# Babbel vs Russian

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Babbel at 44% against Russian's 0%. Babbel also leads on rating (4.7 vs 3.0) and ratings volume (757K vs 2). Russian's advantage is monetization model (free with in-app purchases vs subscription) and iOS requirement (15.5 vs 17.0). On price, ads, 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 Russian sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Babbel holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 3.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Babbel has 757K ratings behind it against 2, 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 0% of Russian's.

Babbel ships an update every 5 days, Russian every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 28, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Babbel | Russian |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (757K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/babbel-language-learning/id829587759/reviews)** | [3.0 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/russian-listening-speaking/id6448076993/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **757K** | 2 |
| Positive reviews | **44.0% of reviews** | 0.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Every 5 days** | Every 3 weeks |
| Monetization | Subscription | **Free with in-app purchases** |
| Best chart rank | **#11** | — |
| Size | 272 MB | 222 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **15.5** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 12+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [Babbel GmbH](https://appshunter.io/developer/357018535) | [Nguyen Thi Ngoc Hang](https://appshunter.io/developer/1529553581) |

## What reviewers say

### Babbel

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

**Currently charting:** #11 Top Grossing · Education, #43 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


### Russian

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/russian-listening-speaking/id6448076993)

Master Russian pronunciation and fluency with extensive audio and video lessons. Practice speaking by listening to native speakers and recording your own voice, with progress tracking and engaging mini-games to reinforce learning.

**Highlights:** Over 9999 sentences and phrases, Video and audio lessons, Native speaker pronunciation practice, Speech recording and comparison, Progress tracking tools, Interactive mini-games

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

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Premium Monthy Upgrade | $5.99 | per month |
| Premium Yearly Upgrade | $29.99 | per year |
| Premium Lifetime Upgrade | $79.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Babbel free?

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

### Is Russian free?

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

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

Babbel is rated higher. Babbel averages 4.7 out of 5 from 757K ratings, while Russian averages 3.0 from 2 ratings.

### Do Babbel or Russian have ads?

Both Babbel and Russian show ads.

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

Babbel ships an update every 5 days, and Russian every 3 weeks. Most recently, Babbel was updated on October 28, 2026 and Russian on October 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.*