# Babbel vs Airlearn

Babbel and Airlearn both sit at 4.7 stars, but that hides the real split: 82% of Airlearn's written reviews are positive against 44% of Babbel's. Airlearn also leads on monetization model (free with in-app purchases vs subscription) and ads (none vs shown). Babbel's advantage is ratings volume (754K vs 46K) and chart position (#8 vs #146). On price, rating, update cadence 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 Airlearn sells 15 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. 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 4.8 for Airlearn. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Babbel has 754K ratings behind it against 46K, 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 82% of Airlearn's.

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 4 days. Both last shipped on September 25, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Babbel | Airlearn |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.7 (754K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/babbel-language-learning/id829587759/reviews) | **[4.8 (46K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/airlearn-language-learning/id6479639235/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **754K** | 46K |
| Positive reviews | 43.7% of reviews | **81.9% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Every 4 days | Every 4 days |
| Monetization | Subscription | **Free with in-app purchases** |
| Best chart rank | **#8** | #146 |
| Size | 263 MB | 594 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 17.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad** | iPhone |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Babbel GmbH](https://appshunter.io/developer/357018535) | [UNACADEMY INC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1736703854) |

## What reviewers say

### Babbel

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

**Currently charting:** #8 Top Grossing · Education, #62 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


### Airlearn

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/airlearn-language-learning/id6479639235)

**Currently charting:** #146 Top Grossing · Education, #151 Top Free · Education (US App Store)

Master over 25 languages with concise lessons, cultural insights, and practical dialogues. Engage in weekly leagues and track your progress to achieve fluency. Start learning for free today.

**Highlights:** Master 25+ languages, Concise grammar and vocabulary lessons, Rich cultural insights, Practical dialogues and real-life situations, Spaced repetition for memory retention, Weekly leagues and XP for motivation, Progress tracking with daily goals and streaks

**In-app purchases (15)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Pay monthly | $4.99 | per month |
| Pay monthly (7 days free) | $4.99 | per month |
| Monthly plan | $4.99 | per month |
| Pay 6 months (14 days free) | $24.99 | per 6 months |
| Pay 6 months (14 days free) | $29.99 | per 6 months |
| Pay for 1 year | $39.99 | per year |
| Pay yearly (14 days free) | $39.99 | per year |
| Annual Plan | $39.99 | per year |
| Pay yearly (14 days free) | $47.99 | per year |
| Airlearn Pro - Family Plan | $49.99 | per year |
| Airlearn Pro - Family Plan | $49.99 | per year |
| Pay yearly (14 days free) | $74.99 | per year |
| Annual Plan | $79.99 | per year |
| Pay yearly (7 days free) | $79.99 | per year |
| Pay for 5,000 coins | $1.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Easy to use and learn
- 🚀 Effective language learning
- 💡 Explains grammar and culture
- 🎨 Beautiful art and visuals
- 🗣️ Good pronunciation practice

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🔒 Limited free lessons per day
- 🐛 Occasional bugs and glitches
- 📚 Lacks more language options
- 🔍 Needs better review/progress tracking

**Reported bugs**

- Lessons getting stuck on certain questions
- Words/sentences not registering correctly
- App freezing or crashing after completing lessons

**Requested features**

- Add more languages like Korean, Portuguese, Italian
- Implement spaced repetition for better vocabulary retention
- Allow users to toggle romaji/kana display for Japanese
- Add placement tests to determine starting level


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Babbel free?

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

### Is Airlearn free?

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

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

Airlearn is rated higher. Babbel averages 4.7 out of 5 from 754K ratings, while Airlearn averages 4.8 from 46K ratings.

### Do Babbel or Airlearn have ads?

Babbel shows ads; Airlearn does not.

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

Babbel ships an update every 4 days, and Airlearn every 4 days. Most recently, Babbel was updated on September 25, 2026 and Airlearn on September 25, 2026.

### Which is more popular, Babbel or Airlearn?

Babbel currently peaks at #8 in the App Store charts, and Airlearn at #146. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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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.*