Babbel vs Duolingo: Which app is best for learning French? (2024)

Babbel and Duolingo are two of the most popular French learning apps on the market today. But which one is better?

Let’s compare Babbel and Duolingo to see which one you should use to learn and practice French.

Which is better: Babbel or Duolingo?

Babbel and Duolingo are similar in many ways, but also very different.

Both Babbel and Duolingo:

• are available as a mobile and a web app

• cover areas like French vocabulary, grammar, writing, listening, and speaking

• feature varied exercises for learning, practicing, and reviewing French

But there are some important ways in which they differ, including:

• Babbel goes more in-depth into most of the subjects covered than Duolingo does. And unlike Duolingo, it features cultural lessons and information, a very important part of language learning.

• Duolingo has a fun, joyful, and often funny interface, with many characters you’ll meet and interact with along the way. It’s also famous for keeping users motivated, with its concept of “streaks” – unbroken days of practice – and other incentives. But it falls short in grammar and speaking practice, and also offers no French culture lessons or information.

Overall:

• Its varied exercises, joyful and playful tone, characters, and streaks, will keep many learners engaged with Duolingo.

• Babbel takes a more traditional approach to learning French than an app like Duolingo. But its varied exercises and interesting and helpful cultural insights keep things far from boring.

So is Babbel or Duolingo better to learn French with? It ultimately depends on you. How do you like to learn? What are your goals?

Read on for more information about how Babbel and Duolingo compare. And if you want more information about each of these apps, feel free to check out my in-depth review of Babbel and my in-depth review of Duolingo.

Babbel vs Duolingo

Here are some of the most important ways Babble and Duolingo measure up, based on some of the most important things you should consider when choosing a language learning app.

Format

Babbel: Available as a web app (can use on computer or mobile device) or a mobile app.

Duolingo: Same.

Subject areas covered

Babbel: Listening, reading, speaking, writing, with grammar andculture-related information and explanations, as well. Babbel’s lessons are organized sequentially, but you can also search for lessons on specific subjects or topics, a feature I find really neat.

Duolingo: Listening, reading, speaking, and writing.

Learning levels

Babbel: Beginner to upper intermediate

Duolingo: Beginner to upper intermediate. That said, for a solid understanding the fundamentals of French grammar, absolute beginners may need more information than what they learn on Duolingo.

Lesson length

Babbel: Each lesson takes roughly 10 minutes to complete.

Duolingo: Lessons can take from 5-20 minutes to complete. You can choose how long you want your lesson to take by toggling your Daily Goals.

Number of lessons

Babbel: Each learning level is made up of around 5-10 courses, which consist of around 10 lessons (sometimes a few more, sometimes a few less) each.

Duolingo: Duolingo French has a massive amount of lessons. According to the duoplanet blog, Duolingo French features over 200 lessons.

Access to different learning levels

Babbel: Regardless of your learning level,you have access to all of Babbel’s course levels in the language you’re studying. So if you want to start learning or revising by doing something easier, or if you want a challenge or to test your current French abilities, that is absolutely an option.

Duolingo: You can’t skip ahead to different levels without taking a test. But Duolingolets you go back to levels you’ve completed. You can alsoaccess guidebooks for later lessons, no matter what lesson you’re currently on.

Authentic audio

Babbel: Like the French Together app, all audio on Babbel is provided by native French speakers

Duolingo: Audio on Duolingo depends on the Duolingo character who’s speaking. Many will speak standard, mainland French, but others will have at least a slight accent, or will have their own particular pronunciation and inflection quirks. This has its advantages and disadvantages. It keeps you from only hearing standard French, but then again, you may not only hear standard French when you start using your French in the real world.

Pronunciation checker

Babbel: Includes AI pronunciation checker as part of speaking exercises

Duolingo:Includes AI pronunciation checking as part of speaking exercises.

Duolingo also has an AI chatbot, but it’s not included in the standard, free version of the app. The recently released Duolingo Max is a separate, paid Duolingo chatbot feature that’s currently only available for iOS and only accessible in certain countries.

Interactive dialogues

Babbel: You can’t do much with dialogues besides listen to them.For instance, you’re not able to slow down audio, or to listen to audio at both slow and normal speeds, or break down words and dialogues (features many other language learning apps, including theFrench Together app, offer).

Duolingo:While there are lots of speaking and listening exercises, not all levels have long dialogues. For higher level learners, though, “Stories” are short dialogues that you can read and listen to. You can replay lines, and you will be required to interact in some way, for example, with fill-in-the-blank or comprehension questions.

Review options

Both Babbel and Duolingo offer varied and helpful review exercises.

Challenging exercises

Babbel’s exercises can be challenging.

And don’t let Duolingo’s cute interface fool you – its lessons can also be challenging.

