I hate Duolingo. I am an avid language learner, and I devote at a minimum 10-15 minutes per day to practicing and studying a multitude of languages. Amongst the community of language enthusiasts, there is a mutual dislike for a certain popular app covered in a menacing little green bird. 

There are many reasons why Duolingo is an infamously disliked app. There is a relentless amount of passive-aggressive notifications and email spam; the extremely inconsistent prioritization of vocabulary; and a terrible emphasis on straight memorization over genuine cultural or grammatical understanding.

I am no stranger to the platform’s psychological warfare; I believe everything deserves a chance. As of March 23, 2026, I have a 223-day streak—a testament more to my stubbornness than the app’s efficacy. I’ve given the system every chance to succeed at this point, and I have been disappointed.

I use it for my Spanish class and for learning Japanese and Cyrillic (the Russian alphabet). To be honest, the letter/character review is the only part of the app that isn’t terrible, but even that doesn’t really help the info stick in my brain. They don’t even teach the characters in a logical order. They have a tool to practice stroke order, which is helpful, but the app doesn’t let you just focus on that. You’re forced to do other useless tasks instead.

A common problem found in the Duolingo user community is the “useless vocabulary” problem. Half of the time I’m doing lessons, I find myself questioning not only the nuance but also the lack of need to say these sentences. I have no reason to know how to order water and green tea when I cannot even introduce myself from the lessons provided by the app alone. “It is super redundant, and it ended up not being helpful to the things that I needed to learn. It feels like it is just the same thing over and over again,” said Ms. Bell, History teacher. The repetition makes it nearly impossible for dedicated learners to rely on Duolingo entirely. 

Don’t even get me started on the spam notifications. If I miss a day, the app treats it like a tragedy. I get passive-aggressive emails and notifications that make me feel guilty, which actually makes me want to study less. Even when I am consistent in my learning streak, I STILL get notifications reminding me to do my lesson. They are not even gentle reminders; they are always threats or insults, continuing to push the “mean green bird” narrative. 

“I have some strong opinions against Duolingo because of the amount of notifications that blow up my phone every single day from that little green owl, saying that I need to come do my Duolingo, and that my streak is gonna be lost. I don’t care,” said Clara Hook, sophomore.

If I’m busy and miss my usual study time, the app starts guilt-tripping me. It’s annoying. At this point, I’m not even opening the app because I want to learn; I’m just doing it so the bird stops bothering me and I don’t lose my number.

“He’s like a weird ex. I wish he would stop texting me,” Hook added, pointing out that these streaks are only helpful to a certain extent. “I don’t care, I’m not going to do my Duolingo. I’m not going to do my streak. I don’t miss you.”

She’s right. Sometimes I only do a lesson to keep my 223-day streak alive. I’m not actually learning anything new; I’m just clicking buttons, so I don’t lose my number. It’s a game, not a language course.

The app feels like a paywall that punishes learning. It’s one thing to have ads, but it’s another to actively stop people from learning unless they pay monthly fees. First, they added the heart system, which punished you for making mistakes, which is the very thing you’re supposed to do when learning.

Now, they’ve moved to an energy system that is even worse. You lose energy just for showing up and answering questions, even if you get them right. If you run out, you’re forced to watch ads or wait hours just to finish a five-minute lesson.

Even if you do decide to pay, the app finds a way to make you feel behind. They introduced Duolingo Max, a super-premium tier that’s way more expensive than the original Super subscription. It feels like they are locking the actually useful tools, like AI conversations and proper explanations of your mistakes, behind a massive paywall. 

This paywall makes it impossible for learners to understand nuance or build quick conversation skills. There is a massive difference between memorizing a list of words and actually holding a conversation with a human being. By locking the tools needed to practice these skills behind a premium subscription, the app shows its true colors. It’s no longer about helping people learn; it’s about profit.

At the end of the day, Duolingo is a bad game and a horrible teacher. It prioritizes profit over instruction and streaks over speaking skills. If you want to feel productive while sitting on the bus, keep the bird. But if you actually want to talk to people, understand a new culture, or logically learn an alphabet, it’s better to find an alternative study method.