Duolingo vs Busuu: Free vs Premium Spanish App Comparison

By Bellah Mukisa

Reading time: 0 minute

June 28, 2025

Contents

Introduction

Overview of Each Option

Pricing and Accessibility

Learning Features

User Experience & Community

Skill Development

Duolingo vs Busuu which is better?

Strengths at a Glance

What Busuu Offers

Drawbacks to Consider

Combined Approach (Duolingo + Busuu)

Tips to Maximize Your Learning

Conclusion

Introduction

Duolingo vs Memrise and Busuu are two of the most popular apps for learning Spanish. Each offers unique features and benefits, making them ideal for different types of learners.

This guide compares Busuu vs Duolingo Spanish, helping you decide which platform is best for your goals. We'll cover everything from free vs premium, grammar practice, social learning, and user community support.

Overview of Each Option

Duolingo

Duolingo is famous for its fun learning style. The app is free to use, but you can pay for Duolingo Plus. It has bright visuals, rewards, and a fun design. Lessons are short and interactive.

You match words to pictures, answer questions, and earn points. It’s a great app for learners who enjoy games and want to practice every day.

Busuu

Busuu offers a structured approach to learning Spanish. Its premium version unlocks more content, including grammar lessons and official certificates. A standout feature is social learning, where users can practice writing and speaking with native speakers. Busuu also follows standard frameworks, making it a solid choice for serious learners who want a recognized curriculum.

Pricing and Accessibility

Duolingo

Free Version: Offers full access to Spanish lessons with ads.
Plus Version: Removes ads, allows offline access, and adds progress tracking.

Busuu

Free Version: Limited lessons and practice options.
Premium Plans: Provide full access to grammar exercises, writing tasks, offline mode, and certification aligned with CEFR levels.

Conclusion: Duolingo is great if you're on a budget. Busuu premium offers more depth and structure, making it a smart choice for serious learners.

Learning Features

Duolingo

Game-like Exercises: Strong emphasis on vocabulary and grammar through visual and interactive practice.
Adaptive Learning: Adjusts lesson difficulty based on your progress.
Streaks and Rewards: Encourages consistent daily learning.

Busuu

Structured Courses: Aligned with CEFR levels (like A1–B2), ideal for professional progression.
Social Learning: You'll get feedback from native speakers when writing or speaking.
Grammar Practice: Offers clear explanations and targeted exercises.

Conclusion: Duolingo is ideal for learners who enjoy casual game-based lessons. Busuu is better for those who want serious grammar practice and structured learning.

User Experience & Community

Duolingo

Interface: Bright, playful, and engaging perfect for casual learners.
User Community: Includes forums, clubs, and challenges but it's less focused on real interaction.
Motivation: Gamified interface keeps users coming back with daily streaks.

Busuu

Interface: Sleek and professional, with clear progress tracking.
User Community: Active social practice where you can write or speak and receive feedback from native speakers.
Motivation: Learners get encouragement through personalized goals and peer support.

Conclusion: Duolingo is fun and casual; Busuu is more structured and emphasizes social learning through native speaker interaction.

Skill Development

Duolingo

Focuses on building reading comprehension and basic grammar. You practice listening occasionally, but most activities involve reading and typing. Ideal for reinforcing vocabulary and grammar basics.

Busuu

Offers more balanced practice, including speaking, listening, writing, and reading. You receive feedback on your speech and written responses making conversation practice more effective.

Conclusion: Busuu is better for developing all-around Spanish fluency, especially speaking and writing. Duolingo is strong for foundational vocabulary and grammar.

Duolingo vs Busuu which is better?

Choose Duolingo if you:

Want to learn for free or at a low cost.
Prefer game-based learning with short, engaging lessons.
Enjoy casual learning in short bursts, using streaks and rewards.
Are a total beginner and prefer visual and interactive feedback.

Choose Busuu if you:

Are ready to invest in a premium language learning plan.
Want structured Spanish courses for professionals or certification.
Value grammar explanations and correction from native speakers.
Prefer social learning and feedback interactions.

