Lince vs Duolingo
Both teach Spanish on your phone with streaks, leagues and quizzes — but they’re built on opposite ideas about the lesson itself: Duolingo gamifies translated sentences; Lince has you learn from real video clips. Here’s how they actually compare — and we make Lince, so weigh that as you read.
Duolingo wins on being completely free, the biggest course catalogue, and absolute-beginner hand-holding. Lince wins on real native video, a situation assistant, and Spanish specifically from Spain — with the same streaks-and-leagues gamification. Start on Duolingo; move to Lince when drills stop feeling like progress.
At a glance
| Lince | Duolingo | |
|---|---|---|
| Learn from | Real clips: movies, cartoons, music and creators | Translated sentence drills |
| Active recall | Loop + recall, then quiz | Limited, mostly tapping |
| Listening | Native speech, natural speed | Audio within exercises |
| Gamification | Streaks, hearts, leagues, duels, XP | Streaks, leagues, XP |
| Situation practice | Mini-path from your situation | AI practice features |
| Which Spanish | Spain Spanish | Teaches ustedes, not vosotros |
| Structure | CEFR path (A1–B1) + review | Gamified skill tree |
| Free tier | Yes, every A1–B1 lesson | Yes |
| Best for | Real input + Spain Spanish | Free gamified start |
The differences that matter
How you learn
This is the core split. Duolingo gives you bite-size exercises built around translating sentences — quick, gamified, and easy to keep up daily. Lince builds each lesson from a real scene from a Spanish movie or series: you watch, tap a word you don’t know in the subtitles, then loop the key line and recall it. One trains pattern-matching; the other trains understanding real speech.
Gamification — it’s a tie
If streaks and leagues are what keep you going, good news: Lince has them too — daily streaks, hearts, XP and weekly leagues you climb with friends, plus quizzes and a structured path. Gamification isn’t a reason to pick one over the other; what you’re learning from is.
Situation practice for real life
Tell Lince the situation you’re dreading — a return, an interview, a call you keep putting off — and it builds a mini-path of scenes plus the exact grammar you’ll need for it. It’s the kind of on-demand practice a fixed skill tree can’t give you.
Spain vs Latin America
Duolingo’s own blog says its Spanish course for English speakers teaches ustedes and not vosotros, because many more Spanish dialects use ustedes (and ustedes is understood in Spain). Vosotros is the informal plural “you” used in Spain. Lince is specifically Spanish from Spain — the accent, the vocabulary and the grammar Spain actually uses, plus the culture you’ll meet if you live in or visit the country. And Lince doesn’t stop at Spanish: there are now A1 starter courses in Catalan (català) and Basque (euskara).
Price
Both have a usable free tier. Duolingo monetises with ads and an optional Super subscription. On Lince every A1, A2 and B1 lesson is free, with hearts (5 at most, one back every 20 minutes), and optional Plus adds unlimited hearts, +20% XP and the feria look for your Lince. Neither requires paying to start learning.
Want more options than these two? See our list of Duolingo alternatives for learning Spanish.
Lince is best for you if…
you learn best from real video, you want to understand real native speakers, and you’re focused on Spanish from Spain — while keeping the streaks, leagues and quizzes. It shines once Duolingo’s drills start to feel repetitive.
Duolingo is best for you if…
you want a completely free app, the largest course catalogue, the most established option, or you’re learning Latin American Spanish.
Frequently asked questions
Is Lince or Duolingo better for Spanish?
It depends on your stage and goal. Duolingo is better for a free, gamified start from zero. Lince is better for learning from real native video and Spanish from Spain — with the same streaks, leagues and quizzes plus a situation assistant. You can start with Duolingo and move to Lince, or use both.
Does Lince have gamification like Duolingo?
Yes — daily streaks, hearts, XP and weekly leagues you climb with friends, plus quizzes and a structured path. The gamification is comparable; the difference is that you learn from real video clips rather than translated sentences.
Can I use both Lince and Duolingo?
Yes. You can use Duolingo for a quick daily warm-up and Lince for real input and Spain-Spanish practice from video clips.
Does Duolingo teach Spanish from Spain?
Duolingo’s own blog says its Spanish course for English speakers teaches ustedes and not vosotros, the plural “you” used in Spain. If you specifically want Spanish from Spain — accent, vocabulary and culture — Lince is built around it.
See the difference for yourself
Learn Spanish from real clips — tap, loop, make it stick. Free, no card.