Babbel vs Busuu
Overview
Babbel is the world’s best selling language app with 10 million purchased subscriptions. It teaches common words and phrases and then immerses you in simulated conversation to practice them. Recordings of native speakers and advanced voice recognition help to hone your accent, and culture and grammar tips bring the language into context. A review manager tracks your progress and with Babbel Live you can receive small group tuition.
Busuu is a language learning app with 120+ million learners. It targets all aspects of communication: speaking, reading, writing, and listening. Lessons are interactive and fun and your written and spoken work can be submitted for feedback from native speakers. An AI tool tracks your progress and revisits content you need to work on more closely.
Pros
- Covers all elements of language learning - speaking, listening, reading and writing plus grammar explanations and exercises
- Personalized learning paths and a review manager to help identify weaknesses
- Provides access to native speaking teachers through Babbel live
- Regularly updated content and a focus on practical, real-life conversations
- Available on both web and mobile platforms
- Culture Bites and Babbel Magazine promote cultural savviness
- Integrated podcast series promotes language immersion
- Comprehensive - Covers speaking, listening, reading, writing and cultural tips
- Fun to use, easy to navigate, interactive and engaging
- Native {{targetLanguage.name}} speakers provide feedback on written and spoken work
- AI powered Smart Reviews revisit content at the right time based on individual performance (Premium membership only)
- You can personalize your language goals
- Lessons cover useful and relevant topics and content is regularly updated
- Available free (with ads)
Cons
- Pacing is a little slow at times
- Fewer languages than its competitors and only one Asian language (Indonesian)
- Minor interface annoyances with the desktop version
- Free version ads are distracting and intrusive
- Fewer languages offered than its competitors
- Completion certificates are not accredited
- Quality depends on the language you choose
Best for
Best for: Babbel is a comprehensive language learning platform that’s great for a wide range of learners. That said, I’d say Babbel is best for those wanting to learn a new language from scratch or looking to improve their intermediate skills. It will especially suit people who want to learn flexibly in short bursts and those interested in joining small live tutorial groups.
Best for: Anyone from a beginner to intermediate ability in the target language as there’s a range of levels. And if you’re not sure of your level, you can take Busuu’s placement test. It’s also great wherever you want to learn, either on the go or on a desktop.
Price
From $7.45 per month
From $6.95 pm
Number of users
10 mlllion subscriptions sold
500,000 active subscribers
Overall
Overall: Babbel is an excellent choice if you want to learn a new language efficiently and effectively. Its well-designed lessons, practical approach, and customizable learning paths make it a great tool for gaining real-world language skills. Babbel Live instructor-led classes provide a more immersive experience for anyone serious about language learning. Combine Babbel’s curated courses with the Babbel Live classes and you’ll be speaking your target language in no time at all.
To providerOverall: A fun, comprehensive app that effectively develops all areas of language communication. When you join you become part of the community of Busuu users and can submit written and spoken work to native speakers for feedback. I found Busuu to be very effective and started listening, reading and understanding right away. It’s priced competitively and for what’s on offer, it’s good value.
To providerSupported languages
Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Russian, Dutch, Swedish, Turkish, Polish, Norwegian, Danish, Indonesian, and English for non-native speakers.
Spanish, Japanese, French, English, German, Dutch, Italian, Portuguese, Chinese, Polish, Turkish, Russian, Arabic and Korean.
About
Babbel was founded in Germany in 2007 as the world’s first language-learning app. It’s now the best selling, with over 10 million purchased subscriptions. It has a strong focus on intuitive lessons that center on learning a new language through real-life conversations
Babbel’s methods have been developed by 150+ language experts and the platform now has 13,000+ hours of content across 14 languages. It uses proven techniques that move new vocabulary through all your brain’s memory stages before cementing it into long-term memory.
In a study of Babbel’s teaching methods by , researchers found that 100% of participants improved their language proficiency by a statistically significant margin
All Babbel’s courses are unique and take into account the similarities and differences between ‘language pairs’. That is, your native language and the one you’re learning. This accelerates progress and helps develop cultural sensitivity.
