# Babbel vs Mango Reader

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Mango Reader at none against Babbel's 13. Mango Reader also leads on ads (none vs shown) and review sentiment (63% vs 44%). Babbel's advantage is update cadence (every 4 days vs monthly) and ratings volume (754K vs 13). On price, rating, 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. Mango Reader asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Babbel against 4.6 for Mango Reader. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Babbel has 754K ratings behind it against 13, 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 63% of Mango Reader's.

Babbel ships an update every 4 days, Mango Reader monthly. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and September 7, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Babbel | Mango Reader |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (754K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/babbel-language-learning/id829587759/reviews)** | [4.6 (13 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mango-reader/id6470522701/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **754K** | 13 |
| Positive reviews | 43.7% of reviews | **62.5% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | **Every 4 days** | Monthly |
| Monetization | Subscription | **Free** |
| Best chart rank | **#11** | — |
| Size | 263 MB | 10 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **16.4** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 12+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [Babbel GmbH](https://appshunter.io/developer/357018535) | [Creative Empire, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/443516519) |

## What reviewers say

### Babbel

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

**Currently charting:** #11 Top Grossing · Education, #65 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


### Mango Reader

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mango-reader/id6470522701)

This app helps intermediate language learners improve their skills by providing real-time translations and pronunciation for words on any website. Users can save new vocabulary, bookmark content, and enjoy an ad-free reading experience.

**Highlights:** Real-time website translation, Word and phrase pronunciation, Personalized vocabulary lists, Ad-free reader mode, Website and article bookmarking, Supports 14 languages

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Babbel free?

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

### Is Mango Reader free?

Mango Reader is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Babbel or Mango Reader?

Babbel is rated higher. Babbel averages 4.7 out of 5 from 754K ratings, while Mango Reader averages 4.6 from 13 ratings.

### Do Babbel or Mango Reader have ads?

Babbel shows ads; Mango Reader does not.

### Which is updated more often, Babbel or Mango Reader?

Babbel ships an update every 4 days, and Mango Reader monthly. Most recently, Babbel was updated on September 25, 2026 and Mango Reader on September 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.*