the lesson session.
• Repeating the mistakes: It is a very good method of teaching. They repeat your mistakes again and again until you clear them fully.
• Repeating words and phrases: Duolingo repeats some words and phrases so that users do not forget about it, and those words always stay fresh in their mind.
• Mock Conversation:  Have a real-life conversation that can help you to be practical in your learning path.
• Adaptive exercises: Duolingo offers different types of exercises like matching the words, Fill-in-the-blanks, translating the words, and many others to make the learning smooth. 

Busuu Teaching Methods?

• CEFR-Based Courses: Common European Framework of Reference for Languages that starts from the A1 (Beginners) to the C1 (Advanced) levels. It makes learning like you are learning in a classroom.
• Different types of attractive exercises: Fill-in-the-blanks, speaking practice, and many others to make the learning path of the user much better and smoother.
• Grammar: It works on the grammar that is layered into the lesson.
• Conversation with non natives: This helps the user to become more practical in that language.
• Speaking practice: Helps the user to improve their pronunciation.
• Offline learning: You can learn offline and it is a very good thing because even if there is no internet available still you will continue learning.

Let’s dive into the Duolingo Lesson first to give a proper overview of it! The duration of the Duolingo lessons is pretty small, like 3-5 minutes, so that every type of user, whether busy or not that busy, can easily take it in their busy schedule. Duolingo provides the learner with an engaging aura as well as it works on the language of the user and makes it better; it works on all four basic skills of the user, like speaking, writing, reading, and listening. Here are the exercises that Duolingo offers to make the learning path smooth:

• Speaking Exercises: Helps the user to get practical in the language and make their pronunciation the best.
• Mock Conversation: Have a real-life conversation and talk over a few topics so make your flow in your favorite language.
• Match the pairs of words: This is a very good exercise as it helps the user to have the identification of the word and user start recognizing the words with their own
• Translating the words: By translating the words and phrases into that language will help the user to get a better understanding of that word or phrase.
• Write what you just hear: It helps you in listening practice that can make you practical in the language that you are learning. 
• Multiple Questions: In this exercise, you have to choose between a few words and phrases to know which one is correct. With the help of this, you can test yourself on how much you have improved.

The Gamification of Duolingo is also a game changer. I make the learning so interesting that the user can’t stop learning and keep on taking lessons. The gamification includes:

• Hearts: This is a very fun and interesting part that keeps you careful while taking a lesson because one mistake and you lose one heart as you only have five hearts to use. If you lose them all, you have to buy them.
• Gems: Like in the game you need some gems so that you can buy something just like in Duolingo you need gems to buy something like hearts, lengadry lessons, and many other things.
• Streak: This feature of the gamification helps the user to be regular and take their lessons regularly on time.
• Levels and leagues: This helps the user and keeps them motivated and always inspires them to be top on the list.

All these gamification methods make the learning much more interesting and users keep on taking lessons and make their language learning path more strong and smooth.

Duolingo also uses the AI-based system in the lesson, and whenever a user makes any kind of mistake, it repeats the word or phrase again and again until the user gets perfect in it. It also repeats some random words again to remind them to use them before they forget and keep them fresh in their minds. Duolingo is available on mobile (Android or iOS) and on desktop. So, there is no restriction on the devices where you can’t use Duolingo. It is a very good fact.

Let’s dive into the Duolingo Lesson first to give a proper overview of it! The duration of the Duolingo lessons is pretty small, like 3-5 minutes, so that every type of user, whether busy or not that busy, can easily take it in their busy schedule. Duolingo provides the learner with an engaging aura as well as it works on the language of the user and makes it better; it works on all four basic skills of the user, like speaking, writing, reading, and listening. Here are the exercises that Duolingo offers to make the learning path smooth:

Speaking Exercises: Helps the user to get practical in the language and make their pronunciation the best.

Mock Conversation: Have a real-life conversation and talk over a few topics so make your flow in your favorite language.

Match the pairs of words: This is a very good exercise as it helps the user to have the identification of the word and user start recognizing the words with their own

Translating the words: By translating the words and phrases into that language will help the user to get a better understanding of that word or phrase.

Write what you just hear: It helps you in listening practice that can make you practical in the language that you are learning. 

