Every long-running ad Duolingo runs on Facebook & Instagram — pulled from the public Meta Ad Library, x-rayed by the same system that runs ad accounts autonomously.
Active ads
538
Winning set
164
30+ days live
Longest live
137d
Revenue
$97M/mo
reported Q1 FY26
Users
137.8M MAU
reported Q1 FY26
App rating
4.72★
5.4M ratings
Brand palette
The short version
Key facts
- As of September 14, 2026, Duolingo runs 538 active ads in Meta's Ad Library across Facebook and Instagram; 164 of them have survived 30 or more days of continuous delivery.
- Its longest-running ad has been live for 137 days.
- The winning set splits 74% video, 12% static, 15% carousel.
- The most common message angle is value proposition, carried by 35% of the winning set.
- Winning copy runs in 2 languages: Spanish 57%, English 43%.
- In App Store reviews, the loudest praise goes to language learning fun (10% of mentions) and the loudest complaint is energy system (25%).
- The App Store listing holds 4.72 stars across 5,443,759 ratings.
The winning set
Live Meta ads gallery
164 ads have survived 30+ days of continuous delivery, out of 538 currently active. Below: 30 creatives picked to span every angle and buyer the account runs; the ×N badge counts the ads running each one. Tap any card for its Meta Ad Library record. Sorted by longest live: the account's most proven creatives lead, podium first.
137d video ×2 ads ES
Estoy aprendiendo inglés en Duolingo.
137d dco ES
The image displays a grid of language options with the Duolingo logo as the final selection.
137d video ES
The Duolingo owl appears on a green background, followed by a language selection screen.
137d video ×2 ads ES
Yo cuando no haces las lecciones
137d video ES
Descubrí una aplicación gratuita para aprender idiomas. Checa esto.
137d video ES
¿por qué las oraciones divertidas te ayudan a aprender?
137d video ES
The user is presented with a language learning quiz question: 'Selecciona la imagen correcta' and 'el agua'.
137d video ES
¿te aburren los juegos sin sentido?
137d video ×2 ads ES
¿anime sin subtítulos?
137d video ES
¿Quieres mejorar tu inglés y obtener el trabajo de tus sueños?
137d video ES
Cuando dices que no tienes tiempo para aprender inglés
137d video ES
Yo intentando recordar la palabra en inglés que aprendí ayer
136d video ES
¿te aburren los juegos sin sentido? ¡duolingo está aquí para despertar tus neuronas!
89d dco EN
yes, you can actually learn a language with duolingo
89d video ×2 ads EN
What is he doing? Learning Spanish... 'cause it's the only two minutes I get.
88d video ×2 ads EN
75d video ×2 ads EN
75d dco EN
75d video ×2 ads EN
75d video ×2 ads EN
75d video EN
75d video ×2 ads EN
75d image EN
75d dco EN
75d video EN
75d video EN
75d video ×2 ads EN
75d video ×2 ads EN
74d video EN
73d image EN
+105 more winning creatives in the full set, with every hook and persona call — free with a Google account.
The x-ray — every winner analyzed frame by frame
What the winning set is actually doing
Language distribution — where the winning set actually runs
Share of the winning set per copy language. Translation is a deliberate spend decision: a language earning survivors is a market the money already believes in.
Spanish
57% · 94 ads
English
43% · 70 ads
Format split — statics vs video in the winning set
What survives 30+ days by medium.
video 121 ads · 74%
static 19 ads · 12%
carousel 24 ads · 15%
Angle mix — what the money says works
Every winner tagged with the message angle it leads with, and the languages it runs in — longevity under spend is the only public vote that counts.
value proposition
35% · 57 ads
unclassified
9% · 15 ads
content library variety
9% · 14 ads
challenge dare hook
8% · 13 ads
feature reveal
7% · 11 ads
common mistake callout
6% · 10 ads
social proof
6% · 10 ads
personal life use cases
5% · 8 ads
habit streak motivation
4% · 7 ads
contrarian reverse hook
2% · 4 ads
time freedom workload
2% · 3 ads
product positioning brand
2% · 3 ads
hype discovery hook
2% · 3 ads
transformation proof
1% · 2 ads
price promo offer
1% · 2 ads
comparison superiority claim
1% · 1 ads
community belonging
1% · 1 ads
Languages across the set: Spanish 57% · English 43%
The winning set, read from the creatives themselves — the top 15 analyzed winners, hook by hook.
