Duolingo: Redefining Engagement in the EdTech Space

Key Takeaways:

• As of Oct '23, Duolingo saw a 28% churn rate among its users in Western markets, a 23% YoY decrease. Duolingo had the lowest churn among leading apps across the music, language, math and kids learning EdTech space, outperforming Simply Piano (64%), Babbel (58%), Lingokids (44%), and Brainly (35%) per ST data

• Duolingo’s share of retained users - at 68% in Oct’23 - was also higher than other EdTech apps, including Brainly (59%), Babbel (42%), and Simply Piano (33%), but notably closer to top grossing game apps such as Roblox, Royal Match, and Candy Crush which had a 73%, 66%, and 64% share of retained users, respectively

  • Duolingo's gamification has boosted retention rates, evident in 23% of reviews praising engaging and fun in-app elements from 1Q23-3Q23, up 7 ppts from 2019, and significantly higher than EdTech peers such as Simply Piano (11%), Babbel (10%), and Brainly (< 1%) per ST data

• Gamification features have helped Duolingo become an integral part of users' daily routines. The app’s stickiness is a testament to its success in the EdTech space, with Duolingo’s DAU/MAU ratio increasing across time and remaining significantly above education peers, including Babbel, Simply Piano and Ultimate Guitar

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