Lingoda vs Duolingo: Casual App vs Structured Classes

By Stacy Ochuka

Reading time: 0 minute

June 28, 2025

Contents

Introduction

Overview of Each Option

Learning Environment (Casual vs Structured)

Curriculum and Content

Teacher Feedback and Support

Flexibility and Learning Pace

Cost and Accessibility (Free vs Premium)

Recommendation: Which App Should You Choose?

Strengths at a Glance

Drawbacks to Consider

Using Them Together

Tips for Maximizing Both Apps

Final Thought

Introduction

When learning Spanish, choosing the right platform matters. Duolingo or Lingoda for Spanish each offer different styles that suit different learners. Duolingo is great for casual, app-based learning, while Lingoda offers live, structured classes.

This Duolingo vs Lingoda Spanish comparison will help you choose the best programs for your needs. It looks at free vs premium, casual vs structured learning, curriculum, feedback, and pace.

Overview of Each Option

Duolingo

Duolingo is a casual, game-style app designed for learners of all levels. It offers short, interactive Spanish lessons with point rewards, streak counters, and leaderboards. Anyone can use the free version which includes ads or upgrade to Duolingo Plus for offline access and no ads. It's great for beginners or learners who want a fun and easy way to build basic vocabulary, grammar, and reading skills.

Lingoda

Lingoda provides structured online classes led by certified teachers. With a subscription, you attend live video lessons in small groups or private sessions. Lingoda covers all skills speaking, listening, reading, and writing and follows a clear curriculum aligned with recognized language standards. Students receive teacher feedback in real-time, get corrected on mistakes, and follow a guided pace to fluency.

Learning Environment (Casual vs Structured)

Duolingo’s casual environment suits learners who enjoy game-style learning, self-paced progress, and flexible scheduling.
Lingoda’s structured classes offer real-time interaction and set study schedules. This creates a classroom feel, which is great for those who like guides and live teaching.

Curriculum and Content

Duolingo

Duolingo introduces grammar and vocabulary gradually through app lessons. Exercises include translation, matching, listening, and typing. Duolingo is great for beginners and early-intermediate levels. However, it may not dive deeply into complex grammar or advanced conversation themes.

Lingoda

Lingoda offers a full curriculum from beginner to advanced, covering grammar, practical topics, dialogues, and exam preparation. Each class builds on the one before it. The materials meet European standards. This ensures you have clear progress and detailed content.

Teacher Feedback and Support

Duolingo uses automated corrections for exercises, offering general feedback but no personalized coaching. This is fine for casual learners but lacks depth.
Lingoda provides real-time teacher feedback in live sessions. Teachers correct your pronunciation, grammar, and expression right away, helping you learn faster and more accurately.

Flexibility and Learning Pace

Duolingo

You can learn anytime, anywhere, lessons fit into even 5-minute breaks. You control your speed and can repeat modules as needed. This flexibility makes Duolingo ideal for learners with busy, unpredictable schedules.

Lingoda

Lingoda requires signing up for live classes that run on fixed schedules. This structure helps build consistency and commitment but may limit flexibility. There are multiple time slots available to accommodate different time zones and routines.

Cost and Accessibility (Free vs Premium)

Duolingo

Free version: Full access to lessons, with ads and limited offline use.
Duolingo Plus: Paid subscription removes ads, allows offline access, and tracks progress more seamlessly.

Lingoda

Subscription-based: Paid plans give full access to structured lessons, teacher feedback, and certification.
No free version past trial classes.

Duolingo is accessible to anyone at minimal cost. Lingoda is a stronger investment great for learners wanting full Spanish fluency training and structured results.

Recommendation: Which App Should You Choose?

Choose Duolingo if You:

Prefer a casual, gamified style of learning.
Want to start for free or at low cost.
Learn best with short, interactive lessons.
Are a beginner or someone who wants to supplement other learning with fun practice.

Choose Lingoda if You:

Want a structured curriculum and professional teacher feedback.
Plan to improve Spanish speaking, writing, and listening systematically.
Learn better in a live, classroom-like environment.
Need accountability, deadlines, and real interaction.

Strengths at a Glance

What Duolingo Offers

Duolingo is designed to make language learning feel like a game. It keeps users coming back daily through engaging features like streak counts, badges, leaderboards, and visual progress trackers. These fun motivators help learners stay consistent over time.

