From youtube videos to instructional books, the opportunities to learn different languages are tremendous. Thanks to technological advancements, we also have a vast number of language learning apps that are continuously growing in terms of numbers and popularity. In this blog, we have covered two major competitors: Babbel vs. Duolingo, and find out which is better than the other!

Comparison: Babbel vs. Duolingo

Let us compare the two biggest Language learning apps in the world in greater detail and find out which is the best app- Babbel vs. Duolingo!

Duolingo

Duolingo is a free language-learning website and mobile app founded by Luis von Ahn and Severin Hacker in 2012 for public usage with its headquarters in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, US. As one of the front-runners in online education, Duolingo provides worldwide services like language courses in over 35 foreign languages and also Duolingo English assessment tests. An English proficiency test accepted by 3000 academic institutions across the world; the test is affordable and easily accessible. 

Duolingo is a user-friendly app designed to encourage users to develop proficiency in different languages and explore new languages at no cost whatsoever. The app uses a set of game-style techniques to engage the users and check their progress as they learn the language. This app operates like a motivator, especially for beginners and younger audiences who are learning a new language for the first time. The English-speaking users have access to a total of 37 foreign languages on the platform. Those languages:

• Spanish, French, German, Japanese, Hindi, Italian, Korean, Chinese, Russian, Arabic, Portuguese, Turkish, Dutch, Latin, Swedish, Irish, Greek, Polish, Hebrew, Norwegian, Vietnamese, Danish, Hawaiian, Indonesian, Welsh, Finnish, Scottish Gaelic, Romanian, Czech, Swahili, Hungarian, Ukrainian, Navajo, Esperanto and Yiddish
• It also includes fictional languages like Klingon and High Valyrian.  

According to Duolingo’s data analysis, English is the most popular language amongst their users closely followed by French and Spanish.

Advantages of Duolingo 

• A total of 35 foreign languages at zero cost
• Users can learn multiple languages simultaneously
• The courses get a rudimentary understanding of the languages and are great for learning basic vocabulary, sentence structure and common phrases.
• The app has short efficient lessons ranging from 5 to 20 minutes with quizzes at the end of every lesson. 

Disadvantages of Duolingo

• The app can get repetitive and monotonous because of its robotic voice and lessons.
• No real incentivizes and the chances of losing interest are high.
• There are no explanations for why an answer is right or wrong.
• Not designed for individuals who wish to develop high proficiency in a language or multiple languages.  
• Constant alerts and notifications are off-putting.

Babbel

Babbel is a German-based language learning app and the company was started by Markus Witte and Thomas Holl in 2007. Babbel’s services are designed with a specific audience in mind; they offer beginner, intermediate and grammar courses in different languages keeping in mind the native language of the user and their level of proficiency in the new language. It offers also Babbel Live which includes online interactive tutoring classes conducted by certified language experts. 

Babbel is a subscription-based learning app which means users have to pay for language courses available on the platform. The subscription ensures two important things: one, it means that the language courses offered are good quality programs and two, the user is serious and committed to learning a new language. The prices for each language course are reasonable and affordable way less than institutionalised language courses. The language-based learning app is easily accessible on the laptop and on the phone. It offers a total of 14 languages for its users. The languages are:

• Spanish 
• French
• German
• Italian 
• Portuguese 
• Polish 
• Russian
• Dutch
• Turkish
• Danish
• Norwegian
• Swedish
• Indonesian
• English

 Advantages of Babbel

• It has curated courses based on individual needs and goals.
• Put emphasis on speaking tasks by using real voices to give you an idea of the accent, enunciation, and right pronunciation of the words. 
• The app gives importance to real-life conversations and focuses on learning by using the language rather than focusing on grammar and vocabulary. 
• It is a great app for beginners and intermediate learners who want to brush up their language skills at a reasonable cost.

Disadvantages of Babbel

• Users must pay per language course on the platform. 
• Babbel has a limited collection of languages as opposed to its competitors.
• Courses are not designed for advanced learners.
• The recall component, the multiple-choice questions and the quiz structure limit independent thinking.  

Duolingo vs. Babbel

These are the major differences between two major learning apps: Babbel vs Duolingo. You can choose for yourself which learning app meets your needs and goals better. For more exciting educational content follow Leverage Edu.

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