Is There a Duolingo for Coding? The Apps That Come Closest
Duolingo doesn't teach coding, but several apps copy its formula. We compare the closest ones on what matters for programming: typing real code, seeing it run, streaks and free plans.
If Duolingo got you speaking a little Spanish five minutes at a time, it’s natural to want the same thing for code: short lessons on your phone, a streak to protect and the feeling of playing a game. So is there a Duolingo for coding?
Not from Duolingo itself. But several apps borrow its formula, and they differ in the one way that matters most for programming: whether you write real code and watch it run, or mostly tap answers. Below, we compare the closest ones on exactly that. Full disclosure: we make Codr, one of the apps on this list, and we’ve been upfront about its limits too.
Short answer: Duolingo doesn’t teach coding. Its app covers languages, math, music and chess. Several apps copy its formula for code, and one test separates them: do you type real code and see it run, or just tap answers? Codr, our app, has you write and run real code in 12 languages, adds four coding games, and gives you everything for 14 days with a free trial on the yearly plan. The free plans elsewhere come with ads, hearts or locked features.
Does Duolingo teach coding?
No. As of November 2026, the Duolingo app teaches more than 40 languages plus math, music and chess. Duolingo added math and music in 2023 and chess in 2025, and we found no announcement of a coding course, including in its results for the third quarter of 2026.
So when people search for “Duolingo for coding” or “an app like Duolingo but for programming”, they mean apps that copy the formula: bite-size lessons, a daily habit and a game feel, applied to Python, JavaScript and other languages.
What makes a coding app “Duolingo-like”
Three things make Duolingo work, and a good coding app needs all three:
- Bite-size lessons. A few minutes each, one idea at a time, so a lesson fits into a bus ride.
- A habit loop. Streaks, XP, reminders and a daily goal that make you want to come back tomorrow.
- A game feel. Levels, rewards and a friendly character, so practice feels like play.
Coding needs more than a language course does, so check these too:
- You type real code. Arranging ready-made pieces helps you read code, but writing it on a blank line is the skill you’ll actually use.
- Your code runs. You should see real output, mistakes included, not just a green tick for picking the right option.
- Errors are explained. Error messages are where beginners get stuck most. Learning to read a Python error message early pays off for years.
- Mistakes don’t end the lesson. Hearts and lives work in a language app, but in coding you learn by getting things wrong and trying again.
- There’s a path past the basics. Short lessons should lead somewhere: projects, a career path or a second language.
Apps like Duolingo for coding, compared
| App | Write and run real code | Courses | Coding games | How you try it |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Codr (ours) | Yes, on your phone, checked by tests | 12, from HTML and Python to C#, Git, React and AI | 4 games, 260 levels | 14-day free trial with everything unlocked; no ads, no hearts |
| Sololearn | Yes | Python, JavaScript, web, SQL, Java and the C family; AI on the top plan | Code challenges | Free plan with ads and 5 hearts; Playground and AI courses are paid |
| Mimo | Yes, in its code editor | Python, JavaScript, web, SQL, TypeScript, React | None listed | Free Basic plan; unlimited playgrounds and the AI tutor are paid |
| Encode | Yes, plus quizzes | Python, JavaScript, web, SQL | None listed | Free version with ads and hearts |
| Fibu (formerly Programming Hero) | Yes, in its playground | Python, JavaScript, web | Game-style missions | Core daily missions free; the rest is paid |
| Brilliant | Yes, in its coding courses | Python, computer science, AI, plus math | None listed | Limited free tier; full access needs Premium |
The apps that come closest
We make Codr, so it’s first and labelled. Every app below is judged on the same points: how you practise, whether your code runs, what keeps you coming back and what you get without paying.
1. Codr (our app)
Codr is a learn-to-code app for iPhone and Android built on the Duolingo idea of learning a little every day, but with real code. Lessons are short, the code you write runs right on your phone, and tests check it the moment you press Run. When something breaks, Cody, the app’s capybara guide, shows you why. There’s also a Playground for your own code, and you don’t need to create an account.
The game side goes further than the rest: XP, a streak you grow by finishing three daily challenges (with a Streak Freeze once a month), weekly challenges, badges, and four coding games with 260 levels where your code moves everything, including a platformer you build in C#. Codr has 12 courses (HTML, CSS, JavaScript, TypeScript, Python, SQL, Java, C++, C#, Git, React and AI) and 10 career paths that put them in order.
