Comparison

Babbel vs Polyglot

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

Polyglot

Immerse yourself in a new language to develop listening and speaking skills. Train your accent to sound like a native speaker by learning new words and expressions.

Highlights
  • Immersive language learning
  • Develop listening skills
  • Develop speaking skills
  • Train accent
  • Learn new words and expressions
  • Sound like a native speaker
Features
Read full description

Become fluent in your favorite language now!!! With Polyglot you will immerse yourself in the language and develop your listening and speaking skills. You will train your accent so that you can sound like a native speaker. With Polyglot you will - Learn new words and expressions - Train your accent - Develop your listening skills - Speak more fluidly Supported languages: - English - Spanish - French - More languages coming soon! Privacy Policy: https://cutt.ly/polyglot-privacy-policy Terms of Use: https://cutt.ly/polyglot-terms-of-use

Screenshots

Babbel4 screens
Polyglot4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is monetization model: Polyglot at free with in-app purchases against Babbel's subscription. Polyglot also leads on review sentiment (79% vs 44%) and ads (none vs shown). Babbel's advantage is update cadence (every 4 days vs every 9 months) and ratings volume (754K vs 121). On price, in-app purchases and device support 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 Polyglot sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Polyglot holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Babbel has 754K ratings behind it against 121, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 44% of Babbel's written reviews are positive against 79% of Polyglot's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Babbel ships an update every 4 days, Polyglot every 9 months. Both last shipped on September 24, 2026.

Scorecard8 real differences · 3 level
Babbel versus Polyglot: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBabbelPolyglot
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (754K ratings)4.9 (121 ratings) — better
Positive reviews43.7% of reviews78.9% of reviews — better
Number of ratings754K — better121
Update frequencyEvery 4 days — betterEvery 9 months
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationSubscriptionFree with in-app purchases — better
Best chart rank#9 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPod
Requires iOS17.013 — better
Further details — not scored
Size263 MB43 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperBabbel GmbHLucas Cortes

Customer experience

Babbel

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

Polyglot

All ratings121 ratings
Positive97.5%
Neutral1.7%
Negative0.8%
Written reviews19 reviews
Positive78.9%
Neutral10.5%
Negative10.5%

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

Polyglot

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
2 purchases

Polyglot

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly Subscription7 Days trial$9.991 Month
  • Yearly Subscription7 Days trial$49.991 Year

Questions

Is Babbel free?
Babbel is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Polyglot free?
Polyglot is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Babbel or Polyglot?
Polyglot is rated higher. Babbel averages 4.7 out of 5 from 754K ratings, while Polyglot averages 4.9 from 121 ratings.
Do Babbel or Polyglot have ads?
Babbel shows ads; Polyglot does not.
Which is updated more often, Babbel or Polyglot?
Babbel ships an update every 4 days, and Polyglot every 9 months. Most recently, Babbel was updated on September 24, 2026 and Polyglot on September 24, 2026.

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