Multiple Questions: In this exercise, you have to choose between a few words and phrases to know which one is correct. With the help of this, you can test yourself on how much you have improved.

The Gamification of Duolingo is also a game changer. I make the learning so interesting that the user can’t stop learning and keep on taking lessons. The gamification includes:

Hearts: This is a very fun and interesting part that keeps you careful while taking a lesson because one mistake and you lose one heart as you only have five hearts to use. If you lose them all, you have to buy them.

Gems: Like in the game you need some gems so that you can buy something just like in Duolingo you need gems to buy something like hearts, lengadry lessons, and many other things.

Streak: This feature of the gamification helps the user to be regular and take their lessons regularly on time.

Levels and leagues: This helps the user and keeps them motivated and always inspires them to be top on the list.

What Do I Think About Duolingo?

I love all the facts about Duolingo, but the best thing about it is that the free version that Duolingo has is a very great source of learning for every type of user. It allows access to all of its 40+ languages even in the free version, and users have access to the full course of each language, but there are some limitations that the user has to face in the free version of Duolingo. Here are the limitations that you have to face in the free version of Duolingo:

• It will be hard for you to skip the lesson you want to skip.
• Limited Hearts so if you make 5 mistakes you will lose all the hearts and can’t make the lesson forward before you regain the hearts by buying them.
• You have face ads in the free version that can be annoying and distracting for some users.

But with all of these limitations, you also have access to many good and useful features. Here’s what I am talking about:

• It can take multiple languages at once without any restrictions.
• Have access to the whole course of the language.
• It is fully free; not even a small amount of money is needed.
• No effect on the engagement of it. 

But still if you want a premium version and also don’t want to spend money on it download the Duolingo Mod APK by clicking on the blue line.

The Gamification of Duolingo is a solid reason that I love it very much. It keeps the user motivated, makes the language learning path interesting and fun, and makes the user addicted to it, and the user keeps on taking the lesson while skipping it. Here are the facts that I love about the Duolingo Gamification:

• It always inspires me that i can do it and i have to be top of the list and shouldn’t go to the demotion zone. 
• Make the learning track fun instead of getting bored.
• Features like Streak help me alot, and when sometimes I don’t want to take the lesson, it helps me to come back and take it, so it is making me a responsible person, haha!
• The heart feature makes me careful about my mistakes, and I focus more on the lessons.

But the things that are needed to be improved about it:

• The streak feature can be distracting for some users.
• The speech recognition feature needs to be improved.
• In the levels and the leagues, the user focuses more on winning than learning.

Overall the gamification is a very important and effective part of the learning in Duolingo as it has strengths it also has some weaknesses well.

Learning on Duolingo is pretty effective and makes the language learning path pretty stronger than any other app. It is also the best experience for the person who is a beginner and is new to the language learning world because Duolingo always starts teaching from the very start and makes the base of the user. 

• It works on the four basics of the user, such as speaking, reading, writing, and listening.
• Start with very small and easy questions like hello, tea, water, milk, rice, and others.

Duolingo is so popular and it also deserves all of this popularity. Duolingo has become my addiction now. I just love it!!  

The reason why you can choose Duolingo over Busuu is that if you want to start your language learning path from the very start and basic, as you are a beginner in the language learning world, I will recommend you to go with Duolingo the reason is that it will start to teach you the language with full basic questions like how to say, nice to meet you, and other basic question in your favorite language. Also, if you are the type of person who likes to have an engaging environment while learning, then Duolingo is gonna be the best option for you to choose!

Now, Let’s give a proper and clear overview of Busuu, the famous and effective language learning app. The lesson duration of Busuu is about 5-10 minutes, which is a pretty short time period, so the user can easily take the lesson whenever they want, even on a busy day. It offers some small attractive exercises that work on the reading, writing, speaking, and listening skills of the user. Here is the exercise that Busuu offers:

Reading paragraphs and answering the questions: It helps you to have a better understanding of the language and you can go in depth of the language.

Speech Exercise: It works on the speech of the user and helps the user to be more and more practical in their language learning way.

Fill-in-the-blanks: Help you to have a better understanding of any word or phrase.

Match the words: You can recognize the word or phrase with the help of it.

