# Babbel vs Drops

The clearest difference is monetization model: Drops at free with in-app purchases against Babbel's subscription. Drops also leads on review sentiment (75% vs 44%). Babbel's advantage is chart position (#8 vs #160) and ratings volume (754K vs 72K). On price, rating, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Babbel sells 12 in-app purchases, starting at $17.99 per month and Drops sells 13 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 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 4.7 for Drops. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Babbel has 754K ratings behind it against 72K, 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 75% of Drops's.

Babbel ships an update every 4 days, Drops weekly. Both last shipped on September 24, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Babbel | Drops |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.7 (754K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/babbel-language-learning/id829587759/reviews) | [4.7 (72K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/drops-language-learning-games/id939540371/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **754K** | 72K |
| Positive reviews | 43.7% of reviews | **74.6% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Every 4 days** | Weekly |
| Monetization | Subscription | **Free with in-app purchases** |
| Best chart rank | **#8** | #160 |
| Size | 263 MB | 191 MB |
| Requires iOS | **17.0** | 17.6 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Babbel GmbH](https://appshunter.io/developer/357018535) | [PLANB LABS OU](https://appshunter.io/developer/527215806) |

## What reviewers say

### Babbel

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

**Currently charting:** #8 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


### Drops

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/drops-language-learning-games/id939540371)

**Currently charting:** #160 Top Grossing · Education (US App Store)

Learn new languages through engaging games and visual aids. Practice vocabulary and common phrases in over 55 languages, from beginner to expert levels. Track progress, unlock achievements, and enjoy professionally curated lessons with native speaker pronunciations.

**Highlights:** Gamified vocabulary learning, Visual learning aids, 55+ language options, Progress tracking and rewards, Native speaker pronunciations, Customizable learning goals

**In-app purchases (13)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Genius for a month | $7.99 | per month |
| Premium | $9.99 | per month |
| Premium | $11.99 | per month |
| Premium | $14.99 | per month |
| Curious for a month | $22.99 | per month |
| Holiday premium! | $39.99 | per year |
| Premium | $62.99 | per year |
| Premium | $69.99 | per year |
| All Language Learning Plans | $69.99 | per year |
| Premium | $79.99 | per year |
| Premium | $89.99 | per year |
| Premium | $99.99 | per year |
| Unlimited time for all Languages! | $59.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Vocabulary learning
- 👍 Unique and engaging learning activities
- 👍 Wide range of languages
- 👍 Customizable learning experience
- 👍 Effective for building vocabulary

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Inaccurate translations or pronunciations
- 🔒 Subscription model issues
- 👎 Limited to vocabulary, lacks grammar/sentence structure
- 👎 Repetitive and not enough variety in exercises

**Reported bugs**

- Login issues and lost progress
- Crashes and performance problems

**Requested features**

- Add more grammar and sentence-level learning
- Improve accuracy of translations and pronunciations
- Provide more flexibility in time limits and review sessions
- Integrate more conversational practice
- Improve user interface and navigation


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Babbel free?

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

### Is Drops free?

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

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

Babbel and Drops are both rated 4.7 out of 5 on the App Store, from 754K and 72K ratings respectively.

### Do Babbel or Drops have ads?

Both Babbel and Drops show ads.

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

Babbel ships an update every 4 days, and Drops weekly. Most recently, Babbel was updated on September 24, 2026 and Drops on September 24, 2026.

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

Babbel currently peaks at #8 in the App Store charts, and Drops at #160. 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.*