| Days live | Ads | Lang | Angle | Persona | Opening hook | On-screen headline | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 137d | ×2 | es | value proposition | language_learner | Estoy aprendiendo inglés en Duolingo. | Estoy aprendiendo inglés en Duolingo. | 12s |
| 137d | ×1 | es | challenge dare hook | language_learner | The Duolingo owl appears on a green background, followed by a language selection screen. | ¡Aprende idiomas gratis! | 29s |
| 137d | ×1 | es | common mistake callout | language_learner | Yo cuando no haces las lecciones | Yo cuando no haces las lecciones | 25s |
| 137d | ×2 | es | personal life use cases | traveler | Descubrí una aplicación gratuita para aprender idiomas. Checa esto. | 62s | |
| 137d | ×1 | es | feature reveal | language_learner | ¿por qué las oraciones divertidas te ayudan a aprender? | ¿por qué las oraciones divertidas te ayudan a aprender? | 29s |
| 137d | ×3 | es | habit streak motivation | language_learner | The user is presented with a language learning quiz question: 'Selecciona la imagen correcta' and 'el agua'. | Selecciona la imagen correcta | 29s |
| 137d | ×2 | es | comparison superiority claim | gamer_casual | ¿te aburren los juegos sin sentido? | ¿te aburren los juegos sin sentido? | 29s |
| 137d | ×1 | es | transformation proof | streaming_entertainment_fan | ¿anime sin subtítulos? | 32s | |
| 137d | ×1 | es | value proposition | job_seeker_career_builder | ¿Quieres mejorar tu inglés y obtener el trabajo de tus sueños? | Aprende inglés avanzado | 29s |
| 137d | ×2 | es | common mistake callout | compulsive_scroller | Cuando dices que no tienes tiempo para aprender inglés | Cuando dices que no tienes tiempo para aprender inglés | 29s |
| 137d | ×2 | es | common mistake callout | self_improvement_seeker | Yo intentando recordar la palabra en inglés que aprendí ayer | Yo intentando recordar la palabra en inglés que aprendí ayer | 26s |
| 136d | ×1 | es | community belonging | gamer_casual | ¿te aburren los juegos sin sentido? ¡duolingo está aquí para despertar tus neuronas! | ¿te aburren los juegos sin sentido? | 29s |
| 89d | ×1 | en | time freedom workload | busy_parent | What is he doing? Learning Spanish... 'cause it's the only two minutes I get. | 32s |
+120 more winners, hook by hook, with per-ad angle and persona calls — free with a Google account. Browse the full set ↗ or claim the workspace
Creative strategy
The dissection
Duolingo's top angle, app overview pitch (95 ads), shows zero humans for 29 seconds before any words land. Yet reviewers now name the energy system their loudest complaint (71 mentions), ahead of pricing and paywall (40), none of it touching the 19 primary texts still selling 'free' and 'motivated.' Curious Multi-Language Browser covers 174 of 374 winning creatives, nearly half.
29 Seconds, No Humans, 95 Ads
App overview pitch is the account's dominant play: 95 ads and 70 x-rayed creatives, running roughly 29 seconds of pure product and app footage with no one on camera. Confidence transformation (56 ads, 43 creatives) repeats the same no-people, ~28s template. Free progress proof breaks the mold at just ~15s with a male presenter on camera, covering 52 ads and 38 creatives.
One Line, Six Languages, 602 Ads
The line 'Learn a language for free with fun lessons designed to keep you motivated!' runs in 71 ads, its Arabic twin in 50, the 'world's #1' claim in 36, French's 'méthode la plus populaire' line in 31, the Spanish 'se siente como un juego' line in 30, and the Portuguese version in 26. All of it compresses into just 19 unique primary texts spread across 602 active ads.
The 177-Day Owl Opener
Duolingo's longest-running ad has held 177 days, opening on the owl mascot against a bright green background asking 'What would you like to learn?' A 165-day and a 157-day '40+ languages' hook, plus a 122-day Spanish testimonial ('I've been learning Spanish on Duolingo, for free.'), round out the durability leaderboard among 374 x-rayed creatives.
Browser Persona Owns Half the Set
Curious Multi-Language Browser carries 174 of 374 x-rayed winning creatives, nearly half the set, dwarfing Speaking-Confidence Seeker (57 ads) and Budget-Conscious Beginner (49 ads). Chess and Puzzle Gamer sits at 32, Career-Driven English Learner at 28, Everyday English Improver at 22, and Life-Transition Learner trails at just 12, starved next to a browser persona that already owns the format.
