# Yabla French vs Babbel

The clearest difference is rating: Babbel at 4.7 against Yabla French's 3.8. Babbel also leads on update cadence (every 5 days vs every 6 weeks) and ratings volume (757K vs 21). Yabla French's advantage is monetization model (free with in-app purchases vs subscription) and review sentiment (79% vs 44%). On price and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Yabla French sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $12.99 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.

Babbel holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 3.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Babbel has 757K ratings behind it against 21, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 79% of Yabla French's written reviews are positive against 44% of Babbel's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Yabla French ships an update every 6 weeks, Babbel every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 21, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Yabla French | Babbel |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [3.8 (21 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/yabla-french/id596409483/reviews) | **[4.7 (757K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/babbel-language-learning/id829587759/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 21 | **757K** |
| Positive reviews | **79.3% of reviews** | 44.1% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 6 weeks | **Every 5 days** |
| Monetization | **Free with in-app purchases** | Subscription |
| Best chart rank | — | **#17** |
| Size | 20 MB | 272 MB |
| Requires iOS | **13.0** | 17.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 12+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [Yabla](https://appshunter.io/developer/596409486) | [Babbel GmbH](https://appshunter.io/developer/357018535) |

## What reviewers say

### Yabla French

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/yabla-french/id596409483)

Learn a new language through authentic video content with interactive tools. Access a vast library of videos, integrated dictionaries, and educational games to improve fluency. Enjoy context-specific translations and practice at your own pace.

**Highlights:** Thousands of updated videos, Video player tools (slowplay, loop), Integrated dictionaries and subtitles, Educational games (fill in the blank, vocab review), Context-specific translations, Flashcard review (web app)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Yabla French | $12.99 | per month |
| 1 Month Subscription | $14.99 | one-time |
| 6 Month Subscription | $54.99 | one-time |
| 1 Year Subscription | $99.99 | one-time |


### Babbel

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/babbel-language-learning/id829587759)

**Currently charting:** #17 Top Grossing · Education, #45 Top Free · Education (US App Store)

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:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (12)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Mexican Spanish – 1-month plan | $17.99 | per month |
| Spanish 1 month | $17.99 | per month |
| French 1 month | $17.99 | per month |
| Italian 1 month | $17.99 | per month |
| Mexican Spanish - 1-month plan | $19.99 | per month |
| Mexican Spanish – 3-month plan | $45.99 | per 3 months |
| Learn French – 3-month plan | $45.99 | per 3 months |
| Learn Spanish – 3-month plan | $45.99 | per 3 months |
| All Languages – 3-month plan | $53.99 | per 3 months |
| Mexican Spanish – 1-year plan | $89.99 | per year |
| All Languages – 12-month plan | $107.99 | per year |
| All Languages – 12-month plan | $107.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Excellent structured learning
- 🚀 Effective vocabulary and grammar teaching
- 👍 Helpful pronunciation guides
- 👍 Engaging and practical lessons
- 👍 Useful review and repetition features

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 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

**Reported bugs**

- 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**

- 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


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Yabla French free?

Yabla French is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Babbel free?

Babbel is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Yabla French or Babbel?

Babbel is rated higher. Yabla French averages 3.8 out of 5 from 21 ratings, while Babbel averages 4.7 from 757K ratings.

### Do Yabla French or Babbel have ads?

Babbel shows ads; Yabla French does not.

### Which is updated more often, Yabla French or Babbel?

Yabla French ships an update every 6 weeks, and Babbel every 5 days. Most recently, Yabla French was updated on October 21, 2026 and Babbel on October 31, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*