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Compare language-learning apps

Pick up to four apps and compare scores, features, pros, and cons.

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App	Duolingo	Babbel
Overall score	88	90
Tagline	The habit machine	Lessons written by actual linguists
Best for	Travel-ready basicsFamily conversation	Travel-ready basicsWork & businessConversation fluency
Use-case fit	6	8
Level fit & AI tutor	Beginner Intermediate Fluent AI tutor	Beginner Intermediate Fluent No AI tutor
Verdict	The best place to start and the worst place to finish. Use it to build a daily habit and a first thousand words, then graduate to something with real conversation.	If you want to actually understand the language rather than pattern-match your way through it, Babbel is the best-designed course app for European languages.
Pros	Free tier is genuinely usable — no other app comes close Streaks and daily goals build the habit that actually drives progress Max adds AI roleplay and per-answer explanations	Courses are built per language pair, not translated from one template Grammar is explained in plain language at the moment you need it Dialogues are realistic and immediately usable
Cons	Weak above intermediate — courses thin out fast at B2+ Sentences can be artificial and rarely teach connected speech Grammar is inferred rather than taught unless you pay for Max	Only 14 languages, all European plus Indonesian and Turkish No AI conversation partner in the core app Content runs out around upper-intermediate
Full review	Read review →	Read review →

Quick takeaway

Duolingo leads this comparison with an overall score of 88. It is strongest for Travel-ready basics and Family conversation. Babbel is the closest alternative at 90. Choose Duolingo if free tier is genuinely usable — no other app comes close; pick Babbel if courses are built per language pair, not translated from one template.