Babbel vs Rocket Languages: which to choose, and what each costs
Prices checked 12 Oct 2026; Babbel's on 6 Sept 2026 · How we check
Babbel if you want every language for one price.
Rocket Languages if you want a trial or money back.
| Question | Babbel | Rocket Languages |
|---|---|---|
| A year costs | $107.40 a year for all 14 languages, or $17.99 month to month | $149.95 once |
| A lesson is | 10 to 15-minute lessons built on short dialogues, with grammar notes in English and speaking exercises. | Audio lessons built on conversations, with language and culture lessons and voice-recognition drills alongside. |
| Try it | The first lesson of every course is free. | A free trial, then a 60-day money-back guarantee on purchases. |
| App Store rating, 10 Oct 2026 | 4.7 out of 5 from 755,567 ratings | 4.6 out of 5 from 2,472 ratings |
| Google Play rating, 11 Oct 2026 | 4.6 out of 5 from 1.1 million ratings | 4.7 out of 5 from 3,762 ratings |
How a lesson works in each
Both are course apps, so a lesson has the same shape
Side by side
| Compare | Babbel | Rocket Languages |
|---|---|---|
| CEFR levels | A1 to C1 | A1 to B2 (by course) |
| A year costs | $107.40 a year for all 14 languages, or $17.99 month to month | $149.95 once |
| What it is | Course app: Short structured lessons with grammar notes and review sessions | Course app: Audio lessons, language and culture lessons and voice-recognition practice, bought once per level |
| Per month at annual billing | $8.95/mo ($107.40 a year) | — |
| Monthly plan | $17.99 | — |
| Lifetime plan | $299.99 once, all languages | $99.95 to $449.85 once, for one language's course; the price depends on the language and how many levels you buy |
| Free tier | Free account; the first lesson of every course is free, and up to 80 free lessons depending on the language. | A free trial; the page does not say what it includes or for how long. |
| Languages offered | 14 | 13 |
| Speech recognition | Yes | 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 · audio lessons download in the app; voice recognition needs a connection |
| 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. | A free trial; 60-day money-back guarantee on purchases. |
| Platforms | iOS, Android, Web | iOS, Android, Web |
| Company | Babbel GmbH (Lesson Nine GmbH), Germany | Libros Media Limited |
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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.
Rocket Languages
Course app
In our comparison: strongest on teaching depth and trial and refund terms, weakest on the free tier.
$149.95 once one language's course or first level, in 11 of its 13 languages; American Sign Language and English $99.95
Audio lessons, language and culture lessons and voice-recognition practice, bought once per level. Speech recognition scores your pronunciation.
Babbel is a course app and Rocket Languages is one too. Both teach French, Spanish, German, Italian and 3 more languages.
Which to choose
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 Rocket Languages, each language is bought on its own.
You want a trial, or your money back if it doesn't suit you
Rocket Languages
Rocket Languages: A free trial; 60-day money-back guarantee on purchases. Babbel: 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.
Where they really differ
- Price: Babbel: $107.40 a year for all 14 languages, or $17.99 month to month. Rocket Languages: $149.95 once.
- A lesson: Babbel: 10 to 15-minute lessons built on short dialogues, with grammar notes in English and speaking exercises. Rocket Languages: Audio lessons built on conversations, with language and culture lessons and voice-recognition drills alongside.
- A real person: Neither has live tutors.
- Levels: Babbel states CEFR levels A1 to C1. Rocket Languages states a CEFR range for each course, up to B2.
- Trying it: Babbel: The first lesson of every course is free. Rocket Languages: A free trial, then a 60-day money-back guarantee on purchases.
