Babbel vs Duolingo Review (Which Language Program Is Better?)

[@TestPrepInsight]

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[@laxvmarch3]

With Babbel, you can learn the language without getting your family kidnapped by a threatening green owl every time you miss a lesson 😀

[@TestPrepInsight]

lolol

[@RandomYIRP]

Your right … its not like I killed him with a desert eagle in my basement …I didn’t kill the owl he died fron kidney malfunction or he didn’t die

[@inna2432]

😂😂😂😂😂

[@colorlessking.]

Seems like Duolingo is too advanced, I am gonna make a food out of you, kinda like how the mafia gang kill people and cut their body and feed it to the dogs. I am gonna eat you on the bed, as an adult this means the man and the woman is gonna be involved in x related stuff, if you know what I mean. Hehe

[@allayshalonarios1755]

One of my biggest frustrations with Duolingo is the repetition and review for moving on and the limited mistakes. Thanks for the review!

[@TestPrepInsight]

Thanks for sharing Allaysha!

[@amandarockhold8390]

to get out of the heart system if you go on the website instead of the app there aren't hearts yet

[@zuko803]

My app has no hearts, its unlimited

[@loreynhypen700]

@@zuko803 what is the app ?

[@sgtschnitzel42]

With a Duolingo subscription, there's unlimited mistakes.

[@lylecrocodile4894]

Thank you for the review. After well over 900 consecutive days I was a huge fan of Duolingo (the paid version). Then they recently reformatted the app and made it unbearable. I will be trying out Babbel now. In Duolingo, I could scroll back to old lessons and do the Legendary status to test myself. Now all the lessons are lined up, not spaced across the screen. So it takes forever to scroll back to old lessons. I also cannot choose a category to start a new lesson. THey dictate what I look at next. Duolingo was set up as a game, but now they made it too juvenile. I'm a grown-ass man and just want to learn spanish, not play a silly game.

[@TestPrepInsight]

Everyone is complaining about the new Duo update, so you're not alone. Good luck with Babbel!

[@richardgray8593]

Ah, but you see, Duolingo language EXPERTS have decleared that the new in-line path is much better even if we non-experts think it sucks.

[@mariapavlenko192]

I'm not fond of the update as well. I hope they reverse it back to the original version or let us choose the outline, at least the paid customers.

[@33percentgod]

Duolingo's update is what brought me to this video. It took me so off track and screwed up my progress so badly I lost my 200 day streak because I just lost all motivation to continue.

[@ROdoesITbetter]

Did you follow through with babel ? If so was it worth it?

[@fakecelebritynews7576]

Duolingo’s free version is actually really good if you use it on a computer. You only have hearts on the app version. Duolingo is definitely a solid choice especially considering that it’s free! Ich lerne seit zweieinhalb Jahren deutsch auf Duolingo 🇩🇪

[@mariapavlenko192]

True. Also while on the desktop version you can access the guidebook that provides some information on grammar. But even on the app, I've used all 5 hearts within 30-45 minutes sessions only once (I've been using it every day for 4,5 months). Usually, it's 1-2 for me per session, so it's definitely doable.

[@nyx8026]

No more, now you also have hearts on pc...

[@13SoccerMessi13]

Babbel is best. Duolingo has a great gamify setting but their mistranslations are so frustrating. Learning German for work.

[@kappa8941]

Und gehts dir damit?

[@mercedesspinetti5555]

I started learning Russian a year ago with duolingo and have been debating on whether or not to take the leap and pay for Babbel. Thank you for helping me decide!

[@derekroberts5931]

What did you decide and how did it go?

[@louispye]

I really like Duolingo as I’ve been using it, it’s really good on the free version but the premium version is great. I like the repetition and it’s really helped me. It’s a really good and polished app. Highly recommend!!!

