Is Duolingo free? What the free version gives you for French (2026)

Yes: every Duolingo course, French included, is free to use from the first lesson to the last, and the paid plan only removes ads and limits and adds extras. You never have to pay to reach the end of the French course, but the free version comes with ads and a cap on how many mistakes or lessons you get through in a row.

Checked October 2026 · Duolingo price: Free; Super from $9.99/mo or $79.99/yr (checked 2026-10-06 (US App Store))

What you get free

The whole French course: every unit, the stories, the listening and speaking exercises, the streak, the leagues and the practice sessions. Nothing in the course itself is locked behind the paywall, which is why Duolingo is the easiest place to start French for nothing.

What you put up with in exchange is ads between lessons and a limit on how far you can go in one sitting. Depending on your version of the app, that limit is hearts, which you lose for mistakes, or energy, which each lesson uses up. When you run out you wait for it to refill or do practice to win some back. Read how the energy and hearts limits work if they are what is slowing you down.

What the paid plans add

Super costs from $9.99 a month or $79.99 a year on the US App Store (checked 6 October 2026). It removes the ads, takes away the hearts or energy limit and adds extras such as personalised practice of your mistakes. A higher tier, Duolingo Max, adds AI features on top; see what Duolingo costs for the plans side by side.

None of the paid plans unlocks more French. Super makes the same course smoother; it does not make it longer or harder.

What free Duolingo does not do for French

Duolingo is a good daily habit and a gentle first few hundred words. Its realistic range is A1 to B1, and its sentences are short and recorded for learners. Most people who finish the French tree can read simple French but still cannot follow two French people talking at normal speed. That is not a free-versus-paid problem: Super has the same audio.

In the 500 most recent App Store reviews we read, the complaints were about hearts and energy (26), price and cancelling (24) and ads (17), not about the French itself. Eleven reviewers asked some version of how they were supposed to learn to speak from it. That is the gap to plan for.

Who it's for

A complete beginner who wants to start French today without paying, needs a daily routine more than a textbook, and is happy to tolerate ads. If you study in short bursts and rarely hit the hearts or energy limit, the free version is all you need.

Who it's not for

Anyone who wants to understand spoken French at real speed or hold a conversation soon. For that, pair Duolingo with French listening apps or a tutor, or move to a structured course; our Duolingo alternatives page sorts them by what Duolingo leaves out.

Questions

Is Duolingo French completely free?

Yes. Every unit of the French course is free. The paid plan, Super, removes ads and the hearts or energy limit; it does not unlock extra French.

How much is Duolingo Super?

From $9.99 a month or $79.99 a year on the US App Store, checked 6 October 2026. Prices vary by country and with offers.

Can free Duolingo make you fluent in French?

No. It builds a habit and a beginner vocabulary, roughly A1 to B1, but it does not train your ear on real-speed French or get you speaking unprepared. Add real listening and conversation.