Teaching style

Babbel: Babbel takes a more structured approach to language learning. The app also does a good job of clearly explaining concepts related to grammar, as well as culture, and building on everything users have learned to help them understand and progress.

Duolingo: Takes a more intuitive language learning approach. There are structured lessons and a learning path to follow, and the app does have a grammar guidebook that will clarify or explain certain concepts (though I personally don’t think it does this well enough in many cases). But the main way to learn with Duolingo is by observing and doing.

This learning technique isn’t unique to Duolingo, and it’s not necessarily something everyone would find negative, but personally, I’ve never been a fan of it, especially if your goal is to attain near-fluency, including grammar proficiency. See enough examples, Duolingo’s creators figure, and you’ll get it. But I’m not really sure that’s true. By the end, you’re expected to know how to conjugate verbs in various tenses, for instance, and I strongly suspect that many longtime users only know how to conjugate for the subjects and verbs they’ve become familiar with through the app’s example sentences.

Interface style

Babbel: Babbel has a simple interface that makes it easy to use, while still looking visually appealing. The app feels friendly and welcoming, but not as zany or cartoony as Duolingo.

Duolingo: Fun! Visually and in spirit, Duolingo is like a game, with your progress laid out on your screen like a path (sort of a lanuage app version of maps in some Mario games), and points and jewels and such to win along the way. And of course, there’s the app’s famous streaks – days of continuous practice that most users strive to continue unbroken.

But if all of this doesn’t matter that much to you, the app’s cast of cartoon characters just might. Each one has their own personality and style. For instance, my favorite, the cynical, kind-of-Goth teenager Lily, will roll her eyes and grudgingly clap when you get the answer to an exercise right.

How knowledge is applied

Babbel: Teaches you, then shows you how what you’ve learned can be used in real-life situations. For instance, a lesson on prepositions is then applied to a scenario where you ask directions when visiting a French city.

Duolingo: Has a more whimsical, less real-world approach and doesn’t seem to rely on practicality as much as general language learning.

In fact, while some people (like myself), find the app charming, others, like French Together founder Benjamin, find it frustrating, since many of the phrases you’ll learn are silly and memorable, but not ones you’re likely to use in real life.

The best things about each app

Babbel:

•Varied exercises

•Grammar and culture insights. In some lessons, a little window will pop up on your screen with more information about a grammar concept, or to warn you about a potentially embarrassing faux ami. Some of these tips are about art or culture, as well.

Duolingo:

• Its whimsical style and cast of characters make learning feel fun, even when exercises are challenging.

• Motivates users to practice daily.In addition to its famous “streaks” (uninterrupted days of practice) and messages from its characters, Duolingo offers incentives like the game-like rewards system, where you get gems and other items for completing lessons and reaching other goals.

The worst thing(s) about each app

Babbel:

• Learners who have a hard time committing to a traditional French learning app may find it hard to stick with Babbel, despite its varied exercises and quick lessons.

Duolingo:

• Grammar explanations are brief at best, and often not particularly clear.

• Cultural aspects of French, especially the importance of politeness, are ignored.

• The app is free, which is wonderful, but it includes ads, which might feel disruptive (although these don’t pop up in the middle of a lesson or anything.)

Cost

Babbel:

As of this writing, a 6-month subscriptionto Babbelcosts 53.94 euros and a one-yearsubscription costs 71.88 euros.

There’s also a lifetime plan, which currently costs about 300 eurosbut offers access to all of the languages offered by the app, not just French.

You can checkBabbel’s pricing in your region’s currency on Babbel’s Prices page.

Duolingo:

The standard version of Duolingo iscompletely free, although it does contain ads.

There are alsotwo paid, ad-free versions of Duolingo: Super Duolingo and Duolingo Max.

Super Duolingo offers more content and a few appealing extras. Duolingo Max, which is only available in a few countries and only as an iOS app for now, includes all of Super Duolingo’s features, plus anAI chatbot.

Should you choose Babbel or Duolingo for French learning?

As you’ve seen from this review, Babbel and Duolingo both have strengths and weaknesses. Overall, both apps cover a lot of ground, although Babbel goes more in-depth in areas like grammar and also features cultural lessons and information, something Duolingo lacks.

But if you find yourself longing for both Babbel’s more in-depth approach and Duolingo’s fun and engaging one, here’s some good news: Since both apps offer short lessons, and since Duolingo is free, you could use the two of them in tandem to learn and review French!

And if there’s a particular area of French you want to practice, you can also use one of these apps along with an app that focuses on that area. For instance, the French Together app can help you improve your French conversation skills, with dialogues spoken by native speakers, review exercises, a pronunciation checker, and a focus on French as it’s spoken today.

Whichever app or apps you choose, good luck in your French learning journey!