# Babbel vs iTranslate Lingo

The clearest difference is monetization model: iTranslate Lingo at freemium against Babbel's subscription. iTranslate Lingo also leads on ads (none vs shown) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 17.0). Babbel's advantage is ratings volume (754K vs 4.5K) and update cadence (every 4 days vs every 2 weeks). On price, rating, review sentiment 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 iTranslate Lingo sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 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 iTranslate Lingo. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Babbel has 754K ratings behind it against 4.5K, 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 39% of iTranslate Lingo's.

Babbel ships an update every 4 days, iTranslate Lingo every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 18, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Babbel | iTranslate Lingo |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (754K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/babbel-language-learning/id829587759/reviews)** | [4.6 (4.5K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/itranslate-lingo/id1436833817/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **754K** | 4.5K |
| Positive reviews | **43.7% of reviews** | 39.4% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | **Every 4 days** | Every 2 weeks |
| Monetization | Subscription | **Freemium** |
| Best chart rank | **#8** | — |
| Size | 263 MB | 156 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) | [Mosaic S.r.l.](https://appshunter.io/developer/570748343) |

## What reviewers say

### Babbel

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

**Currently charting:** #8 Top Grossing · Education, #65 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


### iTranslate Lingo

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/itranslate-lingo/id1436833817)

Learn new languages playfully with short, daily lessons. Focus on vocabulary, spelling, listening, and pronunciation with interactive exercises and progress tracking. Unlock all features with a PRO subscription.

**Highlights:** Learn 14 languages, Short daily lessons (5 mins), Vocabulary and spelling practice, Audio and pronunciation training, Personalized learning categories, Progress tracking and awards

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| iTranslate Lingo PRO | $4.99 | per month |
| iTranslate Lingo PRO | $4.99 | per month |
| iTranslate Lingo PRO | $6.99 | per month |
| iTranslate Lingo PRO | $39.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Free version available
- 👍 Easy and fun learning process
- 🚀 Effective vocabulary learning
- 👍 Clean and intuitive interface
- 👍 Helpful for beginners

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Poor speech recognition
- 🔒 Subscription-based model
- 🐛 Inconsistent lesson progress tracking
- 🐛 Limited free version
- 🐛 Unclear pronunciation of words

**Reported bugs**

- Free version only allows one lesson
- Subscription charges even after cancellation
- Inconsistent app behavior after updates

**Requested features**

- Add more language options
- Implement a review/practice mode for previously learned words
- Improve speech recognition accuracy
- Allow users to revisit past lessons
- Provide more detailed feedback on mistakes


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Babbel free?

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

### Is iTranslate Lingo free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Babbel or iTranslate Lingo?

Babbel is rated higher. Babbel averages 4.7 out of 5 from 754K ratings, while iTranslate Lingo averages 4.6 from 4.5K ratings.

### Do Babbel or iTranslate Lingo have ads?

Babbel shows ads; iTranslate Lingo does not.

### Which is updated more often, Babbel or iTranslate Lingo?

Babbel ships an update every 4 days, and iTranslate Lingo every 2 weeks. Most recently, Babbel was updated on September 24, 2026 and iTranslate Lingo 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.*