Duolingo, Inc. (NASDAQ:DUOL) is a technology-driven education company that operates a widely used language-learning platform. Founded in 2011 by Luis von Ahn and Severin Hacker, Duolingo offers a freemium service featuring bite-sized lessons, gamified exercises and adaptive learning algorithms. The company’s core product is its mobile and web application, which supports instruction in more than 40 languages, ranging from widely spoken tongues such as English and Spanish to lesser-taught options including Irish and Swahili.
In addition to its flagship language courses, Duolingo has expanded its product suite to include the Duolingo English Test, an on-demand, computer-based English proficiency exam designed for academic and professional admissions. The company also launched Duolingo ABC, a free app designed to help young children develop foundational literacy skills in English. Both products leverage Duolingo’s data-driven approach to personalize content and assess learner progress in real time.
Duolingo serves a global audience, with tens of millions of monthly active users across the Americas, Europe, Asia and Africa. Its freemium model combines advertising and optional subscription revenue—through Duolingo Plus—to monetize a portion of its user base while maintaining free access for casual learners. The platform’s broad reach and engaging user interface have positioned it as one of the leading digital-native education brands worldwide.
The company is headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and maintains additional offices to support product development, marketing and customer service. Under the leadership of co-founder and Chief Executive Officer Luis von Ahn, Duolingo has continued to invest in research and development, including machine-learning innovations to enhance course efficacy and user retention. As a publicly traded company since its 2021 initial public offering, Duolingo remains focused on scaling its offerings and expanding its role in the evolving online education landscape.