How you try it: instead of a cut-down free plan, Codr gives you everything for 14 days with a free trial on the yearly plan ($59.99 a year, under $5 a month). Monthly is $9.99. There are no ads and no hearts, so a mistake never ends your lesson. Codr has no leaderboards, because there are no accounts and you never compete with strangers, and the app is in English only.
2. Sololearn
Sololearn borrows Duolingo’s mechanics: hearts, streaks with a Streak Saver, XP and leagues. It runs on iPhone, Android and the web and covers Python, JavaScript, HTML and CSS, SQL, Java and the C family, with AI courses on its top plan. Sololearn says you write code from your first lesson, in its mobile code editor. The free plan comes with ads and a limit of five hearts, and the Playground for your own code is part of the paid plans. Best for: learners who don’t mind ads and hearts in exchange for a free start.
3. Mimo
Mimo runs on iPhone, Android and the web and teaches Python, JavaScript, HTML and CSS, SQL, TypeScript and React, with paths aimed at developer jobs. Its store listing describes a mobile code editor where you write, run and edit code, and streaks and leaderboards keep you coming back. The Basic plan is free, but unlimited code playgrounds and the AI tutor sit in the paid plans. Best for: career changers who plan to pay for a structured path.
4. Encode
Encode is built around about 15 minutes a day. It mixes quizzes with a built-in editor where you write and run code in Python, JavaScript, HTML and CSS or SQL, with streaks, hearts and a daily XP goal. The free version shows ads and uses hearts; Encode Plus is paid. Best for: complete beginners who only need the first steps in a few languages.
5. Fibu (formerly Programming Hero)
Programming Hero is now called Fibu. It teaches Python, JavaScript, HTML and CSS through game-style daily missions, with a playground for writing code inside the app, plus XP, streaks, leaderboards and weekly leagues, with “fuel” instead of hearts. The core daily missions are free; the rest is paid. Its Google Play listing is aimed at teens. Best for: teens who enjoy competing with other players.
6. Brilliant
Brilliant is best known for math. It also has Python, computer science and AI courses in which you write and run code, with an AI tutor, streaks, XP and weekly leagues. It’s less about learning a programming language for a job and more about understanding how code and logic work. The free tier is limited, and full access needs Premium. Best for: learners who mainly want math and logic, with some code on the side.
Which app should you pick?
- You want real code, games and a path to a career in one app: Codr. Its 10 career paths put the courses in order for jobs like web developer, data analyst and game developer.
- You learn best by playing: Codr’s four coding games turn what you learn into levels and boss fights. For more ideas, see our list of coding games for beginners.
- You want C#, Java or C++ on your phone: Codr teaches all three, and you can build a whole platformer in C#. Not sure which language to start with? Our guide to the best programming language to learn first helps you pick by goal.
- You won’t pay anything, ever: Sololearn, Encode or Mimo’s Basic plan, if you can live with ads, hearts or locked features.
- You care most about math and logic: Brilliant.
Can you really learn to code the Duolingo way?
Yes, up to a point. Short daily sessions are a good way to build the habit and learn the basics, and our guide to practising coding every day shows how to make 10 to 20 minutes count.
But coding apps share Duolingo’s weak spot: you can keep a streak going without ever building anything. Once the basics feel easy, write small programs of your own. A Python number guessing game is a good first one. For bigger projects you’ll eventually want a computer too; our guide to learning to code on your phone covers what works on a phone and when to add a laptop. To get from your first lesson to your first project, follow our step-by-step guide to learning to code.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a free Duolingo for coding?
Some coding apps have free plans, but each comes with limits: ads, hearts that cap your mistakes, or features like code playgrounds and AI courses kept for paying users. Codr works differently: you get everything for 14 days with a free trial on the yearly plan, then it’s $59.99 a year or $9.99 a month.
Is there a Duolingo for Python?
Not from Duolingo. Codr teaches Python in short lessons where your code runs on your phone, and its Code Runner game has you program a cube through six worlds in Python. Sololearn, Mimo and Encode also teach Python.
Is there a Duolingo for C#, Java or C++?
Codr teaches all three on your phone, and in its GameForge game you build a whole platformer in C#. Sololearn covers them too. If you’re choosing between C# and C++ for games, read C# vs C++ for game development.
What happened to Grasshopper?
Grasshopper was Google’s free app for learning JavaScript, and older lists still recommend it. Google shut it down on June 15, 2023, so it’s no longer available.
Will Duolingo add coding?
Duolingo has said it wants to teach more than languages, and it has added math, music and chess. As of November 2026 it hasn’t announced a coding course.
