Babbel vs Glossika: which to choose, and what each costs
Prices checked 6 Oct 2026; Babbel's on 6 Sept 2026 · How we check
Babbel if you want a course with lessons in order.
Glossika if you want to learn by ear, away from a screen.
| Question | Babbel | Glossika |
|---|---|---|
| A year costs | $107.40 a year for all 14 languages, or $17.99 month to month | About $199 a year for one language, or $19.99 month to month |
| A lesson is | 10 to 15-minute lessons built on short dialogues, with grammar notes in English and speaking exercises. | Listen to whole sentences and repeat them aloud, with spaced review and little explanation. |
| Try it | The first lesson of every course is free. | 7-day full access with no credit card, plus a permanent Freemium tier covering nine minoritized languages. |
How a lesson works in each
Babbel: course app
Glossika: audio course
Side by side
| Compare | Babbel | Glossika |
|---|---|---|
| CEFR levels | A1 to C1 | A1 to C1 (by course) |
| A year costs | $107.40 a year for all 14 languages, or $17.99 month to month | About $199 a year for one language, or $19.99 month to month |
| What it is | Course app: Short structured lessons with grammar notes and review sessions | Audio course: Sentence-pattern audio drills with spaced repetition |
| Per month at annual billing | $8.95/mo ($107.40 a year) | $16.58/mo (— a year) |
| Monthly plan | $17.99 | $19.99 for one language, $39.99 for all its languages |
| Lifetime plan | $299.99 once, all languages | No lifetime plan |
| Free tier | Free account; the first lesson of every course is free, and up to 80 free lessons depending on the language. | 7-day full access with no credit card, plus a permanent Freemium tier covering nine minoritized languages |
| Languages offered | 14 | 63 |
| Speech recognition | Yes | No |
| Live tutoring | No · Babbel Live is no longer available to individual consumers | No |
| Offline mode | Yes · Downloaded lessons, vocabulary review and podcasts in the mobile app | Yes |
| Placement test | Yes · Spanish, French, Italian and German | Yes |
| 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. | 7-day free trial with no credit card; monthly payments are non-refundable, annual plans refundable pro rata within 60 days of purchase |
| Platforms | iOS, Android, Web | iOS, Android, Web |
| Company | Babbel GmbH (Lesson Nine GmbH), Germany | Glossika Pte. Ltd., Singapore |
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$107.40 a year $8.95 a month, billed yearly$17.99 on the monthly plan
Short dialogues and grammar notes help you understand why a sentence works. Speaking exercises let you practise saying it aloud before you need it in conversation.
Glossika
Audio course
In our comparison: strongest on the number of languages and trial and refund terms, weakest on the free tier.
About $199 a year $16.58 a month, billed yearly · BasicMonthly plans: $19.99 for one language, $39.99 for all its languages
Sentence-pattern audio drills with spaced repetition. A 7-day free trial and a 60-day money-back guarantee.
Babbel is a course app and Glossika is an audio course. Both teach French, Spanish, German, Italian and 10 more languages.
Which to choose
You want a course with lessons in order
Babbel
Babbel is a course app: 10 to 15-minute lessons built on short dialogues, with grammar notes in English and speaking exercises.
You want to learn by ear, away from a screen
Glossika
Glossika is an audio course: listen to whole sentences and repeat them aloud, with spaced review and little explanation.
You want the smaller yearly bill
Babbel
A year of Babbel costs $107.40 for all 14 languages; a year of Glossika, about $199 for one language.
You would rather pay once than subscribe
Babbel
Babbel can be bought once and kept: $299.99 once, all languages. Glossika's paid plans are subscriptions.
Where they really differ
- Price: Babbel: $107.40 a year for all 14 languages, or $17.99 month to month. Glossika: About $199 a year for one language, or $19.99 month to month.
- A lesson: Babbel: 10 to 15-minute lessons built on short dialogues, with grammar notes in English and speaking exercises. Glossika: Listen to whole sentences and repeat them aloud, with spaced review and little explanation.
- A real person: Neither has live tutors.
- Levels: Babbel states CEFR levels A1 to C1. Glossika states a CEFR range for each course, up to C1.
- Speaking: Babbel listens to you speak. Glossika doesn't listen to you speak.
- Trying it: Babbel: The first lesson of every course is free. Glossika: 7-day full access with no credit card, plus a permanent Freemium tier covering nine minoritized languages.
- Both: Work offline.
Plans and prices
Babbel
| 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 |
Glossika
| Plan | Billing | Price | Per month | Covers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FreemiumFree for good in nine languages: Catalan, Gaelic, Hakka (Sixian), Hakka (Hailu), Kurdish (Sorani), Manx, Welsh, Taiwanese Taigi and Wenzhounese. | Other | $0 | $0/mo | 9 minoritized languages |
| Basic (billed annually)BasicGlossika states $16.58 a month on the yearly plan and doesn't print the year's total, which comes to about $199. | Annual | — | $16.58/mo | one language |
| Basic (monthly)Basic | Monthly | $19.99 | $19.99/mo | one language |
| Pro (billed annually)ProGlossika states $33.25 a month on the yearly plan and doesn't print the year's total, which comes to about $399. | Annual | — | $33.25/mo | all languages |
| Pro (monthly)Pro | Monthly | $39.99 | $39.99/mo | all languages |
What will Babbel cost you for the months you study?
Total billed over 12 months
$108.48 less on annual billingOne yearly payment of $107.40.
What each plan covers. Monthly: one language. Yearly: all languages.
Questions people ask
Is Babbel better than Glossika?
Neither is better for every learner. Choose Babbel if you want a course with lessons in order, the smaller yearly bill, to pay once rather than subscribe and more speaking practice. Choose Glossika if you want to learn by ear, away from a screen, a trial or money back and more languages to choose from. In our comparison, Babbel is strongest on teaching depth, weakest on the free tier, and Glossika strongest on the number of languages and trial and refund terms, weakest on the free tier.
Which is cheaper, Babbel or Glossika?
Babbel costs less by the year: $107.40 for all 14 languages, where a year of Glossika is about $199 for one language. Month to month, and with any lifetime plan, the plans tables above give both.
Do Babbel and Glossika teach the same languages?
Babbel lists 14 languages and Glossika 63, each counting varieties its own way; 14 languages are taught by both. Each app's page here lists its languages, with a page for each language two or more apps teach.