Babbel vs ELSA Speak
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
ELSA Speak
This AI-powered English tutor helps you practice conversations, improve pronunciation, and build vocabulary for real-life scenarios like job interviews and presentations. It offers personalized learning paths and instant feedback to boost your speaking confidence.
- AI-powered English tutor
- Conversation practice
- Pronunciation training
- Grammar and vocabulary building
- Personalized learning paths
- Exam preparation (IELTS, TOEFL, TOEIC)
- Real-time feedback
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Meet ELSA - Your personal AI-powered English tutor. ELSA Speak is a leading AI-powered language coach designed to help professionals and learners speak English with confidence using our essential AI learning tools and custom learning pathways. If you are looking to learn English to help you engage in real-time speaking scenarios to practice job interviews, presentations, meetings, exam preparations, and more. Reinforce your skills with interactive AI-powered games that make learning engaging and effective. Learn English with 8,000+ lessons, and learn proper pronunciation, grammar, and vocabulary. Download the best AI-powered English learning app today and start your journey to confident English communication! ELSA SPEAK'S TRUSTED AI LANGUAGE LEARNING APP FEATURES: THE TOP SOLUTION FOR IMPROVING ENGLISH COMMUNICATION & PRONUNCIATION - Learn English with a Career-Specific Focus – Speak English and learn vocabulary that is tailored to your field - Utilize Speech Analyzer - Speak freely with instant detailed feedback. See what you missed and how to fix it. - Interview Coach - Start practicing today to sound sharp, calm, and confident for your next role. - Exam Preparation – Prepare for IELTS, TOEFL, TOEIC, EIKEN, CEFR, and more with targeted practice to boost fluency with Elsa’s AI English tutor. Available with ELSA Premium(*). PERSONALIZED LEARNING PATHS FOR ENGLISH PRACTICE - Customized Language Coach - Start learning English today using ELSA Speak’s AI conversation coach, pronunciation coach, and grammar coach. - Personalized language learning – Succeed in workplace interviews, presentations, meetings, client calls, and having daily conversations. - AI-Driven Conversations & Open-Ended Dialogues – AI gives you personalized language learning with realistic conversation practice. REAL-LIFE ENGLISH CONVERSATION PRACTICE - English Grammar & Study Vocabulary – AI-driven conversation helps you build a solid foundation in English grammar and vocabulary. Adaptive AI adjusts to your progress so you learn exactly what you need. - Improve English accent and fluency with role-plays, open-ended dialogues, and real-life scenarios. Leave language misunderstandings with English conversations behind. - Pronunciation Training – Conquer tricky sounds with each daily English practice. - Learn with Personalized English Study Sets – Save words, phrases, or sentences from lessons or create your own, explore and share sets - Accent Training - Learn English with accent choices: American, British, Australian, and more. INSTANT FEEDBACK & AI ENGLISH CONVERSATION COACH - Indepth Analysis & Progress Tracking – Monitor your improvement with data-driven insights showing your pace, hesitation, and grammar score. - Pronunciation & Word Stress Guidance from our AI English Coach – Receive real-time feedback to sound more natural as you speak English. ENGLISH TUTOR BENEFITS - Enhanced Global Collaboration: Bridge language gaps with international colleagues or friends. - Career Potential: Impress clients and colleagues with polished English communication. - Expand Your Network: Practice English, build relationships, and explore global opportunities. - Beyond English Pronunciation: Learn grammar, vocabulary, and communication techniques to succeed academically, personally, or professionally. --- (*) ELSA PREMIUM - Access all advanced features such as exam preparation and targeted courses. - Take your English skills to the next level and start for free with a 7-day trial. Yearly and Monthly Memberships are available. --- TRUSTED BY ENGLISH LEARNERS AND INDUSTRY EXPERTS: - Honorable Mention in the AI and Data category of Fast Company's 2020 World Changing Ideas Awards - Top 100 Influencers in State of EdTech Report by EdTech Digest 2020 - Mentioned by TechCrunch, Forbes, Mashable, VentureBeat, Yahoo, Salma Hayek, and more --- Connect With Us Email: support@elsanow.io Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is monetization model: ELSA Speak at free with in-app purchases against Babbel's subscription. ELSA Speak also leads on ads (none vs shown). Babbel's advantage is chart position (#7 vs #82) and ratings volume (754K vs 112K). On price, rating, update cadence and in-app purchases 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. Babbel sells 12 in-app purchases, starting at $17.99 per month and ELSA Speak sells 13 in-app purchases, starting at $19.99 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 4.8 for ELSA Speak. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Babbel has 754K ratings behind it against 112K, 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 34% of ELSA Speak's.
Babbel ships an update every 4 days, ELSA Speak weekly. Both last shipped on September 24, 2026.
| Parameter | Babbel | ELSA Speak |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.7 (754K ratings) | 4.8 (112K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 43.7% of reviews — better | 34.5% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 754K — better | 112K |
| Update frequency | Every 4 days — better | Weekly |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Subscription | Free with in-app purchases — better |
| Best chart rank | #7 — better | #82 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 16.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 263 MB | 278 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Babbel GmbH | Elsa Corp |
Customer experience
Babbel
ELSA Speak
User reviews
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
ELSA Speak
From 112K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Excellent for improving pronunciation
- 👍 Helpful feedback on pronunciation issues
- 💡 Covers a wide range of topics
- 🤖 Effective AI-powered speech recognition
Room to improve
- 🐛 Frequent app crashes and freezes
- 🔌 Slow loading times and connectivity issues
- 🤖 Inconsistent and unreliable scoring system
- 🇺🇸 Only supports American English accent
Bugs and 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
ELSA Speak
Reported bugs
4 issues- Microphone not working after phone calls
- Inability to add words to personal playlists
- Inconsistent behavior when repeating the same phrase
- Subscription issues and lack of clear cancellation process
Requested features
4 requests- Add support for British English accent
- Improve dictionary with more word meanings
- Provide option to switch between male and female voices
- Implement more structured learning path and progress tracking
In-app purchases
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
ELSA Speak
- Monthly$19.991 Month
- 3 months7 Days trial$39.993 Months
- 3 months Elsa Premium$47.993 Months
Show 10 moreShow fewer
- 3 months ELSA Premium7 Days trial$47.993 Months
- 3 months7 Days trial2 variants$52.003 Months
- 3 months$58.003 Months
- 1 year$71.001 Year
- One year Premium membership1 Year trial$99.991 Year
- 1 Year Elsa Premium7 Days trial$99.991 Year
- One year Premium1 Year trial$99.991 Year
- 1 Year ELSA Premium7 Days trial$99.991 Year
- 1 year7 Days trial$109.991 Year
- 1 year7 Days trial$129.991 Year
Questions
Is Babbel free?
Is ELSA Speak free?
Which has better reviews, Babbel or ELSA Speak?
Do Babbel or ELSA Speak have ads?
Which is updated more often, Babbel or ELSA Speak?
Which is more popular, Babbel or ELSA Speak?
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