Comparison

Babbel vs DK Visual Dictionary (2017)

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

Head to head
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.

About

DK Visual Dictionary (2017)

This app provides audio for DK's Bilingual Visual Dictionaries, featuring over 7,000 spoken words and phrases per language by native speakers. It's organized thematically and allows users to tap words for pronunciation, save favorites, and use offline after downloading.

Highlights
  • 7,000+ spoken words/phrases per language
  • Native speaker audio
  • Thematic vocabulary organization
  • Tap to hear pronunciation
  • Offline access after download
  • Favorites list for saved words
Features
Read full description

DK Visual Dictionary App contains all the audio to accompany DK's Bilingual Visual Dictionaries. This DK Visual Dictionary app is the perfect companion to your visual dictionary. For each language, over 7,000 words and phrases are spoken in both English and the language of the title. All words are from the books and are spoken by native speakers. Simply download the free app, then use your copy of the book to fully access all the audio. This clear, comprehensive and easy-to-use app contains all the content from each Bilingual Visual Dictionary. Just like the book, the vocabulary is arranged thematically, with subjects including shopping, food and drink, study, work, travel and transport, health and appearance, sport and leisure, technology, and the home. Search for the page you want, tap on any word to listen to it being spoken, scroll up and down the word lists for each topic, and swipe left or right to go to the next or previous page. Perfect for study, work, and travel. Features: • Over 7,000 spoken words and phrases per title • UK and US English available • Save your most-used words to a Favorites list. Favorites can easily be added or deleted at any time • Audio can be removed from your device, and re-downloaded when required • After the audio has been downloaded, the app can be used offline • Buy more books and unlock more audio through a link in the app Developer note: For Ukrainian users learning English, please first set your device language to Ukrainian. For Hungarian users, please set your device to Magyar and search for and download the Képes Szótár app; this application is not compatible with the Hungarian dictionaries of Maxim Könyvkiadó.

Screenshots

Babbel4 screens
DK Visual Dictionary (2017)4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Babbel at 4.7 against DK Visual Dictionary (2017)'s 1.8. Babbel also leads on update cadence (every 4 days vs every 3 months) and ratings volume (754K vs 33). DK Visual Dictionary (2017)'s advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 13) and ads (none vs shown). On price 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. Babbel sells 12 in-app purchases, starting at $17.99 per month. DK Visual Dictionary (2017) asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Babbel holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 1.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Babbel has 754K ratings behind it against 33, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 44% of Babbel's written reviews are positive against 19% of DK Visual Dictionary (2017)'s.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Babbel ships an update every 4 days, DK Visual Dictionary (2017) every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and September 10, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard9 real differences · 2 level
Babbel versus DK Visual Dictionary (2017): the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBabbelDK Visual Dictionary (2017)
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (754K ratings) — better1.8 (33 ratings)
Positive reviews43.7% of reviews — better19.4% of reviews
Number of ratings754K — better33
Update frequencyEvery 4 days — betterEvery 3 months
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationSubscriptionFree with in-app purchases — better
Best chart rank#11 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS17.012.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size263 MB208 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperBabbel GmbHDorling Kindersley

Customer experience

Babbel

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

DK Visual Dictionary (2017)

All ratings33 ratings
Positive18.2%
Neutral3.0%
Negative78.8%
Written reviews144 reviews
Positive19.4%
Neutral5.6%
Negative75.0%

User reviews

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

DK Visual Dictionary (2017)

From 33 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Simple audio companion
  • 👍 Works offline
  • 👍 Useful for learning pronunciation

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Barcode/ISBN not recognized
  • 🐛 Audio files fail to download
  • 🐛 Buggy interface
  • 🐛 Lacks language support

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

DK Visual Dictionary (2017)

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Barcode/ISBN not recognized
  • Audio files fail to download
  • Buggy interface with visual glitches
  • Lack of language support

Requested features

4 requests
  • Add support for more languages
  • Allow searching by word, not just page number
  • Implement landscape mode for tablets
  • Add option to slow down audio playback speed

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
None

DK Visual Dictionary (2017)

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Babbel free?
Babbel is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is DK Visual Dictionary (2017) free?
DK Visual Dictionary (2017) is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Babbel or DK Visual Dictionary (2017)?
Babbel is rated higher. Babbel averages 4.7 out of 5 from 754K ratings, while DK Visual Dictionary (2017) averages 1.8 from 33 ratings.
Do Babbel or DK Visual Dictionary (2017) have ads?
Babbel shows ads; DK Visual Dictionary (2017) does not.
Which is updated more often, Babbel or DK Visual Dictionary (2017)?
Babbel ships an update every 4 days, and DK Visual Dictionary (2017) every 3 months. Most recently, Babbel was updated on September 25, 2026 and DK Visual Dictionary (2017) on September 10, 2026.

Other comparisons