Babbel vs Duolingo: Which Is Better And Why

Learning a new language can be incredibly beneficial. Not only can it help you if you travel to a new country, but it’s a sensational skill that you can add to your resume. Plus, learning a new language will improve your memory.

Learning languages is easier than ever before thanks to language learning apps such as Duolingo and Babbel (see also ‘Is Babbel Better Than Rosetta Stone‘). This is because they allow you to learn a language at your own pace.

Babbel Vs Duolingo, which of these two apps is better? Let’s find out!

Feature	Babbel	Duolingo
Introduction	Online platform since 2008. Uses language experts to create courses.	Educational app since 2012, focuses on grammar, vocabulary, and pronunciation.
Symbol/Logo	🟠 (Represented by the color orange)	🦉 (Green owl symbolizing education and intelligence)
Lesson Quality	Emphasizes grammar and pronunciation. Suitable for beginners and moderate learners.	Good for beginners, but not comprehensive. Can be addictive but might not be ideal for mastery.
Number of Languages	14 languages including French, Italian, Spanish, and Polish.	Offers a wide variety including Scottish Gaelic, Latin, and Japanese. Also includes fictional languages like Klingon and High Valyrian.
Lesson Length	10 to 15 minutes.	5 to 10 minutes.
Price	4 membership levels with varying lengths. Can be expensive.	Free version with ads and a mistake cap. Paid version (Super Duolingo) available.
Flexibility	Allows users to choose their path, offering more customization.	Users must follow a specific order of modules, offering less customization.
Additional Features	Lacks extra features comparable to Duolingo.	Offers features like short stories, translation dictionary, and formerly forums for user connection.

What is Duolingo?

Duolingo is an educational app that enables users to learn languages. This education helps users to better understand the grammar and vocabulary of a language, as well as how to properly pronounce words. 

Created by Luis von Ahn and Severin Hacker, Duolingo (see also our guide to resetting Duolingo progress) has been available to the public since 2012. The app’s logo is a green owl, which symbolizes education and intelligence.

What is Babbel?

Babbel has been around since 2008. This online learning platform is a great tool to learn languages. This German-based company uses language experts to devise these courses. Many of these lessons will take just 10 minutes!

Babbel’s marketing is represented by the color orange. 

Which is Better: Duolingo or Babbel?

To determine which of these language learning apps is superior, we have broken down our review into some of the main features that language learning apps must have. This way, we can better compare Duolingo and Babbel.

Lesson Quality

Duolingo (see also ‘What To Do After Duolingo‘) also only puts a slight focus on grammar and pronunciation. Babbel, however, better emphasizes these elements of language learning.

Not to mention, these grammatical lessons are seamlessly integrated into Babbel’s lessons (see also ‘Is Babbel Worth It?‘). 

The only real advantage that Duolingo (see also ‘What Is The Highest League In Duolingo?‘) has over Babbel is that its lessons can be quite addictive. As a result, users will be more motivated to complete their language goals.

The issue with Duolingo is that while it is brilliant for beginners, it is not as comprehensive as other language learning tools. So if you wish to become a master of a new language, Duolingo may not be the ideal app.

In contrast, Babbel is not only suitable for beginners, but moderate learners too. Like Duolingo, it might not be sufficient for more experienced language learners.

If we had to pick a favorite, we would argue that Babbel’s lessons are of a higher quality than Duolingo’s lessons.

Number of Languages