Learning new languages was challenging, even with plenty of resources available online. Apps like Duolingo and Babbel have solved this by packaging language learning resources into easy-to-follow courses. Using these apps to learn a language is much easier than reading a textbook or following a video where all communication is one-sided.
You can extrapolate this to learning anything in general. Educators who’ve integrated their material with an app interface have found more students and learners. Smartphones are the most common touchpoint people have with technology these days.
As an educator teaching a language, exploring app development is a good idea. Besides the success of Duolingo and Babbel, easy accessibility is also a reasonable factor to consider in creating a language learning app. Custom app development is time-consuming and expensive, so using a no-code app-building tool like AppMySite is a viable option.
Want to get started? This article covers how to create a language learning app like Duolingo and Babbel.
In this blog
- Some statistics on the eLearning industry
- Advantages of creating a language learning app like Duolingo
- Business model of language learning apps like Duolingo
- Key features of a successful language learning app
- How to build a language learning app like Duolingo?
- How to create white-label language learning apps for customers?
- Frequently Asked Questions
Suggested Read: How to create an app like Udemy
Some statistics on the eLearning industry
Education is one of the most popular non-gaming app categories. This fact alone is enough to emphasize the importance of education and learning apps in today’s world. However, we have more.
Go through the facts and statistics listed below and learn where the eLearning industry is headed to:
- The eLearning industry has grown by 900 percent since 2000. Moreover, around 80 percent of all online activity is due to video web activity, a majority of them being educational or training clips
- As per Emizentech, the global e-learning market size is projected to touch 650 billion US dollars by 2025.
- As per Statista, revenue in the online education market is estimated to reach 166.60 billion US dollars in 2023. For 2023 to 2027, the CAGR will be 9.48 percent, resulting in a projected volume of 239.30 billion US dollars.
- As per Technavio’s 2020-2024 research on education apps, the market will grow by 46.9 billion US dollars with a CAGR of about 26%. Another study states that the global e-learning market is estimated to be worth 398 billion US dollars in 2026.
- In the third quarter of 2022, education apps were the second most popular category on Google Play and the third most popular app category on the Apple App Store, accounting for a share of 10.47 percent and 9.79 percent respectively.
- Language learning apps generated 2.92 billion US dollars in 2021, showing a 65 percent year-on-year increase. Duolingo made the most revenue of all apps, reporting 250 million US dollars. It also had the most installs and led by huge margins.
- In 2022, Duolingo was the most popular e-learning app in the world, with 98 million downloads. It accounted for 66 percent of installs in the United Kingdom and 52 percent of installs in Turkey.
- In 2021, Duolingo was the most installed multilingual language learning app among users aged between 20 and 34 years in the examined European markets. Busuu is most popular among those who belong to the 35-year-old category. Whereas Babbel is more popular among users in the 45+ age range.
- In 2021, the most popular language learning apps by usage were – Duolingo (67.37 percent), Mondly (9.47 percent), Busuu (6.32 percent), Hello Talk (5.26 percent), and Babbel (5.26 percent), among others.
- Fortune Business Insights predicts that North America will have the largest educational app market in 2020-2025. Some also predict that APAC regions will take the lead as the eLearning market is rapidly expanding in countries like India and China.
These were some outstanding statistics that highlight the growth of the education industry, and the language learning segment. The numbers depict that the industry is constantly expanding and has immense growth and business potential, especially for those businesses that are ready to invest in apps.
Advantages of creating a language learning app like Duolingo
Wondering if creating a language learning app is profitable? Let us address your dilemma in this section of the blog piece. Here, we have discussed the merits of launching an app like Duolingo. So go through the benefits listed below and know for yourself:
Access the rapidly growing education app economy
As evidenced by the numbers discussed above, the education & learning app market is growing at an astonishing rate. Since language learning apps are a part of this segment, launching an app like Duolingo can help you leverage the growth of this industry. It can expose your business to a profitable market and help you grow your business beyond limits.
