Trying to choose between Babbel and Duolingo? You’re not alone. Both apps are popular for language learning, but they work in very different ways. Babbel focuses on structured lessons for real-life conversations, while Duolingo uses gamified exercises to make learning fun. Whether you’re building vocabulary, practicing pronunciation, or improving fluency without a speaking partner, each has its strengths. But which one fits your goals and learning style? Let’s compare them step by step, so you can stop guessing and start speaking your target language with confidence. Ready to find your perfect match? Let’s dive in!
Languages offered
Duolingo offers a total of 37 different languages. With some unconventional languages like Romanian, Scottish Gaelic, Swahili, Ukrainian, Welsh and many more, Duolingo offers a wide range of choices to its users. In Babbel, 14 languages are available which are developed by linguistics and professional languages teachers.
Using which is better?
Duolingo has a childish-design according to developers. However, this aspect is very likable to many users. In both Babbel and Duolingo, you can start using the app after downloading and making an account. Babbel allows a limited free trial where you can look at the outlook of the app and navigate through the program.Once you pay for the subscription, you can access all the materials in all the available languages.
In Duolingo, the directions after making the account are very clear and after asking for your preferences, the app proceeds with repetitive exercises. However, you might not be satisfied with the lack of grammar instructions. Through real-life conversational sentences, you will need to practice the exercises for your language course.
Pricing comparison
Both Babbel and Duolingo offer free use of the apps. However, Duolingo commits to providing free use of the language courses, whereas Babbel offers only a limited time for continuing the courses, and then you need to pay for subscription.
While in terms of price, Babbel’s pricing falls as a standard price for its features. With their cheapest subscription price, at $16.5, you can have access to the course materials of all the languages in the platform. On the other hand, Duolingo offers a paid membership that costs $12.99 per month called Duolingo Plus.
Duolingo wins in the price range as most of its features are available in the free version. But, Babbel guarantees money back if the user is not satisfied with the course program.
Pros of both Babbel and Duolingo
For Babbel, the engaging lessons are fun and fast-moving. Clear and concise instructions help the user follow the directions and navigate through the app. The daily lessons can be completed within 10-15 minutes, so even a person with a busy schedule can keep on learning effortlessly. The daily reviews help boost the user’s language retention.
Duolingo is impressive with its game-like language learning and offers a fun learning experience. One of the factors that makes it loved by its users is that, unlike Babbel, it is free and the free version is developed well to complete learning a language till the end. The exercise and practice drills ensure the extensive progress of the learner.
Drawbacks of both Babbel and Duolingo
Babbel is not ideal for advanced learners with its lack of materials. Unlike Duolingo, Babbel does not offer an extended free version of the language course.
What most might like about Duolingo is the reason for many to dislike it, which is the child-like graphics of the courses. It does not appear professional and does not have comprehensive materials like Babbel. Even if it is free, the ads and daily caps can be extremely bothersome to continue using Duolingo.
Final Thoughts
Which language app is better than the other, Babbel or Duolingo? Throughout the review, you might already take up some points to which one is better than the other.
With different advantages and drawbacks, Babbel wins with its overall better language learning program than Duolingo. You might be keen to use Duolingo with its free aspect, but overall, it is not a suitable app for learning a language and attaining proficiency.
So, I end the comparison guide with the final words that Babbel is the better choice if you want to sincerely achieve learning a new language by yourself.
