Duolingo’s Daily Active Users increased 23% year-over-year to 58.7 million during the second quarter of 2026 as product improvements pushed retention to a record level and the company’s social-media presence surpassed one billion organic impressions per quarter.
Paid subscribers increased 17% to 12.7 million, while Monthly Active Users reached 140.6 million, up 10%. Revenue increased 18% to $298.5 million and total bookings increased 8% to $289.1 million.
Management attributed accelerating user growth to product improvements, marketing and a one-time Streak Revival campaign. With product and marketing improvements expected to persist, Duolingo now expects year-over-year DAU growth to remain above the 20% level it previously guided to throughout the rest of 2026.
A key indicator is Duolingo’s Current User Retention Rate, which measures the proportion of current daily users who return the next day. That rate reached an all-time high of 84%, approximately one percentage point above last year.
Duolingo credits its Green Machine product-development process, through which teams test hundreds of app changes, measure their impact and scale the changes that improve retention, learning outcomes and monetization.
The company’s marketing engine is also reaching significant scale. Duolingo’s own social accounts now generate more than one billion organic impressions each quarter, while the company works with hundreds of creators globally. In China, Indonesia and India, roughly two-thirds of Duolingo’s social impressions are generated by influencers.
Duolingo has also tripled both the number of channels in its performance-marketing mix and its global creative output during the past year, although management said the vast majority of user growth remains organic.
Another engagement experiment produced unusually large participation. Duolingo’s Streak Revival campaign allowed eligible learners to restore their longest-ever streak after completing three lessons. 15.4 million learners revived streaks, including nearly 8 million users who had no active streak when the campaign began.
AI is becoming more deeply integrated into the learning experience. Most new Super Duolingo subscribers now have access to Video Call, the company’s conversational practice feature, with existing Super subscribers expected to gain access later in 2026. Duolingo said AI is helping it provide higher-quality learning at scale.
At the same time, AI cost efficiencies helped Q2 gross margin reach 72.6%, ahead of management’s approximately 71% expectation. Adjusted EBITDA was $77.3 million, representing a 25.9% margin, while free cash flow totaled $78.6 million.
Duolingo raised its full-year Adjusted EBITDA margin outlook by nearly one percentage point to approximately 26.5%. The company expects 2026 revenue of approximately $1.207 billion, bookings of $1.285 billion and Adjusted EBITDA of about $320 million.
KEY QUOTES:
“A better product creates more engaged users, which ultimately helps us build a larger and more durable business.”
“Every decision we make is guided by our mission to develop the best education in the world and make it universally available.”
Luis von Ahn, CEO and Co-Founder of Duolingo
