An honest comparison from the team that built &Be. Short version: they're built for different problems — and one of them might not be yours.
The world's habit machine. Free, fun, 40+ languages, streaks that actually make you show up.
The speaking machine. Every lesson is a spoken conversation with an AI teacher who corrects you honestly.
Duolingo is built to make language practice a daily habit. If you're starting from zero or juggling three languages for fun, use Duolingo. Sincerely.
&Be is built for one specific, painful moment: you understand what people say to you — and when it's your turn to speak, nothing comes out. There are no tap-the-picture exercises to hide behind. If you can't say it out loud, the lesson isn't done.
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&Be Fluent |
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|---|---|---|
| Built for | Daily habit, vocabulary, 40+ languages | Actually speaking Spanish, out loud |
| A typical lesson | Tap, match, and type exercises; speaking appears as one exercise type | A 10-minute spoken conversation — the speaking is the lesson |
| AI conversation | Video Call with Lily (free for everyone since January 2026) — one feature among many | Every lesson, all 349 topics, A1–C2 — the whole product |
| Feedback style | Encouraging; designed to keep your streak alive | Honest; your score counts only the Spanish you actually produced — parroted words don't count |
| Spanish coverage | One general Spanish course | Spanish only, done deep: 349 CEFR-mapped topics with regional usage (Mexico, Argentina, Colombia, Spain) |
| Languages | 40+ | Spanish (that's the point) |
| Platforms | iOS, Android, web | iOS |
| Price | Free with ads · Super ≈ $84–96/yr · Max ≈ $168/yr | First 10 lessons free · $19.99/mo · $119.99/yr |
The free tier is a real product, not a demo. Nothing beats free.
Streaks, leagues, and leaderboards make you show up daily. Showing up matters more than any method.
40+ languages, three platforms, offline mode, family plans.
The gamified on-ramp is gentler for your first weeks in a language than being asked to speak.
Understanding and speaking are different skills. Tap-based exercises train recognition; only speaking trains speaking. In &Be there is no lesson that isn't a conversation.
A deterministic scorer counts the unique Spanish words and clean sentences you actually said — and refuses to count words echoed back from the teacher. A 7.5 means you hit your level's target, not that the app wanted you to feel good.
Every vocabulary pack carries regional notes — the Mexico word, the Argentina word, the Spain word — because "textbook Spanish" is nobody's Spanish.
You're brand new, you want free, you're building your first daily habit, you're on Android, or Spanish is one of several languages you're playing with.
You've been "learning Spanish" for a while, you understand more than you can say, and the gap between your head and your mouth is the thing you're paying to fix.
Keep the streak. Do your reps. Then come say it out loud. They're better together than either is alone.
You already understand more Spanish than you can say. The only thing that closes that gap is speaking — and your first 10 lessons are free.
