Duolingo Max is the most comprehensive subscription plan offered by Duolingo. It includes all the benefits of Super Duolingo and adds features based on artificial intelligence. Its displayed price in France is €14.99 per month, but this price does not tell the whole story: some features that were once exclusive to Max have become free, and the subscription does not cover all languages.
Duolingo Max AI Features: What Remains Exclusive and What No Longer Is
At its launch, Duolingo Max was distinguished by three AI tools absent from other plans: Explain My Answer, Role Play, and Video Calls with Lily. Explain My Answer provides a detailed analysis after each failed exercise. Role Play allows users to simulate conversations with characters from the app (ordering a coffee, buying furniture). Video Calls with Lily add a layer of face-to-face virtual speaking practice.
The change to note dates back to January 2026: Video Call and Explain My Answer have become free for all users. This opening reduces the gap between Max and Super Duolingo. Role Play remains, to this day, the main exclusive feature that justifies the extra cost of Max.
Before making a choice, it is also important to check how much the Duolingo Max subscription costs depending on the commitment duration and the platform used, as prices vary.
Languages Available with the Duolingo Max Subscription
Duolingo Max is technically accessible in 188 countries on iOS and Android. This wide geographical coverage masks a significant limitation: Max’s AI features only apply to a limited number of languages.
Explain My Answer and Role Play work for people learning the following languages from English:
- French, Spanish, Italian, German, and Portuguese (from English)
- English (from French, Spanish, German, Portuguese, or Japanese)
A French speaker wishing to learn English via Duolingo Max will therefore benefit from the AI tools. However, a French speaker learning Korean or Japanese will pay the same price without accessing the features that make a difference. Duolingo specifies that if Max is not available for the course being taken, the subscriber retains the benefits of Super Duolingo, nothing more.
This point deserves to be checked before any purchase. Paying a monthly premium for features inaccessible in the studied language amounts to subscribing to Super Duolingo at the price of Max.
Super Duolingo or Duolingo Max: Concrete Selection Criteria
Super Duolingo costs €10.25 per month on an annual plan (€122.99 per year). Duolingo Max is charged at €14.99 per month. The monthly difference seems modest, but over a year, the difference amounts to several dozen euros.
Three questions can help decide:
- Is the language you are learning on the list of courses compatible with the AI features? If the answer is no, Max offers nothing more than Super
- Are you really interested in Role Play? Since Video Call and Explain My Answer are free, it is the only exclusive feature of Max that remains
- Do you prefer a monthly or annual commitment? The annual price of Super Duolingo is significantly more economical, and the Family plan (€122.99 per year for six accounts) reduces the individual cost to less than €20 per person per year
The Family plan deserves special attention for households where multiple people use Duolingo. Six accounts for the price of one individual annual Super subscription is a value proposition that is hard to beat, even if this plan does not grant access to Max features.
The Monthly Subscription Without Commitment
Duolingo Max is only available on iOS and Android apps. It is not possible to subscribe from the website. This has a direct consequence on the price: the commissions from the Apple and Google stores can influence the final displayed price.
A monthly subscription without commitment costs more cumulatively than an annual plan. For regular use (three sessions or more per week), the annual Super Duolingo plan represents the best compromise between cost and features. Max is only justified for a diligent learner in a compatible language who actively utilizes Role Play.
Duolingo Free: How Far Can You Go Without Paying
The free version of Duolingo provides access to most lessons and exercises. Since 2025, the app has been pushing more towards paid plans, but the basic educational content remains accessible without a subscription.
The limitations mainly concern user comfort: ads between lessons, a limited number of lives (allowed mistakes before having to wait), and lack of advanced tracking. These constraints slow down progress without blocking it.
For occasional learning or a refresher, the free version combined with the recently opened AI features (Video Call, Explain My Answer) covers a wide range of needs. The paid subscription makes sense when the regularity and intensity of practice increase.
The choice between free, Super, and Max depends less on budget than on frequency of use and the targeted language. A daily learner in Spanish or French from English will benefit from Max. For all other profiles, Super Duolingo or even the enriched free version is sufficient for tangible progress.