Writing Paragraphs: They will ask you to write a little text or Paragraphs so that your writing skills can get better.  

Repeating your mistakes: This will help you to clear the word in which you are making mistakes.

Busuu Free Version:

Yes, You heard right! Busuu also has a free version that everyone can use. Well, Busuu also has a paid version. Here are more information about the Busuu free version:

• It is totally free, and you can learn without spending a single penny on it.
• Offer many features in their free version, like speaking practice and reading comprehension.
• Focus on the grammar and make it better.
• Make your writing skills better.
• Feedbacks

What Busuu doesn’t offer in their free version:

• No offline mode. You can’t learn offline without a paid version.
• No video explanation
• Do not explain the grammar well in the free version.
• You can learn only one language at once and can’t choose any other. If you want to change the language, then all of the lessons that you take will be removed permanently.
• No CEFR Aligned Certificate.
• No AI feedback.

Fun Feature Of Busuu:

Busuu also adds a touch of gamification, but not as much as Duolingo. Still, it offers fun and gamified features to keep learners motivated. Here’s how Busuu makes learning engaging!

Streak: Helps the user to be motivated that they don’t have to lose the streak and keep on learning no matter what.

Levels: Make the user more interested in learning and the user keep on learning to be on the better level.

Achievements: You get badges or rewards whenever you achieve something, so this keeps the user motivated to learn more/

Busuu is a very good language learning app that can be very helpful for you in the language learning path. Its grammar focus and the way it provides the videos during the lesson help the user to a better understanding of the language. Here is what I think is a very amazing fact about the Busuu:

Non-Native Feedbacks: 

You can get the feedback of the non-native people that can help you to improve your learning because they are the speakers of that language so they can help you more in it and also would recommend a better answer to you.

Video Explanation (Paid feature):

This is the one of the best features that Busuu offers because a video explanation gives a better understanding of the phrases then any other exercise. It is like a practical example so it is a very beneficial feature that Busuu offers to their users.

Different Types of Languages:

Multiple types of language help the user to learn and test themselves in different ways like the speaking exercise help them to improve their pronunciation and also make them practical in that language, Listening exercise helps in the practice of listening , reading exercise like reading some paragraph, and writing small text and paragraphs to improve it. 

But with all of these, Busuu also needs something that needs to be improved. Here’s what I am talking about:

• Users can learn only one language in the free version, and they do not have multiple choices in it.
• Increase the engagement in their lessons so that it would be more fun while taking the lessons and the user does not get bored of it.
• Add some more features in their free version so that everyone can use it even those who can’t afford a paid version.

Overall Busuu is also an amazing language learning app and it can also be a good option to go with.

The reason why you should choose Busuu over Duolingo is that if you are an serious learner and want to have more focus on the grammar then go with the Busuu and also if you like to be more focused on learning only one single language then the free version of the Busuu can be a better choice. 

There are a variety of languages available in both Duolingo and Busuu. Here is the breakdown of the language of both Duolingo and Busuu:

A CEFR Level that stands for the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages. It is like a document that confirms your proficiency in that language according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages. It is the most common and widely used study system. Its fixed points are A1 to C2.  

Busuu language courses and the structure follows the CEFR levels very well. Busuu offers four levels A1 (beginners) to B2 (Intermediate) according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages. Also some courses like English extend to C1 level.

Meanwhile, Duolingo does not follow the CEFR (Common European Framework of Reference for Languages) Levels in their courses or lessons.

So, If your main focus in the language is a certificate especially from the CEFR then Busuu can be the best bet for you.

It is interesting to know about the comparison between Duolingo and Busuu in the practice exercises like speaking, writing, listening, grammar, etc. So, let’s have a look at how Duolingo and Busuu work on them.      

Duolingo vs Busuu  For Learning Vocabulary:    

If your main priority is learning a lot of vocabulary, then Duolingo is best for you. It focuses on vocabulary and repeats the same words again and again to help users memorize the words Quickly. 

If we talk about real-life conversation, then in my experience, Duolingo is weak at this point. As I discussed before, it helps to learn a lot of vocabulary, but sometimes, the words that teach Duolingo are not applicable to use in real life. Let me give some proof.

