Choose Duolingo if
DYou want a guided path
- Short lessons in a fixed order
- Many languages, every course free
- A daily streak keeps you going
Palabrify, Duolingo or Anki: which suits a Polish speaker learning English?
All three can help you learn English vocabulary. They differ in who chooses the words, what you pay and how much setting up you do. Here they are side by side, with a source for every fact about Duolingo and Anki.
Checked on 15 October 2026 against each app’s own website, store listing and manual
Written by the Palabrify team. We tried to be fair to all three apps. Prices are US App Store prices on the date above and differ by country. If something here is out of date, write to [email protected] and we will correct it.
Choose Anki if
AYou want full control
- You make or download your own cards
- You choose the scheduler and its settings
- You also study on a computer
Choose Palabrify if
You learn the words you meet
- You save words from films, articles and signs
- Exercises are built for you, with no card making
- You want an English course for Polish speakers, A1 to C1
Side by side
| Palabrify | Duolingo | Anki | |
|---|---|---|---|
| English course for Polish speakers | Yes: English from Polish, A1 to C1, reviewed by people | Yes: an English course taught from Polish 1 | No official course; shared decks made by other users 8 |
| Who makes the content | Ready-made courses, drafted with the help of AI and reviewed by people, plus the words you add | Duolingo’s own courses 2 | You, or other users who share decks 8 |
| Your own words | Share from any app, photograph text or type a word; exercises are built from it | Lessons follow the course 2 | You make a card for each word 10 |
| Exercise types | Flashcard, fill the gap, build the sentence, build the word, type the answer, letter fill, word matching, word search, crossword, picture labeling | Lessons and exercises set by the course 2 | Cards you design, such as Basic, Cloze and Image Occlusion 10 |
| Spaced repetition | Yes, based on SM-2, with each word scheduled in both directions | Duolingo published a spaced-repetition model for language practice in 2016 4 | Yes: the SM-2 algorithm or the newer FSRS 9 |
| Price | Free, including every course. Pro subscription for many more of your own words: $8.99 a month or $59.99 a year | Free; the Super subscription removes ads 2 | Free on computers, Android and the web; AnkiMobile for iPhone and iPad is a one-time $24.99 67 |
| Ads | None | In the free version 23 | None; development is funded by AnkiMobile sales 6 |
| Platforms | iPhone, iPad, Android; web app for teachers | iPhone, iPad, Android, web 123 | Windows, Mac, Linux, Android (AnkiDroid), iPhone and iPad (AnkiMobile), web (AnkiWeb) 6 |
| Tools for teachers | Teacher plan: class groups joined with a code, shared sets, progress, reminders, printable tests and worksheets | Duolingo for Schools: free classrooms with student activity for teachers 5 | No built-in classroom tools |
Facts about Palabrify come from the app itself and are explained in the FAQ.
Where Duolingo and Anki are stronger
- Duolingo teaches many more languages, and every course is free to start.
- Duolingo for Schools is free for teachers; Palabrify’s Teacher plan is paid after its free trial.
- Anki runs on Windows, Mac and Linux, and lets you design every card and tune the scheduler.
- Anki’s shared decks cover exams and subjects that Palabrify has no course for.
Using them together
Many learners keep a course app for structure and a word app for what they meet in real life. Palabrify can sit beside either one: save the words a lesson or a series throws at you, and review them on their own schedule.
Sources
- Duolingo, courses for Polish speakers: duolingo.com/courses/pl (accessed 15 October 2026)
- Duolingo on the App Store (US): apps.apple.com (accessed 15 October 2026)
- Duolingo on Google Play: play.google.com (accessed 15 October 2026)
- B. Settles and B. Meeder, “A Trainable Spaced Repetition Model for Language Learning”, ACL 2016: aclanthology.org/P16-1174 (accessed 15 October 2026)
- Duolingo blog, “Introducing Duolingo for Schools”, 25 May 2021: blog.duolingo.com (accessed 15 October 2026)
- Anki, downloads: apps.ankiweb.net (accessed 15 October 2026)
- AnkiMobile Flashcards on the App Store (US): apps.apple.com (accessed 15 October 2026)
- Anki manual, Getting Started (shared decks): docs.ankiweb.net (accessed 15 October 2026)
- Anki manual, Deck Options (SM-2 and FSRS): docs.ankiweb.net (accessed 15 October 2026)
- Anki manual, Editing and note types: docs.ankiweb.net (accessed 15 October 2026)
Try Palabrify with the English course
Free on iPhone, iPad and Android, with no ads. See the English course for Polish speakers (in Polish) or read the FAQ.