Duolingo teaches languages through quick, bite-sized lessons, and its home page says its courses cover reading, writing, listening, and speaking. Bubblegum is a language app for reading and listening: Poppy, its AI tutor, writes lessons about your interests that you can mostly understand, and the words you save come back in later lessons.
How Duolingo and Bubblegum Compare
The two apps differ most in how you learn and how words come back. Each fact below comes from that app's own site.
| Bubblegum | Duolingo | |
|---|---|---|
| How you learn | Poppy writes lessons, stories, and news at your level, and you read and listen | Short, game-like lessons along a course, with points, levels, and challenges |
| How words come back | Regenerative Review™: saved words return inside new lessons | Practice lessons use spaced repetition to pick the words and grammar you review |
| Phone apps | iPhone and Android | iPhone and Android |
| On the web | Free guides and alphabet courses | Lessons on duolingo.com |
| Languages | 60 | 40 for English speakers, plus math, music, and chess |
| Menu languages | 74 | 32 |
Duolingo's numbers come from its course page, which lists 40 language courses for English speakers and 32 site languages. Bubblegum's language count comes from its list of languages, and its menu count is the language menu in Bubblegum itself.
Which App Fits Which Learner
Bubblegum
Bubblegum is the best app for serious learners. You learn from text and audio you can mostly understand, which is called comprehensible input.
Tell Poppy, your AI tutor, what you'd like to read about, like a weekend market or a call with a friend. She writes a lesson for your level, so you can read the conversation, hear it, tap a word you don't know, and ask her about any line that's unclear.
- Poppy writes each lesson around your level and what you want to talk about.
- Every lesson has audio, and you can also read stories and news.
- Ask Poppy why a line is built the way it is.
- Regenerative Review™ brings saved words back in new lessons, so review is more reading. There are no flashcards.
- Clear, expressive AI voices read every lesson aloud, with a different voice for each speaker.
- You can't import your own books, articles, or videos.
- It isn't a fixed course with a set order, and it isn't a person to talk with.
- A new custom lesson costs us real money to make, so your first one is free, and Bubblegum Pro gives you unlimited custom lessons. The lesson library is free for everyone, because we believe everyone should be able to learn.
- Regenerative Review™
Mobile
Duolingo
Duolingo is built around a course you move through one short lesson at a time, so you always know what comes next. It suits learners who enjoy a game that keeps them going. The lessons themselves are free, and Super, the paid plan, adds extra practice.
- Earn points and move up to new levels as you go.
- Challenges and reminders from Duo the owl help you come back.
- Practice lessons choose words and grammar to review with spaced repetition.
MobileWeb
Choose Duolingo if:
- You want a course that sets the order for you, one short lesson at a time.
- A game with points and levels makes you want to open it again.
- You want a language Bubblegum doesn't teach, such as Hindi, Hebrew, or Latin.
Choose Bubblegum if:
- You want lessons written at your level about things you care about, with Poppy there to answer questions.
- You'd like saved words to come back inside new lessons you read and hear.
- You want a language that isn't on Duolingo's list for English speakers, such as Thai, Cantonese, or Filipino.
Using Both Together
You can use both. A Duolingo lesson takes you one guided step through its course. A Bubblegum lesson is a whole conversation or story to read and hear at your level, on a topic you chose. Spread them across your week in sessions of 15 to 30 minutes or more, whenever you have time.
Common Questions
Which app should a beginner choose?
If you are serious about learning a language, start with Bubblegum. Poppy writes lessons at your level about things you like. Or start with Duolingo if you'd like a set course of short lessons that tells you what comes next.
Does Bubblegum teach new alphabets?
How much should I study each week?
Aim for three to five hours a week, in sessions of at least 15 to 30 minutes. Pick the days that fit your week, and use the time for reading and listening you can mostly follow.
Is Bubblegum free?
Yes. The lesson library is free for everyone, because we believe everyone should be able to learn. It holds lessons that other learners asked Poppy for. A new custom lesson costs us real money to make, so your first one is free, and Bubblegum Pro gives you unlimited custom lessons.
Sources
- Duolingo: Quick, bite-sized lessons with points and levels
- Duolingo: Courses for English speakers
- Duolingo: Free and Super plans
- Duolingo Blog: How practice lessons use spaced repetition
- Bubblegum: Every language you can learn
- Bubblegum
Checked on October 14, 2026 against each app's own pages.