[@TechyGamerVibeZ]

Is it better than babbel

[@tylerdaniell2270]

@@TechyGamerVibeZ it’s not as accurate as Babbel. If you’re very dedicated to be fluent, go for babbel. But the main problem I’ve had personally with the app is that it’s really hard to stay motivated on it because it is just not fun. Duolingo may not be as accurate, but it still is really good and actually very fun. It all comes down if you want to learn the basics of a language or if you want to be become fluent.

[@TechyGamerVibeZ]

@@tylerdaniell2270 you’re absolutely right. That’s why I have both now

[@wome4743]

I got both. Started with duolingo ( around 2 years ) & now I bought babbel which is so different but great after getting quite advanced with duolingo. Thanks to duolingo & my streak I have the daily learning discipline to apply in babbel

[@TestPrepInsight]

That's great. Thanks for sharing!

[@davidsandieg281]

Watching this and your other videos. Very well laid out. Thank you!

[@TestPrepInsight]

Awesome, thank you!

[@ifrtutor]

Very interesting and helpful comparison. I have only used Duolingo and have to agree with all your points. I have only been using it a few days and thoroughly enjoying it. But the difficulty of some of the lessons vary considerably. One minute I'm dragging words to complete a sentence (almost impossible to get wrong), and then then next I'm having to type. This does assume that I'm interested in writing in that language, which is an oversight. Maybe I just want to learn enough to verbally get by. Biggest turn-off about Duolingo though is the stupid hearts system and ads (exactly your point). As exercises have become more difficult I've now run out of hearts. I'm only now learning that they replenish these daily (from your comment). On one hand they're encouraging me constantly to do more and even have an XP happy hour (Nice touch!). But they're also penalising me for dedicating myself to the app. I absolutely intend to pay for an app to help me learn. I think I might give Babbel a try as it generally comes out on top. I still find the price high considering it's an internet-service and it's competing with many many free resources. Also I'd probably want to go for a year's subscription. Quite irritatingly it looks like I'm locking in only one language. For a year's commitment I'd feel uncomfortable with this. Perhaps I want to learn a couple of languages. Maybe I don't get on with the one I'm studying and wish to switch. The 'lifetime' option is a massive leap of faith (in the company not going out of business). But at a huge expense, the course then starts competing with doing face-to-face learning with a proper teacher (acknowledging that online learning is still learning). My point is when you have to start paying, then consumers have to seriously start comparing. Duolingo's failing (IMO) is they only really encourage very short busts of learning (to earn enough hearts to make mistakes; mistakes being the essence of learning), and their 3rd party ads are beyond annoying and loud.

[@TestPrepInsight]

All good points. Thanks for watching and sharing Paul!

[@wellcoachlynell]

You provide such detailed information on these language learning programs. Duolingo has some key advantages, but Babbel has others. I’ll look at your links.

[@7777-n4z]

I'm a total beginner. I am using Duolingo. True, commercials are a bit annoying, but I don't watch them, I'm using commercials time as a tiny break for my eyes. I really wish we had more than 5 hearts. But on the bright side, it kind of forces me to repeat old lessons, which I probably wouldn't be doing on my own. So it works out since I'm a beginner. Thank you for the quality review, and for all the work you put into your videos! Wishing your channel more subscribers 👍

[@TestPrepInsight]

Thank you for the kind words!

[@robertfrost6421]

Don't be a cheapskate. Buy it. It really doesn't cost much in the grand scheme of things. You deserve it!

[@tashajourneys]

Currently using Duolingo free version just to get my feet wet. Now, I am at the point where I want to pay for a program. This review was very helpful for where I am at right now in my language learning journey.

[@TestPrepInsight]

Thanks for watching Tasha!

[@gss123gss]

Great detailed and to the point comparison, thank you for the effort. Earned a subscriber. Cheers!

[@TestPrepInsight]

Awesome, thank you!

[@sean2305]

Great video to explain the differences between both options. Looking forward to testing them out.

[@orbit10001]

Babbel is amazing. I learned Italian with Babbel eight years ago and now I learning German.

