# Babbel vs Learn Russian

Babbel and Learn Russian both sit at 4.7 stars, but that hides the real split: 83% of Learn Russian's written reviews are positive against 44% of Babbel's. Learn Russian also leads on monetization model (free with in-app purchases vs subscription) and device support (4 vs 2). Babbel's advantage is update cadence (every 4 days vs every 5 months) and ratings volume (754K vs 309). On price, rating, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Babbel sells 12 in-app purchases, starting at $17.99 per month and Learn Russian sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 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 Babbel against 4.7 for Learn Russian. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Babbel has 754K ratings behind it against 309, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 44% of Babbel's written reviews are positive against 83% of Learn Russian's.

Babbel ships an update every 4 days, Learn Russian every 5 months. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 18, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Babbel | Learn Russian |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.7 (754K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/babbel-language-learning/id829587759/reviews) | [4.7 (309 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/learn-russian-privyet/id1002266189/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **754K** | 309 |
| Positive reviews | 43.7% of reviews | **82.6% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Every 4 days** | Every 5 months |
| Monetization | Subscription | **Free with in-app purchases** |
| Best chart rank | **#9** | — |
| Size | 263 MB | 236 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **12.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch** |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Babbel GmbH](https://appshunter.io/developer/357018535) | [Online Language Help](https://appshunter.io/developer/355913258) |

## What reviewers say

### Babbel

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

**Currently charting:** #9 Top Grossing · Education, #70 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


### Learn Russian

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/learn-russian-privyet/id1002266189)

This app offers an engaging way to learn Russian through interactive lessons and games. It covers essential vocabulary, phrases, and grammar for various real-life situations. Features include native speaker audio, adaptive quizzes, and progress tracking.

**Highlights:** 45 real-life situation lessons, 2000+ vocabulary words and phrases, Hangman and Concentration games, Native speaker audio for pronunciation, Adaptive multiple-choice quizzes, Verb conjugation trainer, Alphabet course

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Pangaea Passport | $2.99 | per month |
| Pangaea Passport | $9.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Great for beginners
- 👍 Effective for learning basics
- 👍 Helps memorize Cyrillic
- 👍 Good for brushing up
- 👍 Free lessons are good

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💰 Too much paid content
- 💰 Expensive for intermediate
- 💰 Difficult for beginners
- 💰 Disappointing, can't learn
- 💰 Not enough content

**Reported bugs**

- Cannot recover accounts
- Paid features not taking effect
- Apple Watch glitch
- Bar on top of screen hides accents/questions
- Two dots on ё hidden by screen bar

**Requested features**

- More intermediate content
- More advanced content
- Small test for placement
- More updates
- More themes/topics


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Babbel free?

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

### Is Learn Russian free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Babbel or Learn Russian?

Babbel and Learn Russian are both rated 4.7 out of 5 on the App Store, from 754K and 309 ratings respectively.

### Do Babbel or Learn Russian have ads?

Both Babbel and Learn Russian show ads.

### Which is updated more often, Babbel or Learn Russian?

Babbel ships an update every 4 days, and Learn Russian every 5 months. Most recently, Babbel was updated on September 24, 2026 and Learn Russian on September 18, 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.*