# Babbel vs French Learning for Beginners

The clearest difference is monetization model: French Learning for Beginners at free with in-app purchases against Babbel's subscription. French Learning for Beginners also leads on iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). Babbel's advantage is update cadence (every 4 days vs every 6 months) and ratings volume (754K vs 965). On price, review sentiment, ads 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 French Learning for Beginners sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Babbel holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Babbel has 754K ratings behind it against 965, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 44% and 43% positive.

Babbel ships an update every 4 days, French Learning for Beginners every 6 months. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 23, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Babbel | French Learning for Beginners |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (754K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/babbel-language-learning/id829587759/reviews)** | [4.4 (965 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/french-learning-for-beginners/id1440460521/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **754K** | 965 |
| Positive reviews | **43.7% of reviews** | 43.5% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Every 4 days** | Every 6 months |
| Monetization | Subscription | **Free with in-app purchases** |
| Best chart rank | **#7** | — |
| Size | 263 MB | 33 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **15.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Babbel GmbH](https://appshunter.io/developer/357018535) | [Vinh Tran](https://appshunter.io/developer/1227444688) |

## What reviewers say

### Babbel

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

**Currently charting:** #7 Top Grossing · Education, #66 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


### French Learning for Beginners

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/french-learning-for-beginners/id1440460521)

Master everyday French with this app's beginner-friendly lessons, real-life dialogues, and instant speaking practice. It's designed to make learning natural, fast, and fun, whether for travel, study, or relocation.

**Highlights:** Beginner-friendly lessons, Instant speaking feedback, Smart review system, Real-life dialogues, Practical phrases, Offline conversations

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

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly Premium | $0.99 | per month |
| 3-Month Premium | $1.99 | per 3 months |
| 6-Month Premium | $2.99 | per 6 months |
| Annual Premium | $3.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 🤩 Awesome
- 👍 Fun and easy

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🤬 Too many ads
- 🐢 Audio is too fast for beginners
- 🤯 Confusing and not useful for beginners

**Reported bugs**

- Freezing and crashing issues
- Spelling mistakes

**Requested features**

- Ability to slow down audio speed
- More beginner-friendly content


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Babbel free?

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

### Is French Learning for Beginners free?

French Learning for Beginners is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Babbel or French Learning for Beginners?

Babbel is rated higher. Babbel averages 4.7 out of 5 from 754K ratings, while French Learning for Beginners averages 4.4 from 965 ratings.

### Do Babbel or French Learning for Beginners have ads?

Both Babbel and French Learning for Beginners show ads.

### Which is updated more often, Babbel or French Learning for Beginners?

Babbel ships an update every 4 days, and French Learning for Beginners every 6 months. Most recently, Babbel was updated on September 24, 2026 and French Learning for Beginners on September 23, 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.*