Have you been thinking about learning a foreign language but don’t know where to start?
Are you considering investing in a language learning course or app such as Rosetta Stone , Pimsleur, Duolingo or Babbel and you’re not sure which one to choose?
I hope that I can make that decision a little easier for you in this post by comparing two of the language learning app giants – Duolingo and Babbel.
Why language learning courses and apps?
In my opinion, the goal of language learning apps is to arrive to the point where you don’t need them anymore as quickly as possible, but it could take from several months up to a year before you get there.
Language learning courses and apps are great for helping you develop a base of knowledge in the target language, but the content can get tedious and make you feel like you are studying.
Who likes to study? I’d rather not.
It’s much more fun and entertaining to read books, listen to podcasts, watch a series or movie, but if you’re a true beginner, you’re going to have to put in some work first.
In the past, I’ve used Pimsleur, Duolingo and Babbel to build my base in Spanish and Portuguese.
Next, I’ll compare Duolingo with Babbel and give you my opinion which one is better. I’ll be making my comparison using the following criteria:
- Presentation of vocabulary
- Pronunciation practice/speech recognition software
- Grammar presentation
- Practicality
- Price
- Entertainment value
- Overall effectiveness
Pimsleur takes a much different approach than these two, so I’ve decided that it deserves a separate post for analysis.
Let’s get started…
1. Vocabulary – Advantage Babbel
Both apps use pictures to introduce new vocabulary, but also add in the English translation, which is not necessary in a lot of cases.
Babbel often introduces new vocabulary within a phrase or sentence and always accompanies it with a picture, even if the picture doesn’t always adequately represent the word or phrase. Here is an example of vocabulary being introduced in Babbel:
Duolingo sometimes introduces a new word accompanied by a picture and sometimes not, as seen here:
In the above example, there is absolutely no challenge at all, as a “judge” is not a number, so there is about zero chance of anyone getting this wrong.
As you can see here, a new word is being introduced without any context whatsoever. The only reason why I was able to answer correctly is because I speak Spanish and the word for lawyer in Spanish is “abogado”, which is a cognate of the Portuguese version “advogado”.
The guy in the picture looks like he is getting ready to go to the gym, so now you’re going to associate the word “advogado” with an image of a guy who looks like a personal trainer – very confusing.
2. Speech Recognition/Pronunciation – Tie
Both Duolingo and Babbel have incorporated speech recognition software in their respective apps.
I’m tempted to give Babbel a slight advantage as its software will tell you what it heard when you don’t pass the test.
In the example above, I spoke in Spanish instead of Portuguese and the voice recognition software understood “estrias Ana Mariana” (I said, ¿Estudias en la mañana?).
However, I spoke several other times in Portuguese, completely botching the pronunciation on purpose and Babbel accepted what I said.
Duolingo’s speech recognition software is more stringent, in my opinion. So for that reason, I’m calling it a tie.
3. Grammar – Advantage Babbel
I’m not a fan of introducing grammar in the early stages of language learning UNLESS you are one of those that actually likes learning about grammar rules.
Nevertheless, both Duo and Babbel include grammar presentations in their program.
In Duolingo, you can find “key phrases” and “tips” in the Unit Guidebook, but if you don’t know to look there, grammar is not otherwise incorporated into the lessons.
Babbel, on the other hand, does incorporate grammar into the lessons, and I like the way they do it.
The grammar points are presented after having already seen them in the context of sentences or a conversation, and on top of that, YOU are involved in creating the grammar point or rule, as seen below:
4. Practicality – Advantage Babbel
Is the content presented practical? Will it improve your ability to converse in the target language?
Babbel incorporates a realistic conversation in all of its lessons. Duolingo also includes conversation but only in the “story” lessons and not in the rest.
I’ve used Duolingo on and off for more than 5 years now, and one of the things that I’ve noticed that always has me raising an eyebrow are the strange sentences that appear frequently within the lessons.
“The man becomes yellow”? Maybe this is an attempt to keep the mood light and goofy while you are learning, but I see this as a distraction.
I can’t think of a situation where I would use this phrase, and phrases like this appear in nearly all of Duolingo’s lessons.
Babbel’s content, on the other hand, is very practical, and includes phrases that you can and will use in everyday speech. This is a clear win for Babbel.
5. Price – Advantage Duolingo
I’ve never paid a dime for Duolingo; however, they do offer a paid option called “Super Duolingo” if you are really into the gaming aspect of Duo.
Per Duolingo’s website, the free version offers the same content as the paid version. I could care less about how many hearts I accumulate, so I have never bit the bullet on Super Duolingo.
Babbel offers a free trial period of 20 days, but after that you’ll have to pay. The prices are based on how many months you purchase, starting at $89.40 for 12 months, which comes out to $7.45/month.
From my perspective, this is a good value. I paid and used Babbel for about the first 6 months while learning Spanish, and I’m currently using it for Portuguese.
6. Entertainment Value – Advantage Duolingo
As I just mentioned, Duolingo incorporates a gaming aspect into its app. You earn gems and “lingots”, Duolingo’s currency, to be able to do things like extend your streak of days in which you have completed your goal.
This might make using the app fun if you are a competitive person or into gaming, but it has zero impact on whether or not you are actually acquiring language.
It will keep you motivated for a little while to stay consistent with your practice, and consistency is really important.
There is no gaming component to Babbel. No streaks, no gems, no purchases or anything of the kind, and the conversations are more practical than entertaining.
7. Overall Effectiveness – Advantage Babbel
After having used both of these apps for multiple languages over a number of years, my experience has been that Babbel is much more effective as a learning tool.
Let me explain why.
In the field of pedagogy, there is something called “scaffolding”. Scaffolding is a process in which learners move from needing support to complete tasks to being able to do the same tasks independently.
This is especially important in language learning because if you are expected to complete learning tasks on Day 1 with little or no support, you may become frustrated and discouraged very quickly and potentially give up on yourself.
Babbel does an excellent job of scaffolding, using an approach that can best be described as:
- I do (you watch)
- We do (it together)
- You do (it on your own)
With this approach, learning feels almost palpable at the end of each lesson. If someone were to ask me at the end of a Babbel lesson,
“What are you able to do now that you couldn’t do prior to the lesson?”
I could give a concrete answer.
Unfortunately, I cannot say the same for Duolingo. I applaud them for the effort that they have made to make a free app for the masses; however, it falls far short in terms of effectiveness.
The lessons are organized by topic, but within the lesson it seems very chaotic.
And the Winner is:
In my analysis, Babbel takes the victory by having the advantage in 4 out of 7 of the criteria:
- Presentation of Vocabulary
- Grammar Presentation
- Practicality
- Overall Effectiveness
For my personal use, it’s an easy decision – Babbel. My priority is to acquire the language, and Babbel does a far better job.
If you are into gaming and need a reward system built into your learning process, then Duolingo might be a better option for you.
No matter which option you choose, working within the app alone will not be enough to prepare you to have an actual conversation with a native speaker.
After you complete a lesson or a few lessons, find a friend, co-worker or family member and practice using the material that you have learned in the app.
If you are interested in hiring a professional teacher or tutor through iTalki, follow this link to earn a $10 credit after an initial purchase of $20.
What are your thoughts on language learning apps? Have you found one that works better for you than both Duolingo and Babbel?
If so, I’d love to hear from you in the comments section.
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