TOEFL vs Duolingo English Test in 2026: format, scores, cost, and which one to take
The TOEFL iBT 2026 and the Duolingo English Test side by side: length, tasks, how the scores compare, cost, who accepts each, and how to choose.
Updated 6 November 2026 · 8 min read
The short answer
Take the test your programme lists. If it accepts both, the Duolingo English Test is cheaper (US$70), shorter (about an hour, at home) and faster (results in 2 days); the TOEFL iBT 2026 is accepted by more institutions (13,500+ against 6,500+), takes about 90 minutes, and tests speaking and writing with full tasks. A Duolingo 120 corresponds to a TOEFL 4.5, a 130 to a 5, a 140 to a 5.5.
The two tests side by side
| TOEFL iBT (2026) | Duolingo English Test | |
|---|---|---|
| Length | About 90 minutes of timed work; allow 2 hours | About 1 hour: 5 min setup, 45 min scored, 10 min speaking and writing samples |
| Where | Test centre, or at home (Home Edition) | At home, no appointment |
| Sections | Reading, Listening, Writing, Speaking, in that order, 12 task types | One adaptive sequence mixing question types, then unscored speaking and writing samples |
| Adaptive | Reading and Listening have two parts; the second is easier or harder | The whole test adapts question by question |
| Score | 1 to 6 in half bands, per section and overall; CEFR level; a comparable 0–120 score for two years | 10 to 160 in steps of 5, overall and four subscores (Speaking, Writing, Reading, Listening) |
| Results | 3 days after the test | Usually within 2 days |
| Fee | Set by country; in most countries well over twice the Duolingo fee | US$70 |
| Accepted by | 13,500+ institutions in 160+ countries | 6,500+ institutions |
| Valid for | 2 years | 2 years |
Sources: ETS's test-taker pages and 2026 specification; Duolingo's scores and applicants pages and its 2026 readiness guide, checked on 6 November 2026.
How the scores compare
Duolingo publishes a concordance between its scores and the TOEFL's old 0–120 total, built from people who took both tests. ETS publishes the mapping from 0–120 totals to the 2026 bands. Put together, they give the band a Duolingo score corresponds to. Duolingo's own advice on the new scale is exactly this: read its 0–120 figure through ETS's guidance.
| Duolingo | TOEFL 0–120 (Duolingo's table) | TOEFL 2026 band (ETS's table) | CEFR |
|---|---|---|---|
| 160 | 120 | 6 | C2 |
| 150–155 | 117–119 | 6 | C2 |
| 145 | 113–116 | 5.5 to 6 | C1 to C2 |
| 140 | 109–112 | 5.5 | C1 |
| 135 | 104–108 | 5 to 5.5 | C1 |
| 130 | 98–103 | 5 | C1 |
| 125 | 93–97 | 4.5 to 5 | B2 to C1 |
| 120 | 87–92 | 4.5 | B2 |
| 115 | 82–86 | 4 to 4.5 | B2 |
| 110 | 76–81 | 4 | B2 |
| 105 | 70–75 | 3.5 to 4 | B1 to B2 |
| 100 | 65–69 | 3.5 | B1 |
| 90 | 53–58 | 3 to 3.5 | B1 |
Where a Duolingo score spans two bands, the TOEFL range crosses one of ETS's cut-offs (86, 95, 107, 114). A programme that asks for "TOEFL 5 or Duolingo 125" is being slightly kinder on the Duolingo side; one that asks for "TOEFL 5 or Duolingo 130" is asking for the same level twice. Both tables are group averages, not predictions for one person: Duolingo says so itself, and so does ETS.
What each test asks you to do
The difference that decides most choices is speaking and writing.
TOEFL gives you full tasks with real time limits: four interview questions answered aloud, seven sentences to repeat, an email to write, a reply in an academic discussion, ten sentences to build. Every answer is scored, and the score report shows a band for each of the four skills. If a programme cares about your spoken English, this is the test that measures it directly.
Duolingo mixes short items (fill the missing letters, pick the real English words, read aloud, describe a picture, listen and type) in one adaptive run, then records speaking and writing samples that go to the institution unscored. Its subscores come from the adaptive items. The test is efficient and hard to prepare for in the usual way, because it is short on long tasks.
Neither is "easier". Duolingo's adaptive sequence gets harder as you do well, so a strong candidate meets hard items quickly; TOEFL's tasks are longer and the clock is tighter. People who find one easier usually find it easier because its format suits them: quick, varied items, or sustained reading, listening and speaking.
Which one should you take?
- Open your programme's page. If only one test is listed, the choice is made. If both are listed, note the scores they ask for and compare them in the table above; sometimes one requirement is a band lower than the other.
- Check beyond admissions. Scholarship offices, visa rules and professional bodies keep their own lists, and these change. The TOEFL's wider acceptance is the main reason to pay more for it.
- Count the time. If the deadline is next week, Duolingo's two-day results decide it. TOEFL scores take three days, plus the wait for a test date.
- Think about the skill you are weakest in. A strong speaker with slower reading often does better on TOEFL, where Speaking is a quarter of the overall band. A fast reader who freezes when speaking often does better on Duolingo.
- Take a scored mock before you pay for either. A TOEFL 2026 mock takes 90 minutes and gives you a band for each section; if the band meets your requirement, book the TOEFL and keep the wider acceptance. If it does not, you know the gap, and whether it is in a skill Duolingo weighs less.
Is the TOEFL harder than Duolingo?
It is longer and its tasks are bigger. Duolingo's items are short but adapt upward, so it is not easy at the top. For most candidates the honest answer is that the TOEFL is harder to sit and the Duolingo is harder to prepare for.
Which is better, Duolingo or TOEFL?
For acceptance, the TOEFL: twice as many institutions, and it is the test admissions offices have used for decades. For cost, speed and convenience, Duolingo. For showing a programme how well you speak and write, the TOEFL, because every speaking and writing answer is scored.
What Duolingo score is equivalent to a TOEFL score?
Use the table above. The quick version: Duolingo 120 is a TOEFL 4.5, 130 is a 5, 140 is a 5.5, 150 and above is a 6. On the old TOEFL scale, Duolingo 120 is 87–92 and 130 is 98–103.
What does 140 on Duolingo equal in TOEFL?
A TOEFL 0–120 total of 109 to 112, which is a 5.5 on the 2026 scale: CEFR C1, above most programmes' requirements.
Can I take both?
Yes, and some applicants do: Duolingo first for a quick result, the TOEFL later for programmes that need it. Scores from each test are valid for two years, and nothing stops you submitting whichever one a programme accepts.
Find out your TOEFL band before you choose
The cheapest way to settle this choice is to know your TOEFL band now. Skorway's free mock is the full 2026 test, all four sections with the real timers, scored within minutes: a band per section, an overall band, and every Speaking and Writing answer marked up. If the band meets your programme's requirement, you can book the TOEFL with the wider acceptance and skip the second test; if it does not, you know the exact gap before you spend anything. No credit card.
Checked against ETS's and Duolingo's own pages on 6 November 2026. TOEFL® is a registered trademark of ETS. Duolingo English Test is a trademark of Duolingo, Inc. Skorway is not endorsed by or affiliated with either.