Our Mission
Making education free, fun, and accessible to all
At Duolingo, we're committed to making high-quality education accessible to everyone, regardless of economic status.
Our Story
Duolingo was founded in 2011 by Luis von Ahn and Severin Hacker. Luis grew up in Guatemala, where he saw firsthand how expensive education—particularly learning English—could be a barrier to improving one's quality of life. Severin experienced similar issues in his native Switzerland, where quality education was expensive and inaccessible to many.
After meeting at Carnegie Mellon University (where Luis was a professor and Severin a Ph.D. student), they set out to create a language-learning platform that would be accessible to everyone, regardless of economic status. This vision led to Duolingo, with the founding principle that free education would help people improve their own lives and the lives of those around them.
"The best education in the world, available to everyone for free." — Luis von Ahn, CEO & Co-founder
Making Education Accessible
Today, over two-thirds of Duolingo learners are studying to gain better job opportunities and improve their lives. By making education free and accessible, we're helping to level the playing field and enabling people from all economic backgrounds to access high-quality language education.
Our approach combines cognitive science with advanced machine learning to optimize how people learn. By making learning fun and addictive like a game, we keep learners motivated to continue their education journey.
Impact Around the World
Duolingo is the world's most popular way to learn a language. With over 500 million registered users globally, we're making a significant impact on education access worldwide. Our app is available in regions where educational resources are scarce, as well as in affluent areas where traditional language learning options can be expensive.
Registered users worldwide
Languages available to learn
Countries with active learners
Looking Forward
As we continue to grow, our commitment to free education remains stronger than ever. We're constantly researching and developing new technologies and teaching methods to make learning even more effective and engaging. While our premium offering, Super Duolingo, provides additional features for those who want them, our core learning experience will always remain free.
Through our technology, we aim to bring quality education to every corner of the globe, breaking down barriers and opening doors to new opportunities for millions of people.