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Duolingo, Inc.: Q2 FY2026 earnings call

What management said about Q2 FY2026, from the documents filed with the SEC on 5 August 2026: press release, letter to shareholders. Guidance figures: 3 raised, 4 new, 3 kept. The quarter’s numbers.

Key takeaways

  • Daily active users grew 23%: DAUs averaged 58.7 million, up 23% year over year and up two points from Q1. MAUs reached 140.6 million, up 10%. Source
  • Revenue rose 18% to $298.5M: Revenue was $298.5 million, up 18%, or 17% in constant currency. Gross profit rose 19% to $216.7 million. Source
  • Retention rate hit all-time high: Current User Retention Rate reached 84%, about one point above last year. Management called it one of its most important leading indicators. Source
  • Gross margin ahead of expectation: Gross margin was 72.6%, up 20 basis points, and above the approximately 71.0% expected. Management cited measured AI feature expansion and AI cost efficiencies. Source
  • Adjusted EBITDA margin fell to 25.9%: Adjusted EBITDA was $77.3 million, a 25.9% margin versus 31.2% a year earlier. Management described the decline as a deliberate choice to invest in user growth. Source
  • Repurchases reached $44.4M in Q2: Under the $400 million program announced in February, about $44.4 million, or 432 thousand shares, was repurchased in Q2. Repurchases totaled $71.9 million through August 1, 2026. Source
  • Bookings and revenue targets kept: Management said it continues to manage to full-year bookings growth of 10-12% and revenue growth of 15-18%. Guidance is $1,285 million in bookings and $1,207 million in revenue. Source
  • Adjusted EBITDA margin guidance raised: Full-year Adjusted EBITDA margin guidance raised by nearly one point to about 26.5%, with Adjusted EBITDA of approximately $320.0 million. Source

“The results reinforce our strategy to improve the product and prioritize user growth.”

Luis von Ahn, Co-Founder and CEO

Guidance

AreaPeriodFigureAgainst last quarter
Bookings SourceQ3 2026$307M; 8.9% YoY growthNew
Bookings SourceFY 2026$1,285M; 10.9% YoY growthKept
Revenue SourceQ3 2026$302M; 11.1% YoY growthNew
Revenue SourceFY 2026$1,207M; 16.3% YoY growthKept
Adjusted EBITDA SourceQ3 2026$76M; 25.2% marginNew
Adjusted EBITDA margin SourceFY 2026approximately 26.5%; Adjusted EBITDA approximately $320.0MRaised
Gross margin SourceQ3 2026approximately 71.0%New
Gross margin SourceFY 2026approximately 71.6%Raised
Constant-currency growth SourceQ3 2026bookings 8.9%; revenue 11.1%
Constant-currency growth SourceFY 2026bookings 9.4%; revenue 14.9%
Stock-based compensation SourceFY 2026around 15.0% of revenue
Dilution from equity grants SourceFY 2026approximately 3.5-4.0%, before share repurchasesKept
Effective tax rate SourceFY 202623-25%
Daily active user growth Sourcerest of 2026above 20% year over yearRaised from 20%

What changed from last quarter

  • Guidance raised: Full-year Adjusted EBITDA margin guidance raised by nearly one point to about 26.5%. Source
  • Guidance kept: Topline guidance reaffirmed: bookings growth of 10-12% and revenue growth of 15-18% for the full year. Source
  • New guidance: Q3 2026 guidance provided for bookings, revenue, Adjusted EBITDA and gross margin. Source
  • Guidance raised: Full-year gross margin guidance of about 71.6% is better than the trajectory outlined on the Q1 call. Source
  • Guidance raised: DAU growth expected to stay above 20% for the rest of the year, above the previously guided 20%. Source
  • New: One-time Streak Revival event held in June, letting eligible learners restore their longest streak. Source

Results and growth drivers

  • Daily active users grew 23%: DAUs averaged 58.7 million, up 23% year over year and up two points from Q1. MAUs reached 140.6 million, up 10%. Source
  • Revenue rose 18% to $298.5M: Revenue was $298.5 million, up 18%, or 17% in constant currency. Gross profit rose 19% to $216.7 million. Source
  • Total bookings rose 8%: Total bookings were $289.1 million, up 8%, or 6% in constant currency. Source
  • Net income fell 26%: Net income was $33.2 million, down from $44.8 million a year earlier. Net cash from operating activities was $88.3 million. Source

Products and user retention

  • Retention rate hit all-time high: Current User Retention Rate reached 84%, about one point above last year. Management called it one of its most important leading indicators. Source
  • Streak Revival event reached 15.4M: A one-time June event let eligible learners restore their longest streak. 15.4 million revived streaks, including nearly 8 million users with no active streak. Source
  • Video Call reaches Super subscribers: Most new Super subscribers now have Video Call, the flagship conversational practice feature, which management said shows AI delivering learning at scale. Source
  • Longer free trials tested early: Longer free trials are a monetization step that does not add friction for free users. Management expects them to raise both revenue and DAUs. Source

“We are executing on the plan we laid out for 2026, with topline results for Q2 in line with our expectations and profitability tracking ahead.”

