Babbel vs Rosetta Stone: two paid courses, two methods
Prices checked 17 Oct 2026; Babbel's on 6 Sept 2026 · How we check
Babbel if you want the grammar explained at the lower price.
Rosetta Stone if you want immersion, a tutor option and a money-back guarantee.
| Question | Babbel | Rosetta Stone |
|---|---|---|
| A year costs | $107.40 a year for all 14 languages, or $17.99 month to month | $159 a year for all 25 languages, 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. | Pictures and audio with no translation at all, and your pronunciation scored. |
| Try it | The first lesson of every course is free. | A 7-day free trial in the app, and a 14-day money-back guarantee when you buy on its site. |
| App Store rating, 10 Oct 2026 | 4.7 out of 5 from 755,567 ratings | 4.6 out of 5 from 1,918 ratings |
| Most mentioned in 1- and 2-star App Store reviews, 15 Oct 2026 | the price, billing or the subscription (69 of 204) | the price, billing or the subscription (34 of 73) |
| Google Play rating, 11 Oct 2026 | 4.6 out of 5 from 1.1 million ratings | 4.6 out of 5 from 406,024 ratings |
How a lesson works in each
Both are course apps, so a lesson has the same shape
Side by side
| Compare | Babbel | Rosetta Stone |
|---|---|---|
| CEFR levels | A1 to C1 | — |
| A year costs | $107.40 a year for all 14 languages, or $17.99 month to month | $159 a year for all 25 languages, or $19.99 month to month |
| What it is | Course app: Short structured lessons with grammar notes and review sessions | Course app: Immersion-style lessons without translation, with speech scoring |
| Per month at annual billing | $8.95/mo ($107.40 a year) | $13.25/mo ($159 a year) |
| Monthly plan | $17.99 | $19.99 |
| 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. | Free sample lessons on its site and a one-time 7-day free trial in the app; no lasting free plan. |
| Languages offered | 14 | 25 |
| Speech recognition | Yes | Yes |
| Live tutoring | No · Babbel Live is no longer available to individual consumers | Coaching sessions with a Rosetta Stone certified tutor. |
| Offline mode | Yes · Downloaded lessons, vocabulary review and podcasts in the mobile app | Yes |
| 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 one-time 7-day free trial in the app. Bought from Rosetta Stone: a 14-day money-back guarantee, refunded by its Memberships team by email or phone. App Store purchases go through Apple; a retailer's follow that retailer's policy. |
| Platforms | iOS, Android, Web | iOS, Android, Web |
| Company | Babbel GmbH (Lesson Nine GmbH), Germany | Rosetta Stone LLC (a division of IXL Learning) |
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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.
Amazon offers a free 30-day Prime trial, with free delivery on eligible items. Try Prime free; a paid link, like the Amazon buttons.
Rosetta Stone
Course app
In our comparison: strongest on trial and refund terms and the number of languages, weakest on the free tier.
$159 a year $13.25 a month, billed yearly$19.99 on the monthly plan
Immersion-style lessons without translation, with speech scoring. Live tutoring sold beside the app (Tutoring).
Choose Babbel if you like dialogues with grammar explained in English. Choose Rosetta Stone if you prefer pictures and immersion without translation. Try a lesson in each before choosing an annual plan; the teaching method matters more than a small monthly price difference.
Which to choose
You want grammar explained and a lower price
Babbel
Babbel's 12-month plan was $107.40 when checked, which is $8.95 a month for all 14 languages, against Rosetta Stone's yearly plan at $159, or $13.25 a month for 25 languages. Babbel's lessons explain the grammar in English as you go; Rosetta Stone's do not, by design. If you have been frustrated by an app that never told you why the verb changed, Babbel is the one that tells you.
You want immersion, a tutor option and a money-back guarantee
Rosetta Stone
Rosetta Stone sells live tutoring alongside the app and has a 14-day money-back guarantee; Babbel has neither, and no longer sells its live classes to individual learners. Both let you download lessons and study offline. If you want an exit in case the method does not suit you, Rosetta Stone's guarantee is the safer purchase.
You want one purchase and no renewals
Babbel Lifetime, with a caveat
Babbel lists a Lifetime plan at $299.99 (it has sold it for $199 in a sale), the same as 2.8 years of its yearly plan; Rosetta Stone's pricing page shows no lifetime plan. A lifetime plan is only cheap if you use it for years, so it suits someone learning a second and third language, not someone with one trip in mind.
You want to speak from the first week
Either: both have speech recognition
Both have speech recognition. Rosetta Stone adds tutoring for practice with a person. If speaking is the whole point, the tutoring product tips it to Rosetta Stone, or to a per-lesson marketplace where a tutor is the product.
Where they really differ
- Price: Babbel: $107.40 a year for all 14 languages, or $17.99 month to month. Rosetta Stone: $159 a year for all 25 languages, 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. Rosetta Stone: Pictures and audio with no translation at all, and your pronunciation scored.
- A real person: Babbel has no live tutors. Rosetta Stone sells live tutoring alongside the app.
- Levels: Babbel states CEFR levels A1 to C1. Rosetta Stone doesn't state CEFR levels.
- Trying it: Babbel: The first lesson of every course is free. Rosetta Stone: A 7-day free trial in the app, and a 14-day money-back guarantee when you buy on its site.
- 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 |
Rosetta Stone
| Plan | Billing | Price | Per month | Covers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| YearlyLabelled "Save 33%" against the monthly plan. | Annual | $159 | $13.25/mo | all languages |
| MonthlyAll 25 languages. | Monthly | $19.99 | $19.99/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
Which is cheaper, Babbel or Rosetta Stone?
Babbel, when checked: $8.95 a month at annual billing ($107.40 a year) against Rosetta Stone's $13.25 a month at annual billing ($159 a year). Both figures come from the apps' own pricing pages.
Does Rosetta Stone teach grammar?
Its method is immersion without translation, and its pages do not describe grammar explanations in English. Babbel's lessons include grammar notes. That difference, not the price, is usually what decides between them.
Which one has a refund policy?
Rosetta Stone states a 14-day money-back guarantee. Babbel states no money-back guarantee on any of its pages; its free first lessons serve as the trial.
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