Here are Some Duolingo Weird Sentences that are not usable in real life:

• in Finnish: “minä itken ja sipuli nauraa” means “i cry and the onion laughs” 
• In Esperanto: “kies roboto mangis mian kukon” means “Whose robot ate my cake?”
• in Italian: “E più facile morire che amare” means “It is easier to die than to love”
• In Czech: “V lednnice Je neci hlava” means “There is a head in the fridge.”
• In Korean: “아기가 맥주를 마시고 싶어해요.” means “The baby wants to drink beer.”
• In italian: “il grido taglia il silenzio” means “The scream cut the silence” 

Meanwhile, In the case of Busuu, you will probably feel like you are learning less vocabulary in the same amount of time. But what you learn fits in the real-life situation and gives you a better understanding of the word.

Like I discussed before, Busuu works on the CEFR Level and it is fully structured according to it, and each lesson is divided into a few parts. First they introduce you to a new vocabulary, then they teach how and where it will fit in the phrase or dialogue and after that make you do so many exercises like reading, writing, speaking, and listening so that you memorize the word properly.

The thing is that Busuu works on real life situations and while sometimes Duolingo teaches a lot of vocabulary. But some sentences or words are not applicable to real life. 

Duolingo vs Busuu For Learning Grammar Rules:

If you are looking for the best language learning app that gives great focus to grammar, then Busuu is your perfect destination.

Busuu focuses on the grammar in every single lesson and gives priority to it. Those grammar rules are accurate and are pretty simple and short to understand for anyone. For the complex grammatical concepts like prepositions, dative, perfect and past tense they make some easy and small exercises that help a lot. These things have impressed me a lot because this is the most difficult phase of any language. 

Learning grammar on Duolingo is a little confusing as they don’t really give the proper explanation of the grammatical rules, so sometimes it becomes a little confusing. Well, Duolingo also provides Grammar explanations, but you can only have access when you are using the Duolingo desktop version on their website, not on the Duolingo app. The explanation that Duolingo provides is a little short, so it is pretty difficult to properly understand it.

Meanwhile, Busuu gives long and more complex examples and develops an understanding of them. 

So, as Busuu gives more explanation and understanding to the language grammar vs Duolingo so it can be a great choice but you can also choose Duolingo if it suits you better i just tell what i experienced. 

Duolingo vs Busuu For Speaking & Pronunciation Training:

As speaking is the most important part of any language learning path and without better training you can’t go well in it.

Duolingo provide the speaking exercise in each and every lesson and works well on your pronunciation to make it better but the thing is that sometime when you are giving the wrong pronunciation the app say that you are right and when you are right it says you are wrong so the speech recognition of Duolngo need some work and other then that the sentences or phrase they give us to speak are a little unrealistic.

Meanwhile, Busuu doesn’t have any features like Duolingo, which means you can’t do those speaking practices like Duolingo in Busuu, but at the end of each lesson, they ask you to write or record audio on any topic, and the nonnative people will give an answer to it, but the problem in this is that some people may not be that much confident to speak in the nonnative language and also send to a completely unknown person. And also, it is a pretty time-consuming process.

So, these were all the facts about both app’s speaking and pronunciation training. You can choose any of them according to your goals.

Duolingo vs Busuu For Reading & Listening Comprehension:

Duolingo and Bsuu both work on the reading and listening skill of the user as well and improve it more.

Duolingo give some short series of stories that helps a users to gain the understanding of that language like in those stories there are a lot of words that you can easily understand but if you can’t understand any word you can just click over that word and it will be translated into English and it will be easy for you to understand the word you don’t know.

Meanwhile, Busuu also focuses on reading and listening skills by providing the texts and comprehension.

So, Both the apps Duolingo and Busuu are perfect for Reading and listening comprehension and improving both of your skills. 

Duolingo and Busuu both have their own interface. Here is the breakdown of each of them:

Duolingo Interface:

Gamification: This is a very amazing thing about the Duolingo Interface and it helps the user to get addicted to learning.

Colorful structure: The colourful structure makes the learning more fun and attractive so the user does not get bored while learning.

Simple and easy to use: It is very simple and easy to use so anyone can easily use it with any problem.

Ads in the free version: You have to face ads if you are using the free version of Duolingo.

