# Babbel vs Basic English

Babbel and Basic English both sit at 4.7 stars, but that hides the real split: 91% of Basic English's written reviews are positive against 44% of Babbel's. Basic English also leads on monetization model (free with in-app purchases vs subscription) and ads (none vs shown). Babbel's advantage is ratings volume (754K vs 5.8K) and update cadence (every 4 days vs every 3 weeks). On price, rating, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Babbel sells 12 in-app purchases, starting at $17.99 per month and Basic English sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 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 Basic English. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Babbel has 754K ratings behind it against 5.8K, 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 91% of Basic English's.

Babbel ships an update every 4 days, Basic English every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and September 22, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Babbel | Basic English |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.7 (754K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/babbel-language-learning/id829587759/reviews) | [4.7 (5.8K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/basic-english-esl-course/id1225114836/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **754K** | 5.8K |
| Positive reviews | 43.7% of reviews | **90.8% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | **Every 4 days** | Every 3 weeks |
| Monetization | Subscription | **Free with in-app purchases** |
| Best chart rank | **#9** | — |
| Size | 263 MB | 198 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **13.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Babbel GmbH](https://appshunter.io/developer/357018535) | [Nguyen Thi Hoai Thu](https://appshunter.io/developer/1321248741) |

## 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


### Basic English

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/basic-english-esl-course/id1225114836)

Learn to speak English fluently and confidently with interactive lessons, audio, and quizzes. Improve speaking, listening, and vocabulary through step-by-step instruction and real-world conversation practice, even offline.

**Highlights:** Offline learning support, Interactive lessons with audio and quizzes, Real-world conversation practice, Vocabulary and grammar expansion, Speaking practice with recording, Listening practice via radio

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Month | $6.99 | per month |
| Year | $9.99 | per year |
| Premium | $11.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Easy to use
- 🚀 Excellent learning tool
- 💡 Helpful for improving English
- 🤩 Great app
- 🥰 Love the app

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Ads disrupt usage
- 🤔 Incorrect quiz answers
- 🤷‍♀️ Premium not connected

**Reported bugs**

- Audio issue during use
- Repeated audio lessons

**Requested features**

- Option to speak slowly
- Desktop version for online classes


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Babbel free?

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

### Is Basic English free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Babbel or Basic English?

Babbel and Basic English are both rated 4.7 out of 5 on the App Store, from 754K and 5.8K ratings respectively.

### Do Babbel or Basic English have ads?

Babbel shows ads; Basic English does not.

### Which is updated more often, Babbel or Basic English?

Babbel ships an update every 4 days, and Basic English every 3 weeks. Most recently, Babbel was updated on September 25, 2026 and Basic English on September 22, 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.*