Comparison

Babbel vs MTL Learn Russian

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

MTL Learn Russian

This app offers a straightforward way to learn Russian, suitable for all skill levels. It's ideal for travelers and includes high-quality translations and offline access.

Highlights
  • High-quality Russian translations
  • Create favorite lists
  • Offline access
  • Suitable for beginners and advanced users
  • Ideal for travel
Features
Read full description

Learn Russian is a simple app for anyone who wishes to learn Russian fast and easy. It is perfect for beginners and advanced users. Recommended for those who wish to travel to Russia. Features: *High quality translations made by Russians *Create your own favorite list *No Internet connection needed

Screenshots

Babbel4 screens
MTL Learn Russian4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is monetization model: MTL Learn Russian at free with in-app purchases against Babbel's subscription. MTL Learn Russian also leads on review sentiment (64% vs 44%) and iOS requirement (12.1 vs 17.0). Babbel's advantage is update cadence (every 4 days vs every 14 months) and ratings volume (754K vs 93). On price, rating, ads and in-app purchases 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 and MTL Learn Russian sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Babbel against 4.8 for MTL Learn Russian. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Babbel has 754K ratings behind it against 93, 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 64% of MTL Learn Russian's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Babbel ships an update every 4 days, MTL Learn Russian every 14 months. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 23, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
Babbel versus MTL Learn Russian: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBabbelMTL Learn Russian
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (754K ratings)4.8 (93 ratings) — better
Positive reviews43.7% of reviews63.6% of reviews — better
Number of ratings754K — better93
Update frequencyEvery 4 days — betterEvery 14 months
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationSubscriptionFree with in-app purchases — better
Best chart rank#8 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS17.012.1 — better
Further details — not scored
Size263 MB58 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperBabbel GmbHMeta Language Pro SRL

Customer experience

Babbel

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

MTL Learn Russian

All ratings93 ratings
Positive93.5%
Neutral4.3%
Negative2.2%
Written reviews22 reviews
Positive63.6%
Neutral4.5%
Negative31.8%

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

MTL Learn Russian

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

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
1 purchases

MTL Learn Russian

One-time1
  • Buy Pro Version$4.99

Questions

Is Babbel free?
Babbel is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is MTL Learn Russian free?
MTL Learn Russian is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Babbel or MTL Learn Russian?
MTL Learn Russian is rated higher. Babbel averages 4.7 out of 5 from 754K ratings, while MTL Learn Russian averages 4.8 from 93 ratings.
Do Babbel or MTL Learn Russian have ads?
Both Babbel and MTL Learn Russian show ads.
Which is updated more often, Babbel or MTL Learn Russian?
Babbel ships an update every 4 days, and MTL Learn Russian every 14 months. Most recently, Babbel was updated on September 24, 2026 and MTL Learn Russian on September 23, 2026.

Other comparisons