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Updated July 2026 · real, multi-region App Store reviews
Head-to-head

Babbel vs Speak & Learn English

Babbel 4.7★ · Free + IAP 75
Winner Babbel
Speak & Learn English 4.6★ · Free + IAP 35

Babbel is the better choice for structured language learning with a wider range of languages and a more established curriculum, despite some technical glitches and pricing concerns, while Speak & Learn English struggles with misleading pricing and limited functionality.

Full reviews: Babbel · Speak & Learn English

Babbel offers a more comprehensive and structured approach to language learning, favored by users for its effective teaching methods and practical conversations. Speak & Learn English, however, faces significant criticism for deceptive free trial claims and high subscription costs, alongside limited language options and technical issues.

Head to head

Features & Content edge: BabbelR6R15R16R23
Babbel Babbel users appreciate its structured lessons, practical conversations, and different speaking, listening, and writing options R6R23. Many find it more effective than competitors like Duolingo for actual learning and retention . However, some users desire more AI integration and open dialogue , wish for new sentence generation for practice R6, and note a lack of hands-free options . There are also complaints about the limited range of languages, particularly the absence of Asian languages, Greek, or Hebrew R15R16R28.
Speak & Learn English Speak & Learn English is praised by some for its conversational practice and clarification on speaking . However, users report very limited options for languages and a lack of British accent for English learners . Some find the app moves too fast for beginners and uses irrelevant examples .
Ease of Use & Reliability edge: BabbelR3R8R9R13
Babbel Babbel is often described as intuitive and easy to learn R8R23. However, many users report significant technical issues, including the AI taking too long to process spoken words R3, the app crashing or being glitchy R9, speech recognition problems , and difficulty with keyboard switching R13. Some find the pace too fast for beginners and struggle to find review modules .
Speak & Learn English Speak & Learn English users report issues with the app freezing and getting stuck loading . Some find it difficult to sign up or log in .
Price & Value edge: BabbelR1R10R14R21
Babbel Babbel users frequently complain about the app's cost, with some feeling it's too expensive or misleadingly advertised as free before hitting a paywall R10R34R49. There are reports of being charged yearly without notice and zero refunds R1. Some question the value, feeling they don't learn enough for the price R21. However, those who purchase lifetime passes appreciate continued updates R14.
Speak & Learn English Speak & Learn English receives overwhelming negative feedback regarding its pricing. Users consistently report misleading advertising claiming the app is free, only to be immediately presented with a paywall or expensive subscriptions, sometimes as high as $14.99 per week R67R70R73R76. There are also complaints of being charged even after canceling free trials .
Support & Communication tieR1R4R22R38
Babbel Babbel users report difficulty reaching customer support, with some stating there's no human to talk to R1 or having no luck reaching out after issues R4. There are also complaints about being asked to review the app too frequently R22R38 and issues with app synchronization across devices .
Speak & Learn English Reviews for Speak & Learn English do not provide specific feedback on customer support, but the widespread issues with billing and misleading advertising suggest a lack of clear communication or responsive support.
Pick Babbel if

You are looking for a structured, curriculum-based language learning app with practical conversations and a focus on grammar, and you are willing to pay for a subscription R6R23. You prioritize learning European languages R16.

Pick Speak & Learn English if

You are primarily interested in practicing English conversation and don't mind a potentially high weekly subscription fee, or you are looking for a very basic conversational tool .

Evidence note: Reviews for Speak & Learn English are heavily skewed towards complaints about misleading pricing and the app not being free as advertised, making it difficult to assess its learning effectiveness beyond basic conversational practice. Many reviews are very short or in non-English languages, limiting the depth of insight.

Frequently asked

Is Babbel truly free?
Babbel is not truly free; while it may offer some initial free content, users report encountering a paywall for full access, with subscriptions costing around $100 or more, and some users express frustration about being charged yearly without clear notice R1R10R34R49.
What languages does Babbel offer?
Babbel primarily offers European languages, including Spanish, Portuguese, French, German, Italian, Swedish, Turkish, Dutch, Polish, Norwegian, Danish, Indonesian, and Russian, but users note a significant lack of Asian languages like Japanese, Chinese, or Korean, as well as Greek or Hebrew R2R15R16R28.
Is Speak & Learn English actually free?
No, Speak & Learn English is not actually free; despite advertisements, users consistently report that the app immediately presents a paywall or a short 7-day free trial that converts into an expensive subscription, sometimes as high as $14.99 per week, leading to many complaints about misleading advertising R67R70R73R76.

What reviewers actually said

Built only from these 120 real reviews (foreign ones translated). Superscripts jump to the quote here. Apple has no per-review links, so [ref] opens that app's reviews on the App Store.

