# Babbel vs RuTranslate

Babbel and RuTranslate both sit at 4.7 stars, but that hides the real split: 98% of RuTranslate's written reviews are positive against 44% of Babbel's. RuTranslate also leads on monetization model (free with in-app purchases vs subscription) and ads (none vs shown). Babbel's advantage is ratings volume (757K vs 104) and chart position (#14 vs unranked). On price, rating, 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 RuTranslate sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Babbel against 4.7 for RuTranslate. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Babbel has 757K ratings behind it against 104, 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 98% of RuTranslate's.

## The numbers

| Metric | Babbel | RuTranslate |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (757K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/babbel-language-learning/id829587759/reviews)** | [4.7 (104 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/rutranslate-russian-translator/id1544044115/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **757K** | 104 |
| Positive reviews | 44.1% of reviews | **98.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Every 5 days | — |
| Monetization | Subscription | **Free with in-app purchases** |
| Best chart rank | **#14** | — |
| Size | 272 MB | 37 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **10.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Babbel GmbH](https://appshunter.io/developer/357018535) | [植敏 白](https://appshunter.io/developer/1444847852) |

## What reviewers say

### Babbel

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

**Currently charting:** #14 Top Grossing · Education, #45 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


### RuTranslate

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/rutranslate-russian-translator/id1544044115)

Translate between Russian and English with voice, text, and image recognition. This app offers intelligent voice translation, efficient picture translation, and an accurate dictionary. It's an essential tool for learning Russian or traveling to Russian-speaking countries.

**Highlights:** Voice-to-voice conversations, Text translation, Picture text translation, Transliteration, Translation history, Male/female voice output

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

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| VIP Members | $1.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Easy to use and convenient
- 🚀 Fast and accurate translations
- 🗣️ Good voice translation and recognition
- 📸 Excellent photo translation
- 💡 Better than Google Translate for Russian

**What reviewers complain about**

- ⚠️ Too many pop-up ads
- 🐛 Music can interfere with voice recognition
- 🐛 Does not translate video files directly

**Reported bugs**

- It doesn’t translate anything I say

**Requested features**

- Translate function on video files
- Show photo translation on top of the photo


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Babbel free?

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

### Is RuTranslate free?

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

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

Babbel is rated higher. Babbel averages 4.7 out of 5 from 757K ratings, while RuTranslate averages 4.7 from 104 ratings.

### Do Babbel or RuTranslate have ads?

Babbel shows ads; RuTranslate does not.

---

*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*