Rosetta Stone Classic (2024) vs Babbel
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Rosetta Stone Classic (2024)
Master a new language through an immersive, intuitive method that focuses on speaking with confidence. Personalized plans and instant pronunciation feedback help you learn effectively. Download lessons for offline access and sync your progress across devices.
- Personalized language learning plan
- Intuitive immersion method
- Instant pronunciation feedback
- Offline lesson downloads
- Extended learning exercises
- Cross-device progress syncing
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⏺ This app is only available for current Rosetta Stone Classic subscribers, and existing enterprise/education users. ⏺ New to Rosetta Stone? Check out Rosetta Stone Sapphire, the brand new Rosetta Stone experience! There, you can explore all of the latest features from the experts in language learning. Learning a language can be an experience that transforms your life. Over 25 years of language learning experience has taught Rosetta Stone one thing: everyone has the ability to learn to read, write, and speak a language with confidence. Try the Rosetta Stone app yourself for free. Many online language learning apps will promise that you can learn a language in just a few minutes a day. However, there is a significant difference between memorizing vocabulary lists and speaking a language with confidence. Learning a language is about more than just the words. One of the mistakes new language learners make is treating language as an object or an end goal instead of as an experience. Ditch the books, translator, and dictionary, and surround yourself with a language whenever, wherever with the Rosetta Stone mobile app. What are people saying about Rosetta Stone: • CNN Underscored - "There’s a good reason why the language learning app Rosetta Stone is the gros chien (that is, the big dog) of the apps we tested" • Mashable - "one of the OG language-learning services, known for its deep dive into accent pronunciation" • Popular Science - "super-smooth and intuitive, and the lessons neither feel too short so as to be forgettable nor too long so as to be a chore" • PC Mag - "reliable, accurate, and thorough" Rosetta Stone has taught millions of people new languages, and you’re next. From day one, you’ll: • Stay focused with a personalized language learning plan based on your motivation. • Learn a language intuitively using our proven immersion method. • Perfect your pronunciation with instantaneous feedback. • Download lessons to do everything offline. • Access different kinds of exercises with our Extended Learning features. • Sync progress across all your devices. • And never see an ad, ever. Choose from 24 languages: Arabic, Chinese (Mandarin), Dutch, English (American or British), Filipino (Tagalog), French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Hindi, Irish, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Persian (Farsi), Polish, Portuguese (Brazil), Russian, Spanish (Latin American or Spain), Swedish, Turkish, or Vietnamese. Enterprise and Education Learners • Unlimited use of Rosetta Stone's mobile app is available for existing Enterprise and Education Learners. • Features may vary for Enterprise and Education Learners. For questions or assistance, please visit http://support.rosettastone.com Learn a language today with Rosetta Stone. Learn Spanish (Latin American or Spain) Learn French Learn German Learn Italian Learn English (American or British) Learn Japanese Learn Korean Learn Chinese (Mandarin) Learn Arabic Learn Portuguese (Brazil) Learn Russian Learn Dutch Learn Filipino (Tagalog) Learn Greek Learn Hebrew Learn Hindi Learn Irish Learn Persian (Farsi) Learn Polish Learn Swedish Learn Turkish Learn Vietnamese For questions or assistance, please visit http://support.rosettastone.com
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 ads: Rosetta Stone Classic (2024) at none against Babbel's shown. Rosetta Stone Classic (2024) also leads on review sentiment (59% vs 44%). Babbel's advantage is update cadence (every 4 days vs monthly) and chart position (#8 vs #169). On price, rating, in-app purchases and monetization model 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. Rosetta Stone Classic (2024) sells 9 in-app purchases, starting at $44.99 per 3 months 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 — 4.8 for Rosetta Stone Classic (2024) against 4.7 for Babbel. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 238K and 754K respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 59% of Rosetta Stone Classic (2024)'s written reviews are positive against 44% of Babbel's.
Rosetta Stone Classic (2024) ships an update monthly, Babbel every 4 days. Both last shipped on September 24, 2026.
| Parameter | Rosetta Stone Classic (2024) | Babbel |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.8 (238K ratings) — better | 4.7 (754K ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 59.0% of reviews — better | 43.7% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 238K | 754K — better |
| Update frequency | Monthly | Every 4 days — better |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Subscription | Subscription |
| Best chart rank | #169 | #8 — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 — better | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 204 MB | 263 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | Rosetta Stone, Ltd. | Babbel GmbH |
Customer experience
Rosetta Stone Classic (2024)
Babbel
User reviews
Rosetta Stone Classic (2024)
From 238K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Efficient learning method
- 👍 Engaging visuals and audio
- 🚀 Rapid progress in language skills
- 👍 Helpful for pronunciation and speaking
- 👍 Useful for beginners and intermediate learners
Room to improve
- 🐛 Unreliable speech recognition
- 🐛 Buggy app with crashes and syncing issues
- 🔍 Lack of English translations and grammar explanations
- 💰 Expensive subscription model
- 🔍 Unclear lesson progression and navigation
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
Rosetta Stone Classic (2024)
Reported bugs
3 issues- Lessons marked as incomplete even after completion
- Audio playback issues and inconsistent performance
- Inability to reset progress or redo specific lessons
Requested features
5 requests- Ability to pause and review lessons
- Option to learn writing/reading in addition to speaking
- Improved speech recognition and feedback
- Better sync between app and desktop versions
- More language options and advanced content
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
Rosetta Stone Classic (2024)
- Spanish (Lat. Am.) – 3 Months$44.993 Months
- English (American) – 3 Months$44.993 Months
- French – 3 Months$44.993 Months
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- Spanish (Lat. Am.) – 3 Months$54.993 Months
- Spanish 12 Months Access3 Days trial$109.991 Year
- Unlimited Languages - 1 Year$109.991 Year
- Unlimited Languages - 1 Year3 Days trial$109.991 Year
- Spanish (Lat. Am.) – 12 Months$119.991 Year
- Spanish (Latin America) (5 Levels)$199.99
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 Rosetta Stone Classic (2024) free?
Is Babbel free?
Which has better reviews, Rosetta Stone Classic (2024) or Babbel?
Do Rosetta Stone Classic (2024) or Babbel have ads?
Which is updated more often, Rosetta Stone Classic (2024) or Babbel?
Which is more popular, Rosetta Stone Classic (2024) or Babbel?
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