Babbel vs Duolingo: Is Duolingo Better Than Babbel? (2025)

Duolingo and Babbel are two popular language-learning platforms with a huge user base.

Many similarities are between Babbel and Duolingo that make choosing between them difficult.  

With that in mind, we wrote a comparison guide explaining the differences, effectiveness, and pricing differences between these two learning apps.

Learning a new language is a huge task but made easier with a learning app. The most frustrating part is selecting the app.

Many users are left wondering which app will be perfect for them to learn the new language. 

Is Babbel better than Duolingo? In the battle of Babbel vs Duolingo, we compiled a list of some features that will help you choose the one that fulfills your criteria for the best learning app.

Without any further ado, let’s get started:

Babbel Overview

Babbel is a language-learning app built in 2007 and provides 14 languages. However, new users can try one lesson and then need to pay for more. 

Babbel has multiple learning levels — Newcomer, Beginner I, Beginner II, and Intermediate.

Also Read > How Much Does Babbel Cost?

Within these levels, some courses cover varied topics. The lessons in Babbel are longer and they teach things that people say in real life. 

Babbel’s lessons take between 10 and 20 minutes to complete. Each lesson has interactive drills and exercises and they systematically teach grammar.

They incorporate grammar content into the lessons themselves.  

The best is that Babbel users can skip ahead to intermediate lessons and even back to novice lessons.

If you buy a Babbel subscription, it will unlock all the lessons for your target language. 

Also Read > Babbel Black Friday Deals

Duolingo Overview

Duolingo is an online language-learning app that offers 40+ languages. Compared to Babbel, it is completely free and teaches lessons in a playful, gamified way.  

It makes learning fun with its gamified approach. Duolingo’s lessons are quite short and can be completed within five minutes.

Also Read > Duolingo Promo Codes

The app emphasizes more on memorizing and translating new sentences which helps you earn points and move up the levels. 

It also targets reading, writing, and grammar for all-around progress with challenges in the lessons to test how far you have come with your learning. 

It also has a Duolingo English Test accepted by many major institutions across the world.

Duolingo VS Babbel Cost

Duolingo has a free version and if you go for the premium version then Super Duolingo costs $84 for an annual subscription.

They also have a Duolingo Family Plan which costs $120 per year, or $10 per month. 

Babbel, on the other hand, doesn’t have a free model.

They have three different subscriptions a 3-month plan, a 6-month plan, and a 12-month plan, which range from around $6 to $12 per month.

Also Read > Best Duolingo Alternatives

If you wish to learn more languages on Babbel, you should opt for a lifetime plan costing around $300 which gives you access to all Babbel languages.

If you buy Babbel’s Lifetime Subscription during the Black Friday Sale, you can save up to 60% off.

Duolingo vs Babbel: Pros And Cons

Duolingo Pros

  • Offers a wider array of languages.
  • Exercises focus on speaking, writing, and listening.
  • Repeat exercises help emphasize specific lessons.
  • Recording exercises improve speaking skills.
  • You can also redo the exercises.

Duolingo Cons

  • Not enough focus on grammatical skills.
  • No focus on realistic scenarios.
  • No alphabetic teaching at the beginning.
  • The customer support team does not respond immediately.

Babbel Pros

  • Lesson exercises are engaging.
  • It has 10 to 15-minute lessons.,
  • Helpful instructional blurbs for beginners.
  • Live classes are available.
  • Challenging content.
  • Grammar explanations are precise.

Babbel  Cons

  • Lessons have less conversational practice.
  • The total amount of content varies by language.
  • No free version like Duolingo.

Conclusion

Overall, Duolingo and Babbel look very similar on the surface but looking at their features Babbel has many better options compared to Duolingo. 

However, Duolingo also stands high on the platform of language learning apps.

But choosing an app is a personal choice and you can decide with the help of the above differences we have shared between Babbel and Duolingo.

Team Lingoly

Our team of dedicated writers and language enthusiasts is committed to bringing you insightful content and expert advice to enhance your Duolingo experience. From language-learning tips to in-depth analyses of Duolingo courses, we're here to guide you on your journey to linguistic mastery. Join us as we explore the exciting world of languages together and unlock the doors to endless opportunities with Lingoly.io!

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