[@kappa8941]

Cool! Ich glaube das ich auch mal Babbel ausprobiere!

[@sahpi0175]

But can you talk fluently with a italiqn

[@kimpitts1371]

Thanks for the comparison! Very helpful

[@TestPrepInsight]

Glad it was helpful! Thanks for watching

[@kennybania5177]

Great comparison. Very helpful. I think I’d go with Babbel.

[@Antbeast23]

Pre ply and babble is great for learning you get conversation grammar listening from native speakers. There is a lot of English usage in Duolingo as well but it’s good for beginner’s. I also love hello talk because you can talk with natives and do language exchange etc

[@shurjendudutt-mazumdar1941]

“great for beginners…” beginner’s = ‘beginner is’

[@paradisestar5991]

Is hello talk free??

[@yvonneunderwoodjade4244]

Very helpful video~ I have been using Duo for Espanol for about 5 months and while I'm making progress, I think I will try Babel because it does sound like a better fit for me. The constant interruptions for ads with Duo are VERY annoying but I do like the competition. I really appreciate this video's thorough analysis of each program. Thank you!

[@TestPrepInsight]

Nice, thanks for sharing and watching!

[@handuion4539]

You only get the ads on the free version. Babbel doesn't even have a free version.

[@MindBlown720]

Such a great channel and great production, thanks so much for the help🤙🏻

[@TestPrepInsight]

Thanks Chris!

[@alainar6674]

Thank you for the detailed review of Duolingo and Babbel! This is very helpful!

[@carlosjuvencio-ew9xn]

Thanks for this great review.

[@TestPrepInsight]

Thanks for watching!

[@iamtoken555]

J’aime Duolingo beaucoup. Et après sept journées i feel pretty good about my French right now it’s fast fluent and strict. Either know you’re stuff or suffer the consequences. I love typing to the AI and I love the little explanations to why you got an answer wrong. Never touched babbel but Duolingo has that fast paced competitive classroom type learning with quests and leaderboards really great!!

[@lee.laree.12]

I agree with the ads and heart system on Duolingo. For such an app that pushes people to practice their lessons everyday, they sure do have a lot of cons that will make people not want to use their app anymore. The heart system can be very discouraging because its like you are being penalized for making a slight error. I also noticed, when you press the words in the quotation bubbles and they show you the hints, the hints aren't always accurate either. And, if you don't stay active, you will be forced to get demoted out of the leagues. I'm thinking of switching from Duolingo to something else.

[@TestPrepInsight]

Yep yep, all good points. Agreed. Thanks for watching!

[@khanshwathsaw8198]

I have to agree with your review. Duolingo does become pretty frustrating and discouraging to use for new language learners (speaking from experience). Babbel has been getting a lot of attention recently and I think that's great! Appreciate the work you put into these types of videos!

[@TestPrepInsight]

Thanks for watching Khan! We appreciate it

[@jackiechiles7552]

awesome review video. thanks! I think I'd go Pimsleur

[@eduardocorrochio3132]

Thanks for the Babbel v. Duolingo comparison. Your language learning videos and written content are excellent. I would like to learn Spanish.

[@annvanderaa2630]

Thanks a lot for this video! I’m currently travelling and soon entering Georgia (country) and would like to learn some Russian, so I can interact with people on-site and learn about their culture and customs. Would be interested in Babbel subscription. Thank you!

[@onwardig1555]

Very helpful! Was going to subscribe to Babbel after watching this but changed my mind due to them not having a family plan. Myself and my 2 kids are all trying to learn Spanish and based on reviews Babbel is not user friendly for more than one person and I'm too cheap to buy 3 subscriptions. I guess we'll stick with Duolingo. I was hoping for something with a little more grammar explanations. Thanks again!

[@TestPrepInsight]

Glad it was helpful! Thanks for sharing!

[@ronlasiere4114]

Love love the stories on duolingo! But unfortunately theyre only available for more popular languages. Looking to try Babble

[@TestPrepInsight]

Nice! Thanks for watching!

