Which Language App

Babbel

Course app: short structured lessons with grammar notes and review sessions.

Prices checked 17 Oct 2026; Babbel's on 6 Sept 2026 · How we check

Is Babbel worth it?

Our pick: Best for grammar explained.

Yes, if you want each grammar point explained in English as you meet it, in one of Babbel's 14 languages.

What it costs. A year costs $107.40 ($8.95 a month); month to month is $17.99 for one language; lifetime access is $299.99 once. Lifetime costs the same as 2.8 years of the yearly plan (1.9 years at the $199 sale price Babbel has offered).

What's free. The first lesson of every course is free, and up to 80 free lessons depending on the language.

Skip it if you want to stay free for good (only the first lessons are free), or your language is not one of its 14.

What learners rate it. 4.7 out of 5 from 755,567 ratings in Apple's US App Store and 4.6 from 1.1 million on Google Play, checked 11 Oct 2026.

What unhappy reviewers mention. Of the 204 one- and two-star reviews among the 500 most recent in Apple's US App Store, 69 mention the price, billing or the subscription; 18 lessons that are too easy, repetitive, boring or wrong; and 11 the use of AI. Read 15 Oct 2026; a review can mention several.

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Links to the app makers' own sites earn us nothing. Commissions never affect which apps we recommend. Affiliate disclosure and how the data is collected.

$107.40 a year $8.95 a month, billed yearly

In our comparison: strongest on teaching depth, weakest on the free tier.

Try Babbel free
All plans and prices
Check price on Amazon Amazon's price may differ.

Amazon offers a free 30-day Prime trial, with free delivery on eligible items. Try Prime free; a paid link, like the Amazon buttons.

Annual plan
$107.40 a year ($8.95/mo)
Monthly plan
$17.99
Lifetime plan
$299.99 once, all languages
Free tier
Free sample
Free account; the first lesson of every course is free, and up to 80 free lessons depending on the language.
Languages
14
Speech recognition
Yes
Live tutoring
No · Babbel Live is no longer available to individual consumers
Offline mode
Yes · Downloaded lessons, vocabulary review and podcasts in the mobile app
Placement test
Yes · Spanish, French, Italian and German
CEFR levels
A1 to C1 (Depends on the language: European Spanish reaches C1; some courses stop at A1.)
Refund or trial
Bought from Babbel in the US: no refund promised if you cancel early. Outside the US: 14 days to change your mind, less what you have used. App store purchases: the store's rules.
Platforms
iOS, Android, Web

How a Babbel lesson works

What you do
10 to 15-minute lessons built on short dialogues, with grammar notes in English and speaking exercises.
What comes back
Automatic: exercises are marked, and speech recognition scores how you say words. No person checks your work.
Not included
A live teacher.

How a lesson works in a course app

In a course app you read or hear a short dialogue, fill in the missing word, and a grammar note explains why. Drawn to explain the kind of app, not taken from any app's screens.

Speaking and feedback

Guided Conversations and Babbel Speak sit alongside lessons. Check which speaking features your course includes.

Before you choose

Choose the course for your target language and variety before paying; lesson availability varies between courses.

Grammar
Grammar Guide gives you explanations to consult alongside the course.
Review
Vocabulary review uses spaced repetition.
Course depth
For English speakers: European Spanish reaches C1; Mexican Spanish reaches B1. French, German and Italian have different course ceilings.

Plans and prices

Every consumer plan on Babbel's own pricing page or app-store listing, in US dollars unless marked. Per month is the plan price divided by its term. Each price is what the seller was charging on the day we checked it. When a plan was on sale, its regular price is shown under the sale price; a crossed-out figure that is only a comparison, such as a year at the monthly rate, is in the plan's note.

Plan Billing Price Per month Covers
12 monthsSold as "Save 50%" against $215.40, which is twelve months at the monthly price. Apple's US App Store sells the same plan for $107.99. Annual $107.40 $8.95/mo all languages
3-month plan (iOS in-app purchase)Apple's US App Store price for one language. Every 3 months $45.99 $15.33/mo one language
1-month plan (iOS in-app purchase)Apple's US App Store price for one language. Monthly $17.99 $17.99/mo one language
LifetimeBabbel sells Lifetime for less during sales: a Labor Day sale offered it for $199. Lifetime $299.99 one-time all languages

No price change recorded for Babbel; its prices were last confirmed 6 Sept 2026. Every price change we have recorded.

What will Babbel cost you?

The US-dollar prices each seller charges, without refunds.

Total billed over 12 months

$108.48 less on annual billing

Monthly plan $215.88

Annual plan $107.40

One yearly payment of $107.40.

What each plan covers. Monthly: one language. Yearly: all languages.

Babbel's monthly price · checked 17 Oct 2026
Babbel's yearly price · checked 6 Sept 2026

How lifetime and yearly plans compare across apps

Before subscribing, compare trial, cancellation and refund terms, including how purchases through an app store differ.

How to cancel Babbel, and how refunds work

A boxed or lifetime version is listed on Amazon; the button above links to it.

What Babbel says about itself

What Babbel says about itself
Feature What Babbel says
CEFR levels A1 to C1 (Depends on the language: European Spanish reaches C1; some courses stop at A1.)
What it is Structured course app with short lessons, grammar notes, review sessions and speech-recognition practice.
Languages offered 14: Danish, Dutch, English, French, German, Indonesian, Italian, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Swedish, Turkish
Free tier Free account; the first lesson of every course is free, and up to 80 free lessons depending on the language.
Platforms iOS, Android, Web
Offline mode Yes · Downloaded lessons, vocabulary review and podcasts in the mobile app
Speech recognition Yes
Live tutoring No · Babbel Live is no longer available to individual consumers
Placement test Yes · Spanish, French, Italian and German
Refund or trial Bought from Babbel in the US: no refund promised if you cancel early. Outside the US: 14 days to change your mind, less what you have used. App store purchases: the store's rules.
Company Babbel GmbH (Lesson Nine GmbH), Germany, founded 2007

How Babbel compares

Babbel is strongest on teaching depth, weakest on the free tier. Each criterion is scored out of 5 from what each app says about itself and from independent reviews, to compare apps that do the same job; it is not a review of the app. How we score.

Babbel features and ratings
Feature Score (of 5) Why
Teaching depth 4.5 Short structured lessons with grammar notes and review sessions; courses labelled A1 to C1
Speaking practice 2.7 Speech recognition scores your pronunciation
Language coverage 2.5 14 languages
Free tier 2 The first lessons are free, the rest is paid
Price per month 3.4 $107.40 a year $8.95 a month, billed yearly
Trial and refund 3 Refunds follow Apple's or Google's rules
Offline use 3 Works offline
Staying power and bugs 3 Mixed reports on staying power

Use the CEFR level guide to interpret the range above and compare published course levels.

Languages you can learn on Babbel

14 languages as listed by Babbel.

How far its courses go

As Babbel describes each course. A course's level is what its lessons cover, not a level you are promised.

Danish, Dutch, English, French, German, Indonesian, Italian, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Swedish, Turkish

Compare Babbel

More head-to-heads with Babbel:

References

Reviews by people who used it.

Wrong or out of date? Email us a link to Babbel's page that shows the right figure.