Babbel vs Michel Thomas Method: which to choose, and what each costs
Prices checked 13 Oct 2026; Babbel's on 6 Sept 2026 · How we check
Babbel if you want a course with lessons in order.
Michel Thomas Method if you want to learn by ear, away from a screen.
| Question | Babbel | Michel Thomas Method |
|---|---|---|
| A year costs | $107.40 a year for all 14 languages, or $17.99 month to month | From $11.99 |
| A lesson is | 10 to 15-minute lessons built on short dialogues, with grammar notes in English and speaking exercises. | Join a teacher and two students in a recorded class: when the teacher asks for a sentence, pause and say it before the students do. |
| Try it | The first lesson of every course is free. | A free lesson and booklet for every course after sign-up (no card), and the 1-hour Start course for $11.99. |
How a lesson works in each
Babbel: course app
Michel Thomas Method: audio course
Side by side
| Compare | Babbel | Michel Thomas Method |
|---|---|---|
| CEFR levels | A1 to C1 | — |
| A year costs | $107.40 a year for all 14 languages, or $17.99 month to month | From $11.99 |
| What it is | Course app: Short structured lessons with grammar notes and review sessions | Audio course: All-audio courses in which you learn alongside two students in a recorded class, bought once per course |
| Per month at annual billing | $8.95/mo ($107.40 a year) | — |
| Monthly plan | $17.99 | — |
| Lifetime plan | $299.99 once, all languages | $11.99 to $273 once, for one course or a bundle of courses in one language |
| Free tier | Free account; the first lesson of every course is free, and up to 80 free lessons depending on the language. | A free lesson and a free booklet for every course (sign-up needed, no card); the app that plays the courses is free. |
| Languages offered | 14 | 19 |
| Speech recognition | Yes | — |
| 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 | No |
| 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. | A refund or exchange within 14 days of buying, if you have not finished the course; the Start course is not refunded if you then buy Foundation. |
| Platforms | iOS, Android, Web | iOS, Android, Web |
| Company | Babbel GmbH (Lesson Nine GmbH), Germany | Hodder & Stoughton Limited (Hachette UK), United Kingdom |
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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.
Michel Thomas Method
Audio course
In our comparison: strongest on offline use, weakest on speaking practice.
From $11.99 Start course, paid once
All-audio courses in which you learn alongside two students in a recorded class, bought once per course. A refund or exchange within 14 days of buying, if you have not finished the course; the Start course is not refunded if you then buy Foundation.
Babbel is a course app and Michel Thomas Method is an audio course. Both teach French, Spanish, German, Italian and 7 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
Michel Thomas Method
Michel Thomas Method is an audio course: join a teacher and two students in a recorded class: when the teacher asks for a sentence, pause and say it before the students do.
You want to learn more than one language
Babbel
One plan covers all of Babbel's 14 languages: $107.40 a year, or $299.99 once. On Michel Thomas Method, each language is bought on its own.
You want to practise speaking
Babbel
Babbel: Speech recognition scores how you say words. Michel Thomas Method: You answer aloud to the recording, and nothing scores what you say.
Where they really differ
- Price: Babbel: $107.40 a year for all 14 languages, or $17.99 month to month. Michel Thomas Method: From $11.99.
- A lesson: Babbel: 10 to 15-minute lessons built on short dialogues, with grammar notes in English and speaking exercises. Michel Thomas Method: Join a teacher and two students in a recorded class: when the teacher asks for a sentence, pause and say it before the students do.
- A real person: Neither has live tutors.
- Levels: Babbel states CEFR levels A1 to C1. Michel Thomas Method doesn't state CEFR levels.
- Speaking: Babbel listens to you speak. Michel Thomas Method doesn't say whether it listens to you speak.
- Trying it: Babbel: The first lesson of every course is free. Michel Thomas Method: A free lesson and booklet for every course after sign-up (no card), and the 1-hour Start course for $11.99.
- 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 |
Michel Thomas Method
| Plan | Billing | Price | Per month | Covers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Start courseStart1-hour taster, the first hour of Foundation; bought once, then streamed online or downloaded to the free Library app. The same price in all 19 languages. | Lifetime | $11.99 | one-time | the Start course for one language |
| Language Builder courseLanguage Builder2-hour one-to-one seminar for improving beginners, after Foundation; bought once. The same price in each language; sold in Spanish, French, German and Italian. | Lifetime | $50 | one-time | the Language Builder course for one language |
| Vocabulary courseVocabularyPhase-2 vocabulary course with over 1,000 new words and phrases (about 600 for Egyptian Arabic); bought once. The same price in each language; sold in Spanish, French, German, Italian, Mandarin Chinese, Egyptian Arabic and Russian. | Lifetime | $75 | one-time | the Vocabulary course for one language |
| Insider's courseInsider'sPhase-2 high-intermediate conversation course; bought once. The same price in each language; sold in Spanish, French, German and Italian. | Lifetime | $75 | one-time | the Insider's course for one language |
| Intermediate courseIntermediateFollows Foundation (and Language Builder where offered); bought once. The same price in each language; sold in Spanish, French, German, Italian, European Portuguese, Mandarin Chinese, Japanese, Egyptian Arabic, Dutch, Polish, Greek and Russian. | Lifetime | $90 | one-time | the Intermediate course for one language |
| Foundation courseFoundationBeginner course (includes Start); bought once, then streamed online or downloaded to the free Library app. The same price in all 19 languages. | Lifetime | $100 | one-time | the Foundation course for one language |
| Two-course bundleFoundation and Intermediate for one language, bought once; the price already includes the stated 20% bundle discount. Sold in European Portuguese, Japanese, Dutch, Polish and Greek. | Lifetime | $152 | one-time | two courses for one language |
| Three-course bundleFoundation, Intermediate and Vocabulary for one language, bought once; the price already includes the stated 25% bundle discount. Sold in Mandarin Chinese, Egyptian Arabic and Russian. | Lifetime | $198.75 | one-time | three courses for one language |
| Five-course bundleFoundation, Language Builder, Intermediate, Vocabulary and Insider's for one language, bought once; the price already includes the stated 30% bundle discount. Sold in Spanish, French, German and Italian. | Lifetime | $273 | one-time | five courses for one language |
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 Michel Thomas Method?
Neither is better for every learner. Choose Babbel if you want a course with lessons in order, every language for one price, more speaking practice and a course that states its CEFR levels. Choose Michel Thomas Method if you want to learn by ear, away from a screen. In our comparison, Babbel is strongest on teaching depth, weakest on the free tier, and Michel Thomas Method strongest on offline use, weakest on speaking practice.
Which is cheaper, Babbel or Michel Thomas Method?
They are priced differently. On Babbel, a year costs $107.40 for all 14 languages. On Michel Thomas Method, you pay $11.99 to $273 once, for one course or a bundle of courses in one language.
Do Babbel and Michel Thomas Method teach the same languages?
Babbel lists 14 languages and Michel Thomas Method 19, each counting varieties its own way; 11 languages are taught by both. Each app's page here lists its languages, with a page for each language two or more apps teach.
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