[@peteisenberg1376]

When I click the link above, it seems to only give me the discount for Spanish. Is it possible to get the additional discount for the French course in Babbel?

[@ChrisCal619]

I love the reminders and motivation Duo lingo sends you if you have your notifications on and haven’t logged in for a while 😅

[@iwinzeazy]

If you have time Pimslear is best because you are just conversing with the cd in a continuous story🇺🇸

[@rmichaelmcclain5061]

Great video! Really helped me decide on which app to subscribe to

[@TestPrepInsight]

Glad it was helpful!

[@andrewross6060]

Great comparison. Thanks!

[@TestPrepInsight]

Glad it was helpful!

[@twinkleeapen]

Great review! I would like to learn spanish and hindi

[@CLUELESSMONSTERGAMER]

The hearts help because you get to learn more Spanish well you are getting hearts so it helps to learn you language

[@franklincampos6648]

Thanks for the thorough review! I want to learn Portuguese!

[@TestPrepInsight]

Nice! Thanks for watching Franklin!

[@cgutrustnchrist]

Good review. Im glad you gave your favorite instead of saying both like everyone else. Im going to check out zipler. Im subscribing

[@TestPrepInsight]

Thank you for watching and subscribing Luke! We appreciate your support!

[@_RobertOnline_]

Insightful 👍

[@Suzzers]

I have been using Duolingo. I tried the website on my computer and the app on my phone, and the free computer version is 100% better. There's no hearts, so you can actually make mistakes without being penalized, the ads aren't absolutely everywhere like on the app and are usually in the corner of the screen, and it's mainly just easier to navigate.

[@TestPrepInsight]

That is a good point about mobile vs desktop!

[@rococorbould2243]

Great comparison

[@susany9618]

I love that duolingo have a free option, but it can be frustrating that they allow some typos but not others.

[@TestPrepInsight]

yep, i hear ya. thanks for watching!

[@Desorbz]

They penalise you for typos if you are more than 1 letter wrong

[@shaunaneal627]

I hope to be fluent in Spanish within the next year or two

[@psilocybindisciple]

Try 3 months

[@dsfamily881]

Good comparison. Thanks. One thing I haven't seen mentioned is that Duoliingo offers a family plan and Babble does not. So, if you have multiple family members that want to learn a language, that can help reduce the cost per person for the Duolingo paid version.

[@TestPrepInsight]

True, and so does Pimsleur as well. Good point

[@kj7653]

Thank you for this comparison. I have only tried Duolingo. I felt very stupid the whole time. I took high school Spanish, but I could never figure out how to jump ahead on Duolingo, so I was never challenged or at the right level of learning. After too much wasted time I gave up.

[@TestPrepInsight]

Interesting. Thanks for sharing! Maybe give Babbel a try then...

[@AbhiyanSingh]

Babbel is the way to go! Would definitely check it out!

[@TestPrepInsight]

Thanks for watching Abhiyan!

[@clarissafussy1672]

Currently using the free version of Duolingo but for some reason we are unable to type in greek and cant find the special characters...

[@deedeleon9155]

Can you add the Greek keyboard to your phone or computer? I have done that for Spanish, Italian, and French. It helps.

[@backtworeality]

Nice review! I agree with your verdict.

[@TestPrepInsight]

Awesome! Glad you enjoyed it

[@Crystal_Starheart]

These are the cheapest plans I've seen. I like the short lessons so that you can go through several lessons in a sitting. I like the game-type learning to make the lesson format fun.

[@TestPrepInsight]

Yep yep! All good points :)

[@HydrogenheadsWife]

Thanks for your thoughtful reviews. I'm considering the Babble platform, and I'm interested in knowing if there is sufficient content for a lifetime subscription. Do subscriptions cover all languages offered for one user, or just Spanish?

[@Inari1987]

Yeah, it's frustrating when duolingo takes a heart for a typo. In my case, sometimes it's because I don't put a definite article.....especially if in my target language it shouldn't matter too much.

