Duolingo

Duolingo tracks learning behavior and device data for ads and personalization, and auto-renews paid plans. It grants itself a broad license to any content you submit.

🚨 Key things to watch out for

The clauses that could affect you the most. Read these even if you skip everything else.

You give up the right to sue in court or join class actions unless you email an opt-out within 30 days of first use.

124

Duolingo gets a permanent, irrevocable license to your submitted content and outright owns anything you generate in lessons.

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📋 Every clause, explained

Browse what the terms actually say — filter by severity or by topic.

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Showing 20 clauses

1General / Changes to Terms2 clauses

⚠️

Terms can change with minimal notice

📝Can change terms anytime

1-A

💬 Duolingo can change the terms at any time, and simply posting a notice for 7 days (or you logging in) makes them binding. You are responsible for checking for changes; continued use means acceptance.

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“Duolingo may amend, update, or change these Terms and Conditions. If we do this, we will post a notice that we have made changes to these Terms and Conditions on the Websites for at least 7 days after the changes are posted... Any revisions to these Terms and Conditions will become effective the earlier of (i) the end of such 7-day period or (ii) the first time you access or use the Service after such changes.”

🔴

Mandatory arbitration & class action waiver

⚖️Forced arbitration

1-B

💬 For most money disputes you give up your right to sue in court or join a class action; disputes go to individual binding arbitration instead. You can opt out within 30 days (see arbitration section).

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“PLEASE NOTE THAT THESE TERMS AND CONDITIONS CONTAIN A MANDATORY ARBITRATION OF DISPUTES PROVISION THAT REQUIRES THE USE OF ARBITRATION ON AN INDIVIDUAL BASIS TO RESOLVE DISPUTES IN CERTAIN CIRCUMSTANCES, RATHER THAN JURY TRIALS OR CLASS ACTION LAWSUITS.”

2Description of Service1 clause

ℹ️

Service can change or be discontinued anytime

📝Can change terms anytime

2-A

💬 Duolingo can modify or shut down any part of the service at any time without owing you anything.

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“Duolingo may, in its sole discretion and at any time, update, change, suspend, make improvements to or discontinue any aspect of the Service, temporarily or permanently.”

7Submission of Content2 clauses

🔴

Perpetual, irrevocable license to your content

📄Claims your content

7-A

💬 Anything you post (reviews, photos, translations, flashcards) can be used, modified, sold, and re-licensed by Duolingo forever, worldwide, for free — and you can never take that permission back, even if you delete it.

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“you hereby grant to Duolingo a full-paid, royalty free, perpetual, irrevocable, worldwide, nonexclusive, transferable, and sublicensable license to use, reproduce, copy, adapt, modify, merge, distribute, publicly display, and create derivative works from the Content... You acknowledge that this license cannot be terminated by you once your Content is submitted to the Service.”

⚠️

No confidentiality for your content

📄Claims your content

7-B

💬 Content you submit may be seen by other users and neither they nor Duolingo have to keep it private.

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“You understand that other users will have access to the Content and that neither they or Duolingo have any obligation to you or anyone else to maintain the confidentiality of the Content.”

8Indemnification1 clause

⚠️

You must cover Duolingo's legal costs

🛡️Limits their liability

8-A

💬 If Duolingo gets sued because of your use of the service or your content, you may have to pay their legal fees and damages.

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“You agree to defend, indemnify and hold harmless Duolingo and its directors, officers, employees, contractors, agents, suppliers, licensors, successors and assigns, from and against any and all losses, claims, causes of action, obligations, liabilities and damages whatsoever, including attorneys' fees, arising out of or relating to your access or use of the Service...”

9Automatic Renewal1 clause

⚠️

Subscriptions auto-renew until you cancel

🔄Auto-renews

9-A

💬 Paid subscriptions renew and charge you automatically forever unless you actively cancel — and deleting your account does not stop the billing; you must cancel the subscription itself.

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“your Duolingo account will be billed continuously for the subscription until you terminate it as set forth below... your subscription will automatically renew for an additional equivalent period. If you do not wish your subscription to renew automatically... you will need to log in to your Duolingo account and follow instructions to terminate or change your subscription, even if you have deleted your account.”

10In-App Items1 clause

⚠️

Virtual items can be changed or removed anytime

📝Can change terms anytime

10-A

💬 Gems and other virtual items you buy can be changed, repriced, or deleted at any time without notice, and Duolingo owes you nothing if that happens.

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“Duolingo may manage, regulate, control, modify, or eliminate Virtual Items at any time, with or without notice... Duolingo shall have no liability to you or any third party in the event that Duolingo exercises any such rights.”

11Fees and Taxes1 clause

ℹ️

Prices can change anytime

📝Can change terms anytime

11-A

💬 Duolingo can change prices whenever it wants.

