Unacademy CEO Gaurav Munjal recently shared his experience of using Duolingo to learn Spanish. Despite maintaining a 100-day streak on the app, he admitted he couldn’t speak or write even basic Spanish, which motivated him to create his own language-learning platform.
In posts shared on X (formerly Twitter), Munjal said, “A few months ago, I completed a 100-day streak on Duolingo for Spanish. Yet, I couldn’t form even simple sentences.”
He explained that this frustration led to the creation of Airlearn, a platform designed to truly help people learn languages. “That’s why we built Airlearn—a language-learning product that focuses on real learning, not just virtual rewards like streaks,” he said.
Munjal highlighted a major issue with Duolingo: its lack of focus on grammar basics. He believes this is why many users struggle to learn languages effectively, even with consistent practice.
“Duolingo oversimplifies the problem,” Munjal said. “It doesn’t teach grammar basics. It just makes you do exercises, assuming you’ll figure it out yourself.”
To address this, Airlearn emphasizes teaching grammar and cultural context from the start. Munjal shared screenshots of the app, showcasing how it introduces fundamental grammar concepts and cultural insights for a deeper learning experience.
User reviews also reflected this approach. One user praised Airlearn for explaining grammar and language culture before starting lessons, suggesting the app should be completely free. Another user, who had used Duolingo for a long time, said they found Airlearn to be a better alternative.
Earlier this month, Munjal revealed that Airlearn users completed over one million lessons in October. Most users are based in the United States, with Spanish and French being the most popular languages learned on the app.
