FreeLingo
A Duolingo-shaped course runner with CEFR lessons, voice exercises and spaced review; self-hosting is the price of unlimited use.
Technical Profile & Specs
verified 2026-08-10
- Cost
- $0 / forever (Open Source)
- License
- AGPL-3.0
- Hosting Model
- Local or hosted (your machine or their cloud)
- Platforms
- webself-hostedself-host, real ops
- Installation
- Use the hosted service, or run Docker Compose with PostgreSQL 16, Redis 7 and the configured AI/speech services
- Operational Setup
- Self-hosting needs Docker plus an Ollama model or API keys; production voice also needs HTTPS, WebSocket proxying and either GPU-backed local models or paid APIs
- Where Your Data Lives
- Self-hosted data in PostgreSQL, transient state in Redis, and generated/cached MP3 files; managed accounts live in FreeLingo's cloud
- The Catch / Trade-off
- FreeLingo's course quality, gamification, social features and editorial maturity are far behind Duolingo, while serious self-hosted voice practice requires substantial infrastructure.
Replaces 1 paid app
up to $12.99/mo ($156/yr) in subscriptions
FreeLingo FAQ
Common questions
Is FreeLingo free and open source?+
FreeLingo is an open-source tool licensed under AGPL-3.0 that runs on local or hosted. A Duolingo-shaped course runner with CEFR lessons, voice exercises and spaced review; self-hosting is the price of unlimited use.
What paid software does FreeLingo replace?+
FreeLingo serves as a free replacement for 1 paid SaaS application: Duolingo Super, saving up to $12.99/month ($156/year) in subscription bills.
How do you install and set up FreeLingo?+
Installation: Use the hosted service, or run Docker Compose with PostgreSQL 16, Redis 7 and the configured AI/speech services. Setup notes: Self-hosting needs Docker plus an Ollama model or API keys; production voice also needs HTTPS, WebSocket proxying and either GPU-backed local models or paid APIs
What is the catch or trade-off with FreeLingo?+
FreeLingo's course quality, gamification, social features and editorial maturity are far behind Duolingo, while serious self-hosted voice practice requires substantial infrastructure.