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“Duolingo may revise the pricing for the goods and services offered through the Service at any time.”

13Refund Policy1 clause

⚠️

No refunds

📌Other

13-A

💬 You generally can't get a refund, even for unused subscription time or virtual items, unless your local law requires it.

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“All payments are nonrefundable and there are no refunds or credits for Virtual Items or partially used membership periods, unless otherwise required by the law in your jurisdiction.”

14Third-Party Links & Advertising1 clause

ℹ️

Advertising placed alongside your content

🔗Shares with third parties

14-A

💬 Duolingo and its ad partners can show ads next to content you or others post.

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“you agree that Duolingo and its third party providers and partners may place such advertising in connection with the display of content or information submitted by you or others.”

16Limitation of Liability1 clause

🔴

Liability capped at 12 months of fees

🛡️Limits their liability

16-A

💬 No matter what goes wrong, the most Duolingo will ever pay you is what you paid them in the past 12 months — which could be $0 for free users. All other damages are excluded.

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“DUOLINGO’S LIABILITY TO YOU OR ANY THIRD PARTY CLAIMING THROUGH YOU FOR ANY CAUSE WHATSOEVER... IS LIMITED TO THE AMOUNT PAID, IF ANY, BY YOU TO DUOLINGO FOR THE SERVICE IN THE 12 MONTHS PRIOR TO THE INITIAL ACTION GIVING RISE TO LIABILITY.”

17Termination1 clause

⚠️

Duolingo can terminate you anytime for any reason

⛔Account termination

17-A

💬 Duolingo can cut off your account instantly for any reason without notice, and you lose access, including to any paid content or progress.

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“Duolingo may terminate your access and use of the Service immediately at any time, for any reason, and at such time you will have no further right to use the Service.”

18Proprietary Rights & Activity Materials1 clause

🔴

Duolingo owns everything you generate in lessons

📄Claims your content

18-A

💬 Anything you create while doing lessons (like your translations) is not yours — you automatically hand over full ownership and all rights to Duolingo.

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“all data, information, and materials generated from your access and use of the educational activities... including translated content generated by you (“Activity Materials”), shall be exclusively owned by Duolingo... By using the Service, you hereby assign to Duolingo any and all rights, title, and interest, including any intellectual property rights or proprietary rights, in the Activity Materials.”

21Promotion Codes / Code Providers1 clause

⚠️

Individual usage data shared with code providers

🔗Shares with third parties

21-A

💬 If you use a promo code from your employer or another company, Duolingo may share your individual usage data (not just aggregate stats) with that provider.

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“you understand and agree that Duolingo may share data relating to your use of the Promotion Code with your Code Provider, including both anonymized, aggregate data, and individual usage data.”

21bAuto-Renewal for Free Trial Codes1 clause

⚠️

Free trial converts to paid unless cancelled 24h before end

🔄Auto-renews

21-A

💬 Extended free trials require your payment info and automatically convert into a paying subscription unless you cancel at least 24 hours before the trial ends.

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“unless you cancel at least 24 hours before your extended free trial ends, you will automatically become a recurring subscriber to the subscription plan you selected after your extended free trial ends. The payment method you provided will then automatically be charged”

22Governing Law & Forum1 clause

ℹ️

Pennsylvania law and courts apply regardless of where you live

📍Jurisdiction

22-A

💬 Any legal dispute is governed by Pennsylvania law and must be handled in Pennsylvania courts, no matter where you live — which can be costly and inconvenient for non-locals.

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“These Terms and Conditions shall be governed by and construed under the laws of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania... all judicial proceedings... shall be brought in the state or federal courts sitting in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania.”

24Dispute Resolution & Arbitration2 clauses

🔴

No class or collective actions

🚫No class action

24-A

💬 You can only bring claims individually — you cannot band together with other users in a class action or collective proceeding.

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“There shall be no class or collective arbitration, or joinder of claims, except as provided for in the AAA’s Supplementary Rules for Multiple Case Filings.”

⚠️

30-day arbitration opt-out window

⚖️Forced arbitration

24-B

💬 You can escape mandatory arbitration, but only if you email Duolingo within 30 days of first using the service — otherwise you're locked into arbitration.

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“If you do not want to arbitrate disputes with Duolingo and you are an individual, you may opt out of this arbitration agreement by sending an email to legal@duolingo.com within 30 days of the day you first access or use the Service.”

28Miscellaneous1 clause

ℹ️

Duolingo can assign the agreement freely

📌Other

28-A

💬 Duolingo can transfer this contract (and your account relationship) to another company without needing your permission.

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“Duolingo may assign its rights or obligations under these Terms and Conditions without condition.”

Duolingo terms of service, explained in plain English — TOSTLDR