Duolingo suits people who want a free, playful daily habit across 40+ languages, with chess, maths and music on the side. Babbel suits people who want structured courses built for their own native language and aimed at holding real conversations. If you want to try a language without committing, start with Duolingo; if you're learning for a trip or for work and want a course, start with Babbel.
These two get compared all the time, but they're built on different ideas: one turns learning into a game you come back to every day, the other builds each course around the language you already speak. I read Babbel's site and about page, Duolingo's about page and both App Store listings.
Babbel and Duolingo at a glance
| Babbel | Duolingo | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Not named (first lesson of every course is free) | Yes, every course is free |
| Languages | 14 | 40+ |
| Lesson style | Courses tailored to your native language, Beginner to Advanced | Game-like bite-sized lessons with leaderboards |
| Speaking practice | Babbel Speak AI partner (Beta) and Guided Conversations | Speaking, reading, listening and writing exercises |
| Beyond languages | Not stated | Chess, Math and Music courses |
| Offline | Download lessons | Not stated on the pages I read |
How Babbel builds its courses
Babbel's most useful detail is in its App Store listing: courses are tailored to your native language, so an English speaker learning Spanish gets different lessons from a French speaker learning Spanish. The grammar is explained in context, at the moment you need it, and the content comes from more than 200 language experts.
Lessons start at around 10 minutes a day and are aimed at travel, work and everyday chat, and if you're not sure of your level, Babbel's FAQ points you to a placement test before you begin. For speaking, there's speech recognition, Guided Conversations and Babbel Speak, an AI conversation partner that's still in beta. You can download lessons and keep going offline. Babbel's about page has a nice origin story, too: its four co-founders were building an online music platform in 2007 when a chat about learning languages took them in a new direction.
How Duolingo keeps you coming back
Duolingo calls itself the world's most downloaded education app, and its lessons are built like a game, with rewards, streaks and competitive leaderboards to keep the habit going. The range is wide: Spanish, French, Japanese and Korean, but also Irish, Welsh, Hawaiian, Scottish Gaelic, Latin and even High Valyrian.
It's no longer only languages. The same app now teaches chess, with matches and puzzles, maths built around school standards, and music with an on-screen keyboard, so the whole family can find something in it. Duolingo's about page also lists the Duolingo English Test, its English proficiency test, next to those courses, all under a mission to make education universally available.
Leaning towards Babbel? See how to try Babbel free.
What you get without upgrading
This is where they differ most. Duolingo's listing says every course is free, and its upgrade, Super Duolingo, removes ads and adds Unlimited Energy and Monthly Streak Repair, with 14 days to try it first.
Babbel lets you sign up free and try the first lesson of every course, and its help page says that depending on the language you'll get up to 80 free lessons. Beyond that, Babbel's listing says full courses need a plan, offered for 3, 6 or 12 months or for life.
A third option is full immersion, and the Rosetta Stone free trial covers it.
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Who each app suits
Duolingo suits curious beginners, families, and anyone who needs a game to make a daily habit stick. Babbel suits people with a clear goal, like a move abroad, a client in another country or a holiday they want to talk their way through. If you're interested in why Duolingo's owl is everywhere, I've written about Duolingo's marketing strategy, and these ways a new language can boost your career are worth a read before you pick.
My advice on Babbel or Duolingo
Give Duolingo a fortnight first, because it's free and it'll tell you quickly whether you'll keep showing up. If you find yourself wanting the grammar explained or more real conversation practice, try Babbel's free first lessons in the same language and see if the structure suits you. Plenty of people use both: Duolingo for the daily streak, Babbel for the course.
Do you make language learning apps? Tool makers can ask to be considered for a featured place in comparisons like this one.
Frequently asked questions
Is Duolingo free?
Yes. Duolingo's App Store listing says every course is free, and Super Duolingo is an optional upgrade with no ads.
How many languages does Babbel teach?
Babbel lists 14: Spanish, French, Italian, German, Portuguese, English, Russian, Polish, Turkish, Norwegian, Danish, Swedish, Dutch and Indonesian.
Can I use Babbel offline?
Yes. Babbel's listing says you can download lessons and learn anywhere.
Does Duolingo teach anything besides languages?
Yes. Duolingo now has Chess, Math and Music courses in the same app.
Who started Babbel?
Babbel says it was founded in 2007 by Thomas Holl, Markus Witte, Lorenz Heine and Toine Diepstraten.
