# Babbel vs Ling

The clearest difference is monetization model: Ling at free with in-app purchases against Babbel's subscription. Ling also leads on review sentiment (61% vs 44%) and iOS requirement (15.1 vs 17.0). Babbel's advantage is ratings volume (754K vs 15K) and chart position (#9 vs #62). On price, rating, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Babbel sells 12 in-app purchases, starting at $17.99 per month and Ling sells 20 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 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 4.6 for Ling. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Babbel has 754K ratings behind it against 15K, 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 61% of Ling's.

Babbel ships an update every 4 days, Ling weekly. Both last shipped on September 24, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Babbel | Ling |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (754K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/babbel-language-learning/id829587759/reviews)** | [4.6 (15K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ling-learn-languages-easily/id1403783779/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **754K** | 15K |
| Positive reviews | 43.7% of reviews | **60.8% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Every 4 days** | Weekly |
| Monetization | Subscription | **Free with in-app purchases** |
| Best chart rank | **#9** | #62 |
| Size | 263 MB | 176 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **15.1** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Babbel GmbH](https://appshunter.io/developer/357018535) | [SIMYA LABS COMPANY LIMITED](https://appshunter.io/developer/1298485730) |

## 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


### Ling

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ling-learn-languages-easily/id1403783779)

**Currently charting:** #62 Top Grossing · Education, #165 Top Free · Education (US App Store)

Master over 70 languages with fun, bite-sized lessons. Develop speaking, reading, listening, and writing skills with native speaker audio and cultural insights. Science-backed methods ensure retention, making even difficult languages accessible.

**Highlights:** 70+ languages available, Bite-sized lessons, Native speaker audio, Cultural insights, Speaking, reading, listening, writing skills, Science-backed learning methodology

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

**In-app purchases (20)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Ling Monthly Subscription | $7.99 | per month |
| Monthly Language Learning Plan | $10.99 | per month |
| Ling Monthly Subscription | $14.99 | per month |
| Ling Pro 1 Month Subscription | $16.99 | per month |
| Ling Half Yearly Subscription | $39.99 | per 6 months |
| Ling 3 Month Subscription | $39.99 | per 3 months |
| Learn Language Pro Yearly 7 | $48.99 | per year |
| Ling Pro Yearly Subscription | $54.99 | per year |
| Ling Yearly Subscription | $59.99 | per year |
| Ling Yearly Subscription | $59.99 | per year |
| Black Friday Offer | $59.99 | per year |
| Ling Yearly Subscription | $69.99 | per year |
| Ling Yearly Subscription | $79.99 | per year |
| Ling Yearly Subscription | $79.99 | per year |
| Ling Yearly Subscription | $79.99 | per year |
| Ling Yearly Subscription | $79.99 | per year |
| Ling Pro 12 Month Subscription | $89.99 | per year |
| Ling Yearly Subscription | $99.99 | per year |
| Ling Yearly Subscription | $119.99 | per year |
| Ling Pro Lifetime Plan | $199.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Easy to use
- 🚀 Bite-sized lessons
- 🎮 Gamified learning
- 📚 Offers rare languages
- 🗣️ Good pronunciation

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Buggy, glitchy
- 💰 Expensive, pay to learn
- 🤖 Robotic voices
- 🧠 Lessons not in logical order
- 🔍 Lack of basic vocabulary and grammar

**Reported bugs**

- Progress resets to zero
- Incorrect translations and pronunciations
- Lessons skipping ahead unexpectedly
- Microphone issues, can't record properly
- Sync issues across devices

**Requested features**

- Allow retry/go back in lessons
- Improve speech recognition
- Add grammar explanations
- Provide more review and practice options
- Introduce alphabet/writing system first


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Babbel free?

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

### Is Ling free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Babbel or Ling?

Babbel is rated higher. Babbel averages 4.7 out of 5 from 754K ratings, while Ling averages 4.6 from 15K ratings.

### Do Babbel or Ling have ads?

Both Babbel and Ling show ads.

### Which is updated more often, Babbel or Ling?

Babbel ships an update every 4 days, and Ling weekly. Most recently, Babbel was updated on September 24, 2026 and Ling on September 24, 2026.

### Which is more popular, Babbel or Ling?

Babbel currently peaks at #9 in the App Store charts, and Ling at #62. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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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.*