Duolingo Max vs Super 2026: Price and Feature Differences
Last checked: October 2026. Feature rules in this piece come from Duolingo's official Help Center and its blog. Prices come from sources we grade below, because Duolingo publishes no unified price list.
Here is the short version up front. For most learners, Super is the plan to buy in 2026. Duolingo Max only earns its price if you learn one of a handful of languages, practice on your phone, and specifically want its two AI features: Roleplay and Video Call with Lily.
That case is also getting thinner. Explain My Answer, once Max's headline perk, became free for every learner on January 1, 2026. Video Call is already included for most new Super subscribers. And the company has said publicly that Max's long-term role is undecided, with an answer expected over the coming quarters.
Two limits matter more than any feature list, and most reviews skip them. Max lives only in the iOS and Android apps; the web version can neither buy it nor run it. Its AI features also only work in the languages Duolingo has enabled so far. If either limit hits you, the Duolingo Max vs Super question answers itself.
If you want the fuller rundown of what Super includes on its own, we keep a separate Super Duolingo explainer. Now the details.
1. Duolingo Max vs Super at a Glance (2026)
| Super | Max | |
|---|---|---|
| Ads | None | None |
| Energy and Hearts | Unlimited Energy in the mobile apps; web still uses the Hearts system, also unlimited | Same |
| Roleplay | Not included | Included |
| Video Call with Lily | Included for most new subscribers; existing subscribers get it later | Included |
| Where you can buy and use it | Mobile app and web | Mobile app only |
| Price tier | Mid tier | Top tier (section 2) |
Feature rows come from Duolingo's Help Center, last checked October 2026. The price row is deliberately vague; section 2 explains why.
One note on the free plan, since every comparison starts there: it works, but ads, Hearts, and Energy caps shape the experience. Whether paying Duolingo anything at all makes sense is a separate question, and we looked at the evidence in Does Duolingo Actually Work.
2. What Each Plan Actually Costs in 2026
Duolingo does not publish a unified price list, so there is no single official answer to the Duolingo Max vs Super price question. Prices are set per platform and region, promotions shift them, and app stores take their cut. Any blog that prints one "official" number is guessing. Here is everything we could verify, sorted by how much each source deserves your trust.
| Source | What it lists | How to read it |
|---|---|---|
| US App Store listing, checked October 10, 2026 | Super in-app purchases at $9.99, $12.99, $83.99, $95.99, and $119.99 (USD) | The store does not label which price is monthly and which is annual, so neither will we |
| Third-party price trackers, October 2026 | Max at $29.99 per month, $167.99 per year, Max Family at $239.99 per year (USD) | Tracker observations, not an official price sheet |
| One US account observation, October 2026 | Super at $16.99 per month, $119.99 per year, Super Family at $143.99 per year (USD) | A single account; your region and any promo will shift it |
Reading the table: only compare numbers that share a currency and a billing period. Don't convert the unlabeled App Store prices into monthly or yearly figures, because the listing doesn't say which is which.
What holds everywhere: annual billing costs less per month than monthly billing, on both plans. So if you came for a Super price per month, your own checkout screen beats every chart on the internet. Beyond that, three tiers and programs shape the picture.
The Super Family plan covers up to six accounts, one manager plus five members, each keeping independent progress. Students have their own discount route, covered in the Duolingo student discount guide. And a cheaper Super Lite tier is in testing, with ads, double Energy, and roughly half the price of Super. It isn't showing in every account, so you may never see it.
To find your real price, open the app and go to the Shop or subscription page. That checkout number is the only one that matters. If you're still weighing whether to pay anything, our guide to Duolingo's free plan and subscription savings covers the baseline.
3. Which Features Are Still Max-Only
Start with what isn't. Explain My Answer, the feature that used to headline Max, has been free for all learners since January 1, 2026, according to Duolingo's own announcement. If an older article still sells Max on it, the article is stale.
That leaves two.
Roleplay. You hold short conversations with in-app characters and get feedback on what you said. As of October 2026, this remains Max-only.
Video Call with Lily. You have a live video-style call with Duolingo's character and she reacts to what you say. It still ships with Max, but it is no longer exclusive in practice. On the Q2 2026 earnings call in August, Duolingo said most new Super subscribers already include Video Call, with existing subscribers getting access later. No finish date was published.
So what are you paying the top tier for? Today, Roleplay, plus Video Call if your Super account hasn't received it yet. That is the honest list.
One more thing before you pay. Duolingo has said Max's long-term role is undecided. The options it floated include keeping limited AI in Super with Max as the unlimited tier, or retiring Max entirely. An answer is expected over the coming quarters. Nothing has been announced, so Max is not discontinued, but paying a premium for exclusivity that may not survive the year is a risk you take on. We went through the Help Center, the blog, and the earnings call for this piece, and no source commits to Max's future. Treat that as part of the price.
4. Language and Platform Limits Most Reviews Skip
This is where the Duolingo Max vs Super decision gets personal, because the limits are hard ones. Most reviews barely mention them.
If you searched for the Duolingo Max languages list, here it is, straight from the official Help Center. Roleplay, for English speakers, covers Spanish, French, German, Portuguese, and Italian. There is also the English course for speakers of Spanish, Portuguese, Japanese, German, and French. Nothing else is supported.
