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Is Super Duolingo Worth It? My Ultimate Super Duolingo Review

When the free version of Duolingo is so good and so popular, why would you bother to spend money to avoid a few adverts here and there? Here’s my ultimate Super Duolingo review that deep dives into the wonderful world of premium language learning, and answers the question, is Super Duolingo really worth it?

Is Super Duolingo Worth It?

Okay, so this is the big question that we’re all here to answer. Is Super Duolingo actually worth it? In my opinion, Super Duolingo doesn’t have enough benefits to match the price, so currently, it’s not worth it.

If it were cheaper, more like a $2-$5 per month, that would match the value of what they’re currently offering.

Also, it wasn’t a great idea to piss off consumers by taking away a bunch of features that free Duolingo had for years and years, and then offer those same features with Super Duolingo.

So, while there are some really cool features on Super Duolingo, it is pretty expensive for the bonus extras that you do get. This counts double if you’re on your desktop, where the amount of Super Duolingo features drops right down for some bizarre reason.

There are a lot of amazing language-learning apps out there that are jam–packed with features that would complement using the free version of Duolingo and actually enhance your language-learning process on a long-term basis. 

Combining different language learning tools is the best way to help increase your skills and make sure you’re ticking off all four language skills: reading, writing, speaking, and listening. If you just stick with one method, one of those skills is likely going to be lacking. 

If you use Duolingo all the time and want to put effort into getting toward the top of the Duolingo Diamond Leagues, Super Duolingo is going to help you get there. The unlimited hearts and speediness of not having any adverts are definitely going to boost your XP and send you soaring up the leaderboard.

Fundamentally, I think it comes down to how much you love Duolingo’s style of learning and how much disposable income you have. One learner worked out that if you used Super Duolingo every single day, it only equates to around under 20 cents a day.

That’s not a lot, but that also assumes that you’ll be using all the premium features every single day for a year. Sometimes you might not need more than five hearts to get through a session. That’s included in the free version. So, weigh it up and make the call for yourself.

What is Included in Super Duolingo?

Straight off the bat, it’s worth mentioning up top that Duolingo Plus used to have a whole lot more bonuses and features than the current iteration of Super Duolingo has.

It sucks but still, it is what it is. If you had Duolingo Plus back in the day, don’t expect the features and bonuses to be exactly the same because they won’t be. 

The existing bonuses that you get with Super Duolingo are:

  • Unlimited hearts (for mobile only)
  • Unlimited legendary level attempts
  • Unlimited timed challenge attempts
  • Ad-free experience
  • Complete access to the practice hub
  • Personalized practice
  • Monthly streak repair
  • Super Duolingo app icon (this one is super lame)
super duolingo bonuses

Let’s run through them one by one to see what they mean and what they actually offer.

Unlimited Hearts

One of the most irritating things about the free version of Duolingo is the fact that you can only make a maximum of five mistakes before you have to either buy more lives or wait for hours for a refill.

With Super Duolingo, you have access to unlimited hearts so it means that you can keep learning from your mistakes. We love it!

Unlimited Legendary Level Attempts

Similar to the unlimited hearts bonus, unlimited legendary level attempts allow you to keep trying again if you get things wrong. Legendary levels are extra-hard challenges that help you bridge the gap between language levels.

Unlimited Timed Challenge Attempts

Again, unlimited experiences mean that you can keep coming back time and time again. Timed challenges can put a lot of pressure on learners, so being able to give it another go is really reassuring and takes a lot of the stress off, and who doesn’t love that?

Ad-Free Experience

If you’ve been using Duolingo for a while, you’ll have probably noticed that the app has really ramped up the number of ads on the platform recently. It seems to be at least one advert, if not two, after every 10-question session. That’s a lot. 

It really slows down progress for many of us. If you only have 15 minutes on the bus home to do your language learning and five minutes of that is taken up with adverts, you’re not going to become as proficient as quickly. It’s as simple as that – down with the ads!

Complete Access to the Personalized Practice Hub

One of the newest bonus features exclusive to the Super Duolingo subscription package is the personalized practice hub. This area of the app allows you to go over previous material that you’ve maybe struggled with in the past and really helps you hone in and work on your weaknesses. This is definitely a huge bonus and one of the best reasons to get Super Duolingo. 

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Monthly Streak Repair

There is something heartbreaking about losing your Duolingo streak. Although there are streak savers on the free version, you only get one every so often. With Super Duolingo, you get a monthly streak repair that really helps to keep you on track.

With extended streaks, you can always get more bonuses, so that makes saving your streaks even more important. This counts double if you’re trying to rise up through the leaderboards and leagues!

Super Duolingo App Icon

This does exactly what it says on the tin. Instead of the traditional Duolingo icon, you get to unlock a jazzy, futuristic Super Duolingo icon. As far as we can tell, it has no further benefits or uses other than aesthetics. 

How Much is Super Duolingo?

Okay so, let’s get down to brass tacks here and dive into the price of Super Duolingo. Given how good the regular, free version of Duolingo is, the price point definitely needs to be right. 

