Comparison

Babbel vs LingoMax

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. 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: • 3 months • 6 months • 12 months • Lifetime 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

LingoMax

Master English vocabulary through a fun game format with a built-in repetition system and memorization techniques. Track your progress with useful statistics and learn new words daily. Suitable for all levels, it offers themed word sets and native speaker audio.

Highlights
  • Game-based learning format
  • Integrated repetition system
  • Fast Brain memorization technique
  • Progress tracking statistics
  • 38 thematic word sets
  • Native speaker audio
Features
Read full description

The simplest way to learn English! You will master the English language in a fun game format. LingoMax features an integrated repetition system and a special technique for memorizing new words – Fast Brain. Useful statistics will let you keep track of your results easily and develop your desire for learning. You will be able to learn the language basics quickly or expand your vocabulary. Just a few minutes a day, and you will learn 8 new words daily, which amounts to about 500 words in 2 months. Whether you are a beginner or an expert, you will find the application extremely useful. We have created 38 thematic sets of words for each difficulty level – and all of that just for you. All the words and phrases are voiced by native speakers. Start learning – it's free! LingoMax subscriptions unlock the app’s full learning features. The monthly subscription renews every month. The price and billing period for the plan you select are shown in Apple’s purchase confirmation; prices vary by country or region. Payment is charged to your Apple Account. Subscriptions renew automatically unless canceled before renewal. Manage or cancel in your Apple Account subscription settings. Any introductory trial is subject to availability and eligibility; its duration and the price after the trial are shown before you confirm. To avoid renewal after a trial, cancel at least 24 hours before it ends. Privacy policy: https://www.jafarnajafov.com/lingomax/privacy-policy Terms of use: https://www.jafarnajafov.com/lingomax/user-agreement Terms of Use (Apple Standard EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Babbel4 screens
LingoMax4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is monetization model: LingoMax at freemium against Babbel's subscription. LingoMax also leads on ads (none vs shown) and review sentiment (67% vs 44%). Babbel's advantage is update cadence (every 5 days vs every 2 months) and ratings volume (757K vs 3). 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 LingoMax sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

LingoMax holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Babbel has 757K ratings behind it against 3, 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 67% of LingoMax's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Babbel ships an update every 5 days, LingoMax every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 30, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard8 real differences · 3 level
Babbel versus LingoMax: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBabbelLingoMax
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (757K ratings)5.0 (3 ratings) — better
Positive reviews44.0% of reviews66.7% of reviews — better
Number of ratings757K — better3
Update frequencyEvery 5 days — betterEvery 2 months
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationSubscriptionFreemium — better
Best chart rank#18 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS17.015.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size272 MB38 MB
Age rating12+17+
DeveloperBabbel GmbHJafar Najafov

Customer experience

Babbel

All ratings756,839 ratings
Positive93.7%
Neutral3.8%
Negative2.5%
Written reviews2,786 reviews
Positive44.0%
Neutral13.9%
Negative42.0%

LingoMax

All ratings3 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews3 reviews
Positive66.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative33.3%

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

LingoMax

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
6 purchases

LingoMax

Subscriptions3
  • Weekly subscription$2.997 Days
  • Monthly subscription3 Days trial$6.991 Month
  • 6 months subscription$14.996 Months
One-time3
  • Week$2.99
  • Month$6.99
  • Six Month$14.99

Questions

Is Babbel free?
Babbel is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is LingoMax free?
LingoMax is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Babbel or LingoMax?
LingoMax is rated higher. Babbel averages 4.7 out of 5 from 757K ratings, while LingoMax averages 5.0 from 3 ratings.
Do Babbel or LingoMax have ads?
Babbel shows ads; LingoMax does not.
Which is updated more often, Babbel or LingoMax?
Babbel ships an update every 5 days, and LingoMax every 2 months. Most recently, Babbel was updated on October 30, 2026 and LingoMax on October 25, 2026.

Other comparisons