Not enough grammar explanations: Grammar is not explained that much so sometimes it becomes hard for the user to understand.

Busuu Interface:

Step by step guide: it helps the user to take the lesson without any problem.

Clear structure: Everything is so clear that it is easy for everyone to understand.

More grammar: There is a layer of grammar in each lesson.

Not that much gamification: There is not that much gamification as compared to Duolingo. 

Device Compatibility Of Duolingo And Busuu: Where Can You Use These Apps?

Here’s the Device at which you can use the Duolingo and Busuu means the compatibility of the Device:

Both Duolingo and Busuu have there strengths they also have some weakness here are the pros and the cons of both Duolingo and Busuu:

Duolingo Pro And Cons:

Busuu Pro And Cons:

There is not that much change in both Duolingo and Busuu and both of them are pretty affordable and you can buy them easily. But, if you don’t want to spend money on buying the Duolingo paid version then simply download Duolingo Mod Apk by clicking on the blue line link. Here is the price comparison of both Duolingo and Busuu:

Duolingo and Busuu both offer their own free version, but having each of them is pretty amazing and worth using. Here is the breakdown of each of them:

Duolingo Free Version:

The best thing about the Duolingo free version is that it gives access to all of the 40+ languages to learn with no restriction, without spending even a single penny. Plus, they don’t compromise on engagement. However, users may face some limitations, such as ads during learning and not having unlimited hearts or enough gems to fully participate in lessons.

Busuu Free Version:

The free version of the Busuu is also worth it to use and explain and teaches every lesson very well, but the thing is that in the free version you have access to use only one language means you can’t take more than one language course in it and also you don’t get many of the features like video explanations, offline mode, and many other in the free version of the Busuu.

Who should use Duolingo? And Who should use Busuu? Here is the breakdown of both for the clear and better understanding:

Who Should Use Duolingo?  

• It is best for people who want to start their language learning path with the basics and very start.
• For those who want an engaging aura while learning.
• It is best for people who want to focus on the four basic skills: reading, writing, speaking, and listening.
• For those who have a busy schedule, the bite-sized lessons do not take much of your precious time.
• For those who want a super clear and easy to understand structure. 

Who Should Use Busuu?

• People who like to have a clear and clean structure can use busuu.
• Those who like video explanations are gonna love it.
• It is best for the people who give priority to grammar.
• If You want to work on pronunciation with the help of Busuu speech recognition, you will easily do that.
• For those who like to have feedback, this is gonna be a good option.

Other than Duolingo and Busuu, there are also so many language learning apps that can help you to learn the language. Well, here is the list of those language learning apps:

• Babbel
• Rosetta Stone
• Memrise
• Mondly
• HelloTalk
• Lingo Deer
• Drops
• Pimsleur

I have shared the comparison between Duolingo vs Babbel and Duolingo vs Rosetta as well so don’t forget to check it out as well.

Duolingo and Busuu both of them are pretty amazing language learning apps, and both are better in their own way. I have used Duolingo for more than a year, and I am learning so many languages. My main focus languages are English and Chinese (I have 102 scores in English, hehe). Well, it has been a great experience. I didn’t even know the ABC of Chinese, but now I can make phrases in Chinese. The whole aura at Duolingo was so user-friendly. I feel like they are teaching me personality and taking Care of each and every moment I am taking, so I just love Duolingo. Also, its free version helps me a lot. So, in my opinion, Duolingo is the better option for a user like me who likes to have fun while learning, but if you like a classroom-type aura and a serious lesson, then you can go with Busuu.

Conclusion:

Lastly, At the end of the article, I would like to say that both Duolingo and Busuu are great and amazing language learning apps where the user can learn their favorite languages as both the apps have their own free versions, so it will be easy for those who can’t afford to spend or don’t want to spend on it. So, it was hard for the people to choose between them, so I made a proper comparison, which means a Duolingo vs. Busuu so that it would be easy for them to choose. Okay, so, yeah, that’s it for today, my cupcakes. I am taking my leave now. I am very tired, so I am going to sleep now, haha! Just kidding. Goodbye, and Take Care of yourself. By Paulo Coelho: “If you’re brave enough to say goodbye, life will reward you with a new hello.”