1. One-line positioning

Duolingo Max (Pittsburgh, 2011; Luis von Ahn + Severin Hacker; NASDAQ: DUOL, FY2025 rev >$1B) = the top paid tier of the 500M-user gamified language app, repositioned in 2023–2026 as an AI conversation tutor — Video Call with Lily (GPT-4o/5.x driven, adaptive spoken chat) + AI Roleplay (cafe/hotel/check-in scenarios) + Explain My Answer (moved to free tier Jan 2026) + Mistakes Hub, sitting on top of Super Duolingo (ad-free, unlimited hearts, offline). Not Babbel (structured human-written courses), not Pimsleur (audio-first pronunciation), not Speak (AI-speaking-first, no gamified tree), not ChatGPT (general, no spaced-repetition curriculum). Fits ai-productivity-data; pipeline_stage none (spans vocab-drill + grammar-explain + roleplay-speak + video-call-practice). Table-first, Claude Code skeleton. The 2026 trap: Jan-2026 Explain-My-Answer went free, so Max’s paid edge collapsed to two features (Video Call + Roleplay) at ~$168/yr vs Super ~$96/yr — nearly 2x for speaking practice only, and Roleplay/Video Call limited to 7–8 languages.

2. Core features

Layer	Capability	Notes
Speak	Video Call with Lily (animated character, remembers prior sessions, adjusts to CEFR level, post-call transcript + accuracy/complexity feedback)	iOS/Android/web; 7 langs (ES/FR/DE/IT/PT/JA/KO), ZH early-access
Roleplay	Scenario sims (order coffee, hotel check-in, interview) — type or speak, AI replies dynamically, post-session correction report	Preset scenes, 2–3 exchanges deep, not open-world
Grammar	Explain My Answer — “why was I wrong” deep dive, follow-up questions	Free for all tiers since Jan 2026 — no longer Max-exclusive
Review	Mistakes Hub — AI groups errors by concept (subjunctive, gender agreement), targeted drills	Max/Plus account only
Base	Everything in Super: no ads, unlimited hearts, offline lessons, Practice Hub, streaks/leaderboards	—
Model	OpenAI GPT-4o → reported GPT-5.6 routing (2026)	No BYOK, no model pick
Surface	🌐 Web · 📱 iOS/Android · 🖥️ no desktop app · 🔌 no public REST API · 💬 in-app only	—

3. Pricing (2026-08, USD, US store; regional variance ±40%)

Tier	Price	Seats / quota	Unlocks
Free	$0	1 user, ads, hearts/energy limit, Explain My Answer (since Jan 2026), no Video Call/Roleplay	Full course library
Super Duolingo	$12.99/mo · $59.99–$95.99/yr (region)	1 seat	Ad-free, unlimited hearts, offline, Practice Hub
Super Family	$119.99/yr	6 seats	Super ×6
Duolingo Max	$29.99/mo · $167.99/yr	1 seat	+ Video Call + Roleplay + Mistakes Hub
Max Family	$39.99/mo · $239.99/yr	6 seats	Max ×6

pricing_type = freemium; starting_price = $0; free_tier = "yes; full courses + ads + hearts limit + Explain My Answer (since Jan 2026); NO Video Call, NO Roleplay, NO Mistakes Hub"; pricing_note = "jan-2026-explain-my-answer-went-free; max-168-vs-super-96-2x-for-videocall-roleplay-only; roleplay-videocall-7-langs-only-zh-beta; no-pronunciation-scoring; monthly-30-annual-14-effective; ios-store-30pct-commission-vs-web; max-family-240-6-seats; no-api-no-byok"

4. Access Type (v2)

access_type: web-app, mobile-app

access_display: 🌐 Web · 📱 iOS/Android · (no desktop app, no API, no CLI)

5. Reviews (split — App Store/Trustpilot divide)

Platform	Score	Volume	Signal
App Store (US)	4.6–4.7/5	millions	Video Call fun, streak habit, gamification
Google Play	4.3–4.5/5	millions	Same + Android lag complaints
G2	4.5/5	~30 (thin, B2B lens)	Onboarding, enterprise L&D use
Trustpilot	1.6–2.0/5	~700	Auto-renew shock, energy/heart wall, support ghosting, “AI translations wrong”, Max “not worth $95 extra”
Aggregate	~4.5/5 (store) vs ~1.8/5 (Trustpilot)	—	Trustpilot gap = billing/energy/accuracy pattern (same shape as Ahrefs/Cursor/DeepL)

Recurring praise: Video Call lowers speaking anxiety, Roleplay good for B1 plateau, streak habit sticks, Explain My Answer (now free) clarifies grammar, 500M-scale course pacing is polished.

Recurring gripes: $168/yr for 2 features post-Jan-2026, Roleplay ends in 2–3 exchanges, no IPA/pronunciation score (vs ELSA/Pimsleur), GPT-4o occasionally wrong/awkward phrasing, 7-language ceiling, energy wall on free tier, Trustpilot auto-renew/refund fights, “AI replaced human review” accuracy complaints.

6. Best for / Not for

Best for	Not for
Intermediate (A2–B1) learners in ES/FR/DE/IT/PT/JA/KO who already love Duolingo daily	Beginners (free/Super enough, AI assumes basic sentence ability)
Nervous speakers wanting judgment-free low-pressure practice	Advanced (B2+) chasing real fluency / slang / accent (human tutor or iTalki better)
Travelers/expat preppers rehearsing cafe/hotel/check-in scripts	Learners of unsupported langs (Arabic/Hindi/Polish/SEA) — Max adds nothing
Parents/kids already on Duolingo Family who want Roleplay	Pronunciation-focused users (ELSA Speak $11–19 beats it)
Duolingo-streak addicts who won’t switch apps	Budget buyers — Super Family ~$20/person/yr does 90% of the job
Supplement-to-real-class users	People who want structured grammar explanation as core (Babbel/Buschhu)

7. Competitors (table)

Tool	Lane	Starts	vs Duolingo Max
Super Duolingo	Ad-free gamified drill	$6.99–12.99/mo	Same tree minus Video Call/Roleplay; 2x cheaper
Babbel	Structured human-written courses	~$14/mo	Deeper grammar, no AI chat, no gamified streak
Pimsleur	Audio-first spoken method	~$20/mo	Superior pronunciation/recall, no Roleplay UI
Speak	AI-speaking-first tutor	~$20/mo	Speaking-centric from ground up, less gamified
ChatGPT/Claude	General LLM conversation	$20/mo	Unlimited roleplay prompts, but no spaced-repetition curriculum, no streak
ELSA Speak	AI pronunciation scoring	$11–19/mo	IPA-level feedback, no full course tree
iTalki / Preply	Human tutors	$5–15/lesson	Real nuance/accent, not scalable daily