[@TestPrepInsight]

I agree. That's what annoys me the most about the heart system

[@oprophetisfake9482]

So far I find Duolingo better than Babel. I have only tried limited attempts at using Babel and I find it more frustrating and difficult to use than Duolingo. Duolingo does have its drawbacks, like the limited word bank that makes guessing easier than knowledge.

[@TestPrepInsight]

Thanks for sharing your experience :)

[@RandomYIRP]

What about the family/ yourself being kidnapped

[@oprophetisfake9482]

@@RandomYIRP what about you going to a lost eternity?

[@caprilemons]

Great video, thank you!

[@TestPrepInsight]

Thanks for watching Arianna!

[@BantheBans]

Happy babbel won I already bought it lol I also use and appreciate duolingo free version for a change

[@BobSullivanAKABuffy]

Totally agree that my speaking (accent etc) is better with Babbel than Duolingo. Using both for Italian.

[@BobSullivanAKABuffy]

Is it because I'm doing a different language that neither my Duolingo nor my Babbel presents like you show in your examples?

[@TestPrepInsight]

Sorry, not sure I understand. What exactly do you mean? We've tested Italian on both apps, as well as Spanish, and the programs are very, very similar across languages

[@spyrosbellos2522]

I got a Duolingo ad when I clicked on this video

[@TheSlicedSock]

Personaly, I think that you should pay for babble, and do the free thing for duolingo. I do both but 1 thing is that duolingo teaches you really weird sentences at first. I think that both are great though

[@DeeDee-jf7qr]

did duolingo upgrade? I haven’t come access any grammar mistakes. Also they offer audio and stories you can learn through as well that you didn’t mention

[@DeeDee-jf7qr]

also they use different natives whose accents are different so you can understand and learn more

[@DeeDee-jf7qr]

spanish definitely a better version

[@TestPrepInsight]

They have been making progress with the mistakes and weird language structures. Thanks for watching!

[@gbhglow]

Any Babbel users out there who are getting a password reset error message of "Forbidden"?

[@WonderousSmiles]

Duolingo's forums are now closed, and their stories are only available to like 3 languages :

[@TestPrepInsight]

Their recent changes have not helped....

[@SharronDenice]

Honey let me tell you NOW what Duolingo just did in their app. Id LOVE to hear your opinion on it now.

[@TestPrepInsight]

I have a full updated review of Duolingo coming out on Friday. Make sure to watch :)

[@MegaGlupe]

The hearts is only on the mobile version and not the pc version

[@t.komadina416]

Thank you.

[@imBaptiste]

Hello! The link for 60% Off for Babbel dont work and same for the button on your website! The deal is over ? :(

[@TestPrepInsight]

Hi! Sorry about that. The Babbel 60% off sale is still on from what I can tell. Try this link. It should work: testprepinsight.com/go/babbel-review/

[@imBaptiste]

@@TestPrepInsight Oh thanks! But it's only on the lifetime plan haha, too bad for me! Thanks for your video :)

[@TestPrepInsight]

No problem. The deal on the other packages is still pretty good though. Better than what we see most of the time. Thanks!!

[@randomlizardvideo]

I live in Texas. I just need to know how to speak Spanish. For both work and an upcoming trip to Spain!

[@TestPrepInsight]

Sweet! Thanks for watching Elizabeth!

[@Philip942]

quick q: were you paid by either babbel or duolingo for advertisement I don't mean to be rude or anything just checking

[@The_Meaning_of_X]

"im making diner out of you" is perfectly proper

[@laurieolson7425]

This is a moot point as Babbel doesn't have Chinese or Hindi which are the languages my kids and I are learning.

