# Babbel vs Tutor Lily

The clearest difference is monetization model: Tutor Lily at free with in-app purchases against Babbel's subscription. Tutor Lily also leads on ads (none vs shown) and iOS requirement (15.1 vs 17.0). Babbel's advantage is ratings volume (754K vs 239) and update cadence (every 4 days vs fortnightly). On price, rating, review sentiment and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Babbel sells 12 in-app purchases, starting at $17.99 per month and Tutor Lily sells 15 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per 7 days. 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 4.6 for Tutor Lily. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Babbel has 754K ratings behind it against 239, 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 50% of Tutor Lily's.

Babbel ships an update every 4 days, Tutor Lily fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on September 26, 2026 and September 22, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Babbel | Tutor Lily |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (754K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/babbel-language-learning/id829587759/reviews)** | [4.6 (239 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/tutor-lily-ai-language-tutor/id6448189123/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **754K** | 239 |
| Positive reviews | 43.7% of reviews | **50.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | **Every 4 days** | Fortnightly |
| Monetization | Subscription | **Free with in-app purchases** |
| Best chart rank | **#13** | — |
| Size | 263 MB | 60 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **15.1** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Babbel GmbH](https://appshunter.io/developer/357018535) | [Tutor Lily Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1683846536) |

## What reviewers say

### Babbel

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

**Currently charting:** #13 Top Grossing · Education, #54 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


### Tutor Lily

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/tutor-lily-ai-language-tutor/id6448189123)

Engage in natural conversations to build real language fluency. This AI tutor remembers your progress and interests, adapting sessions to your goals and mistakes. Practice real-world scenarios and receive gentle corrections for effective learning.

**Highlights:** Natural conversation practice, Personalized learning based on goals, Real-time, gentle corrections, Smart vocabulary building, Adaptive difficulty levels, Practice real-world scenarios, Pronunciation coaching

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

**In-app purchases (15)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Weekly PRO $1 | $0.99 | per 7 days |
| Weekly PRO Membership | $4.99 | per 7 days |
| Monthly PRO Membership | $9.99 | per month |
| Monthly PRO Membership | $11.99 | per month |
| Monthly PRO Membership | $19.99 | per month |
| Monthly PRO Membership | $29.99 | per month |
| Annual PRO Discount | $29.99 | per year |
| Annual PRO Discount | $49.99 | per year |
| 6-Month PRO Membership | $56.99 | per 6 months |
| Annual PRO Membership | $69.99 | per year |
| Annual PRO Discount | $71.99 | per year |
| Annual PRO Membership | $83.99 | per year |
| Annual PRO Membership | $83.99 | per year |
| Annual PRO Membership | $89.99 | per year |
| Annual PRO Membership | $169.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Great for language practice
- 👍 AI is personable and engaging
- 👍 Provides corrections and explanations
- 👍 Wide range of language options
- 👍 Natural sounding AI voice

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Buggy and glitches
- 🐛 Freezes often
- 🐛 Hands-free mode is glitchy
- 🐛 Incorrect translations at times
- 🐛 Robotic and artificial voices

**Reported bugs**

- App settings change and can't contact support
- Recent update removed roleplay/topics
- App is buggy
- Makes users answer same questions each time
- App locked behind paywall without notice

**Requested features**

- Option to watch ads for more messages
- Ability to see pre-corrected version of messages
- Add Icelandic language
- Improve hands-free mode
- More natural sounding voices


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Babbel free?

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

### Is Tutor Lily free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Babbel or Tutor Lily?

Babbel is rated higher. Babbel averages 4.7 out of 5 from 754K ratings, while Tutor Lily averages 4.6 from 239 ratings.

### Do Babbel or Tutor Lily have ads?

Babbel shows ads; Tutor Lily does not.

### Which is updated more often, Babbel or Tutor Lily?

Babbel ships an update every 4 days, and Tutor Lily fortnightly. Most recently, Babbel was updated on September 26, 2026 and Tutor Lily 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.*