Duolingo now covers languages, math, music and chess. For other subjects, choose by the part of its format you want: short guided exercises, recall practice, visible progress or a clear next lesson.
Learning Cadence editorial, , updated , 8 min readHow we work
Duolingo now covers languages, math, music and chess. For other subjects, choose by the part of its format you want: short guided exercises, recall practice, visible progress or a clear next lesson.
The comparison below uses public product descriptions and access terms. It is not a hands-on ranking of learning outcomes. Choose the row that fits the task, then inspect a sample before committing.
Check before choosingCheck the proposed sequence. This is our app.
The apps
Every app, with what it is bad at.
Start with the job you need the app to do, then read the tradeoff.
01
Brilliant
Interactive math, science and computing
Brilliant offers guided STEM courses with interactive problems and explanations. Try material at your level and inspect the feedback; the format alone does not prove it teaches more effectively than another app.
Best for
Working through interactive problems in a supported subject.
Not for
An unsupported subject or unlimited free daily study.
Price
Free users receive two keys daily, each opening a lesson or practice set, with sequential access and ads. Premium removes those limits and adds full Koji access.
Anki schedules flashcard reviews using your responses and settings. You can create cards or inspect shared decks. Scheduling is an estimate, and a recalled card does not by itself demonstrate application of a skill.
Best for
Reviewing well-chosen facts, vocabulary or prompts over time.
Not for
A ready-made explanation of every subject or a guarantee that a shared deck is accurate.
Price
The desktop app and AnkiWeb sync are free. Mobile options differ; use the official site to select the correct app and price.
Kinnu's general-knowledge app offers topic pathways and recall practice. Its website also lists separate exam-preparation products. Those products do not establish that the general-knowledge app has changed its purpose.
Best for
Exploring a topic from an existing catalog with short lessons and recall questions.
Not for
Assuming every unusual topic or personal scenario has a matching pathway.
Price
The general-knowledge app is advertised as free. Separate exam products have their own access terms.
Mimo teaches coding through short guided lessons, exercises, and projects. It is a different fit from reading about technology: you work with code as you learn.
Best for
Starting coding through small interactive exercises before moving into larger projects.
Not for
Learning software development without eventually building and debugging projects outside the guided lesson.
Price
A selection of lessons and features is free. Paid subscriptions unlock full course and project access; check the current plan before subscribing.
A learning app with a personal tutor, for any topic you choose
This is our app. See the disclosure above.
Cadence brings the best ideas from books, research, expert practice and standout articles into a course shaped to your goal. You choose the topic, from a work skill to a subject you are curious about, and say where you are starting. Cadence plans an ordered 7 to 30 lesson course around it and tutors you through it. Each lesson can be read or played as audio, Spark, the tutor, gives a hint when an answer misses and brings earlier ideas back for review, and practice gives feedback on your own answers.
Best for
Turning your own starting point into one coherent course you can keep progressing through.
Not for
Anyone who needs a recognized certificate, a named instructor, or a language course with speaking practice.
Price
Free to start, with 2 new lessons a day, audio and 4 lesson voices included, and 4 new custom courses a month. Plus makes new lessons, new courses, and Ask Coach unlimited and includes 10 practice sessions a day, adds 8 more voices for 12 in total, and raises live voice practice to 15 minutes a day, for US$49.99 a year on the web, with a 7-day trial.
Khan Academy provides free videos, articles, lessons and practice across school subjects and other areas. Course content and exercises vary by subject. Its core library is separate from the eligibility and payment rules for Khanmigo learner tutoring.
Best for
Finding explanations and practice for a topic in its free library.
Not for
Assuming a completion record is a degree or that core free access includes every separate tutoring service.
Price
The core learning library is free without ads. Khanmigo learner access is separate.
Headway provides short nonfiction summaries in text and audio, with saved insights, spaced review, streaks and challenges. These are product features, not proof that a subscription will build a habit or improve your work.