[@michel2176]

You can use Duolingo on a laptop and... no pub + no heart/life to lose. And you got to wirte everything so you learn much more.. I don't know. I learned italian with it and worked really well :/ I wanted to go further with Babbel but i fear to not learn anything new and.. to be bored quite fast cause of the lack of gaming part

[@TestPrepInsight]

Definitely pros and cons to each

[@cliffg7459]

I think Babbel has had more time to develop their product since they've been available longer than Duolingo.

[@ameenalshujaa3407]

I like your summary

[@TestPrepInsight]

Thank you!

[@Free_Snooki]

I hope to God Babbel speaks more clearly & less choppy than Duolingo. You can rarely understand the robot voice on Duolingo.

[@TestPrepInsight]

Babbel is definitely better in that respect

[@Free_Snooki]

@@TestPrepInsight Lol. Like, I know that I am still learning & all, but there's no way that it's all me & that Duolingo sounds crystal clear.

[@emmaura]

Thanks

[@maryhardt1]

I want to learn Spanish.

[@daviddibie4244]

Great lesson....I would love to learn French!

[@TSqu1dz445]

Very helpful

[@TestPrepInsight]

Thanks for watching!

[@gaoshikui88]

Duol is going to pay you a visit during the night and sort things out.

[@TestPrepInsight]

lol 😂

[@clarissafussy1672]

WOuld be really nice to compare them all in one video!

[@TestPrepInsight]

That's coming soon :)

[@GastropodGaming2006]

if you value verbal skill; have a family member who natively speaks the language

[@jasminepinedo7422]

I would love an mcat prep course 🙏😱🙌

[@Jim10082]

great babbel / duolingo review

[@baritonebynight]

I give my thumbs up to Duolingo. I last studied French about twenty years ago (high school, college, and music school) and am now in an intensive French full immersion school in France including a home stay...the gold standard for learning language. I also know a thing or two about how language is acquired. I used Duolingo for four months to prepare myself to travel to France. I found it equally important to all of my formal schooling. Many of the critics of Duolingo are mercantilists who want people to give them money. No program can be used in insolation. The best way, hands down, to learn a language is total immersion in the country where the language is spoken and it takes 3-5 years for fluency. The best part of Duolingo are the personalities of the characters and the stories spoken by native speakers.

[@HydrogenheadsWife]

Maybe all the Duolingo ads for their Spanish course should be in Spanish!

[@brianbitter158]

I would love to learn more english

[@your.most.normal.chicken]

Babbel might of won this... but Duolingo definitely wins compared to the memes

[@TestPrepInsight]

lol very true

[@tiffanyalice4478]

This helped me decide what to pick. Thanks so much!

[@TestPrepInsight]

Glad we could help!

[@MariadeLourdesAniesSanch-ze7hf]

for all the languages is the truth

[@debbiereed4430]

I tried babble for a little bit and did not like it…. I love Duolingo!!

[@mikecawthon9687]

"The adds are distracting" as I have an add covering 20% of my screen

[@dorelavering]

I’d love to try Babel.

[@TestPrepInsight]

Go for it!

[@Jim10082]

great babbel vs duolingo review

[@ashrafthegoat]

Duolingo be like “I live, he dies, the onion cries.”

[@TestPrepInsight]

ahaha

[@wilsannelore8491]

Is this still an accurate review?

[@TestPrepInsight]

Yes, for the most part. Duo has since updated a few things with their app and we're planning releasing an updated comparison video next month. Thanks for watching!

[@emilehuang1581]

Duolingo’s forum and community functions has been down.😭😭😭 I think Duolingo sucks now.

[@TestPrepInsight]

Oh really? Just the last few days? Either way, we like Babbel better

[@athinantrekou]

Italian

[@coletrain1348]

Want to learn Spanish

[@TestPrepInsight]

Nice! Thanks for watching!

[@ahh_kins]

This is super helpful. Currently trying to learn Italian.

[@TestPrepInsight]

Nice! Thanks for watching!

[@swiitchy511]

I really want to learn Spanish, and I'm done putting it off. D. O. N. E. El hombre come manzanas.

[@TestPrepInsight]

Haha good luck!!