LingQ | Learn Languages vs Babbel
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
LingQ | Learn Languages
Learn languages naturally by reading and listening to real content. Expand your vocabulary and improve comprehension with interactive tools and AI-powered features. Supports over 50 languages and offers a global community for support.
- Massive content library
- Import your own content
- Interactive reader with word definitions
- AI-powered learning tools
- Progress tracking
- Offline learning
- Community support and tutoring
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Experience Language Learning with LingQ — the natural and effective way to learn a new language. LingQ is a language learning app that lets you grow your vocabulary and improve comprehension through meaningful exposure to the language with real content. Follow your interests and enjoy an immersive learning experience in over 50 languages. Learn Spanish, English, Japanese, Korean, Italian, German, Portuguese, French, Chinese, Arabic, and other languages. Trusted by Learners Worldwide: ◆4.7 star rating from over 45000 reviews. ◆Featured in CBC, Men’s Health, La Vanguardia, El País. Designed for Real Language Learning LingQ uses an input-based approach: you learn languages by reading and listening to real, interesting content at your level. ◆ Massive Content Library: Thousands of lessons from podcasts, books, interviews, videos, articles, and more — all with matching text for easy listening and reading. ◆ Follow Topics You Enjoy: Choose content you love and progress naturally through immersion, not drills. ◆ Import Your Favorite Content: Turn Netflix, YouTube, podcasts, books, and articles into personalized lessons. ◆ Powerful Reader: An effective, optimized reader that tracks every word you encounter to boost your vocabulary. ◆ Interactive Learning: Listen, read along, tap words for instant definitions, and learn naturally as you go. ◆ Advanced Progress Tracking: Monitor your listening, reading, study time, and vocabulary growth. ◆ Learn Anytime, Anywhere: Study offline and sync your progress automatically. Learn whenever you want. AI Language Learning Tools • AI Audio Transcription: Turn podcasts and audiobooks into interactive lessons. • AI Voices: Make your lessons, reviews and chats more immersive with natural sounding text-to-speech voices. • Advanced Chatbot: Get detailed tutor responses and real-time web search with our advanced Lynx AI Chatbot. • AI-Simplified Lesson: Take advantage of more interesting content earlier on in your learning journey by generating simplified versions of lessons. Read and Listen with Interactive Tools • SRS vocabulary review for long-term retention; • Mini Stories that build a strong foundation at any level; • Grammar guides with clear, accessible explanations; • Audio playlists for hands-free listening; • Karaoke Mode to follow the text while listening; A Global Community to Support You • Writing Exchange for real corrections from native speakers; • Tutoring sessions tailored to your goals; • Community forum for questions, guidance, and motivation; • Challenges that help you stay consistent and build strong habits; Built by Language Learners LingQ was co-founded by Steve Kaufmann, a polyglot who learned more than 20 languages using this same natural approach. Learn Multiple Languages LingQ supports more than 50 languages, including Spanish, English, Japanese, Korean, Italian, German, Portuguese, French, Chinese, Arabic and more. Get LingQ Premium and Accelerate Your Learning • Unlimited vocabulary lookup and SRS review; • Comprehensive word tracking to boost your progress; • Unlimited content imports; • Access to AI features; Start learning from real content. Download LingQ and begin today. Feedback? Let us know. Send suggestions and feedback to iosapp@lingq.com. Terms of Service - https://www.lingq.com/terms/
Babbel
Master a new language with expert-designed, bite-sized lessons that fit your schedule. Build conversational confidence quickly through interactive practice and a smart review system. Learn Spanish, French, German, and more for travel, work, or fun.
- Bite-sized lessons
- Expert-built courses
- Interactive conversation practice
- Smart review system
- Grammar in context
- Offline mode
- Learn 14 languages
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Speak a new language with real-life conversations. Babbel is the award-winning language learning app with courses tailored to your native language, built by 200+ language experts and trusted by millions worldwide. Because lessons are built for speakers of your language, an English speaker learning Spanish gets different lessons than a French speaker does. You learn to speak, listen, and understand grammar in context, then practice real conversations with Babbel Speak, an AI conversation partner that gives you personalized feedback. Learn a new language faster with bite-sized lessons designed to fit your everyday life. With Babbel’s proven method, you could start having real conversations in as little as 3 weeks. Your language learning adventure starts with a lesson. WHY BABBEL WORKS • Tailored to your native language: Courses are created by language experts and tailored to your native language, so you learn naturally and efficiently. • Real-life conversations: Learn the language people actually speak, for travel, work, and everyday life. • Speak with confidence: Practice out loud with speech recognition and Babbel Speak, an AI conversation partner to improve your pronunciation. • Research-proven results: Efficacy backed by researchers at Yale University: 100% improved their oral proficiency in 3 months.* TRUSTED BY MILLIONS • 25 million subscriptions sold • 1.5 million 5-star ratings (based on App store ratings) • After 10 hours with Babbel, 96% of learners saw better test scores on grammar and vocabulary** BUILT FOR REAL LIFE • Short, effective lessons: Learn in as little as 10 minutes a day • Lessons for every motivation: Learn for travel, work, or fun • Listen, speak, write: Options for every learning style • Stress-free conversation practice: Build confidence with Guided Conversations, then practice freely with Babbel Speak (Beta) • Smart review system: Boosts learning and retention • Grammar in context: Clear explanations exactly when you need them • Offline mode: Download lessons and learn anywhere, anytime • 5,000+ courses: Over 60,000 lessons across all languages LEARN 14 LANGUAGES Spanish (Latin American or Spain), French, Italian, German, Portuguese, English (American or British), Russian, Polish, Turkish, Norwegian, Danish, Swedish, Dutch, and Indonesian. TRY BABBEL TODAY Download Babbel now and take a free lesson. SUBSCRIPTION DETAILS A subscription is required to access full courses for one language. Subscriptions renew automatically unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Payment will be charged to your Apple account. Available plans: • 1 month • 3 months • 6 months • 12 months Privacy policy: https://about.babbel.com/en/privacy/ Terms of use: https://about.babbel.com/en/terms/ LEARN MORE Read Babbel Magazine for tips and insights: https://www.babbel.com/en/magazine Follow us: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/babbelusa Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Babbel.usa CONTACT US Questions or feedback? Email: support-mobile@babbel.com *Based on a study conducted with Babbel users learning Spanish. Available at http://bit.ly/BabbelYale. **Based on a study conducted with Babbel users learning Spanish. Available: http://bit.ly/BabbelMSU.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is monetization model: LingQ | Learn Languages at free with in-app purchases against Babbel's subscription. LingQ | Learn Languages also leads on review sentiment (80% vs 44%) and ads (none vs shown). Babbel's advantage is ratings volume (754K vs 10K) and chart position (#8 vs #113). On price, rating, update cadence and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. LingQ | Learn Languages sells 12 in-app purchases, starting at $14.99 per month and Babbel sells 12 in-app purchases, starting at $17.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for LingQ | Learn Languages against 4.7 for Babbel. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Babbel has 754K ratings behind it against 10K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 80% of LingQ | Learn Languages's written reviews are positive against 44% of Babbel's.
