Comparison

Spanish Words vs Babbel

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Spanish Words

This tool helps beginners learn basic Spanish words through interactive matching and pronunciation exercises. It features a "touch mode" to hear native speaker audio for words and pictures, aiding word recognition and memory recall. The app is designed for elementary learners to build foundational vocabulary.

Highlights
  • Touch mode for audio pronunciation
  • Match words to pictures
  • 288 basic Spanish words
  • 16 themed word sets
  • Native speaker audio (male/female)
  • Progressive review and testing modes
Features
Read full description

Newly revised pocket edition based on feedback from some of our 125,000 users, this word recognition and language learning tool provides a new “touch” mode which allows new readers and language learners to simply touch pictures and words to hear native voices saying the common words in the game. In Touch Mode, users can press any word in any set, as often as they like, and hear the sounds for each word in a clear voice. Spanish 4 Beginners is a tool for beginning learners of the Spanish language. The Wordz Lianxi practice system provides a mechanism for reviewing, learning and testing your memory of 288 basic Spanish words. When used as part of Spanish language education, this simple “match the words to pictures” exercise helps to remember basic words in the Spanish Language. The system works by having the student match English to Spanish words and pictures, and for matching Spanish words to English words and pictures. The game includes 288 basic words in 16 sets. The 16 sets include a good mix of nouns, adjectives and verbs. Nouns are introduced with their respective definite articles to help English learners recognize noun genders. A good range of word groups are covered that will be useful to any beginning and elementary Spanish language learner. See the screen shots / preview movie below! The game includes a "touch mode" to become familiar with words and sounds, a review mode progress systematically through all the words in a given set, and a play mode to test memory for words in a set. All words are voiced with both male and female voice options. This app is designed to help with native speaker pronunciation and word recognition as part of a larger effort to learn a new language. Being able to hear a native speaker is critical to language development, as is the basic ability to recognize words. Word recognition can be especially difficult across the Indo-European (English, French, Spanish, Italian and German) and Sino-Tibetan (Chinese, Japanese and Korean) language divide. Similarly, the divide between tonal and non-tonal languages also complicates learning the ability to hear and speak a new kind of language. The app can also be useful for new language learners, first learning to read even in their own language, or to second language learners that do not have easy or frequent access to native speakers of their target language. This app is not designed as a general-purpose language learning too, but as an aide to these specific tasks.

About

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.

Highlights
  • Bite-sized lessons
  • Expert-built courses
  • Interactive conversation practice
  • Smart review system
  • Grammar in context
  • Offline mode
  • Learn 14 languages
Features
Read full description

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

Spanish Words4 screens
Babbel4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Babbel at Free against Spanish Words's $1.99. Babbel also leads on rating (4.7 vs 1.0) and update cadence (every 4 days vs every 13 months). Spanish Words's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 13) and ads (none vs shown). On device support 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Babbel is free to download; Spanish Words costs $1.99 up front. Babbel sells 12 in-app purchases, starting at $17.99 per month. Spanish Words asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Babbel holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 1.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Babbel has 754K ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 33% of Spanish Words's written reviews are positive against 44% of Babbel's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Spanish Words ships an update every 13 months, Babbel every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on June 4, 2026 and September 25, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard10 real differences · 1 level
Spanish Words versus Babbel: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSpanish WordsBabbel
Price$1.99Free — better
Rating1.0 (1 ratings)4.7 (754K ratings) — better
Positive reviews33.3% of reviews43.7% of reviews — better
Number of ratings1754K — better
Update frequencyEvery 13 monthsEvery 4 days — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaid — betterSubscription
Best chart rank—#8 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS13.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size153 MB263 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperCogWrite Learning Analytics LLCBabbel GmbH

Customer experience

Spanish Words

All ratings1 ratings
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%
Written reviews3 reviews
Positive33.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative66.7%

Babbel

All ratings753,872 ratings
Positive93.8%
Neutral3.8%
Negative2.5%
Written reviews2,638 reviews
Positive43.7%
Neutral13.9%
Negative42.3%

Bugs and requests

Spanish Words

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

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

None

Spanish Words

No in-app purchases

12 purchases

Babbel

Subscriptions12
  • Mexican Spanish – 1-month plan$17.991 Month
  • Spanish 1 month$17.991 Month
  • French 1 month$17.991 Month
Show 9 more
  • 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 Spanish Words free?
Spanish Words costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Babbel free?
Babbel is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Spanish Words or Babbel?
Babbel is rated higher. Spanish Words averages 1.0 out of 5 from 1 ratings, while Babbel averages 4.7 from 754K ratings.
Do Spanish Words or Babbel have ads?
Babbel shows ads; Spanish Words does not.
Which is updated more often, Spanish Words or Babbel?
Spanish Words ships an update every 13 months, and Babbel every 4 days. Most recently, Spanish Words was updated on June 4, 2026 and Babbel on September 25, 2026.

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