I started off using the free version of Duolingo (web version only). Later I paid for a few years, and started using the Android app as well as the web version. A few days ago my subscription to Super (I think that's its current incarnation) expired, and I chose not to renew it. Here is my perspective.
Both the paid and unpaid versions have pros and cons. Of course there's the money, and the support of an organization that seems less and less engaged with their user-base over time. But there are additional considerations for me.
Pros of the paid version:
- The option to review (most of) the exercises I got wrong. I found this extra practice to be quite helpful.
- Targeted practice...meh. Maybe a nice-to-have, but I don't miss it.
- The option to review stories is still present in the unpaid version, though I suspect they'll remove it at some point. I don't think I'll miss it when they do.
- Extra listening practice. That was nice; I miss it a bit.
- No ads. This hasn't been much of an issue for me. I block most ads when I am using the web version
, and I have thus far seen only one (relatively innocuous) ad on the Android version.
[Edit 13 feb 2023] Since I posted this, the ads (on the app) have become much more frequent and obnoxious.
Pros of the unpaid version (beyond the money-related considerations):
- The fact that I can run out of hearts, or need to pay for legendary practice, forces me to pay closer attention to each exercise. I used to rush through them, blithely figuring I could re-do them if I got too many errors. Now I think my extra attention is resulting in greater learning.
- I now have something (e.g. legendary practice) on which I can spend the lingots and gems I have amassed over the years.
I use a number of other resources in addition to Duolingo (something I highly recommend, especially once you're past the beginner level), and this likely colors my perspective.