Energy System Anger, 'Free' Copy
Across 19,348 reviews (4.72★ lifetime), the energy system draws the most theme mentions (71), ahead of brand values and trust backlash (50), pricing and paywall friction (40), and the xenophobia controversy (22). Reviewers also flag ad overload (27) and gamification and streak fatigue (26), yet none of it surfaces in the 19 primary texts running across 602 active ads, still fixed on 'free' and 'motivated.'
What we'd test next
- A ~29s no-people, product-footage video (this account's top angle, app overview pitch, 95 ads/70 creatives) rebuilt with a pattern-interrupt hook (46 creatives, the top mechanic) for Everyday English Improver, a persona sitting at just 22 ads against the angle's 95.
- A demo-style hook (38 creatives) opening the confidence transformation angle (56 ads, ~28s) but recast with an on-camera presenter, a format used in only 30% of creatives, aimed at Speaking-Confidence Seeker (57 ads).
- A day-30 streak-counter milestone reveal, a subscription mechanic absent from the current hook list (pattern interrupt, demo, question-based, mascot reveal, character-led testimonial, direct value proposition), paired with the mascot-reveal cadence (11 creatives) for Career-Driven English Learner (28 ads).
- A question-based hook video (13 creatives, the 'What would you like to learn?' beat) dubbed in Bengali, this account's thinnest language at 16 ads, for Life-Transition Learner, the thinnest persona at 12 ads.
The HyperScale batch
New ad concepts, generated for Duolingo
HyperScale agents are producing an original round of ad concepts for Duolingo, built from the winning angles above, the brand's real App Store assets, and what reviewers actually say. This page updates when the batch drops.
This analysis lives in a ready-made HyperScale workspace. If you work on Duolingo, it's yours: we hand it over personally, usually within a day.
Customer voice — 17939 recent reviews analyzed
What reviewers actually say
Objections the ads must pre-empt
- The energy system caps free users at two or three lessons before a lockout
- Free-trial conversions and surprise charges dominate billing complaints
- Ads after every single lesson are called excessive and intrusive
- Post-lesson pop-ups, chests and leaderboards slow the actual learning
- Unlimited energy and legendary lessons sit behind Super Duolingo
Review-theme mix
Share of analyzed review mentions per theme — ＋ praise, − complaint, ~ mixed. Themes, not individual reviews.
− energy system
25% · 71
− xenophobia controversy
8% · 22
− pricing & paywall
14% · 40
+ language learning fun
10% · 30
− ads overload
9% · 27
~ gamification & streaks
9% · 26
− learning effectiveness
7% · 21
− brand values & trust
17% · 50
“I learned how to make a sentence in 1 week my family was so proud of me”
“I learned how to make a sentence in 1 week my family was so proud of me”
“I learned German faster then most of the teachers that teach me”
“I learned German faster then most of the teachers that teach me”
“This teaches me more than my french tutor”
“This teaches me more than my french tutor”
“Thx to Duolingo I can talk better in English and Japanese and Korean without it I couldn't know how to make friends”
“Thx to Duolingo I can talk better in English and Japanese and Korean without it I couldn't know how to make friends”
“now I can read a whole paragraph and pernounce it perfectly”
“Duolingo makes learning a new language feel like playing a game”
“It makes learning new languages fun and easy”
“The streak feature keeps me motivated to practice every day”
“One of the best things about Duolingo is its game-like design. The lessons are short, colorful, and easy to follow.”
“One of the best things about Duolingo is its game-like design. The lessons are short, colorful, and easy to follow.”
