Babbel App Review: Learn a New Language Today

Technology has brought a lot of changes in how people do things. It makes almost all things easier for most of us, even learning a new language! Among the most popular language-learning apps, the Babbel app helps people speak the language they are interested in.

The quest on finding the ideal language learning app is not that easy. So, in this article, we will discuss what the Babbel app is, its amazing features, and some of its alternatives.

What Is the Babbel App?

Developed in 2007, Babbel is the world’s pioneer in online language learning. Babbel language learning app offers programs that are created by language experts and voiced by native speakers. It also offers interactive conversations that you can take part in as if you are talking with someone who knows the language very well. You can get to learn commonly used words, which will make you confident in participating in a short, simple conversation with fluent speakers.

The app does not focus on making abstract sentences, great vocabulary, or conforming to grammar rules. Instead, the learning is more on real-life dialogue, which helps you in conversing well with native speakers of the language you are learning.

How Does the Babbel App Work?

For first-time users, there will be a placement test to assess you. This will place you at the proper skill level. With that, the courses you will be taking will be more tailored to your current capabilities. And since the skill levels range from beginner to advanced, you can get personalized review sessions. You can also customize by how many minutes you are going to spend on learning. However, you have to remember that every course has different contents, and the price also varies.

Babbel offers bite-sized lessons lasting from ten to 15 minutes, which can fit your busy schedule. These lessons will get you familiar with words that are commonly used and help you learn new words. Throughout your learning journey, you can learn language by being able to complete and repeat phrases. You will hear dialogue and grammar instructions through concept explanations. Furthermore, there are short stories to help you be familiar with new words, and there are bits of fun facts about different cultures. There are also materials that you can customize according to the goals that you set, aside from being able to learn at your own pace.

The app provides a variety of ways on how you can practice tour new language. These include speech recognition, picture recognition or puzzles, spelling, index cards, dialogues, and fill in the blanks. This ensures that you will receive worthwhile learning. Also, the app focuses on giving you an effective way of learning and empowering you to be able to speak a new language.

Languages That You’ll Learn From Babbel

• Danish (DK)
• Dutch (NL)
• English (GBUS)
• French (FR)
• German (DE)
• Indonesian (ID)
• Italian (IT)
• Norwegian (NO)
• Polish (PL)
• Portuguese (BR)
• Russian (RU)
• Spanish (ESMX)
• Swedish (SE)
• Turkish (TR)

How to Get the Babbel App?

System Requirements

The app is accessible to different Android and iOS devices. However, there are minimum requirements. iOS devices should be running on iOS 9.0. For Android devices, the minimum operating system is Android 4.4.4.

The Babbel app may not be supported on rooted devices or those devices with custom ROM.

For Android users

For iOS users

Signing Up

After downloading and installing the app, you will need to sign up. Tap on Sign Up and select the language that you wish to learn. After that, click on “Next.” You will be asked why you need to learn the language. You can choose from the given options on tap on “Other” then tap on “Next.” After that, you will be asked how much you know about your chosen language and how much time you spend learning the language.

Tap on your age, and enter your name. Then, enter your email address and create a suitable password. Your account is now successfully created.

Is the Babbel App Free?

Babbel’s first language lesson is free. However, you need to upgrade to a paid subscription to have access to all courses for your preferred language.

• One month of subscription – $13.95 per month
• Three months – $9.95 per month or $29.85 for three months. This amount gives you a discount of 30%.
• Six months – $8.45 per month or $50.70 for six months. Save 40%.
• 12 months – $6.95 per month or $83.40 for 12 months. Save 50%.
• Lifetime subscription – This costs $199. This is half of the regular price, which is $399.

Payment Methods

Babbel accepts payment using a credit card, including Visa, Mastercard, American Express, and Discover. Also, it accepts PayPal for global payment.

Babbel App Features

14 Languages to Choose From

Babbel offers a vast selection of interactive courses for 14 languages that you can choose from. Languages are divided into subjects. For more depth learning and understanding, these subjects are subdivided into more specific courses, and each course deals with a particular feature of the chosen language.

Real-Life Conversations

With Babbel, you can get to learn vocabulary and grammar skills that you can use in everyday situations. The lessons cover day-to-day activities. These include travel, business, culture, directions, work, everyday life, and many others. In each module, you need to participate in a simulated conversation with native speakers about these topics. You can use the conversation in real life. With that, you will gain not only knowledge but also the confidence to exchange words with others.

Bite-Sized Lessons

You can complete all the lessons that Babbel offers in 10–15 minutes. With that, you can easily find the perfect time for your learning to take place as it can easily fit into your daily schedule. You can take a lesson when you are traveling, eating, or having a break from your work. So, when there’s an opening on your schedule, you can just grab your smartphone and spend a few minutes for one lesson, giving you a well-spent downtime.

Learning at Your Own Pace

You can set your schedule on when and where you will take your lesson. Also, as the app is ideal for both beginners and advanced learners, you can choose what you want to learn since the lessons are customized particularly to each language.

Interactive Exercises

The lessons cover four aspects of language learning, namely listening, writing, reading, and speaking, and the exercises are fully interactive. Also, there are essential tools that will help you identify and learn what you need to. You will be given well-rounded language practice with this app.

