# Babbel vs Migaku

The clearest difference is monetization model: Migaku at free with in-app purchases against Babbel's subscription. Migaku also leads on ads (none vs shown) and review sentiment (73% vs 44%). Babbel's advantage is ratings volume (754K vs 360) and rating (4.7 vs 4.4). 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 Migaku sells 13 in-app purchases, starting at $14.00 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Babbel holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Babbel has 754K ratings behind it against 360, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 44% of Babbel's written reviews are positive against 73% of Migaku's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Babbel ships an update every 4 days, Migaku weekly. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and September 22, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Babbel | Migaku |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (754K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/babbel-language-learning/id829587759/reviews)** | [4.4 (360 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/migaku-really-learn-languages/id1664096855/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **754K** | 360 |
| Positive reviews | 43.7% of reviews | **73.3% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | **Every 4 days** | Weekly |
| Monetization | Subscription | **Free with in-app purchases** |
| Best chart rank | **#7** | — |
| Size | 263 MB | 1.9 GB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **16.4** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 12+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [Babbel GmbH](https://appshunter.io/developer/357018535) | [Migaku Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1625577898) |

## What reviewers say

### Babbel

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

**Currently charting:** #7 Top Grossing · Education, #64 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


### Migaku

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/migaku-really-learn-languages/id1664096855)

This app helps you learn languages by making content interactive. Click words in subtitles or text to get definitions, create flashcards, and personalize study sessions. It focuses on high-frequency words for efficient learning.

**Highlights:** Interactive subtitles for YouTube, One-click media-rich flashcard creation, Personalized study sessions, Data-driven courses for beginners, Word frequency-based vocabulary learning, AI sentence breakdown and explanations

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

**In-app purchases (13)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Migaku Standard | $14.00 | per month |
| Migaku Standard | $14.00 | per month |
| Early Access | $21.00 | per month |
| Early Access | $21.00 | per month |
| Migaku Standard | $136.99 | per year |
| Migaku Standard | $136.99 | per year |
| Early Access | $179.99 | per year |
| Early Access | $179.99 | per year |
| Lifetime | $214.99 | one-time |
| Lifetime | $289.00 | one-time |
| Lifetime | $344.99 | one-time |
| Lifetime | $359.00 | one-time |
| Lifetime | $719.00 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Effective and convenient language learning
- 👍 Intuitive and visually appealing interface
- 🎓 Comprehensive courses and lessons
- 💡 Seamless integration with streaming platforms
- 🗣️ Helpful pronunciation and pitch accent features

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Occasional crashes and stability issues
- 🔒 Lack of free trial or free plan options
- 💰 Expensive subscription model
- 🤖 Inconsistent performance of AI-powered features
- 🔌 High storage and battery consumption on mobile

**Reported bugs**

- Unable to create new accounts in the app
- Broken kanji course with empty cards
- Inconsistent behavior when switching between apps

**Requested features**

- Offline mode for learning on the go
- Expanded support for more languages
- Better integration with Anki and other SRS apps
- More customization options for flashcards and reviews


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Babbel free?

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

### Is Migaku free?

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

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

Babbel is rated higher. Babbel averages 4.7 out of 5 from 754K ratings, while Migaku averages 4.4 from 360 ratings.

### Do Babbel or Migaku have ads?

Babbel shows ads; Migaku does not.

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

Babbel ships an update every 4 days, and Migaku weekly. Most recently, Babbel was updated on September 25, 2026 and Migaku on September 22, 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.*