Video Call languages: the Help Center lists English, French, Spanish, Italian, German, and Portuguese on iOS and Android (app version 13 or later). Duolingo's blog has also said some languages, including Japanese, Korean, and Chinese, work on iOS. The two official sources don't fully agree, so treat the app as the source of truth: if the entry appears, you have it.
| Your situation | What it means for Max |
|---|---|
| Learning Spanish, French, German, Portuguese, or Italian from English | Roleplay should appear in your app |
| Learning Japanese, Korean, or Chinese | Video Call only, per the blog, iOS only; Roleplay is not supported |
| Learning any other language | No Max AI features; Max adds nothing for you |
| Mostly practice on the web | Max is off the table entirely |
| Pay for Super through the web | You can't upgrade that subscription to Max |
The platform limit is the one people miss. Max can only be bought and used inside the iOS or Android app. On the web version you can't purchase it, lessons can't use it, and a web-billed Super subscription can't be upgraded to Max.
A quick note on Hearts versus Energy, because it changes how each plan feels. Mobile Duolingo runs on Energy: one unit per exercise, unlimited on paid plans. The web version still uses the Hearts system instead. The often-quoted daily cap of around 25 Energy units is a community measurement, not an official figure. We break the system down in the Duolingo Energy guide.
5. Who Should Upgrade, and How to Switch Plans
Four groups, and almost everyone falls cleanly into one.
Stay on the free plan if you do a few lessons a week and don't mind ads or stopping when Energy runs out. Paying for light use rarely pays off.
Buy Super if you practice most days and ads or Energy caps keep interrupting you. This is the sensible default for the majority of learners. The mid-tier price buys the fix most people actually want.
Consider Max only if all four of these are true: you're learning a supported language, you practice on your phone, you want Roleplay or Video Call specifically, and you're comfortable paying the top tier for features that may not stay exclusive. If that's you, Max delivers what it advertises.
Skip Max if any of those fail. Learning a language its AI doesn't support, practicing mostly on web, or already seeing Video Call in your Super account: in each case you'd pay more for nothing new.
That is the whole Duolingo Max vs Super question in practice. Match the plan to your language and your device, not to the longer feature list.
How to get Duolingo Max, from official docs: upgrading happens inside the app, through the Shop or the Practice hub. If you billed through Apple, upgrading charges you the full Max price and refunds the unused portion of your Super plan proportionally, so you don't lose the remainder. One catch the Help Center adds: some Super plans aren't eligible for every Max plan, and the app shows which Max tiers your subscription can actually upgrade to. Downgrading is the reverse and less documented: cancel auto-renewal in your app store subscription settings, keep your benefits until the period ends, then resubscribe at the lower tier when you want. Duolingo publishes no refund rules for simple cancellations, so treat any specific refund story you read online as one person's case, not policy.
6. Cheaper Ways to Get Super (and Why Max Has No Cheap Route)
If the mid tier already feels expensive, the discounts run in a fixed order.
Annual billing first: it works out cheaper per month on both plans. Student discounts second, via the guide linked above. Family splitting third: the official Super Family plan takes up to six accounts, so a full household drops the per-person cost sharply. We explain the mechanics in the Duolingo family plan guide.
If you can't fill those seats with people you know, third-party seat services exist. One of them is FamilyPro, the site publishing this article. It sells a Super family seat from $9.99 per year (current pricing on the product page), delivered as an official invite to your own account. You keep your streak, your progress, and your password. One seat per order. As a third-party arrangement, the service rules on that page apply, so read them before buying.
The ceiling matters just as much: that seat provides Super benefits, but not Roleplay. Video Call availability depends on your account and Duolingo's rollout. It's a way to pay less for Super, not a way to unlock all Max features.
On the official side, Max has no cheap route. There's no student discount or promo tier for it, so the official way to spread the cost is the Max Family plan, which trackers list at $239.99 per year. Third-party seats have started to cover Max as well: FamilyPro lists a Duolingo Max family seat as a one-time purchase with the same invite-based setup as the Super seat above (pricing on the Max product page, which we haven't quoted here because it changes). Weigh it with the same third-party cautions, and compare against your own checkout before deciding. If Roleplay and Video Call are why you're shopping up, that seat is one honest option; the official Family plan is the other.
7. FAQ: Duolingo Max vs Super, Answered
Is Duolingo Max Still Worth It Now That Explain My Answer Is Free?
Usually no. Max's remaining extras are Roleplay and Video Call, and Video Call already ships with most new Super subscriptions. Open your app first: if your Super account shows the Video Call entry, Max adds only Roleplay, and that rarely justifies the top tier.
How Much Do Max and Super Cost in 2026?
Duolingo publishes no unified price. A US App Store listing checked in October 2026 shows Super in-app purchases from $9.99 to $119.99 with no billing periods labeled, and third-party trackers list Max at $29.99 per month. Your own checkout screen is the number that counts.
Can I Buy or Use Duolingo Max on the Web?
No. Max can only be bought and used inside the iOS or Android app. The web version can't purchase it, lessons on web can't run it, and a web-billed Super subscription can't be upgraded to Max.
Which Languages Support Max Features?
Roleplay covers Spanish, French, German, Portuguese, and Italian for English speakers, plus the English course for speakers of five other languages. Video Call covers the same six languages per the Help Center, with the blog adding Japanese, Korean, and Chinese on iOS. Confirm inside your app, since the two official lists don't fully agree.
Can I Upgrade from Super to Max, and Do I Lose Money?
You can upgrade inside the app through the Shop or the Practice hub. On Apple billing, you're charged the full Max price and the unused portion of your Super plan is refunded proportionally. Web-billed subscriptions can't upgrade to Max at all.