Gillian Munson, Chief Financial Officer

Marketing and reach

  • Creators extend social reach: Social accounts passed one billion organic impressions each quarter, and hundreds of creators now produce content. Influencer content is about two thirds of impressions in China, Indonesia and India. Source
  • Performance marketing expanded: Management said the company built a stronger team and a more disciplined model over the past year, and is seeing early top-of-funnel growth from performance marketing. Source
  • Most user growth still organic: Management said the vast majority of user growth continues to be organic, while performance marketing is still early. Source

Bookings, revenue and currency

  • Subscription revenue rose 22%: Subscription revenue was $258.0 million, up 22%. Advertising rose 2% to $21.1 million, and in-app purchases fell 23% to $8.0 million. Source
  • Bookings growth slowed from Q1: Management attributed slower bookings growth to a tough prior-year comparison, including the initial Energy rollout, a price increase and advertising outperformance. Source
  • Paid subscribers reached 12.7M: Paid subscribers at period end were 12.7 million, up 17% from 10.9 million a year earlier. Source

“Last quarter, we said it was too soon to know whether our strategy of teaching better and prioritizing user growth was working.”

Luis von Ahn, CEO and Co-Founder

Margins and costs

  • Gross margin ahead of expectation: Gross margin was 72.6%, up 20 basis points, and above the approximately 71.0% expected. Management cited measured AI feature expansion and AI cost efficiencies. Source
  • Adjusted EBITDA margin fell to 25.9%: Adjusted EBITDA was $77.3 million, a 25.9% margin versus 31.2% a year earlier. Management described the decline as a deliberate choice to invest in user growth. Source
  • Operating expenses rose sharply: GAAP operating expenses were $182.8 million versus $149.2 million. Non-GAAP operating expense rose to $141.9 million from $107.5 million. Source
  • Tax provision and diluted EPS: Provision for income taxes was $12.2 million versus $1.7 million. Diluted EPS was $0.66 versus $0.91. Source

Cash flow and capital returns

  • Free cash flow was $78.6M: Free cash flow was $78.6 million, a 26.3% margin, down from $86.3 million and 34.2%. Cash and short-term investments were about $1.3 billion at quarter end. Source
  • Property purchases rose sharply: Purchases of property and equipment were $6.9 million, up from $1.2 million a year earlier. Source
  • Repurchases reached $44.4M in Q2: Under the $400 million program announced in February, about $44.4 million, or 432 thousand shares, was repurchased in Q2. Repurchases totaled $71.9 million through August 1, 2026. Source
  • Repurchases offset recent dilution: Fully diluted shares were about 50.7 million at quarter end. Management said repurchases through August 1 represent nearly all 2024 and 2025 dilution. Source

Full-year and Q3 guidance

  • Bookings and revenue targets kept: Management said it continues to manage to full-year bookings growth of 10-12% and revenue growth of 15-18%. Guidance is $1,285 million in bookings and $1,207 million in revenue. Source
  • Adjusted EBITDA margin guidance raised: Full-year Adjusted EBITDA margin guidance raised by nearly one point to about 26.5%, with Adjusted EBITDA of approximately $320.0 million. Source
  • Q3 guidance provided for first time: Q3 guidance: bookings $307 million, revenue $302 million, Adjusted EBITDA $76 million at a 25.2% margin, and gross margin about 71.0%. Source
  • DAU growth guided above 20%: Management expects DAU growth for the rest of the year to stay above 20%, the level previously guided, because two of its three growth factors are permanent. Source
  • Stock comp and tax assumptions: Stock-based compensation is expected at about 15.0% of revenue in 2026. Equity-grant dilution is 3.5-4.0% before buybacks, and the effective tax rate is 23-25%. Source

Coming up, as management said on 5 August 2026

  • Video Call extends to Super subscribers: Management expects to extend Video Call access to existing Super subscribers later this year. Source
  • Continued dilution management: Management said it remains committed to managing dilution over the long term. Source

Figures management reported

FigureReported
Paid subscribers Source12.7M at period end, up 17%
Subscription revenue Source$258.0M, up 22%
Subscription bookings Source$250.3M, up 10%
Total bookings (billings measure) Source$289.1M, up 8%

Risks management discussed

  • Demand: Part of Q2 user growth came from a one-time event to revive lost streaks, which management listed as one of three factors. Source
  • External: Over half of bookings come from outside the US. Management estimates each 1% dollar move against its currency basket shifts H2 bookings by about $4 million. Source
  • Financial: Equity grants are expected to dilute shares by about 3.5-4.0% before buybacks, which management continues to monitor. Source

Earlier plans management reported on

  • Ahead: Q2 DAU growth was ahead of management's expectations and a step up from Q1. Source
  • Ahead: Management said Q2 gross margin was ahead of its expectation, and the full-year gross margin is better than the Q1 call trajectory. Source
  • On track: Management said Q2 topline was in line with expectations, and profitability was tracking ahead. Source

Other quarters

Summarised with AI from the documents the company filed with the SEC. Every point is checked against the filing before it is shown: management’s own words word for word, figures against the line or table row they come from. A point that fails the check is left out. Source opens the filing at that line.