“The streak feature keeps me motivated to practice every day”
“Me encanta Duolingo practico desde el 2023 y ya estoy por llegar a 300 días de racha”
“Duolingo makes learning a new language feel like playing a game”
“after like 2 months the only thing I knew how to say is "where" and "banana"”
“Me encanta Duolingo practico desde el 2023 y ya estoy por llegar a 300 días de racha”
“in 70 days they only thought me to say hello”
“after like 2 months the only thing I knew how to say is "where" and "banana"”
“Estoy hace 800 días y no se casi nada de japonés”
“in 70 days they only thought me to say hello”
“lo único que aprendí fue a cómo pedir un café”
“Estoy hace 800 días y no se casi nada de japonés”
“the previous system of energy was good, you could make 5 mistakes and then the energy would run out”
“lo único que aprendí fue a cómo pedir un café”
“Das System mit den 5 Herzen die man durch Fehler verliert, war deutlich besser als die Energie die man auch bei richtigen Antworten verliert”
“the previous system of energy was good, you could make 5 mistakes and then the energy would run out”
“we need to study here as much as we want but bcz of the battery, now we can do 2 or 3 lessons only”
“el cambio de las 5 vidas a la barra de energía, no me gusta para nada. Hace que no quieras seguir practicando”
“el cambio de las 5 vidas a la barra de energía, no me gusta para nada. Hace que no quieras seguir practicando”
“Das System mit den 5 Herzen die man durch Fehler verliert, war deutlich besser als die Energie die man auch bei richtigen Antworten verliert”
“Ich kann keine 10 Minuten lernen wegen dieser dummen Energie”
“Irgenwelche Energy glaub 25 oder so dass heiss du kannst im Durchschnitt nur 2-3 Lektionen am Tag machen”
“Irgenwelche Energy glaub 25 oder so dass heiss du kannst im Durchschnitt nur 2-3 Lektionen am Tag machen”
“Ich kann keine 10 Minuten lernen wegen dieser dummen Energie”
“pls reduce the ads and bring back hearts”
“I want you to add the five hearts back that's so much easier than using 25% energy”
“After every lesson,there give me super Duolingo ads,it really pisses me off”
“Soy argentino y amaba y promovía Duolingo a todo mi entorno”
“sehr sehr viel nervige kaufanforderungen. Praktisch alle 2 Minuten eine Aufforderung, die kostenpflichtige Version zu beziehen”
“Duolingo brasil hizo una publicacion en twitter de odio hacia mi pais (Argentina)”
“I purchased some gems advertised for 19.9AED and i was charged 176AED”
“Cancelé mi suscripción y corté mi racha de 461 días por los comentarios xenofóbicos a Argentina”
“Pague la suscripción lite de 1,5 dolar y cuando llego el momento de pagar se me debitaron 16 dólares”
“por lo que publican en redes me voy a cambiar a otra plataforma”
“Habe unbewusst das Probeabo für Duolingo Max abonniert. Es wurde nie auf das Ende des Probezeitraum hingewiesen, automatisch verlängert und 179,99€ von meinem Konto abgebucht”
“I purchased some gems advertised for 19.9AED and i was charged 176AED”
“La cuenta OFICIAL de Duolingo Brasil subió una foto de Latinoamérica tachando Argentina”
“25 energy is... wait for it... 625 gems. Yes, 625. That means that energy is about 20 TIMES more expensive than it should be”
“Soy argentino y amaba y promovía Duolingo a todo mi entorno”
“Habe unbewusst das Probeabo für Duolingo Max abonniert. Es wurde nie auf das Ende des Probezeitraum hingewiesen, automatisch verlängert und 179,99€ von meinem Konto abgebucht”
“Cancelé mi suscripción y corté mi racha de 461 días por los comentarios xenofóbicos a Argentina”
“After every lesson there's always an add and it's so annoying cause I don't want super Duolingo like LEAVE ME ALONE”
“This app is designed to steal your money from your wallet.”
The market around it
Brands competing for the same feed
Rosetta Stone
30+ active ads · Product/service
Busuu
Ad Library · App page
Babbel
30+ active ads · Language learning
Memrise
Ad Library · Language learning
italki
30+ active ads · Tutoring
Preply
30+ active ads · Tutoring
Pimsleur
30+ active ads · Language learning
Lingoda
6 active ads · Language school
Keep exploring the radar
More Meta ads teardowns
More Education advertisers on the radar
Also winning with the value proposition angle
Quick answers
FAQ
How many Duolingo ads are currently running on Meta?
Meta Ad Library shows 602 active Duolingo ads, with 374 classified as 30-day-plus winners (longest running 177 days). This week added 56 new winners against just 1 retirement since 2026-07-27.
Which languages and angles dominate Duolingo's Meta ads?
English leads with 155 ads, then Spanish (84), Arabic (53), French (40), Portuguese (26), Bengali (16). App overview pitch tops the angle mix at 95 ads, ahead of confidence transformation (56), free progress proof (52), multi-language variety (47), chess challenge appeal (32) and career English value prop (28).
What creative pattern is actually winning for Duolingo?
Video makes up 75% of creatives, averaging 29 seconds with no on-camera talent, just product and app footage, across the top two angles. Only 30% of creatives use an on-camera presenter, and pattern interrupt (46 creatives) and demo (38) lead the hook mechanics.
What do reviewers say versus what the ads promise?
Across 19,348 reviews (4.72★ lifetime), the energy system draws the most complaints (71 mentions), followed by brand values and trust (50) and pricing and paywall friction (40). None of this appears in the 19 primary texts, which still lead with 'free' and 'motivated.'