Rosetta Stone vs Duolingo at a glance
| Rosetta Stone | Duolingo | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | €19.99/mo, or €13.25/mo billed €159/yr; lifetime plan priced on the buy pagechecked 2026-10-09 (rosettastone.com buy page, shown from Germany) | Free; Super from $9.99/mo or $79.99/yrchecked 2026-10-06 (US App Store) |
| Levels | A1–B1 (beginner and intermediate) | A1–B1 (beginner and intermediate) |
| Free to use | No (trial or sample only) | Yes, at least in part |
| Real-speed French | No | No |
| Transcripts or subtitles | Not a feature | Not a feature |
| Taught in | French | English |
| Platforms | iOS, Android, Web | iOS, Android, Web |
| Best for | Immersion-style basics; slow, and light on explanation. | The easiest free habit for week one; plan what comes after it. |
Prices as shown on the official site on the date given; they vary by country and change often.
Which is better for beginners?
Duolingo for most people, because it is free and easy to keep up. Its bite-sized, game-style lessons cover reading, writing, listening and speaking, and you can start in a minute. Rosetta Stone teaches by immersion: pictures, words and speech recognition, with very little English from the first lesson. If you learn well by spotting patterns, Rosetta Stone can suit you; if you want to know why, its lack of explanation gets frustrating.
Which is cheaper?
Duolingo. Every course is free, and Super starts at $9.99 a month or $79.99 a year on the US App Store. Rosetta Stone was €19.99 a month, or €159 a year, when we checked from Germany. Unless you are sure immersion is how you learn, try Duolingo free for a few weeks before paying for anything.
Which teaches real spoken French?
Neither. Duolingo's sentences are short and recorded for learners, and Rosetta Stone's audio and speech recognition are built around words and short sentences. Neither plays French at the speed people speak it, so neither prepares you to follow a conversation in France.
Which gets you speaking sooner?
Rosetta Stone makes you say more out loud from the start, because speech recognition is part of its method from the first lesson. Duolingo has speaking exercises too, but most of its practice is tapping and typing. Neither puts you in a real conversation, and both are slow to reach anything conversational, so add a tutor or exchange partner once you know the basics.
Can you use both?
Yes, but it is rarely worth it. Both are beginner apps covering roughly A1 to B1, so together they repeat the same ground. A better pair is Duolingo for the habit plus something with real spoken French, such as a podcast or video with subtitles.
What neither does
Neither app explains French grammar clearly in English or plays French at real speed, and neither gives you someone to talk to. Both stop around B1. Plan your next step early: a course with explanations, real listening, and regular conversation.
How it compares
| App | Price | Levels | Real-speed French | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rosetta Stone | €19.99/mo, or €13.25/mo billed €159/yr; lifetime plan priced on the buy pagechecked 2026-10-09 (rosettastone.com buy page, shown from Germany) | A1–B1 | No | Immersion-style basics; slow, and light on explanation. |
| Duolingo | Free; Super from $9.99/mo or $79.99/yrchecked 2026-10-06 (US App Store) | A1–B1 | No | The easiest free habit for week one; plan what comes after it. |
| French with Amélie | Free weekly lesson; Premium $24/mo or $240/yr | B1–C1 | Yes, with a slow version and a transcript | Real-speed dialogues by email and a private podcast. Not an app. Visit |
Prices as shown on the official site on the date given; they vary by country and change often.
Read more
The full listings: Rosetta Stone (app) and Duolingo (app). More like these: Apps like Duolingo for French.
Guides
- Is Duolingo free? What the free version gives you for French (2026)
- Duolingo French: how far it takes you, honestly
- How much is Duolingo? Super and Max prices (2026)
- Duolingo energy and hearts: how to keep learning French without the limits
- Is Duolingo effective? What it teaches and what it skips
- Rosetta Stone reviews, read for French learners
- Is Duolingo a waste of time? Is it accurate? Is it dead?
- Does Rosetta Stone work? The speech-recognition problem
- How to cancel Duolingo Super
- Rosetta Stone French: what you get and who it suits
- Rosetta Stone lifetime: is it worth it?
- Rosetta Stone vs Babbel vs Duolingo for French