Strengths at a Glance

What Duolingo Offers:Duolingo is highly effective at keeping users engaged through its unique gamified approach. The platform uses features like streaks, badges, XP points, and leaderboards to motivate learners to return daily. This consistency can make a big difference, especially for beginners building a habit of language learning.

Another strength is how Duolingo introduces grammar and vocabulary through repetitive, short exercises. This repetition helps solidify basic sentence structures and vocabulary recall over time. Its easy and fun interface makes it simple for casual learners or beginners in Spanish.

Flexibility is another core benefit. You can use Duolingo’s short lessons for practice anytime. Whether you have two minutes or twenty, you can learn while commuting, during lunch breaks, or even while waiting in line. It’s well-suited for people with busy schedules who still want to make language progress each day.

Duolingo stands out for its easy design and beginner-friendly content. It has fun tools that keep you motivated. This makes it a great app for new learners or anyone wanting to practice daily.

What Busuu Offers

Busuu sets itself apart by offering real social learning opportunities. Unlike most apps, this one lets users talk to native Spanish speakers. They can give direct feedback on writing and speaking exercises. This real-world feedback loop boosts learning and gives learners the confidence to apply the language practically.

The platform has clear grammar explanations, focused writing activities, and speaking prompts. This makes it feel more like a traditional course than a game. Lessons follow the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). This provides a clear learning path from A1 (beginner) to B2 (upper-intermediate).

For learners who want more than casual practice, Busuu provides a serious, guided approach. This is especially true for those aiming for academic or professional skills. The focus on writing and speaking skills is important. Plus, learners can earn official certificates through partnerships, adding more value for long-term learners.

In summary, Busuu is a great choice for learners. It offers a structured and communicative experience. This is especially true for those who want to interact with native speakers.

Drawbacks to Consider

Duolingo:

Limited speaking practice less focus on actually speaking aloud.
Game mechanics may distract from deep language learning.
Pronunciation feedback is basic and automated.

Busuu:

Full access requires a paid subscription.
Less gamification motivation comes from structure and feedback, not points.
Not ideal for learners who prefer casual, game-like practice.

Combined Approach (Duolingo + Busuu)

Many learners benefit from using both apps together:

Use Duolingo for daily practice and quick grammar/vocabulary drills.
Use Busuu for deeper grammar practice, conversation writing, and speaking with native speakers.
This combo gives you both game-like engagement and meaningful language feedback.

Tips to Maximize Your Learning

Establish a routine: Use Duolingo for 10–15 minutes each day to build a habit and maintain streaks.
Dive deeper with Busuu: Spend longer sessions learning grammar or speaking on Busuu.
Practice speaking: Use Busuu’s social features to submit voice clips or writing and receive corrections.
Set goals: Try to reach certain levels on Duolingo and complete Busuu units with native feedback.
Review frequently: Use Duolingo’s spaced repetition and Busuu’s progress tracking to reinforce learning.

Final Recommendation

Duolingo vs Busuu depends on your learning style and goals:

Prefer game-based, flexible learning? Go with Duolingo.
Want structured grammar, social practice, and certification? Choose Busuu.

You can also use both apps: Duolingo for daily streaks and Busuu for speaking practice and grammar. Try free trials and see which fits your style best.

Conclusion

Whether you choose Duolingo, Busuu, or both, each app offers powerful tools for learning Spanish. Duolingo is free, fun, and great for beginners. Busuu offers premium features, grammar study, and real social learning with native speakers.

You can find many of the best Spanish apps online. You can start for free, set your own goals, and build your fluency step by step. If you need help choosing a study plan or tracking your progress, I’m here to help! Good luck on your journey to fluent Spanish.

Bellah Mukisa

By Marketing Team

Bellah Mukisa is a Digital Marketing Professional at Comligo with five years of experience in SEO, content strategy, and brand management. With a creative eye and strong technical skills, she crafts engaging digital experiences that boost traffic and awareness. Bellah is passionate about design, analytics, and delivering results-driven campaigns.