Duolingo and Babbel are two popular language learning companies, but which one is actually the best?
That's what we'll explore in this post today.
Read on to find out all the differences and similarities between the two companies, as well as my personal favourite for learning a language with in 2020.
NOTE: Black Friday Week 2020
Babbel is currently HEAVILY discounted as part of Black Friday and Cyber Monday week. This 55% discount is only available for a very limited time only.
I've seen more Babbel ads in inflight magazines than any other language learning product (even Rosetta Stone.)
And as for Duolingo, well, apart from billboards, banners, and web ads I also saw a themed taxi in London once!
(Duo is always watching…)
In this post I'm comparing the two services for their language learning effectiveness, but I also take a look at all the similarities and differences that I can think of.
The Most Important: Which is better for learning a foreign language?
While I have assembled a list of similiarites and differences in this post, we first need to address the elephant in the room when it comes to duolingo vs babbel.
Which is the better for actually learning a language with?
With Duolingo being free and Babbel being paid I believe that for all intents and purposes Duolingo should be your first stop.
Every Duolingo language has a lot of content and will definitely teach you a lot of the language.
It's not easy to answer, though, as they do have different styles and will suit different personalities differently.
My personal opinion: Duolingo wins (except for Spanish)
I don't think Babbel is worth paying for.
EXCEPT for their newer modern courses, like the Spanish course, which feature an exciting immersive, conversation-based approach where you get thrown into the deep end from lesson one.
The rest of their courses are, sadly, mediocre and definitely worse than Duolingo in most aspects.
Only redeeming factor is that Babbel uses voice actors for all their courses, while Duolingo uses text-to-speak for many of theirs.
(It's a great text-to-speak, but nonetheless.)
So, there you have it.
If you're learning Spanish, French, or German – use Babbel, otherwise stick to Duolingo it will do just fine.
Are you curious about the differences and similarities between Duolingo and Babbel? Read on!
Duolingo vs Babbel: Similarities
Spaced Repetition
Winner: Babbel
Both apps use spaced repetition as their primary learning method.
This means that you are reintroduced to earlier words, sentences, and constructions as you go along.
Babbel uses slightly more ‘real-life-examples' in their lessons (for some of their courses), where you are dumped into scenarios and dialogues whereas Duolingo is a little more fragmented.
All-device learning
Winner: Duolingo
although the vast majority (as many as 80%+) learn languages from their mobile device, both Duolingo and Babbel feature learning anywhere, including desktops.
I declare the overall Duolingo learning experience the best, however. Everything is just a bit more refined.
Common Languages (13)
Winner: Duolingo
Babbel offers 13 languages, while Duolingo offers a whopping 94 different languages.
Note that this counts different source languages as well. Learning English from Spanish, and learning English from Portuguese is counted as two different languages / courses.
It's worth adding here that you have to pay for EVERY language with Babbel, while Duolingo has unlimited free access to all their languages.
Gamification
Winner: Duolingo
Both methods utilise gamification elements, such as quizzing, streaks, and points-scoring.