- Both: Listen to you speak and 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 |
Rocket Languages
| Plan | Billing | Price | Per month | Covers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rocket Sign LanguageComplete courseOne-time payment with lifetime access; 96 hours of lesson time. | Lifetime | $99.95 | one-time | American Sign Language, beginner to intermediate |
| Rocket EnglishComplete courseOne-time payment with lifetime access; 132 hours of lesson time. | Lifetime | $99.95 | one-time | English, beginner to intermediate |
| Rocket Spanish Level 1Level 1One-time payment with lifetime access; 138 hours of lesson time. | Lifetime | $149.95 | one-time | Spanish, Level 1 |
| Rocket French Level 1Level 1One-time payment with lifetime access; 138 hours of lesson time. | Lifetime | $149.95 | one-time | French, Level 1 |
| Rocket Italian Level 1Level 1One-time payment with lifetime access; 134 hours of lesson time. | Lifetime | $149.95 | one-time | Italian, Level 1 |
| Rocket German Level 1Level 1One-time payment with lifetime access; 136 hours of lesson time. | Lifetime | $149.95 | one-time | German, Level 1 |
| Rocket Japanese Level 1Level 1One-time payment with lifetime access; 175 hours of lesson time. | Lifetime | $149.95 | one-time | Japanese, Level 1 |
| Rocket Chinese Level 1Level 1One-time payment with lifetime access; 156 hours of lesson time. | Lifetime | $149.95 | one-time | Chinese, Level 1 |
| Rocket KoreanComplete courseOne-time payment with lifetime access; 156 hours of lesson time. | Lifetime | $149.95 | one-time | Korean, beginner to intermediate |
| Rocket Russian Level 1Level 1One-time payment with lifetime access; 146 hours of lesson time. | Lifetime | $149.95 | one-time | Russian, Level 1 |
| Rocket ArabicComplete courseOne-time payment with lifetime access; 155 hours of lesson time. | Lifetime | $149.95 | one-time | Arabic, beginner to intermediate |
| Rocket HindiComplete courseOne-time payment with lifetime access; 151 hours of lesson time. | Lifetime | $149.95 | one-time | Hindi, beginner to intermediate |
| Rocket PortugueseComplete courseOne-time payment with lifetime access; 138 hours of lesson time. | Lifetime | $149.95 | one-time | Portuguese, beginner to intermediate |
| Rocket Spanish Levels 1 & 2Levels 1-2One-time payment with lifetime access; 260 hours of lesson time. | Lifetime | $299.90 | one-time | Spanish, Levels 1 and 2 |
| Rocket French Levels 1 & 2Levels 1-2One-time payment with lifetime access; 262 hours of lesson time. | Lifetime | $299.90 | one-time | French, Levels 1 and 2 |
| Rocket Italian Levels 1 & 2Levels 1-2One-time payment with lifetime access; 257 hours of lesson time. | Lifetime | $299.90 | one-time | Italian, Levels 1 and 2 |
| Rocket German Levels 1 & 2Levels 1-2One-time payment with lifetime access; 266 hours of lesson time. | Lifetime | $299.90 | one-time | German, Levels 1 and 2 |
| Rocket Japanese Levels 1 & 2Levels 1-2One-time payment with lifetime access; 314 hours of lesson time. | Lifetime | $299.90 | one-time | Japanese, Levels 1 and 2 |
| Rocket Chinese Levels 1 & 2Levels 1-2One-time payment with lifetime access; 304 hours of lesson time. | Lifetime | $299.90 | one-time | Chinese, Levels 1 and 2 |
| Rocket Russian Levels 1 & 2Levels 1-2One-time payment with lifetime access; 231 hours of lesson time. | Lifetime | $299.90 | one-time | Russian, Levels 1 and 2 |
| Rocket Spanish Levels 1, 2 & 3Levels 1-3One-time payment with lifetime access; 382 hours of lesson time. A 6-month payment plan is also offered. | Lifetime | $449.85 | one-time | Spanish, Levels 1 to 3 |
| Rocket French Levels 1, 2 & 3Levels 1-3One-time payment with lifetime access; 385 hours of lesson time. A 6-month payment plan is also offered. | Lifetime | $449.85 | one-time | French, Levels 1 to 3 |
| Rocket Italian Levels 1, 2 & 3Levels 1-3One-time payment with lifetime access; 374 hours of lesson time. A 6-month payment plan is also offered. | Lifetime | $449.85 | one-time | Italian, Levels 1 to 3 |
| Rocket German Levels 1, 2 & 3Levels 1-3One-time payment with lifetime access; 389 hours of lesson time. A 6-month payment plan is also offered. | Lifetime | $449.85 | one-time | German, Levels 1 to 3 |
| Rocket Japanese Levels 1, 2 & 3Levels 1-3One-time payment with lifetime access; 451 hours of lesson time. A 6-month payment plan is also offered. | Lifetime | $449.85 | one-time | Japanese, Levels 1 to 3 |
| Rocket Chinese Levels 1, 2 & 3Levels 1-3One-time payment with lifetime access; 451 hours of lesson time. A 6-month payment plan is also offered. | Lifetime | $449.85 | one-time | Chinese, Levels 1 to 3 |
| Rocket Russian Levels 1, 2 & 3Levels 1-3One-time payment with lifetime access; 312 hours of lesson time. A 6-month payment plan is also offered. | Lifetime | $449.85 | one-time | Russian, Levels 1 to 3 |
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 Rocket Languages?
Neither is better for every learner. Choose Babbel if you want every language for one price. Choose Rocket Languages if you want a trial or money back. In our comparison, Babbel is strongest on teaching depth, weakest on the free tier, and Rocket Languages strongest on teaching depth and trial and refund terms, weakest on the free tier.
Which is cheaper, Babbel or Rocket Languages?
They are priced differently. On Babbel, a year costs $107.40 for all 14 languages. On Rocket Languages, you pay $99.95 to $449.85 once, for one language's course; the price depends on the language and how many levels you buy.
Do Babbel and Rocket Languages teach the same languages?
Babbel lists 14 languages and Rocket Languages 13, each counting varieties its own way; 7 languages are taught by both. Each app's page here lists its languages, with a page for each language two or more apps teach.