Comparison

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

Words

Master English and German with engaging exercises and personalized training. Learn new words in just 20 minutes a day, track your progress, and study offline or on the go.

Highlights
  • 10 unique exercises
  • Ready-made & custom lessons
  • Built-in dictionary
  • Accurate pronunciations
  • Smart learning algorithm
  • Offline mode
  • Hands-free mode
Features
Read full description

Words - Your Ultimate Language Learning Companion! TOP App of 2014 and Best New App (April 2014) With over 10 years of experience, we've created an app that is motivational, easy to use, and built for your success. Do you want to master a new language quickly and confidently? Trusted by over 3.000.000 users, Words is your best choice for learning English and German. Why Words is the best app: - 10 Unique Exercises: Master specific skills with short and fun lessons. - Ready-made & Custom Lessons: Learn with expert-created lessons or make your own. - Built-In Dictionary & Examples: Get instant translations and see word usage. - Accurate Pronunciations for all words and examples. - Smart Learning Algorithm: Personalised training for faster learning. - Achievements & Statistics: Track progress, earn rewards and stay motivated. - Hands-Free Mode: Learn on the go while shopping, walking, or commuting. - Offline Mode: Study anywhere, even without the internet. - iCloud Sync: Learn across all your devices. - Unlock Your Potential in Just 20 Minutes a Day. Make the most of your free time with Words. Learn new words only 20 minutes a day and boost your language fluency. Improve your language skills. Engaging exercises make learning feel like play. Each session targets skills like listening, spelling, and speaking, while our smart algorithm helps you practice tricky words until you master them. Earn points, win rewards, and see your progress grow! Thematic Blocks. Tailor your learning to what's most relevant right now, from people, food, and health to nature, clothing, and money and many more. Superfood for Your Brain. Join millions of users who are improving their language skills and building strong learning habits. Words is your fastest path to a language fluency. Subscription Information The subscription renews automatically unless auto-renewal is turned off 24 hours before the end of the current period. Manage your subscription or turn off auto-renewal in your iTunes account settings. Any unused portion of a free trial period is forfeited upon purchasing a subscription. Support: support@ulilab.com Site: https://ulilab.com Privacy policy: https://ulilab.com/privacy Terms of use: https://ulilab.com/terms

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

Words4 screens
Babbel4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is monetization model: Words at free with in-app purchases against Babbel's subscription. Words also leads on ads (none vs shown). Babbel's advantage is update cadence (every 4 days vs every 2 months) and ratings volume (754K vs 1.1K). On price, review sentiment, in-app purchases and 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

Both are free to download. Words sells 12 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per 7 days 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.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Babbel holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Babbel has 754K ratings behind it against 1.1K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 50% of Words'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.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Words ships an update every 2 months, Babbel every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on September 22, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
Words versus Babbel: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterWordsBabbel
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (1.1K ratings)4.7 (754K ratings) — better
Positive reviews49.8% of reviews — better43.7% of reviews
Number of ratings1.1K754K — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 4 days — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases — betterSubscription
Best chart rank#7 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.117.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size103 MB263 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperAndrey LebedevBabbel GmbH

Customer experience

Words

All ratings1,073 ratings
Positive87.9%
Neutral4.0%
Negative8.1%
Written reviews241 reviews
Positive49.8%
Neutral7.5%
Negative42.7%

Babbel

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

User reviews

Words

From 1.1K App Store ratings

What we love

  • ⭐️ Highly effective vocabulary learning app
  • 👍 Engaging and varied learning techniques
  • 💪 Impressive learning progress and results
  • 📚 Flexible and customizable learning experience

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Offline mode issues with premium features
  • 🗣 Outdated dictionary with many archaic words
  • 🖼️ Lack of image support for words
  • 🔍 Difficult to navigate and change settings

Babbel

From 754K App Store ratings

What 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

Words

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Premium features disappear during offline use
  • Inability to restore purchases after updates

Requested features

4 requests
  • Add image generation for all words
  • Improve offline mode functionality
  • Expand dictionary with more modern vocabulary
  • Enhance customization and personalization options

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

12 purchases

Words

Subscriptions11
  • Premium Plus3 Days trial$5.997 Days
  • Premium (English)$13.991 Month
  • Premium (English)$19.991 Year
Show 8 more
  • Premium Plus2 variants$24.991 Year
  • Premium (German)$39.991 Year
  • Premium (English)2 variants$39.993 Months
  • Premium Plus$47.991 Year
  • Premium (German)7 Days trial$79.991 Year
  • Premium (English)$79.991 Year
  • Premium (English)7 Days trial$79.991 Year
  • Premium Plus7 Days trial$95.991 Year
One-time1
  • Premium Plus$129.99
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 Words free?
Words 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, Words or Babbel?
Babbel is rated higher. Words averages 4.5 out of 5 from 1.1K ratings, while Babbel averages 4.7 from 754K ratings.
Do Words or Babbel have ads?
Babbel shows ads; Words does not.
Which is updated more often, Words or Babbel?
Words ships an update every 2 months, and Babbel every 4 days. Most recently, Words was updated on September 22, 2026 and Babbel on September 24, 2026.

Other comparisons