# Babbel vs LinDuo

Babbel and LinDuo both sit at 4.7 stars, but that hides the real split: 96% of LinDuo's written reviews are positive against 44% of Babbel's. LinDuo also leads on ads (none vs shown) and iOS requirement (11.0 vs 17.0). Babbel's advantage is update cadence (every 4 days vs every 6 months) and ratings volume (758K vs 17). On price, rating, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Babbel sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $17.99 per month and LinDuo sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. 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 4.8 for LinDuo. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Babbel has 758K ratings behind it against 17, 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 96% of LinDuo's.

Babbel ships an update every 4 days, LinDuo every 6 months. The most recent releases landed on November 8, 2026 and November 7, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Babbel | LinDuo |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.7 (758K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/babbel-language-learning/id829587759/reviews) | **[4.8 (17 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/linduo-learn-italian/id1549787239/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **758K** | 17 |
| Positive reviews | 44.1% of reviews | **96.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | **Every 4 days** | Every 6 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | **#14** | — |
| Size | 286 MB | 283 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **11.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Babbel GmbH](https://appshunter.io/developer/357018535) | [Vitali Simsive](https://appshunter.io/developer/1247127045) |

## What reviewers say

### Babbel

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

**Currently charting:** #14 Top Grossing · Education, #40 Top Free · Education (US App Store)

Learn a new language through real-life conversations and bite-sized lessons. This award-winning app, built by language experts, offers courses tailored to your native tongue and includes an AI conversation partner for pronunciation practice. Start speaking in as little as 3 weeks with a proven method.

**Highlights:** Tailored courses for native speakers, Real-life conversation practice, AI-powered pronunciation feedback, Bite-sized, effective lessons, Grammar explained in context, Offline lesson access, Smart review system

**Features:** Vision Pro support, iPhone Duo support

**In-app purchases (10)**

| 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 – 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 |
| 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


### LinDuo

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/linduo-learn-italian/id1549787239)

Learn Italian with bite-sized lessons and native speaker pronunciation. This app uses visual aids and a spaced repetition system to help you memorize essential vocabulary quickly and easily. It's designed for busy learners who can dedicate just 10-15 minutes daily.

**Highlights:** Native speaker pronunciation, 180 topic-based lessons, Offline access, Illustrated vocabulary, Phonetic transcription, Customizable lessons

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

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Work Offline! | $0.99 | one-time |
| Unlimited Energy! | $4.99 | one-time |
| All Inclusive! | $9.99 | one-time |
| Help the Project! | $29.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Babbel free?

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

### Is LinDuo free?

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

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

LinDuo is rated higher. Babbel averages 4.7 out of 5 from 758K ratings, while LinDuo averages 4.8 from 17 ratings.

### Do Babbel or LinDuo have ads?

Babbel shows ads; LinDuo does not.

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

Babbel ships an update every 4 days, and LinDuo every 6 months. Most recently, Babbel was updated on November 8, 2026 and LinDuo on November 7, 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.*