Reach learners and customers across the globe
The best thing about online learning is that it eradicates geographical barriers and eliminates other such limitations. Once your app is launched on the popular app stores, you can make it available for learners around the globe. You can target a huge number of customers and enter markets that you never thought you could.
Make learning easy and fun for all kinds of people
As most learners today prefer smartphone-based courses, you can launch Android and iOS language learning apps and offer them ease and convenience. Give one-touch access to your platform and courses and make learning simple. Unlike traditional classrooms, each learner can set their own unique goals based on their caliber and capacity and learn at a pace that best suits them.
Earn the loyalty and trust of app-based learners
Apps inspire more customer loyalty than websites. Website users view endless SERPs (Search Engine Result Pages) and are more likely to migrate to a competitor and never return. On the other hand, an app once installed on a user’s phone is more likely to get their undivided attention and dedication. As a result, your engagement and conversions can spike up and earn you long-term loyalty and value.
Collect significant data and enhance user metrics
Native apps get access to a lot of user data. As a result, an app can help you gain more insights about your users and give you a competitive advantage. It can help you understand your customers better and collect critical data points and information. You can put that to use and make data-backed decisions to enhance your customer’s journey and get better ratings, reviews, and feedback.
Business model of language learning apps like Duolingo
Apps like Duolingo operate on a freemium model. Once users sign up, they can choose which language they want to learn and start. To get additional language training, personalized tutorials, and other resources, users can upgrade to a paid premium plan.
The freemium model is fairly common among app businesses. From dating to gaming, many apps use this approach to monetize their users.
For your app, you can customize the benefits of upgrading to a premium plan based on your user preferences and business specifics. Ideally, you should keep changing your offerings until a healthy number of users start migrating from the free to the paid plan.
To monetize existing free users, you can leverage ad monetization. Displaying ads to free users is another incentive to upgrade to a higher plan. Duolingo also displays ads to free users to extract some revenue from free users.
Key features of a successful language learning app
The key to a successful language learning app is the set of features and functionalities it has to offer. No matter what the niche and purpose of the app are, the features will define the user’s journey and ultimately determine the rate of engagement, conversions, retention, etc.
In short, features have the ability to make or mar the overall experience of your app. Therefore, you should be cautious about including the best and most relevant features in the app while avoiding the clutter and unnecessary elements at the same time.
Some must-haves as well as suitable features that you can include in your language learning app are as follows:
- Easy registration, sign up & login (including login via Email, Apple, Google, etc.)
- Tutor and learner profile creation and management
- Easy navigation and interactive audio-visual experience
- Intuitive search & filter for finding tutorials
- Multiple languages to choose from
- Clean and organized categorization of courses
- Level-based progress tracking and monitoring
- Reward and certification system
- Online payment and billing management
- Social media integration
- Review and rating collection
- Multilingual & localization support
- Push notification support
- In-app chat support
- Ad & monetization support
- Support for data collection and analytics
These are the elementary features of a language learning app. However, the final list will depend upon your app’s personalized goal and purpose. You can take inspiration from the list above and use it as a guide to create the final checklist of features for your app.
How to build a language learning app like Duolingo?
Duolingo enjoys incomparable popularity all around the world. When compared to other language learning apps, it tops most charts across regions and is especially popular in European and APAC countries.
Therefore, if you have decided to create an app like Duolingo, you are headed in the right direction. However, you must note that in order to offer an exclusive solution and worth to your customers, you should move forward with a unique approach and not create an exact replica of existing apps.
Follow the steps listed below and create an app that exudes your unique business values, ideas, and vision. Go through the step-by-step guide and get a comprehensive picture of education and language learning app development:
Step 1: Research and planning
It is great if you have a clear vision and roadmap for your project. However, to propel your efforts in the right direction and avoid wastage of resources and time, you must invest in a thorough research and planning process. This will include studying your competitors, audience, targeted market, and so on.
You can start by observing what your competitors are doing. Get answers to questions like – What are the latest trends in the language learning app industry? What are your competitors’ apps doing to get engagement and revenue? What are their strengths and weaknesses? How will your app stand out among the competition?
