Babbel vs Spira
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Babbel
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.
- Bite-sized lessons
- Expert-built courses
- Interactive conversation practice
- Smart review system
- Grammar in context
- Offline mode
- Learn 14 languages
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Speak a new language with real-life conversations. Babbel is the award-winning language learning app with courses tailored to your native language, built by 200+ language experts and trusted by millions worldwide. Because lessons are built for speakers of your language, an English speaker learning Spanish gets different lessons than a French speaker does. You learn to speak, listen, and understand grammar in context, then practice real conversations with Babbel Speak, an AI conversation partner that gives you personalized feedback. Learn a new language faster with bite-sized lessons designed to fit your everyday life. With Babbel’s proven method, you could start having real conversations in as little as 3 weeks. Your language learning adventure starts with a lesson. WHY BABBEL WORKS • Tailored to your native language: Courses are created by language experts and tailored to your native language, so you learn naturally and efficiently. • Real-life conversations: Learn the language people actually speak, for travel, work, and everyday life. • Speak with confidence: Practice out loud with speech recognition and Babbel Speak, an AI conversation partner to improve your pronunciation. • Research-proven results: Efficacy backed by researchers at Yale University: 100% improved their oral proficiency in 3 months.* TRUSTED BY MILLIONS • 25 million subscriptions sold • 1.5 million 5-star ratings (based on App store ratings) • After 10 hours with Babbel, 96% of learners saw better test scores on grammar and vocabulary** BUILT FOR REAL LIFE • Short, effective lessons: Learn in as little as 10 minutes a day • Lessons for every motivation: Learn for travel, work, or fun • Listen, speak, write: Options for every learning style • Stress-free conversation practice: Build confidence with Guided Conversations, then practice freely with Babbel Speak (Beta) • Smart review system: Boosts learning and retention • Grammar in context: Clear explanations exactly when you need them • Offline mode: Download lessons and learn anywhere, anytime • 5,000+ courses: Over 60,000 lessons across all languages LEARN 14 LANGUAGES Spanish (Latin American or Spain), French, Italian, German, Portuguese, English (American or British), Russian, Polish, Turkish, Norwegian, Danish, Swedish, Dutch, and Indonesian. TRY BABBEL TODAY Download Babbel now and take a free lesson. SUBSCRIPTION DETAILS A subscription is required to access full courses for one language. Subscriptions renew automatically unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Payment will be charged to your Apple account. Available plans: • 1 month • 3 months • 6 months • 12 months Privacy policy: https://about.babbel.com/en/privacy/ Terms of use: https://about.babbel.com/en/terms/ LEARN MORE Read Babbel Magazine for tips and insights: https://www.babbel.com/en/magazine Follow us: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/babbelusa Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Babbel.usa CONTACT US Questions or feedback? Email: support-mobile@babbel.com *Based on a study conducted with Babbel users learning Spanish. Available at http://bit.ly/BabbelYale. **Based on a study conducted with Babbel users learning Spanish. Available: http://bit.ly/BabbelMSU.
Spira
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Learn Languages Easily and Connect to the World with Spira Spira is an innovative mobile app that makes language learning easy, fast and fun. Bringing together users with different native languages, Spira makes the language learning process a social experience, providing a natural and effective learning environment. With a wide range of languages including French, German, Hindi, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Dutch, Polish, Portuguese, Arabic, Spanish, Turkish, Ukrainian, English, Vietnamese and Chinese, Spira meets the needs of language learners at all levels. Direct Practice with Matching System Spira's unique matching system accelerates your language learning process. It connects you with users whose native language is the language you want to learn, and offers a mutual learning experience. For example, a native English user who wants to learn Spanish is matched with a native Spanish user who wants to learn English. In this way, both parties learn from each other through real-time conversations. Why Should You Use Spira? 1) Natural Learning: By practicing directly with native speakers, you learn how the language is used in real life. 2) Cultural Discovery: By making new friends, you not only learn a language, but also discover different cultures. 3) Flexibility: Learn a language at the level and pace that suits your needs. Start with basic phrases or practice at an advanced level. 4) Time and Space Limitlessness: Connect with native speakers whenever and wherever you want. Spira Advantages 1) Learning a language by talking: Accelerate your learning process with real conversations. 2) A fun community: Socialize and make new friends while learning a language. 3) Extensive language support: Experience a global experience with 16 different language options. 4) Double-sided benefit: Get the opportunity to teach your own language while teaching the language you want to learn. Overcome Language Barriers With Spira, you not only learn a language, but also open a door to the world. By connecting with people from different cultures, you will both improve your language skills and make new friends. Spira transforms the language learning process from a task into an enjoyable journey. Start Learning Languages with Spira Now If you want to learn a language at your own pace, socialize and have fun, Spira is for you! Take the first step to learn a new language and be a part of the global community. The world is waiting to talk to you! ACCESS TO ALL FEATURES -You must subscribe to have unlimited access to all features of the app. -Subscriptions are automatically charged based on the subscription plan selected and will renew until cancelled. TERMS OF USE & PRIVACY POLICY & EULA : https://sites.google.com/view/ilang-privacy-terms-eula/home
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is ads: Spira at none against Babbel's shown. Babbel's advantage is chart position (#11 vs unranked). On price, update cadence, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Babbel sells 12 in-app purchases, starting at $17.99 per month and Spira sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Babbel ships an update every 4 days, Spira every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and May 16, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Babbel | Spira |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.7 (754K ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 43.7% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 754K — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 4 days | Every 3 days — better |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Subscription | — |
| Best chart rank | #11 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 — better | 17.4 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 263 MB | 24 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 9+ |
| Developer | Babbel GmbH | WHITE CODE TEKNOLOJI LIMITED SIRKETI |
Bugs and requests
Babbel
Reported bugs
4 issues- 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
5 requests- 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
Spira
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Babbel
- Mexican Spanish – 1-month plan$17.991 Month
- Spanish 1 month$17.991 Month
- French 1 month$17.991 Month
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- Italian 1 month$17.991 Month
- Mexican Spanish - 1-month plan$19.991 Month
- Mexican Spanish – 3-month plan$45.993 Months
- Learn French – 3-month plan$45.993 Months
- Learn Spanish – 3-month plan$45.993 Months
- All Languages – 3-month plan$53.993 Months
- Mexican Spanish – 1-year plan$89.991 Year
- All Languages – 12-month plan$107.991 Year
- All Languages – 12-month plan7 Days trial$107.991 Year
Spira
- PRO Weekly$4.997 Days
- PRO Monthly$14.991 Month
- PRO Yearly$179.991 Year
Questions
Is Babbel free?
Is Spira free?
Do Babbel or Spira have ads?
Which is updated more often, Babbel or Spira?
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