Babbel also provides customized experiences that adjust to your progress and preferred way of learning. It recently added live instructor-led classes to create a more immersive and interactive experience for anyone serious about language learning.
“Busuu’s core belief is that amazing things happen when we learn together and combining human interactions, expert-created courses and smart learning technology is the best way to learn a language,” Neil Ballantyne, Busuu.
Busuu is a language e-learning service founded in 2008 designed to provide a complete self-study and language practice environment.
It’s now one of the best known names in the industry with 120+ million learners.
Via Busuu’s global community you have the opportunity to connect with millions of native speakers - proven to be the best way to learn a language.
Busuu also partners with experts on linguistics and learning to design their courses and keep them relevant and up to date.
Studies carried out by the Universities of New York and South Carolina show that 15 hours studying on Busuu premium is the equivalent of one semester of language college.
How it works
Babbel is a subscription service available on both desktop and mobile, providing portability if you want to learn on the go. Lessons are self paced so you can fit learning around your schedule.
Core lessons are arranged by Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) levels. Additional lessons are grouped by language-specific skills and themes so you can pick and choose based on what you want to develop. This combo of both structured and flexible approaches lets you progress through the material in a logical but personalized manner.
The Babbel method:
- Is grounded in real-world conversations to get you speaking right away
- Promotes cross over learning by building grammar and vocabulary in each new language using “language pairs”. That is, similarities and differences between your native language and the one you’re learning
- Supports learning by teaching you in your preferred style, be it by reading, writing, speaking, seeing or listening
- Trains your brain to learn constantly with spaced repetition, periodic prompts and reviews
Uses audio dialogue examples recorded with native speakers (not bots)
You’ll also learn about the history of your target language, discover recipes and songs, and gain tons of helpful cultural tips.
Babbel tracks your progress and displays it on a leaderboard. This gamified approach encourages healthy competition among learners and makes language learning more motivating.
To get started you simply select the language you want to learn and answer some questions about why and how you want to learn, how much time you’re willing to commit each week, your age range and where you heard about Babbel. You then either select a subscription or scroll down the page for a free trial.
To get started on Busuu you simply sign up for a free account on your laptop or download the app.
You will be asked some simple questions about which language(s) you want to learn and what you hope to achieve. You then either choose your level or take a placement test if you are unsure what level you're currently at.
All Busuu courses fall into 4 levels based on the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR). This provides an approved standard for identifying language proficiency. Each level contains several lessons which target writing, reading, listening and speaking.
- Beginner A1
- Elementary A2
- Intermediate B1
- Upper Intermediate B2
What a lesson is like
- Self-paced lessons that teach new material through context-based exercises
- Easy-to-understand grammar instruction
- Voice-recognition software to perfect your accent
- Babbel Live virtual instructor-led classes
Lessons take about 10 to 15 minutes to complete and are broken down into bite sized chunks.
Babbel introduces you to new vocabulary through context-based exercises, accompanied by images and native-speaker audio. This helps you memorize the vocabulary and understand how to use it in real-life situations. A combination of matching, fill-in-the-blank, sorting, writing and speaking exercises are mixed in with cultural and grammar tips.
Babbel's speaking lessons utilize voice recognition technology. You mimic a native speaker’s pronunciations and get instant feedback to help you perfect your accent.
Babbel also offers Babbel Live, which features live group classes led by certified language teachers. These sessions allow you to practice newly acquired skills with fellow students, receive real-time feedback, and engage in conversation.
Busuu’s lessons are grouped around communication topics depending on your purpose for learning (eg: business, travel, etc.). Each one is designed to teach useful phrases and sentences which you then practise.
Practice activities include gap fills, multiple choice questions, sentence reordering and writing activities. You can also have written and recorded speaking exercises corrected by native speakers. Or use a private messaging facility, which allows you to chat with language partners in the community.
Generally, whatever the level or language, lessons are structured in a similar way.
- They start by teaching the target vocabulary for that level and topic using video flashcards, translations, audio clips, gap fill, matching and writing activities, etc.