Courses Created by Language Experts

Babbel ensures that you get the learning that you deserve. With that, all the courses are carefully created by a team of language experts to help you on your learning journey. It considers your native language and provides specialized courses based on the specific language pairings. The language experts use effective learning methods. This is to make sure that you can apply your learnings even in the future.

Helpful Learning Tips and Tricks

The courses include helpful tricks and tips in your native language, which help make the learning process easier and make the concepts easy to understand. You will get to encounter concepts that are hard to explain, and these tips and tricks will guide you throughout the lesson and help you improve your language learning.

Speech Recognition Technology

Babbel app features sophisticated speech recognition technology. It helps you to improve your pronunciation and makes you sound like a native speaker. This is because this technology lets you rate and practice your pronunciation.

Easy-to-Understand Grammar Rules and Concepts

Babbel uses matching and sentence completion to help you easily understand grammar rules and concepts and be able to correctly use them. These rules and concepts provide explanations of why the words are used and how they are being used. There are also lessons about specific grammar rules for your easy understanding of different grammatical issues that you don’t understand. Also, there are a variety of exercises that will help you carry out the rules and concepts that you learned.

Review Feature

This feature helps you retain the knowledge that you acquired from the lessons. The courses reintroduce words and phrases now and then to make sure that you won’t forget them. There is this “Review Manager” where you can store all your materials for further practicing and improving what you have learned. This makes it possible that you retain what you have learned from a short time to a long-term knowledge and apply them whenever, wherever.

Also, this helps in boosting your confidence in speaking.

This feature offers additional exercises, which include Flashcards, Listening, Writing, and Speaking. For “Flashcards,” you can review by coming up with the words that you encountered and learned from the lessons. You can do the “Writing” exercises by doing the fill-in-the-blanks, and for “Speaking,” you can do the spoken-response exercises. For “Listening,” you have to select the matching English translation of the words that you hear.

Knowledge Levels

There are six knowledge levels wherein each corresponds to your knowledge of the words. Level 1 shows the introduction to a word, whereas the higher levels contain the words you are most familiar with.

Flexible Learning

Babbel syncs all your learning progress across your iOS and Android devices. This makes it easy for you to pick up where you left off. Also, you can download the lessons that you are interested in and learn them anywhere, anytime you want, even if you are offline.

Pros and Cons of Using the Babbel App

Babbel App vs. Other Language Learning Apps

Babbel vs. Duolingo

Babbel and Duolingo work almost the same. Both of them are learn-as-you-go language learning apps. While using both apps, you will notice that they have similarities with their features. They both provide built-in tools like word banks, matching pictures to words, grammar tips, translations, and explanations. Moreover, both apps offer a portable way of learning a language as both can be used on your smartphone. The lessons are also chunked into bite-size so you can complete a lesson for just 10 to 15 minutes. With that, both apps won’t take so much of your time.

Duolingo is an ideal app for learners who want to learn different languages, while Babbel is best for those who want to focus on one language. Babbel provides a more straightforward approach making it ideal for more serious learners and adults. On the other hand, Duolingo features cartoon characters and colorful looks which target younger learners. The gamified style that Duolingo features motivate learners, while Babbel’s real-life conversations make the learning more exciting to most. Duolingo is free to use, while Babbel is subscription-based.

Babbel vs. Rosetta Stone

Babbel app and Rosetta Stone are both subscription-based apps. It only means that you need to pay for a subscription to fully access the lessons of the language and use the apps longer. Both are learn-as-you-go language learning apps and won’t take much of your time and fit your schedule for their bite-sized lessons. Moreover, both of these apps sync offline with your devices. As for the learning process, both start and teach the basics of a language before building a solid base in understanding it. Besides, both of them are using speech recognition technology to help in your pronunciation.

Rosetta Stone covers more than 25 languages compared with Babbel, which covers only 14 languages. These apps are different in the ways of drilling vocabulary and expressions. This is because Rosetta Stone takes more time in covering more materials rather than Babbel, which covers them a bit faster. Babbel provides useful grammar tips and tricks, which help for a better understanding of the language, while Rosetta Stone does not. It only means that with Rosetta Stone, you will learn your target language through your effort.

Babbel vs. Busuu

Both apps focus on grammar and teach the basics of language at the beginning before building a solid base in understanding it. Also, both apps provide grammar and vocabulary practice, which makes it easier to understand the lessons. They both provide an impressive layout, and both are easy to navigate. As Babbel features real-life conversation, Busuu is more on gamified lessons that make it easier to be fluent in a specific language.

Babbel focuses more on grammar, while Busuu does not cover it that much. Busuu offers a wide range of exercises compared to Babbel, which is likely to have a lot of repetitions. As Babbel uses speech recognition technology, Busuu has a unique community wherein a native speaker gives feedback on your pronunciation. With that, Busuu not only provides language learning but socialization, too.

Learn a New Language With the Babbel App

If you are into learning a language that will make you confident in speaking right away, Babbel can be a useful app for you. You will learn phrases and vocabulary that we commonly use in real life. As it offers to learn to beginners or intermediate learners, you can be sure that you will get to learn what you want to.

Also, as you can use the app offline and the lessons are bite-sized, you can easily find a suitable time for you to learn a language. Moreover, if you are a fast learner, you can just spend a little amount of money on one language and a little more on another one. Trying the Babbel app can be a great decision if you want to be a fluent speaker of a language of your choice.