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

When downloading a language learning app, you will want one that has a broad selection of languages. This way, you can learn whatever languages you want. 

In this regard, Duolingo is the clear victor. Babbel only offers 14 different languages, including French, Italian, Spanish (see also ‘Are Portuguese and Spanish Similar?‘), and Polish. 

Meanwhile, Duolingo has a much wider assortment of languages, such as Scottish Gaelic, Latin, and Japanese.

The app even provides constructed languages from fiction, namely Klingon from Star Trek and High Valyrian from Game of Thrones. 

Lesson Length

Duolingo classes tend to be incredibly short. They tend to take only between 5 and 10 minutes to complete. In comparison, Babbel lessons are only a little longer, taking just 10 to 15 minutes.

We prefer the length of the Babbel lessons. Although the Duolingo sessions are so short that you can do multiple a day, they sometimes feel too short.

As a result, you can finish a lesson without feeling as though you have learned or achieved anything.

Meanwhile, the Babbel lessons are short enough that they are convenient but feel as though they contain more substance than the Duolingo lessons. 

Price

Babbel has 4 levels of membership, which gradually increase in price. These membership options cover different lengths of time, namely 1, 3, 6, or 12 months.

The longer you have your membership, the better value for money it is. However, Babbel is a little expensive.

Duolingo’s website has a fee option, which is a useful way of familiarizing oneself with a language without having to spend a fortune. While this is a major advantage of Duolingo over Babbel, the free version is a little frustrating.

This is because there are tons of advertisements, which can slow down your education and will prove quite distracting.

Not to mention, the free version of Duolingo also has a mistake review. Users can only make 10 mistakes within a sitting when using the free version. 

One can remove these problems by paying for Super Duolingo, formerly known as Duolingo Plus.

To us, this feature is ridiculous. After all, mistakes are a natural part of learning. Although we prefer Duolingo because of its free option, we wish that this version was less flawed.

Flexibility

One of the main reasons why learning apps are so popular is because they give the user extra flexibility. This way, people can learn whenever and wherever they want.

Babbel offers more flexibility than Duolingo. With Duolingo, users have to follow a regimented path of learning progression.

Modules must be taken in a specific order. Though this can benefit the user by teaching foundational skills first, it also reduces personalization.

 In contrast, Babbel permits users to choose their path, thus giving them the power to customize their learning experience.

So if there is a particular lesson or module that you wish to focus on first, Babbel provides this increased freedom.

Additional Features

When it comes to extra features, we cannot deny that Duolingo is the obvious winner. It offers many more features that can benefit users, such as fun short stories and a translation dictionary. 

Duolingo also used to provide forums, which allowed users to connect with one another.

Unfortunately, these forums have since been removed, which is a shame because they helped to establish a fantastic learning community.

Babbel doesn’t offer any extra features that one can compare to this. 

Final Thoughts 

Overall, we prefer Babbel to Duolingo. Though these apps are both beneficial, Babbel has the advantage. It offers a better learning experience.

Not to mention, you don’t have to deal with the annoying adverts or the mistake cap that users are subjected to when using the free version of Duolingo!