- Within the first couple of lessons you will be given the chance to connect with the community to receive feedback from native speakers. You’ll also be asked what your native language is and will receive requests for feedback from others learning your language
- After each group of lessons there is a checkpoint. This may include quizzes, puzzles, games, missing word exercises and word identification. You must score at least 80% to move to the next level
Who is it good for?
Babbel is an appealing and versatile language learning platform that’s great for a wide range of learners. That said, I’d say Babbel is best for the following learners:
Anyone who’s:
- Learning a new language from scratch
- Keen to improve their intermediate skills in another language
- Interested in applying language-learning to real-life scenarios
- Keen to join regular small group live tutorials
- Appreciates short, sharp bite sized lessons
- Needing to learn flexibly on any device
The Busuu learning style would suit anyone who:
- Wants to learn a new language from scratch
- Has some grasp of a language and wants to improve
- Has a busy schedule and needs to fit lessons around their life
- Loves interactive apps with a strong community feel
- Wants a focus on developing conversational language
Likes the flexibility of learning on mobile and desktop
While Busuu would be ideal for anyone who’s always wanted to start learning a new language it will also suit those who are relatively proficient but want to improve.
Right away Busuu will have you speaking, listening and improving your conversational skills and grammar in your chosen language.
Features
- Flexible learning with offline mode
- Personalized approach
- Speech recognition technology for pronunciation practice
- Babbel Live virtual group classes with certified teachers and native speakers
- Review Manager for reinforcing learned content
- Regularly updated content to ensure freshness
- Podcast series to aide language immersion
- Gamification
- Cultural insights and grammar tips
- Gamification
- Personalized learning
- Fun, interactive lessons that touch all learning styles
- Checkpoints
- Cultural insights
- Flexible learning
- Speech recognition
- Ability to connect to native speakers
- Smart reviews
Is it worth it?
On balance, Babbel has a lot going for it if you want to learn a new language.
For a start, it’s more than just an app for acquiring vocabulary and phrases. It integrates cultural understanding into its programs because Babbel understands that language and culture are closely tied. An understanding of how a different culture works helps you learn the mechanics of the language associated with it.
Likewise, Babbel's grammar explainers ease you into complex concepts, whereas other apps rely on you learning grammar intuitively by constantly seeing it used in context.
And the addition of Babbel Live virtual classes addresses the shortcomings of purely pre-set programs. They're engaging, effective, affordable and absolutely no limit on the number you take.
The pacing and structure of core lessons may not be to everyone’s taste and may feel a little repetitive. But they could be ideal for time starved students who need to squeeze in some language learning into their daily hustle and bustle. And the Explore tab is always there in case you get a bit burnt out on the meat and potatoes in the primary lessons.
And while Babbel may not cater to all the Asian language enthusiasts out there, it's a goldmine for Euro-language lovers.
And with the free trial and generous refund policy, there’s really no reason not to give it a shot.
Busuu aims to help you become confidently conversational in your target language and it does a pretty good job of achieving that aim.
I found it easy to use and thought the lessons were well structured, engaging, effective and ‘sticky’. Not surprising when Busuu partners with the likes of Pearson, McGraw Hill, and El País to keep abreast of the most cutting edge teaching and learning methods.
Busuu’s stand out feature is its strong community feel. Your written and spoken work can be submitted for feedback from native speakers which is the best way to authentically learn a new language.
It’s also comprehensive, helping you to improve all aspects of communication: speaking, reading, writing, and listening.
That said, there’s always room for improvement. Busuu does not offer as many languages as some other apps, and its quality is not consistent across all the languages offered.
It’s great for the more common languages like Spanish and French, but its Chinese, Arabic, and Russian courses aren’t as comprehensive. That said, you can use the free version to see if the language you want to learn is taught in a way that suits you before committing to a subscription.
There’s no free trial, but you can use the free version for as long as you like to see if this is the right platform for you. The pricing point is very competitive and there are frequent discounts available making it even better value.
Busuu is well worth your time and money if you’re considering learning a new language. With the option to use the free version for an unlimited period of time, plus a 14 day refund window if you do purchase premium membership, what have you got to lose?