# Babbel vs Wlingua

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Wlingua at 91% against Babbel's 44%. Wlingua also leads on monetization model (freemium vs subscription) and ads (none vs shown). Babbel's advantage is ratings volume (755K vs 350) and chart position (#13 vs unranked). On price, update cadence, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Babbel sells 12 in-app purchases, starting at $17.99 per month and Wlingua sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $12.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Wlingua holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Babbel has 755K ratings behind it against 350, 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 91% of Wlingua's.

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on September 28, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Babbel | Wlingua |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.7 (755K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/babbel-language-learning/id829587759/reviews) | **[4.9 (350 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/wlingua-learn-russian/id1488321912/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **755K** | 350 |
| Positive reviews | 43.9% of reviews | **91.3% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Every 5 days | Every 5 days |
| Monetization | Subscription | **Freemium** |
| Best chart rank | **#13** | — |
| Size | 263 MB | 64 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **15.1** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Babbel GmbH](https://appshunter.io/developer/357018535) | [WLINGUA SOCIEDAD LIMITADA](https://appshunter.io/developer/473658200) |

## What reviewers say

### Babbel

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

**Currently charting:** #13 Top Grossing · Education, #53 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


### Wlingua

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/wlingua-learn-russian/id1488321912)

Master Russian with a comprehensive online course designed for all levels. Learn vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation through interactive exercises and real-life examples. Progress quickly and earn certificates to validate your skills.

**Highlights:** Learn Russian from scratch, Russian cases course, Audio clips with clear pronunciation, Linked concepts and vocabulary explanations, Grammar and vocabulary exercises, Reading comprehension texts, Certificates of completion

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 1 month Premium access | $12.99 | per month |
| 3 months Premium access | $26.99 | per 3 months |
| 12 months Premium access | $84.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Excellent explanations
- 👍 Better than Duolingo
- 👍 Free resource
- 👍 Well-structured lessons
- 👍 Built-in dictionary

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Speaking option not working
- 🐛 App won't open (Russian version)
- 🐛 Some exercises behind paywall
- 🐛 Locked out despite subscription
- 🐛 Progress lost due to login change

**Reported bugs**

- Speaking option not working due to internet connection error
- App won't open for Russian version
- Some practice/exercises behind a paywall
- Locked out of account despite subscription
- Loss of progress due to login method change

**Requested features**

- Way to study and review verbs
- Ability to re-study previous lessons without finishing new ones


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Babbel free?

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

### Is Wlingua free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Babbel or Wlingua?

Wlingua is rated higher. Babbel averages 4.7 out of 5 from 755K ratings, while Wlingua averages 4.9 from 350 ratings.

### Do Babbel or Wlingua have ads?

Babbel shows ads; Wlingua does not.

### Which is updated more often, Babbel or Wlingua?

Babbel ships an update every 5 days, and Wlingua every 5 days. Most recently, Babbel was updated on September 28, 2026 and Wlingua on September 24, 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.*