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Indie alternatives to Duolingo

4 products made by independent developers and small teams that do what Duolingo does, 4 of them with a free plan. Free and open-source options come first.

At a glance

Product	Price	Open source	Self-host	Platforms
Busuu	Free plan	–	–	Web, iOS, Android
Clozemaster	Free plan	–	–	Web, iOS, Android
LingQ	Free plan	–	–	Web, iOS, Android
Memrise	Free plan	–	–	Web, iOS, Android

The alternatives

1. Busuu

Language courses with community feedback

Busuu offers structured language courses with feedback from native speakers in its community.

Free plan · Web, iOS, Android · Website ↗

2. Clozemaster

Learn vocabulary in context with sentences

Clozemaster teaches languages through fill-in-the-blank sentences for intermediate learners.

Free plan · Web, iOS, Android · Website ↗

3. LingQ

Learn languages by reading and listening

LingQ is a language learning app built around reading and listening to content with a vocabulary tracker.

Free plan · Web, iOS, Android · Website ↗

4. Memrise

Learn languages with real-life video and chat

Memrise teaches vocabulary and phrases using videos of native speakers and conversation practice.

Free plan · Web, iOS, Android · Website ↗

Questions

Is there a free alternative to Duolingo?

Yes. 4 of the 4 indie alternatives listed here have a free plan or are free: Busuu, Clozemaster, LingQ and Memrise.

What makes these alternatives to Duolingo “indie”?

They are built by independent developers or small teams rather than large companies. Each one is listed because it does the same core job as Duolingo.

Ask your AI instead

Add Indie Alternatives to ChatGPT, Claude or Cursor and ask “a cheaper Duolingo alternative that works on my Mac” in your own words, with your budget and platform. Set it up

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