Additionally, learn about your potential customers’ needs and wants. You can create user personas to align your product according to your buyers. These steps will further allow you to fix a niche for your app. Identify your app’s purpose and proceed to take the following steps accordingly.
Step 2: Prototyping and designing
Once you have a clear vision for your app, you can delve into the process of wireframing and prototyping. This is where you create blueprints for your app and then scale it to create interactive app demos. This is a critical step as it allows you and your stakeholders to visualize the app.
If you want to raise investment and funding for your app, then prototyping your app can help you a great deal. It will give your investors an insight into the product and inspire confidence in your app project.
Moreover, creating mockups can also help your entire design, development, and marketing team get on the same page and coherently shape the project. It will align all your departments and set you on the right track as you proceed toward creating actual designs and developing the app.
Suggested Read: Mobile app design – The Complete Guide to Designing a Mobile app
Step 3: Development and deployment
Once your app idea and designs are validated, you can proceed towards developing the language learning app of your choice. This step will involve creating the UI/UX, adding features and functionalities to the app, and so on.
The actual journey and steps of development will depend on your choice of method, framework, or platform. Here are the options that you can choose from:
AppMySite’s no-code eLearning app builder
No-code app builders are the new revolution in the sphere of app development. AppMySite’s no-code education app builder is one of the best solutions for those who aim to create language learning apps instantly on a budget.
It enables anyone to create premium Android and iOS apps within a few minutes. Everything from design to development and deployment can be executed easily with expert-like confidence. Here, you can create all kinds of apps and also convert your LMS website into a learning app.
All you have to do is sign up for the platform and you can start immediately. Proceed to design and customize the app and add the features and functionalities of your choice. Build everything in a DIY environment and deploy the apps on the Google Play and Apple App Stores.
Low-code app development platforms
Low-code app development platforms are another option that you can explore. However, this only suits creators who have prior experience in coding and are ready to face a learning curve. While it is not completely code-free like no-code app builders, it still requires less effort than custom app development.
You can look for low-code app builders that offer a holistic environment for app design, development, and deployment. Additionally, it should support scalability and app maintenance. Look for a platform that provides proper documentation and training as you may have to learn a new tool and software and do some amount of coding.
App development agencies or professionals
This is the third method that is quite popular. If you wish to follow the traditional route, you can go for custom app development. You can code your own app with the help of relevant frameworks and tools.
However, if programming and coding are not your strong suit, you should go ahead and hire freelance developers or agencies to build your app for you. Remember, this is a costly and time-consuming process and therefore, you must be ready for delays and shortcomings accordingly.
Find a company that offers the best deal and ensures timely delivery and hassle-free post-delivery support. Make sure that they are transparent about pricing and are open to acknowledging and implementing your ideas and suggestions. Otherwise, you can always go with a no-code or low-code app builder to save time, money, and effort.
Suggested Read: The ultimate guide to mobile app development for 2023
Step 4: Publish on the app stores
Once your app is ready, the next step is to publish it to Google Play and the Apple App Store. App distribution at scale is only possible if your app is available on the two main app stores. To upload your app, you need to create a Google Play Console account for Android, and an App Store Connect account for iOS.
- To create a Google Play Console account, you need to pay a one-time fee of $25. You can publish as many Android apps as you like with one developer account.
- To create an App Store Connect account, you need to pay an annual fee of $99. You can submit multiple iOS apps with one account.
To build and publish an iOS app, you may need a MacOS system. In case you use a free app maker like AppMySite, you don’t need a MacOS system. The platform enables you to build & publish your app without an Apple machine.
Step 5: Promote your app effectively
Depending on your target audience, you may need to finetune your marketing strategy. While app marketing methods may vary, there are some common tactics you can adopt to increase app installs.
- App store optimization: Optimize your listing’s assets (descriptions, title, screenshots, icon, video, etc) to enhance your app’s visibility in app store search results.