The platform is especially good for helping users build vocabulary and understand basic grammar. Lessons are repetitive in just the right way, using reading, typing, and matching activities to reinforce learning.

It’s very flexible. You can finish a lesson in under 5 minutes. This makes it easy to fit into your routine, whether you are commuting, on a break, or relaxing at night.

Duolingo is great for beginners or casual learners. It helps you build a habit and learn Spanish slowly without much pressure.

What Lingoda Offers

Lingoda takes a very different approach. Instead of gamification, it offers live online classes led by professional teachers. These sessions promote true interaction you speak, ask questions, get corrected, and learn with others in real time.

Grammar explanations are clear and applied in speaking and writing tasks, helping learners move from theory to practice. You also get feedback and writing assignments to deepen your understanding and fluency.

Lessons follow a clear curriculum based on the CEFR levels (A1–C1). This is helpful for anyone aiming to learn a language for work, study, or moving to a new place. Upon completing courses, you can even receive certificates that demonstrate your level great for resumes or applications.

Lingoda is ideal for learners who want a more immersive, accountable, and professional learning path.

Drawbacks to Consider

Duolingo

While Duolingo is one of the most popular language learning apps globally, it has its limitations:

Limited Focus on Speaking Aloud: Although Duolingo offers speaking exercises, they often involve repeating words or short phrases. There is not much focus on real-time talks or long spoken answers. This can make it hard to improve your fluent speaking skills.
Gamified Mechanics Can Distract from Deeper Learning: The app uses streaks, badges, and leaderboards to motivate users. However, learners may focus more on keeping a streak than on understanding the material. This makes it easier to go through the motions without achieving true mastery of the content.
Pronunciation Practice Is Basic and Automated: Duolingo uses voice recognition to check pronunciation, but it’s often not sensitive enough to detect subtle differences. This means learners may not receive meaningful feedback on their speaking accuracy or accent.

Lingoda

Lingoda is known for its structured, professional approach with live classes, but it also has some notable challenges:

Requires Commitment to Scheduled Classes: Unlike on-demand apps, Lingoda's learning happens in live sessions with real teachers. This requires you to stick to a schedule, which might be difficult for learners with busy or unpredictable routines.
Lingoda provides high-quality lessons, but it is more expensive than free or low-cost options like Duolingo. This can be a barrier for budget-conscious learners.
Beginners in live classes face a steep learning curve. Joining a class without knowing basic Spanish can be overwhelming.

Beginners may feel unsure about speaking. They might also need more time to understand concepts. This can make it hard for them to keep up in a live virtual classroom.

Using Them Together

You don’t have to choose just one. Many learners combine both:

Use Duolingo daily for vocabulary, grammar, and casual practice.
Attend Lingoda classes weekly for live conversation, structured lessons, and instructor feedback.

This blend gives you engagement, flexibility, curriculum depth, and real speaking practice.

Tips for Maximizing Both Apps

Set daily habit: Use Duolingo for 10–20 minutes to maintain streaks.
Schedule structured learning: Take Lingoda classes 1–3 times per week to progress through the curriculum.
Focus on speaking: Speak aloud in Duolingo exercises. Ask questions and practice responses during Lingoda sessions.
Review regularly: Use Duolingo review features and Lingoda homework to reinforce grammar and vocabulary.
Track progress: Lingoda offers progress reports. Duolingo tracks streak days and lesson levels.

Final Thought

Whether you choose Duolingo, Lingoda, or both, your decision should match your learning style and goals:

Want casual, free learning with flexibility? Try Spanish apps that work.
Prefer structured lessons, teacher interaction, and academic-style progress? Choose Lingoda.
Or combine both: practice vocabulary and grammar on Duolingo, and sharpen speaking and real skills in Lingoda.

Try both platforms if you're unsure. Explore their free options and see which teaching style resonates with you. Both can help you learn Spanish what matters most is how you like to learn and commit to improving.

Stacy Ochuka

By Marketing Team

Stacy Ochuka is the Marketing Lead at Comligo, specializing in digital strategy, SEO, and automation-driven campaigns. With over six years of experience, she blends data insights and creativity to drive brand visibility and growth. Stacy is dedicated to creating high-impact marketing solutions that connect with audiences and deliver results.