# Babbel vs LyricFluent

The clearest difference is monetization model: LyricFluent at free with in-app purchases against Babbel's subscription. LyricFluent also leads on ads (none vs shown) and review sentiment (73% vs 44%). Babbel's advantage is ratings volume (754K vs 3K) and update cadence (every 4 days vs every 10 days). On price, in-app purchases, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Babbel sells 12 in-app purchases, starting at $17.99 per month and LyricFluent sells 18 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

LyricFluent 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 3K, 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 73% of LyricFluent's.

Babbel ships an update every 4 days, LyricFluent every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on September 27, 2026 and September 26, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Babbel | LyricFluent |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.7 (754K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/babbel-language-learning/id829587759/reviews) | **[4.9 (3K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/lyricfluent-learn-spanish/id1626804408/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **754K** | 3K |
| Positive reviews | 43.7% of reviews | **72.5% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | **Every 4 days** | Every 10 days |
| Monetization | Subscription | **Free with in-app purchases** |
| Best chart rank | **#13** | — |
| Size | 263 MB | 85 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **16.4** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 12+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [Babbel GmbH](https://appshunter.io/developer/357018535) | [LyricFluent Ltd](https://appshunter.io/developer/1534484103) |

## What reviewers say

### Babbel

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

**Currently charting:** #13 Top Grossing · Education, #59 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


### LyricFluent

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/lyricfluent-learn-spanish/id1626804408)

Learn Spanish, Portuguese, French, and other languages through music. Discover new artists, play lyric games, and understand song lyrics with translations and pronunciation guides. Build vocabulary and grammar naturally while enjoying your favorite tunes.

**Highlights:** Learn languages with music, Full lyrics and translations, Line-by-line lyric mode, Word pronunciation and translation, Spaced repetition for vocabulary, Discover new artists, Cultural context through music

**Features:** Family Sharing, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (18)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Weekly Plan | $3.99 | per 7 days |
| 1 Week Subscription | $4.99 | per 7 days |
| Weekly Plan | $4.99 | per 7 days |
| 1 Month Subscription | $9.99 | per month |
| Monthly Plan | $14.99 | per month |
| 1 Month Subscription | $14.99 | per month |
| 1 Month Subscription | $14.99 | per month |
| Yearly Plan | $29.99 | per year |
| Yearly Plan | $39.99 | per year |
| 12 Months Subscription Special | $39.99 | per year |
| Yearly Plan Discount | $39.99 | per year |
| Yearly Plan | $49.99 | per year |
| 6 Months Subscription | $49.99 | per 6 months |
| 6 Months Subscription | $49.99 | per 6 months |
| 12 Months Subscription | $59.99 | per year |
| Yearly Plan | $59.99 | per year |
| 12 Months Subscription | $59.99 | per year |
| Yearly Plan | $69.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Fun and helpful
- 👍 Excelente app, muy práctica para aprender cantando
- 👍 Definitely a must get for anyone wanting to learn Spanish
- 👍 By far the most fun an interesting way to learn so far
- 👍 Keeps music lovers motivated to learn new vocabulary, idioms and slang

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 A little buggy
- 💰 Have to pay for everything
- 🔍 it's good but there's only one brujeria song
- 🔍 It only goes to the page that says SAVE WORDS
- 🔍 Not working for me

**Reported bugs**

- The Speak Lyrics function doesn't work
- Can't see my subscription and can't search songs

**Requested features**

- Needs more of learning tools
- Allow for a one time purchase if anything
- More songs added
- Searching up songs


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Babbel free?

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

### Is LyricFluent free?

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

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

LyricFluent is rated higher. Babbel averages 4.7 out of 5 from 754K ratings, while LyricFluent averages 4.9 from 3K ratings.

### Do Babbel or LyricFluent have ads?

Babbel shows ads; LyricFluent does not.

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

Babbel ships an update every 4 days, and LyricFluent every 10 days. Most recently, Babbel was updated on September 27, 2026 and LyricFluent on September 26, 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.*