By Morten Suhr Hansen
When you read the headline of this article, you might think I’ve decided – completely from scratch – to learn Italian! And you’d be absolutely right. Like 130 million others, I’ve jumped on board with the digital language platform, Duolingo. A digital service that now offers 41 different languages and more than 100 courses for users across the globe.
As the headline suggests, I haven’t made it much further than being able to order a coffee with sugar at a café. But with Duolingo as my teacher, I’m aiming to expand my skills significantly before I next set foot in the land of pasta and piazzas.
But Duolingo isn’t just a brilliant language tutor. It’s also one of the strongest international subscription businesses out there. And that, of course, is the real purpose of this article. What can other subscription businesses actually learn from Duolingo? I’ll get to that in a moment, but first, a few facts about the company and its business model.
Super Duolingo and Duolingo Max. Premium layers on top of a free service
Duolingo is a textbook example of a successful freemium subscription model. This means that the service is available in both a free and a paid version. The idea is that the free version acts as a powerful marketing channel. So powerful, in fact, that the majority of users never move on from the free plan. But the most engaged users can unlock even more features with a premium subscription.
We’ve seen this model before, starting with media like The New York Times and music platforms like Spotify, but today it has spread to nearly every corner of the subscription world. Just take a look at services like Strava, LinkedIn, Dropbox, and YouTube.
In Duolingo’s case, more than 10 million users have chosen to pay for one of two subscription tiers. The most affordable plan is Super Duolingo, which removes ads and unlocks a range of new features. It’s available both as an individual plan and as a family plan for up to five users.
If you want access to even more advanced features, such as video calls where you can practice conversations with Duolingo’s AI tutor, you’ll need to opt for the higher-tier plan, Duolingo Max, also available in both individual and multi-user versions.
This successful subscription model now brings Duolingo an annual revenue of $750 million USD, with year-over-year growth currently at 38%. Without a doubt, it’s one of the most successful subscription businesses in the world today.
What can other subscription businesses learn from Duolingo?
The big question, of course, is whether Duolingo’s success is unique? Or whether there are good lessons here for other subscription companies. I firmly believe it’s the latter, so here are my key takeaways:
- Make your free version irresistible and use it as your growth engine. Duolingo has created a strong free product with real value. It attracts massive user numbers, builds trust, and delivers value – making it much easier to convert users to paid plans down the line.
- Use gamification to turn learning (or usage) into a habit. Duolingo has turned language learning into a daily ritual with streaks, badges, levels, and notifications. It’s not just educational, it’s entertaining.
- Leverage AI and tech for ongoing personalization. Duolingo tailors the learning journey based on user behavior and now uses AI to offer advanced, personalized learning experiences in its premium product.
- Clearly differentiate subscription tiers with real added value. From Free to Super to Max. Each level offers tangible, meaningful upgrades. Moving up feels like a “step forward,” not just a forced payment. And there’s added value for families who subscribe together.
- Tell a bigger story. Duolingo isn’t just selling language skills. They’re selling access to the world, to new opportunities, and to personal growth. It is learning as access to something greater. This creates stronger loyalty and emotional engagement.
Does it sound overwhelming? Maybe. But in fact, we’ve already helped even smaller subscription businesses get started with personalization and gamification successfully. And we can help your subscription business, too. So feel free to reach out to me or one of my colleagues for a chat. We’ll put 100 points straight into your account with us.