- Social media: Using ads and collaborations with other popular creators, it is crucial to grow your app’s profile on social media. Identify the right channel to promote your app and develop a content strategy that works for you.
- Promote on website: Ask your website users to install your app. Your existing subscribers and customers are more likely to install your app compared to other first-time users.
- Search ads: PPC ads on platforms like Google can be a great way to drive app installs. Google search is intent-driven and with the right targeting and bidding strategy, you can keep acquiring a decent number of app installs.
How to create white-label language learning apps for customers?
If you want to create or resell eLearning apps and app development solutions to other businesses, then white-label app development is the way to go. White-label app builder platforms enable you to sell mobile apps and ready-to-use mobile app development services to customers under your own brand name.
All the steps required to build the solution from scratch are eliminated and you can start selling apps and app development software immediately after signing up for a white-label reseller platform. If you want to take eLearning app development a level up and create apps for customers, then no-code is your best bet.
Just subscribe to AppMySite and create an agency account. Our no-code white label app builder has all that you need to create language learning and educational apps on an enterprise scale. Create a white label app development ecosystem for your own and resell our DIY app development solution to your customers.
You can customize the platform and add your own logo, color theme, domain name, support address, and so on. Additionally, you can invite your colleagues and clients to your reseller dashboard on a platform that will look like your own. Collaborate on app projects and create high-performing Android and iOS apps for your customers.
Suggested Read: How to start an app development company?
In conclusion
That was our comprehensive guide on language learning app development. If you are more inspired to create a language learning app of your own, then this is the right time to start. The online learning industry is booming, and you can leverage the growth to create a space for your business.
You can either create an app similar to the popular language learning apps like Duolingo, Babbel, Busuu, and Memrise or turn your own unique idea into a reality. Watch your ideas come to life in no time with AppMySite and build your apps with minimal effort.
Build one app for your own platform or develop enterprise eLearning apps for your clients on a professional scale. The choice is yours. You can go through our blogs and resources and get all the help that you need. Learn how to create an app in minutes and accomplish your app development goals.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it profitable to create a language learning app?
Education is one of the most popular segments across all industries powered by apps. As discussed above, education and learning apps generate billions of dollars every year and their value is increasing every day. Moreover, globalization is compelling and inspiring people to learn other languages. Therefore, investing in educational apps, including language learning apps, can be a profitable idea. With the right product and strategy, your business can do wonders.
How much does it cost to create a language learning app like Duolingo?
The cost of creating an app like Duolingo can vary depending on your chosen development method. Custom app development is likely to cost you upwards of USD 20,000. The cost could increase depending on the type of features and functionality you choose to implement. When working with DIY no-code tools, the cost is different. For example, with a no-code iOS & Android app builder like AppMySite, you can create an app for less than USD 50/mo. You can even sign up for a lifetime plan that will cost significantly less than the alternative –paying thousands of dollars for a custom-built app.
How long does it take to build a language learning app?
Traditional methods of app development can take anywhere between two to six months. However, apps with complicated features, designs, and functionalities can take up to a year to build. Reiterations and updates can further increase the billables and delay the time of delivery. However, AppMySite addresses this issue and fast-tracks app development like no other. Here, you can create your app within minutes and save months’ worth of effort. Reduce your time to market and start earning engagement and revenue in no time.
How can I develop a language tutor app like Babbel or Duolingo?
The easiest method to develop a language learning app is to build it with AppMySite. While you can always opt for custom methods, those take up a colossal amount of resources and time. With our no-code education app creator, it becomes extremely easy to develop an app like Babbel or Duolingo. If you have a website, you can simply connect it to the app and import all your content with a few clicks. Else, you can create everything from scratch and scale your education app the way you want.
How to monetize language learning apps?
Language learning apps can be a profitable investment. Such apps can be monetized in multiple ways. Some popular methods of monetization include the implementation of a freemium app model (combining free and premium features), in-app advertisements, in-app purchases, affiliate sponsorships, and so on. You can launch your own language learning app and monetize it as per your choice.