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Duolingo
EdTech / Language Learning

Duolingo Company Overview

Duolingo logo

Duolingo

● Active
EdTech / Language Learning · Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA · Est. 2011
EdTechlanguage learninggamificationAI personalizationmobile educationfreemiumconsumer appsubscriptions↗ Website
~$6.5B (public, NASDAQ: DUOL)
Valuation
$1.05B
Revenue
800
Employees
2011
Founded

Duolingo is the world's most downloaded education app and the leading platform for language learning. With over 100 million monthly active users, Duolingo uses gamification, AI-powered personalization, and bite-sized lessons to teach 40+ languages for free. Its freemium model — supported by Duolingo Plus subscriptions and advertising — has made language education accessible globally. Duolingo went public on Nasdaq in 2021 and has expanded into math, music, and literacy education.

Recent Press
5 items
milestone·2026-02-26
Duolingo Reports FY2024 Revenue of $748M, First Full Year of GAAP Profitability
Duolingo reported its first full-year GAAP profitability, with net income of $22 million on $748 million in revenue, demonstrating that the freemium model can deliver sustainable economics as subscriber penetration improves.
milestone·2025-11-04
Duolingo Surpasses 100 Million Monthly Active Users
Duolingo reported exceeding 100 million monthly active users for the first time in Q3 2025, driven by AI-powered personalization improvements, the viral success of Duolingo Max, and strong international growth in Asia and Latin America.
product·2025-09-10
Duolingo Launches AI Conversation Practice with GPT-4o Integration
Duolingo expanded Duolingo Max with a new AI conversation partner powered by GPT-4o, enabling learners to practice extended open-ended conversations in their target language, significantly improving speaking skill development on the platform.
milestone·2025-07-22
Duolingo English Test Now Accepted by 5,500 Universities Worldwide
The Duolingo English Test reached acceptance at 5,500+ institutions globally, surpassing a major milestone that positions it as a mainstream alternative to TOEFL and IELTS for international student admissions.
product·2025-05-13
Duolingo Expands Math App to 30 Countries with Localized Curriculum
Duolingo Math expanded to 30 countries with localized curriculum aligned to national education standards, marking the company biggest content investment outside language learning since the platform launched.
Company History
10 milestones
Luis von Ahn (inventor of CAPTCHA and reCAPTCHA) and Severin Hacker co-founded Duolingo at Carnegie Mellon University with the mission to develop the best education in the world and make it universally available.

Duolingo Organization Structure & Team

Org Chart
800 employees · Click a leader to explore their team
830 across 10 departments
Chief Executive Officer
Luis von Ahn
Matthew Skaruppa — Departments
· 830 people across 10 depts

Duolingo Financials, Revenue & Market Share

Annual Revenue
$1.05B
+40% vs prior year
YoY Growth
+40%
From $250M to $1.05B
Revenue / Employee
$935K
Annual revenue per full-time employee
Revenue Growth
2021
2022
2023
2024
2025
$250M
$370M
$531M
$748M
$1.05B
Market Share
Consumer Mobile Language Learning Apps
35%
share
Duolingo
35%
Babbel
18%
Rosetta Stone
12%
Busuu
8%
Pimsleur
7%
$20B
TAM
$5B
SAM
$900M
SOM
Revenue Streams
Duolingo Plus & Max Subscriptions68%
Advertising18%
Duolingo English Test10%
In-App Purchases4%
Business Units
Language App78%
Core free and subscription language learning app with 40+ languages serving 500M+ registered users globally.
Duolingo English Test10%
Standardized English proficiency test accepted by over 5,000 universities as a cost-effective alternative to TOEFL and IELTS.
Duolingo for Schools7%
Free classroom tools and premium features for educators managing student progress.
Duolingo Math & Music5%
Expanding app suite applying Duolingo gamification to math and music learning.