  1. [R6] Babbel 3/5 · US Good, needs improvement: I like the overall layout and scope of the program. The different speaking/listening/writing options are nice. The pacing seems right, but there desperately needs to be a function that generates new sentences to apply what the words and phrases learned. Using the same sentences over and over to review seems cheap given the cost of the program. Similarly, there should also
  2. [R15] Babbel 3/5 · US Ironic Name: It’s a nice app but ironic and disappointing that they don’t have Hebrew when the story of the Tower of Babbel comes from the HEBREW bible… Please add Hebrew!
  3. [R16] Babbel 2/5 · US No Asian languages: If all you want to learn are European languages, it’s fine. But they offer no Asian languages at all. No Japanese, Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, Tagalog, Thai, Malaysian, etc. Very disappointing
  4. [R23] Babbel 5/5 · US Practicality meets Functionality: Form and function love the lesson style and how it works with you to really get the language to stick making it well worth the time you put into it! Practice makes better not perfect remember that!
  5. [R3] Babbel 3/5 · US Thorough but soooooo slow: Love the content and the structure, but the AI takes forever to process the spoken word!
  6. [R8] Babbel 5/5 · US great tool: easy tu learn
  7. [R9] Babbel 3/5 · US Glitchy: App glitchy and crashes when trying to view your progress
  8. [R13] Babbel 1/5 · US Keyboard glitch: We couldn’t switch the Russian language keyboard
  9. [R1] Babbel 1/5 · US Pictures have very little correspondence to word or phrases. Will charge you yearly without notice: The current PICTs are useless for expressing what is being taught. Zero refund once charged! I don’t recommend this company. No human to talk to also!!
  10. [R10] Babbel 1/5 · US Do we have to pay?: I really do hate apps that I have to pay in this app is one of them. I’m trying to learn so I can talk to my friends and understand what they’re saying, but I really can’t because every app I go to I have to pay so can somebody please tell me an app that doesn’t pay because I’m so sick and tired of apps staying like you have to pay you have to pay no I don’t like y’all just fin
  11. [R14] Babbel 4/5 · US Lifetime of evolving knowledge.: Love that I paid for a lifetime and they still update it. It’s a good investment for people who can’t afford the burden of paying subscriptions. The down side is that it needs to be more visually appealing in comparison to its counterparts like Duolingo. It’s known for being “cool” Babbel needs to increase appeal and interaction.
  12. [R21] Babbel 3/5 · US Just like the others: I spent several years on Duolingo and learned thousands of words but couldn’t speak very well or understand what was being said on television or radio. I decided to give Babbel a try and have been on it now for about six months. Although I continue to learn more words, I feel that I am just as far away from speaking it as I was before I started. At this point, it seems benefi
  13. [R4] Babbel 1/5 · US No longer works: I’ve been using the babel italian app for more than 4 years… suddenly it won’t link to my iPhone. I still have 6 months of my paid subscription remaining.. I’ve had no luck reaching out to them. When my subscription is up in December I’ll likely look for a different service.
  14. [R22] Babbel 1/5 · US Stop being THIRSTY on your review requests!!!!!: Stop asking me to do a review every time I do a lesson!!!! this is complete BS and annoying. You make me want to cancel my entire subscription for a lifetime subscription.
  15. [R38] Babbel 4/5 · US Good: Asked me to rate too many times.. minus one star
  16. [R34] Babbel 1/5 · US Misleading: The app is free but after filling out their questionnaire you’re hit with a $100 pay wall
  17. [R49] Babbel 1/5 · US My opinion: Got to pay right away unlike Duolingo where you can do it right away for free
  18. [R2] Babbel 5/5 · US Croatian: I would love if you added Croatian as another language
  19. [R28] Babbel 1/5 · US You need Greek: You don’t have Greek as an option. If you had Greek it would be better!
  20. [R67] Speak & Learn English 1/5 · US Mentira que es gratis: Todavía no empiezo y ya están cobrando? Desde un principio digan cuánto cuesta y no engañen a la gente. Nada es gratis , es entendible. Pero no mientan diciendo que es gratis.
  21. [R70] Speak & Learn English 1/5 · US Que mala aplicación: Yo estaba descargándome la app por qué soy muy mala y tengo un viaje próximo cuestión que nada al entrar ya me decía que tengo que pagar cuando en los anuncios dice que es gratis cuestión que me registro y yo soy una persona con mucha paciencia al final me hizo enojar y le dije que podíamos realizar una conversación para mejorar mi inglés y me puso clase finalizada empezó otro
  22. [R73] Speak & Learn English 1/5 · US Expensive: Very expensive
  23. [R76] Speak & Learn English 1/5 · US Lie/ Propaganda enganosa: Misleading advertising, they do charge! And very expensive.

Synthesized from 120 recent App Store reviews · updated July 2026 · View on the App Store