Nowadays, there is a Duolingo-style app for almost every niche.
Paladin is no exception. They built “Duolingo for History”.
We have seen how strong Duolingo alternatives can be in 2025.
Manna, for example, launched this year as the “Duolingo for Christians” and is already at $100K MRR.
They went viral with hooks like:
- You’re telling me they made a Duolingo for Christians?!! -> 26.6M views
Paladin has had a slower but steady path.
The app launched in September 2024 and just crossed $50K MRR and 40K monthly downloads.
They are pretty much the only history app that feels like Duolingo, and they are already in the top 100 in the U.S. and most English speaking countries.
Paladin only needed three accounts to get there.
They run one account per platform, all branded @learnpaladin.
Together, these accounts have made 18.8M views.
Almost 90% of those views came from their TikTok account.
Their best performing video is a short, faceless clip titled:
“they made duolingo for history lovers” -> 4.8M views on May 30.
An AI commentary video with a similiar hook also performed well:
“They made Duolingo for history lovers” -> 2.4M views on January 28
They also went viral with an AI slideshow inspired by GTA V.
“I replaced scrolling with his addictive history game” -> 3M views on April 11
On Instagram, they went viral with quick history fun facts. There is no direct app promo there. It was most likely a way to build interest in the account first.
“Meet the hasburgs, the most powerful family in Europe” -> 1.1M views
“While this might look like a normal family portrait(…)” -> 720K views
Duolingo style apps are becoming a cheat code for niche MRR, and Paladin is a clear example. Choose a niche, give it the Duolingo treatment, and craft one viral line that makes people stop and think:
“Wait, they turned that into an app?”
All Paladin’s accounts are available on Shortimize:
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