I’ve been using Duolingo to casually learn French. I also used school method (setup classroom with one email id and enrolled using another) to avoid ads, limited hearts, and leaderboards.
However, Duolingo has started showing ads and limiting hearts since last month for me. I checked reddit and seems like they’ve been rolling out these changes since last 3 months or so.
So I’d like to know what are the alternatives available for Duolingo?
Busuu is worth looking into. Has some similar things to duo lingo like a streak and on the free version you will be served one as before each lesson.
That said however it will actually teach you properly how to use the language and the little exercises at the end of lessons are peer reviewed so other native speakers will assess what you write or speak and then say if it is correct and if not how you can change it / tips.
You can also do the same for people learning your native language and this connection to others learning I think is a great asset to the app.
There is a paid tier but unlike Duolingo with its shitty heart system you dont feel like it is forcing you to pay. There is no artificial limit to learning. If you get 5 things wrong it doesnt shut up shop for the day, you can keep learning, which is much better than Duolingos approach.