There are two different subscription options that you can choose from to secure Super Duolingo: Individual and Family plans. I’m gonna deep dive into both so that you have all the options before you decide which one to buy.

It’s important to note that there are different prices for different countries, so these all depend on where you’re accessing Super Duolingo from. 

The latest prices for the monthly plan are:

  • In the USA, Super Duolingo starts from $12.99 per month.
  • In the UK, Super Duolingo starts from £9.99 per month.
  • In Australia, Super Duolingo starts from $21,49 AUD per month.
  • In Canada, Super Duolingo starts from $19.99 CAD per month.
  • In the EU, Super Duolingo starts from €14.99 per month.

Since these are monthly, the prices are a little bit more expensive, so if you can pay upfront and know that you’re going to be using Super Duolingo for a whole year, it’s financially more effective to pay a full year upfront.

Okay, now let’s take a look at the Super Duolingo family plan. Like a lot of subscription services, the more accounts and devices that upgrade, the cheaper it works out on a per-person basis. 

Gather together up to five friends or family members (so six people in total) and you can definitely save a ton of money. Whether it’s you and your close family, you club together with your housemates, or you and your friends want to brush up before you go on holiday, the Super Duolingo family plan is a great option.

To give you a quick illustration of the savings you can get with the Super Duolingo family Plan, at the moment, the UK version is selling the family plan for £7.49 per month to share between 2-6 family members. So, if you share that among six people it equates to £1.24 per person, per month, or £14.99 per person for the entire year.

cost of family plan in the UK

It’s an absolute game-changer. Find some friends, club together, and save a ton of cash!

Reasons Not to Get Super Duolingo

Okay, let’s dive into the downsides of getting Super Duolingo. There aren’t tons but there are a few.

Honestly, because the free version of Duolingo is so good, personally I didn’t see the point of getting a premium subscription. After all, if the free version is doing the trick, why would you bother spending money?

Especially if you use Duolingo on your desktop, you won’t get a lot of the benefits of Super Duolingo, including unlimited hearts. That is baffling to me as it’s one of the biggest selling points of the premium version of the app. 

One of the main things to consider is the price. Super Duolingo is definitely not cheap, especially if you’re on the individual plan rather than the family plan.

Especially considering there are a lot of other paid language apps that are at a similar price point, you might want to diversify your language learning styles instead.

Duolingo is great, but it’s not the best app out there for speaking and listening. It might be worth sticking with the free version of Duolingo and adding in a paid version of a more practical, conversational language learning app like iTalki, Mondly, or Pimsleur

Learning a new language is all about balancing skills so that you can have a well-rounded approach to using the language. If you can only read in a language and want to visit the place on vacation, you’re going to really struggle to communicate with the locals.

Paying for Super Duolingo isn’t going to balance you out any more than using regular Duolingo on a consistent basis. 

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3 Reasons to Upgrade to Super Duolingo

Okay, so now we’ve spoken about the downsides of Super Duolingo, the features, and the pricing plans, what are the best things about getting Super Duolingo? Let’s dive in and find out!

1. Takes the Pressure Off

Learning a language can be super stressful. There’s no getting around there. Especially if you have very specific goals, the restrictions that the free version on Duolingo can increase the pressure.

With unlimited hearts, unlimited legendary level attempts, and more, it’s clear that Super Duolingo is designed to be more supportive and provide a less stressful learning environment overall.

The monthly streak freezes mean that you don’t need to stress out so much if you have to miss a day or two. After all, we all have lives outside of learning languages, right?

2. Gives You More Time and Space

Adding to taking the pressure off, Super Duolingo gives you a lot more time and space to practice your language learning skills. With the monthly streak freezes and unlimited hearts, you can practice on your terms.

You’re not limited to only five mistakes and then having to wait five hours for life to refill. That’s really cool.

Learning a language takes months and sometimes even years to achieve, so having all of these little lifelines and supportive features that keep you coming back for more is invaluable in the wider scheme of things. 

3. More Personalization

One of my major gripes with Duolingo has always been the lack of personalization and the fact that sometimes the phrases and words that you’re given to learn are completely impractical and irrelevant to daily life.

With Super Duolingo’s personalized practice hub, the team has seriously addressed this concern. You can practice your weaknesses and it helps you to become a really well-rounded language learner.

This is definitely one of my favorite features in the Super Duolingo package and one of the major reasons to go premium!

How to Get Super Duolingo Cheaper

There are a few different ways that you can get Super Duolingo at a cheaper rate if the price point is still a little expensive for you.

1. Get the Two-Week Free Trial

The easiest way to get Super Duolingo for free is to get it for two weeks, for free on a trial basis. It might not sound like a long time, but it gives you plenty of opportunities to brush up on your language learning skills.

You’re not restricted by limited hearts or by distracting ads, so you can power through and learn in a more intensive way. 

2. Look Out for Promo Codes

The Duolingo team is nothing if not generous. Throughout the year, the team releases promo codes that extend the Super Duolingo free trial period up to a month.

