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It’s high time to develop mobile learning apps like Duolingo. Following covid-19 pandemic that pushed the world into a lockdown, the education sector was affected heavily. There was no such thing as online classes or education back then, at least not in the form it is available today. However, this event became the reason for the development of Edtech mobile apps.

Fast forward to 2023, Over 70% of colleges expect to launch one or more online undergraduate programs in the next three years. In addition to this, EdTech usage in K-12 schools has increased by 99% since 2020. This led to the “learn mobile app” market like never before, as today’s eLearning app market is worth $254 billion. The popularity of learning apps like Duolingo has been increasing greatly. And with the revenue, this industry has attracted a lot of people. 

There are businesses and educational institutes that want to develop their apps like Duolingo. But things bring up another question, how much does it cost to develop a mobile learning app? Well, the cost to develop an app for Edtech can vary greatly.

In any case, if you want to know Duolingo's app development cost, this blog is for you.  Here, we shall be discussing all you need to know about mobile learning apps including the cost to develop an app like Duolingo. Therefore, with this being said, let’s get right into it, starting with:

» What is Duolingo?

Duolingo is one of the best eLearning Mobile apps in the market today. Being a language-learning app, this platform has over 500 million registered users. 37 million of these are monthly active users. Duolingo made more than $250 million in 2021 alone, with a 55% increase from the last year.

So, what makes Duolingo the best language-learning app in the market? Well, there are several other apps like Duolingo in the market, but Duolingo is different. It offers 95 available courses in 38 languages. Plus, what makes it stand out is the personalization it offers. The language learning courses offered on the platform are personalized for each use. With this and the self-paced learning, Duolingo conquers the market.

With the revenue this platform is generating and how easy it is to develop, it has attracted a lot of businesses to develop apps similar to Duolingo. Now, if you are someone who wants to do the same, it’s a good idea to look at other apps similar to Duolingo in the next section of the blog. 

» Apps Similar To Duolingo: Alternative

The market is filled with Duolingo-similar apps. There are several mobile learning apps with millions of users in the market.  Plus, if you are someone who wants to develop a market-leading mobile learning app for your business, it’s a good idea to take inspiration from the best educational mobile apps in the market.  Here, you can learn more about features that people like and what strategies work. In any case, some of the most popular apps like Duolingo are, as mentioned below:

  • Babbel 
  • Busuu
  • Open English
  • Rosetta Stone
  • Lingvist
  • Mango Languages
  • italki
  • Memrise

These are some of the top language-learning apps in the market. Now, if you want to develop an app like Moodle App or something similar, you are going down the right path. But in any case, if you are wondering how much all of this is going to cost you, read the next section carefully. 

» Average Cost To Develop Apps Like Duolingo

So, how much does it cost to develop mobile learning apps like Duolingo?  The mobile app development process as we know it is very complex. Several things go into creating a mobile app. This includes tech stack, platform, size, client preferences, and many other factors. In addition to this, every Edtech app development project is unique in its own right. The reason is that every client has different preferences and business requirements.

This means there are no two similar projects when it comes to mobile learning apps. Due to this, it’s not possible to predict development costs. Well, not possible is not the word. To clarify, to gain insight into the total development cost of a project, you need to learn about its specifications first. While without project specifications you can’t find the total cost, what we can give you is an average cost.

The average cost to develop apps like Duolingo ranges anywhere between $15,000 and $75,000. Again, this is the average cost. Moving on, if you are someone who wants to learn more about the cost of developing apps like Duolingo, it is highly recommended that you consult the Edtech app development company. Speaking of which, we will be discussing all the factors that affect the cost most in the next section of the blog. 

» Factors That Affect Mobile Learning App Development Cost

As discussed in the previous section, several factors can affect the cost of developing apps like Duolingo. Now, if you are someone who wants to learn more about mobile learning app cost, it’s important to learn about these factors.  Therefore, we shall be discussing all factors related to eLearning development cost in this section of the blog. Let’s get right into it, starting with the most important factor:

    • Platform

Since we are talking about developing mobile apps for learning, you need to choose a platform. Now, there are types of platforms. Namely: 

1) Native App Development 

iOS App Development
Android App Development

Native apps as we know them are the apps that run on native platforms hence the name. As such, there are two major native platforms, iOS, and android which are very popular and need no introduction. 

