Babbel vs Duolingo: Is Babbel or Duolingo Better

“I’m trying to learn Spanish, and I’m stuck between either trying out Duolingo or Babbel… some of my friends told me Duolingo is good, others have told me Babbel is better.
Which do you guys think is better? Pros/cons? Which one would really help me learn Spanish?”

From Reddit user

There are so many apps dedicated to learning languages and many users feel hard to select one of them to start. Duolingo vs Babbel, which is better? What are they good and bad at? And which one is for you? Let’s have a look!

Babbel vs Duolingo

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Overview of Babbel vs Duolingo

The main differences between Babbel vs Duolingo are:

  • Babbel offers four subscription plans with monthly fees, whereas Duolingo offers a free version with ads and a monthly subscription without ads
  • Babbel offers lessons with conversational practice and culture, whereas Duolingo offers adaptive learning lessons.
Feature Babbel Duolingo
Price $12.95/month to $83.40/year Free (Plus 9.99$/mo)
Language options 14 languages available 31 languages available for English speakers
Difficulty Aimed at upper beginners (Easy – Medium) Aimed at beginners (Easy)
Interactive Medium Low-Medium
Focus Helps with beginner conversation phrases Grammar and vocabulary
Available on Mobile and Desktop Mobile and Desktop
Average iOS/Play Rating 4.7 4.5
The Best Attempts to mimic real world conversations. Gamification helps some people keep motivation
The Worst Less popular languages have fewer content Speaking is not trained

Babbel vs Duolingo: Duolingo Pros and Cons

Duolingo is probably the most popular platform for language learning. Many people love using Duolingo because it is entirely free and there are many languages to choose from. What made it truly popular, however, was the gamified learning process. Every lesson is a game and there are “levels” that you must pass to unlock more lessons. 

Most of us cannot persist on language learning. Duolingo’s Gamification will make it easier for you to open your app and start your lesson day by day.

Duolingo Pros Duolingo Cons
 Many different languages available Not meant for those with higher levels of fluency
Duolingo lessons adapt to your learning style Limited speaking practice
Gamification poured into every lesson Translating can be confusing
Free Grammar and writing systems are barely explained
Duolingo

Babbel vs Duolingo: Babbel Pros and Cons

Previously, we published a comprehensive Babbel review. It is another popular language learning app. Millions of people are learning languages with Babbel — the app built by language learning experts. 

Different from Duolingo, Babbel is a premium, subscription-based language learning app for web, iOS and Android. It seeks to give you the shortest path to real-life conversations, not generic textbook phrases. At present, it offers 14 different languages courses.

Babbel Pros Babbel Cons
Well-structured courses  Only 14 languages are available
10 to 15 minute bite-sized lessons Not highly engaging
Good for foundational vocabulary & grammar No content for upper intermediate and beyond
Offline mode supported Content quantity varies by language

Babbel

Babbel vs Duolingo: Popularity Comparison

Which is Better: Babbel or Duolingo?

Different apps fulfill the needs of different learners.

Duolingo is completely free, so this is great for those on a budget or those who do not want to spend any money. Plus, the gamified aspects of this platform will motivate you to learn every day. What I like Duolingo best is that there are so many languages to choose from. The better thing is that you don’t have to be a native English speaker to use this app. 

How about Babbel? Developed by over 100 linguistic experts, Babbel training is structured into easily digestible 10 to 15 minute lessons that can fit effortlessly into your schedule. Moreover, Babbel seeks to empower users to start speaking in new tongues. Lessons are divided into real-world topics which ensures that you can start having real, meaningful conversations as soon as possible.

So which is better, Babbel or Duolingo? Neither is better or worse in my opinion. Both have their pros and cons. However, if you are undecided for which one to go for, I suggest using Duolingo first to get your bearings and understand the complete basics of your chosen language. At least, Duolingo is free to start.

Lois
  • Lois
  • I'm Lois, the creator of Appreview360.com. I hope this website can help people easily discover useful apps and software. If you want to get your app in front of the right audience, you can contact us. Or if you want to introduce some cool apps to more people, you can write for us.

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