Duolingo Internal Tools & Processes

Internal Tools
10 departments
Engineering & Infrastructure250 people · 3 roles
Standards & Certifications
10 standards
Compliance frameworks, security audits, and quality certifications this company maintains.
Security & Compliance
SOC 2 Type II
Certified
Annual SOC 2 Type II audit covering Security and Availability for Duolingo platform infrastructure, learner data, and DET testing environment.
Privacy & Data
GDPR
Compliant
EU GDPR compliance covering learner data processing, right to erasure, data subject requests, and cookie consent across the Duolingo app and web platform for European users.
Privacy & Data
CCPA
Compliant
California Consumer Privacy Act compliance including opt-out of data sale, consumer rights portal, and advertising data disclosures for California-resident users.
Privacy & Data
COPPA
Compliant
Children Online Privacy Protection Act compliance as an education app with significant under-13 users, including restricted data collection, parental consent mechanisms, and COPPA-compliant advertising.
Payment Security
PCI DSS
Certified
PCI DSS compliance for Duolingo Plus, Duolingo Max subscription payments, and Duolingo English Test fee processing.
Education
FERPA
Compliant
Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act compliance for Duolingo for Schools, governing student education records and restricting disclosure of student data to third parties.
Accessibility
WCAG 2.1 AA
Compliant
Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.1 Level AA compliance across Duolingo web and mobile interfaces, supporting learners with disabilities through screen reader support, captions, and accessible lesson formats.
Security & Compliance
ISO 27001
Certified
Information Security Management System certification covering Duolingo engineering, data handling, and DET testing environment security operations.
Privacy & Data
COPPA Safe Harbor (kidSAFE)
Certified
kidSAFE COPPA Safe Harbor certification for Duolingo's child-facing products, providing additional compliance assurance for school and parent audiences.
Accessibility
Section 508
Compliant
Section 508 accessibility compliance for Duolingo for Schools and DET products used by US government-funded educational institutions.

Duolingo Interview Preparation

Interview Prep
Role-specific interview questions and keywords. Select a department, then click any role to prepare.
Engineering & Infrastructure· 3 roles

Duolingo Products & Competitors

Product Suite
5 products · select one to explore
EdTech / Language Learning
Duolingo Language App
Learn a language in 5 minutes a day

The flagship free language learning app offering bite-sized gamified lessons in 40+ languages across iOS, Android, and web, using spaced repetition, AI-driven personalization, and streak mechanics to build daily learning habits.

Use Cases
A software engineer in São Paulo using Duolingo during a 20-minute subway commute each morning to build Japanese vocabulary ahead of a planned relocation to Tokyo for a job with a Japanese technology companyA retired teacher using Duolingo to learn Italian over 18 months before an extended trip to Italy, spending 15 minutes each morning on lessons that combine speaking, listening, reading, and writing exercisesA college student double-majoring in international business using Duolingo to reinforce Mandarin skills learned in class, treating the app's daily practice sessions as low-stakes repetition between formal grammar-heavy courseworkA hotel front desk employee in Mexico City using Duolingo to improve conversational English, practicing the phrases and vocabulary patterns that come up most frequently when greeting international guests and handling check-in requests
No image
Key Customers
IND
Individual Learners
STU
Students
TRV
Travelers
PRO
Professionals
Competitive Intelligence
VSBabbel
THEM

A subscription-based language learning app focused on practical conversational skills for adult learners, available across 14 languages

EDGE

Free tier with 40+ languages attracts 10x more users than Babbel's paywall-first model, building habit before monetization

VSRosetta Stone
THEM

An immersive language learning software using picture-association and speech recognition, one of the oldest and most recognized brands in language learning

EDGE

Bite-size 5-minute daily lessons fit mobile usage patterns better than Rosetta Stone's 30-minute immersive sessions

VSPimsleur
THEM

An audio-based language learning program using spaced repetition listening exercises, originally designed for adult professionals learning through commuting

EDGE

Visual + text + audio multimodal lessons vs. Pimsleur's audio-only approach that limits learning in non-audio environments

VSBusuu
THEM

A social language learning app that connects learners with native speakers for feedback and conversation practice, available in 12 languages

EDGE

500M+ user community creates social accountability features like streak sharing that Busuu's smaller base can't replicate