2) Hybrid App Development

When it comes to hybrid app development, these apps aren’t bound by any platform or boundaries as they are cross-platform. 

Moving on, when it comes to cost, native apps are much more expensive than the cost of developing mobile apps. Within native, iOS is on the cheaper side but just by an inch. 

    • Type of Mobile Learning App 

There are various types of mobile learning apps. Some are video-based like Udemy others are language learning apps like Duolingo. Now, if you want to develop a Duolingo-like app the cost will be different than when you want to develop a learn mobile app for let’s say schools. Some of the popular types of educational mobile apps are, as mentioned below: 

• Personal Learning
Corporate Training
• Educators App

Again, based on which type of e-learning app you are developing, the total cost can differ a lot. This is one of the biggest factors that affect the cost of developing apps like Duolingo. Therefore, when you are calculating total cost, it’s important to consider this factor. Let’s discuss the 

    • Size of App Like Duolingo 

App based on the type and other factors can differ highly in size. For instance, an app like Duolingo can highly differ in size from one similar to Moodle App. In the same fashion, the larger the app, the more expensive it is to develop. On the other hand, a smaller e-learning mobile app is cheaper to develop. Therefore, if you are calculating the total development cost of the eLearning app, this is an important factor to consider. 

    • Security 

Security is a big thing in today’s time, especially when it comes to educational mobile apps. You see, these apps involve a lot of data of different sorts. This includes educational content worth thousands of dollars as well as the personal data of the users. Therefore, a security breach which is quite common these days can highly affect the platform. This is one of the reasons why security is a cost-affecting factor. You see, a higher level of security is a complex technology and for that reason, it is expensive. This is the reason why high-end apps like Duolingo or mobile learning apps generate a high cost of development. 

    • Mode to Hire eLearning app developers

If you want to develop an eLearning app, you will need some help. You need to hire eLearning app developers to be specific. Now, there are various ways of hiring an eLearning app developer. And the cost associated with these different ways also differs. Therefore, in this section of the blog, we shall be discussing the same. All of it is, as mentioned below:

    1. Hire freelancer - $15 - $45 per hour
    2. Outsource to Edtech App Development Company -$15,000 - $75,000.
    3. Assemble in-house team 

Well, the cost to assemble a house team is the greatest here since the process involves hiring a whole team of developers for the said task.  In any case, if you want to learn more about the cost of hiring Edtech developers, various platforms provide the latest figures like Upwork, freelancer, and so on.

    • ElearningApp Developers’ Location 

Another major factor related to developers that can affect the cost of developing eLearning is their location. You see some regions offer exceptionally cheap development while others are very much on the opposite side. Therefore, if you are someone who wants to develop a mobile app like Duolingo, look at the location carefully.  Now, some of you might be wondering why e-learning costs depend on the location.

The reason is that the USA has higher average wages, higher competition, higher currency, and so on. This is the reason why it is much more expensive to develop an eLearning app in the USA. On the other hand, the cost to develop the same app in the Middle East or Asia is considerably cheaper for the same reason. Therefore, the location of the eLearning app developers highly affects the total development cost.

    • Complexity 

Complexity is a big factor. Well, in simple terms, a complex app is expensive and a simple mobile learning app is cheaper to develop. As to why the reason is pretty simple. A complex app requires much more time, effort, experience, expertise, resources, and team members to develop. On the other hand, a basic eLearning mobile app will be finished within no time at a cheaper rate. 

    • Feature 

Features can make an app or they can break an app. Therefore, features play an important role in performance as well as the cost of developing a mobile app. confused? Let us explain. The more unique and complex features you include in an app, the higher the price goes. On the other hand, simpler and basic features don’t affect the cost all that much.  Therefore, when you are calculating the total cost of development, this is something that you should keep in mind. 

» Conclusion

E-Learning Mobile App Development with apps like Duolingo making millions has become the new trend. Every company wants to develop its form of a mobile learning app. While there are many interested clients, a lot of them wonder about how much all of this costs. In this blog, we found out that the cost of developing a mobile app like Duolingo can range from $15,000 to $75,000. However, it is not possible to predict accurate costs without learning about the platform. And with this, we have come to the end of our blog.

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