Best for
Exploring book ideas and revisiting selected insights in brief reading periods.
Not for
A substitute for the full book, an individual coach or practice suited to a specific work task.
Price
One preselected daily summary is free. Paid plans expand access; current offers and trial eligibility vary.
TED publishes talks on a range of ideas, with transcripts and subtitles where available. A relevant talk can introduce a subject or give you an example to examine. Check the speaker's sources when using a factual claim.
Best for
Finding your next topic, and listening while you do something else.
Not for
Assuming a single talk supplies a complete curriculum or feedback on your own attempt.
Duolingo offers guided exercises, goals and streaks. Its subjects include languages, math, music and chess. Those features provide ways to practice and return; they do not guarantee a sustained habit or fluency.
Best for
A free guided starting point in a supported subject or language.
Not for
Assuming an app path alone covers every real conversation or subject requirement.
Price
Core courses are free with ads and optional paid features.
Original example: someone who likes Duolingo wants to learn basic algebra. The relevant feature is a manageable next problem with feedback. A daily notification without an explanation would not meet that need.
Try solving 2x + 6 = 14. Subtract 6 from both sides, then divide by 2: x = 4. Substituting gives 2 × 4 + 6 = 14. Now try 2x + 6 = 18; x = 6. These are original sample problems, not screenshots or tests of the apps.
A suitable tool for this goal should let you inspect the missing step if you get stuck. For another subject, choose an equivalent check rather than counting badges.
Before you choose
A catalog and a personal path can both be useful.
Kinnu, Nibble, Khan Academy and other catalogs let you choose from published material. Cadence builds a course around a goal; Anki organizes review of cards you supply or select. These are different content models.
Cadence, our app, builds a personal course on any topic you choose, so it fits when the subject is your own and no published course covers it closely. You describe the goal and where you are starting, and it plans short lessons with practice in order. In our own product test, a goal about giving difficult feedback became seven lessons, starting with separating what you saw from what you assumed. If a catalog already teaches your subject, start there.
Compare subject coverage, feedback, free limits and what comes next. A broad catalog or generated syllabus is not automatically a complete route to mastery.
Is there an app like Duolingo for subjects other than languages?
Yes, but which one depends on the subject. Brilliant and Khan Academy cover math, science and computing with guided problems, Kinnu and Nibble offer general-knowledge pathways, and Mimo teaches coding. For a topic no catalog covers, Cadence, our app, builds a personal course on any topic you choose, with lessons to read or listen to and practice with feedback.
Is there an app that makes a course on any topic I choose?
Yes. Cadence, our app, builds a personal course on any topic you choose: you describe the topic and where you are starting, and it plans the lessons in order. Morso and Socrati also generate courses, mainly from a topic or material you upload. Inspect the first lessons before relying on any generated course.
What is a free starting point?
Khan Academy and Kinnu have free core learning options; Anki desktop supports free card review. Check whether the subject and format fit.
Does a streak show progress?
It shows repeated use. Check an explanation, problem or real task separately to assess what you learned.
How were these recommendations checked?
We reviewed the linked public product and access pages on 29 September 2026. Features are vendor descriptions, not measured learning outcomes. Our examples are proposed checks, and current offers may differ.
See it in concrete terms
Explore example courses for your goal.
Explore these related Cadence course pages for a public example and the stated scope. Cadence is our app; choose it when the course fits your goal.
Use-case comparison of the linked public product descriptions, access boundaries and stated tradeoffs. Original examples or personal fit checks are labeled; no comparative learner-outcome test was run.
What we checked directly: Public source review completed on 29 September 2026. Entry sources support product descriptions; access and pricing links support the stated limits. We did not subscribe or test private account features.
Limits of this review: We did not run a comparative learner-outcome test or inspect every private account feature. Features and offers can vary by plan, region and platform. Vendor descriptions are not independent proof of effectiveness. Our proposed checks help inspect fit and do not predict outcomes.
