MyOwnLingo

$5 a year. Elsewhere, $48 to $168.

$5 a year is MyOwnLingo's price for every language and every level above A1. The paid plans of ten other language apps cost $48 to $168 a year, about 10 to 34 times as much. A1 and the daily challenge are free.

Price per year

US list prices for a 12-month plan, before promotions. Checked 1 October 2026.
AppPer yearNote
Duolingo Max $168 $29.99 a month; Video Call, Explain My Answer
Babbel $107.64 $8.97 a month billed yearly; often half price on sale
Rosetta Stone $95.88–159 $7.99 a month billed yearly; some listings $159
Super Duolingo $83.99 App Store; some regions up to $119.99
Busuu Premium $69.99 Premium Plus (AI conversations) about $80
Clozemaster Pro $69.99 Web; $79.99 in the iOS app
Drops Premium $69.99 Also $159.99 lifetime
Memrise Pro $61.99 US App Store; web lists $79.99 to $99.99
LingoDeer Plus $54.99 A separate subscription from LingoDeer
Mondly $47.99 One language; all languages costs more
MyOwnLingo $5 Everything above A1, every language
Anki Free $24.99 once on iPhone

The others cost about 10 to 34 times as much.

Features

Typed answers means producing the word or form, not only picking it. Language counts are each app's own, for English speakers, and change often.

AppFree tierLanguagesTyped answersGraded storiesAI
MyOwnLingo All of A1, the daily challenge, Start here; no ads7 (5 live)Yes: Type the Word, Type the Form, accents forgivenYes, 5 tales per language, A1 to C1None, by design
Super Duolingo Full course, with ads and energy limits40+Some, mixed with tapsStories, mostly A1 to B1In Duolingo Max
Duolingo Max As DuolingoFewer than SuperAs SuperAs SuperVideo Call, Explain My Answer
Babbel First lesson only14YesSome cultural contentAI speaking practice
Busuu Limited lessons, 1 language14YesLimitedPlus: AI conversations
Memrise Limited20+Yes, in reviewsNative-speaker video clipsMemBot chat
Rosetta Stone Trial only25SomeStoriesSpeech recognition (TruAccent)
Drops 5 minutes a day45+No, tap and swipeNoNo
LingoDeer Plus LimitedAbout 10SomeNoNo
Clozemaster Limited daily play50+Yes, text input modeNoNo
Mondly Daily lesson41SomeNoChatbot, AR
Anki Everything, except on iOSAny (you build the deck)If the deck asksNoNo

The table scrolls sideways.

Where MyOwnLingo wins

  • Price. $5 a year, no monthly plan, no upsell tier. The cheapest paid tier elsewhere is Mondly at about $48.
  • A free tier with no ads and no hearts or energy: all of A1, the daily challenge and the Start here tracks for Japanese and Chinese.
  • Grammar drills the big apps skip. Article & Gender, Conjugation and Type the Form are games of their own.
  • CEFR to C1 in every language, with graded tales at each level. Most of the others stop at B1 or B2.
  • No AI at runtime. Content is written, checked and reviewed before it ships. Nothing a player types goes to a model.
  • Private friends boards joined with a code, not public leagues.

Where it doesn't

  • Fewer languages. Seven built: Italian, Spanish, French, Japanese and Mandarin live; German and Dutch awaiting native review. Duolingo, Drops and Clozemaster each offer 40 or more.
  • No speaking practice. The browser's own voice reads text aloud. There is no speech recognition, AI conversation or tutor.
  • No native apps. It's an installable web app. Every other app here is in the App Store and Google Play.
  • Not sold in the EU while Faresay Ltd isn't VAT registered. That rules out the market Babbel and Busuu grew up in.
  • No brand. It starts from word of mouth and Robin of Loxley's flat, commission-free pitch.

A1 and the daily challenge are free. Everything above A1, in every language, is $5 a year.

Make an account

Invite-only for now: sign-up needs an invite code.

Small print

Prices are US list prices for a 12-month plan, before promotions, taken from public pricing pages and 2026 roundups. Checked 1 October 2026.

Prices vary by country and platform and are often discounted. Babbel, Duolingo and Rosetta Stone routinely knock off 40 to 60%. Where sources disagree, the table gives the range.

Check the price on each app's own site before you buy.

Sources: Duolingo · Duolingo (DealNews) · Babbel · Babbel lifetime · Busuu · Memrise · Rosetta Stone · Drops · LingoDeer Plus · Clozemaster · Mondly · Anki