LingQ | Learn Languages ships an update every 5 days, Babbel every 4 days. Both last shipped on September 24, 2026.
| Parameter | LingQ | Learn Languages | Babbel |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.7 (10K ratings) | 4.7 (754K ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 80.2% of reviews — better | 43.7% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 10K | 754K — better |
| Update frequency | Every 5 days | Every 4 days — better |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases — better | Subscription |
| Best chart rank | #113 | #8 — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 345 MB | 263 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 12+ |
| Developer | LingQ Languages Ltd | Babbel GmbH |
Customer experience
LingQ | Learn Languages
Babbel
User reviews
LingQ | Learn Languages
From 10K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Excellent for reading and listening practice
- 👍 Customizable content and learning experience
- 🚀 Efficient vocabulary acquisition
- 👍 Helpful for improving comprehension and fluency
- 👍 Engaging and enjoyable way to learn
Room to improve
- 🐛 Buggy app with sync and performance issues
- 💰 Expensive subscription model
- 🤔 Limited free version functionality
- 🤔 Confusing user interface and navigation
- 🤔 Inconsistent quality of translations and definitions
Babbel
From 754K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Excellent structured learning
- 🚀 Effective vocabulary and grammar teaching
- 👍 Helpful pronunciation guides
- 👍 Engaging and practical lessons
- 👍 Useful review and repetition features
Room to improve
- 🐛 Inconsistent voice recognition
- 🐛 Lack of flexibility in lesson progression
- 🐛 Confusing user interface and navigation
- 🐛 Overly strict scoring and lack of forgiveness for minor errors
- 🔋 Drains battery quickly
Bugs and requests
LingQ | Learn Languages
Reported bugs
4 issues- App crashes and freezes
- Sync issues between app and web version
- Incorrect translations and definitions
- Unreliable streak tracking and progress reporting
Requested features
5 requests- Improved user interface and navigation
- Better sync and performance across devices
- More content and language options
- Enhanced vocabulary management and review tools
- Affordable subscription plans
Babbel
Reported bugs
4 issues- Lessons sometimes freeze or crash the app
- Subscription cancellation process is overly complicated
- Inconsistent behavior when switching between languages
- Keyboard issues and inability to use system keyboard
Requested features
5 requests- Add more language options, especially Asian languages like Japanese, Korean, and Chinese
- Improve review and practice tools to better reinforce learned material
- Provide more customization options for lesson pacing and content
- Implement a more forgiving scoring system and allow users to revisit past lessons
- Add a dark mode and optimize the app for better readability
In-app purchases
LingQ | Learn Languages
- LingQ Premium (Monthly)7 Days trial$14.991 Month
- LingQ Premium (Monthly)$14.991 Month
- Premium Plus Monthly$29.991 Month
Show 9 moreShow fewer
- LingQ Premium (6 Months)7 Days trial$80.996 Months
- LingQ Premium (6 Months)$80.996 Months
- LingQ Premium$89.991 Year
- LingQ Premium$99.991 Year
- LingQ Premium$101.991 Year
- LingQ Premium2 variants$109.991 Year
- LingQ Premium (12 Months)7 Days trial$119.991 Year
- LingQ Premium (12 Months)$119.991 Year
- Premium Plus Yearly7 Days trial$269.991 Year
Babbel
- Mexican Spanish – 1-month plan$17.991 Month
- Spanish 1 month$17.991 Month
- French 1 month$17.991 Month
Show 9 moreShow fewer
- Italian 1 month$17.991 Month
- Mexican Spanish - 1-month plan$19.991 Month
- Mexican Spanish – 3-month plan$45.993 Months
- Learn French – 3-month plan$45.993 Months
- Learn Spanish – 3-month plan$45.993 Months
- All Languages – 3-month plan$53.993 Months
- Mexican Spanish – 1-year plan$89.991 Year
- All Languages – 12-month plan$107.991 Year
- All Languages – 12-month plan7 Days trial$107.991 Year
Questions
Is LingQ | Learn Languages free?
Is Babbel free?
Which has better reviews, LingQ | Learn Languages or Babbel?
Do LingQ | Learn Languages or Babbel have ads?
Which is updated more often, LingQ | Learn Languages or Babbel?
Which is more popular, LingQ | Learn Languages or Babbel?
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