Babbel App Review – Does it really work?

Learning a new language is challenging for anyone, especially if you’re trying to pick it up as an adult.

Whether you’re learning for work opportunities, an upcoming holiday or maybe even for a love interest, there are many language-learning apps out there that claim they can help you learn your chosen language.

We’ve reviewed the top language-learning apps available, and that includes Babbel. So, sit tight, read through and then you can decide whether to try it out.

Babbel App Review – Does it really work?

Babbel claims to be able to help you learn 14 languages – this is not as many as the Memrise app, which has more languages to choose from.

The good thing is that the app does actually work as it’s supposed to, and many users have managed to learn a new language via the app.

We have all the answers to the questions you have about the popular language app. We’ll go over the basics you need to know. 

My first observation about the app is that it is really easy to navigate and definitely feels like a ‘premium’ app. It’s simple to navigate and in my experience wasn’t glitchy or slow. 

Of course, you would expect this with Babbel being within the intermediate pricing range, the Babbel app is a good choice if you’re already past the beginner stage of your chosen language, and are ready to commit to learning.

One of the great features is that there is a great range of courses that you can choose to suit your level: newcomer, beginner, pre-intermediate, intermediate, advanced and a whole range in between. It’s particularly useful if you’re keen to practise vocabulary and sentence structures. 

You can go between the different levels as you please, so you need to ‘complete’ a level before moving on to the next like is the case with some of its competitors. 

Babbel does have some good features that the other language apps don’t have and it can be a strong complementary way of learning along with in-person or one-to-one online lessons. 

But there may be some options out there that offer good features for a lower price, or even for free. These options may well be better suited to your needs, especially if you’re a beginner.

We’re going to look at the main pros and cons of Babbel, talk about how to use it and go through your main queries around the popular language-learning app. 

Pros and cons of the Babbel app

Pros

• One of the main pros of the Babbel app is that it lets you jump around between levels if you feel what you’re doing is too easy or too difficult. This is a feature that many of the other language learning apps out there don’t offer. So you don’t need to ‘complete’ a level before moving on to the next.
• Another pro is that Babbel offers a wide range of different courses, so you don’t need to follow just one set curriculum. You have the option to do a business language course, or just focus on listening or speaking, for example.
• Babbel is definitely a good option for those who already have some foundational knowledge of the language. 
• Another great feature of the app is that you can book live classes with their tutors. While the classes seem to gear towards the lower levels, this is a great feature that many other language learning apps don’t offer.

Cons

• One of the cons about the app is that membership does not allow access to all language courses, so if you want to learn Spanish and German, you’ll need to pay for two memberships. 
• Another con is that it is on the pricier side. Although the features do seem to be worth it in our opinion, if you’re a beginner and or if you’re not going to make use of the live lessons, or just want to practise vocabulary, it is quite a lot to pay and there are probably other options out there more suited to your needs. 
• The only other negative point is that it only has 14 languages to learn from. While this may seem like a lot, many people may find that the language they want to learn isn’t offered on Babbel.

When compared to another app like Duolingo, which currently offers 31 languages. But we can only hope that they are able to add more languages to the app later on. 

Features of the Babbel app

Within Babbel, there are lots of interactive grammar tutorials, vocabulary lessons and basic phrases designed for your level of knowledge.

There are also exercises to practice your speaking on Babbel to work on your pronunciation. This is a great feature for people who are a bit nervous to speak a new language.

You also have the option to take part in live lessons with tutors in a small group. 

It’s not compulsory to use all the features of the app, so you can tailor your learning to what you need, and focus on the skills that you think you need to work on. 

Babbel is generally designed for those that want to learn in short, sharp lessons – Babbel teaches in 15 minute increments that allow you to get a solid foundation learning a new language.

The app can help you with basic understanding of a new language, but it can also help you learn new vocabulary words as well as helping you to improve your conversational skills too.

How do you use the Babbel app?

When you enter the Babbel app, you’ll need to enter in your Native language first. Then after doing this, you can enter in the language that you want to learn out of those available.

Once this is done, you’ll be able to sign up to the course and get started.

Babbel will ask you to sign-up for a paid subscription or start a 7-day free trial. Babbel offers three paid subscription options.

A 3-month, 6-month and annual plan. If you want to save some cash, then you can consider signing up for a longer plan at a lower monthly fee.

You’ll then have to take a short test which will analyze your proficiency in the language, and will help adapt your experience to your level.

The good thing about Babbel is that you can easily switch levels at any point if you want to make things a little bit easier or a little bit harder.

This means that if you already speak at an intermediate level, you’ll be able to jump ahead past the very basics of the beginner levels. This can come in handy for advanced language learners.

Common Questions about Babbel Languages

Final thoughts 

There are many language-learning platforms out there, and to be honest, Babbel is a great one if you’re really serious about learning a language and if you are willing to put in the hours of learning required.

It offers a lot of features that you won’t get from cheaper or free language apps. And, as we have explained, the features are good tools for learning if you’re willing and ready to take the time to use them all. 

However, we don’t think it’s absolutely necessary to pay for an app if you’re a beginner, and there are some other free options out there if you’re just getting into the swing of things. For more app reviews, check out our blog reviewing apps on a range of topics.