It’s amazing. Give the Duolingo team a follow on all their social media accounts to be in the best position to get these coveted promo codes!

3. Club Together for a Family Plan

As we’ve previously discussed, an amazing way to get Super Duolingo subscriptions for a fraction of the cost is to club together with your family or friends and share a family plan package.

It can end up being a quarter of the price of an individual membership. That’s huge. Think of all the things you can buy with that extra cash!

4. Use Your Extended Streaks to Get More Perks

Streaks are a hugely important part of the Duolingo journey and you can get all kinds of perks if you extend your streaks over time. Sometimes these are just little things like extra hearts or gems, but the longer you extend your streak, the better the perks become.

Some have included longer Super Duolingo trials and other perks that were previously only available if you bought the premium subscription.

Stick at your language learning each and every day and then you’ll find yourself gaining all kinds of amazing bonuses along the way.

How to Subscribe to Super Duolingo on Mobile

Realistically, it couldn’t be easier to upgrade to Super Duolingo on the mobile version of the app. 

  • First, you need to open up your Duolingo app and click on the gems icon at the top of the screen.
  • At the top of the screen, you should now have the option to try Super Duolingo for free for two weeks on a trial basis. 
  • Click through and select this option.
  • You’ll be given the option of either an individual or family plan which will start after the two-week free trial finishes. Select the option that best works for you.
  • You’ll now have to enter your payment details for when this trial finishes. You can always cancel your subscription before the end of the two weeks if you don’t want to pay for it. 

How to Get Super Duolingo on Desktop

There are very few differences between signing up for Super Duolingo on a desktop and signing up on the app. The main difference is that you’re paying Duolingo directly and not going through the App Store or Play Store.

  • So, press the ‘Get Super’ button at the top of your screen.
  • Again, you’ll be directed to sign up for a two-week free trial.
  • Pick the paid plan that works best for you after your trial finishes. It’ll either be a family plan or an individual plan.
  • Enter your payment details for when the trial finishes, and remember that you can always cancel the premium subscription during the two-week free trial.
  • Get started with your premium Duolingo subscription!
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How Does Super Duolingo Differ from Duolingo Plus?

Honestly, the only difference is the name and the branding. Duolingo Plus was the language learning app’s original premium subscription version and was quickly replaced with Super Duolingo which had a fresh, futuristic makeover.

From a user point of view, there really isn’t a whole lot of difference between the two versions, and the benefits are pretty much exactly the same. 

The only thing to remember is that although the newer Super Duolingo option is available in most territories, some areas are still showing the premium option as Duolingo Plus.

How to Cancel Super Duolingo

Not enjoying using Super Duolingo or not using it as much as you might think? Maybe you’re just wanting to save some money. Whatever the reason, canceling your Super Duolingo subscription is as easy as signing up.

It depends on the version of the app you’re using, iOS, Play Store, or on your desktop. So, I’ll go through each one because they are slightly different. 

On iOS

If you’re on iOS, you’re going to need to head to the Settings section on your phone or tablet, instead of the Duolingo app. From here, go to your Account, then hit Subscriptions, and then scroll until you find Duolingo.

Select it from the list and then hit cancel. This should cancel your payments to Duolingo and your Super Duolingo subscription will stop at the end of your payment period whether that’s monthly or annually.

On Play Store

If you’re Android, you’ll cancel your Super Duolingo subscription directly through the Duolingo app. Open up your app and head to the Super Duolingo section of the app.

Hit Settings and then Manage Subscriptions. Once you’re on this page, you’ll see a big button that says Cancel Subscription. It’s as simple as that.

On Desktop

If you’re accessing Super Duolingo on your desktop rather than on your mobile, you’ll need to open it up on your browser, login into your Duolingo account, and press the Super Duolingo button.

Instantly, you’ll see an option that says Cancel Subscription. Hit it and you’re all done. Honestly, it couldn’t be easier!

Final Pros and Cons List of Getting a Super Duolingo Subscription

Right, let’s break it down into a quick pros and cons list that’s going to easily help you see if Super Duolingo is the right language learning move for you. This is a quick round-up before I give my final thoughts on Super Duolingo.

Pros

  • Gives you more time and space to learn
  • Offers a more personalized service
  • You’re wanting to fly up the Duolingo leaderboards and leagues

Cons

  • It’s expensive unless you’re using it every single day and committed to your language-learning journey on a long-term basis
  • It’s not as good as it used to be. There used to be offline mode and other features that have since been scrapped by Duolingo HQ and you can’t get unlimited hearts on desktop
  • The free version is pretty great anyway

Super Duolingo, Is it Really Worth It?

So, all in all, from my point of view, I wouldn’t say that Super Duolingo is worth the money unless you’re going in with some friends on a family plan. This makes it super affordable and then it’s a decent option. 

I’d prefer to combine the free version of Duolingo with the paid version of something like Pimsleur to really get a balanced language learning experience.

That’s just my honest review of Super Duolingo. What do you think of Super Duolingo? Let me know in the comments below!

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