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Launched in 2008, Babbel is one of the most famous language learning apps on the market today.
Although it covers nearly every aspect of French learning, is Babbel a good choice for French learnerss, and is it a better choice than conversational French apps like French Together or its more popular rival Duolingo?
I recently sat down and put Babbel to the test, focusing on two different learning levels: the equivalent of beginner, Newcomer, which corresponds to CEFR level A1, and the app’s most advanced level, Upper Intermediate, which corresponds to CEFR level B2.
Here’s what I found.
Is Babbel the best French learning app?
With its variety of lessons and exercises, it’s understandable why Babbel has had so much success. If you want a good overview of French that covers a lot of ground (listening, reading, speaking, writing, and culture) but may not go super in-depth into any one area, Babbel is a good option.
But if you want to learn about a particular aspect of French in a more in-depth way, you’ll need some additional French learning resources. For instance, if you want to focus on conversational French, you may want to use French Together along with Babbel.
Read on if you’d like to know more about what’s good and bad about Babbel.
What is Babbel?
Developed by educators and linguists, Babbel is a language learning app that offers French lessons for beginners to upper intermediate level.
It’s available as both a web app that you can use on your computer and as a mobile app that you can use on your Android or iOS device.
Each Babbel course is made up of nine lessons that each take roughly 10 minutes or so to complete. The lessons include a wide variety of exercises.
Babbel covers most basic parts of French learning: listening, reading, speaking, writing, and features grammar and even culture-related explanations.
What’s good about Babbel?
Here’s what I like most about Babbel.
• Babbel’s interface is clean-looking, very easy to use, and intuitive. This is great for everyone, especially people like me, who aren’t great with complicated or flashy tech.
• Regardless of your learning level, you have access to all of Babbel’s course levels in the language you’re studying. So if you want to start learning or revising by doing something easier, or if you want a challenge or test of your current French abilities, that is absolutely an option.
• Varied exercises keep things interesting. At first, Babbel’s lessons seem like they could be repetitive, since they focus on specific vocabulary and a dialogue. But as many fellow reviewers of Babbel have pointed out, the app’s creators are very skilled at varying exercises. So, one time you might have to say a vocabulary word into your computer or phone’s microphone and in the next part of the lesson you might have to do a word scramble.
• All audio is provided by native French speakers (just like French Together), so you’ll get to train your ear by listening to actual French people.
• When Babbel’s AI doesn’t understand your pronunciation, you’ll see a transcription of what it thinks you said. This can help you notice if you have a problem pronouncing specific words or sounds (and what native French speakers might hear instead).
• Vocabulary words are associated with images, which may help some learners remember them better.
• As you learn vocabulary, the lesson adds scenarios, words, and contexts that show you how you can apply that knowledge in practical situations. For instance, using prepositions can be applied to asking directions if you’re visiting a French city.
• In some lessons, a little window will pop up at the top of your screen to offer additional information, grammar tips, or a warning about a potentially embarrassing faux ami. Very helpful! I also enjoyed that some of these tips are very specific things about art or culture – for example, popping up to cite Courbet’s Un enterrement à Ornans in a fill-in-the-text activity where it wasn’t absolutely necessary. That gets major props from an art lover like me!
• Challenging lessons. The highest level you can take in Babbel’s French offering is Advanced Intermediate (the equivalent of CEFR level B2). I was pleasantly surprised that these lessons were truly challenging, with all text, including instructions, completely in French, and audio that was at a normal speed or only slightly slower, with people sometimes swallowing or slurring words, even proper names – just as they might in real life. The word scrambles and other exercises at this level were also sufficiently challenging.
• Lessons at all levels can be rigorous on Babbel, but I love that they’re not timed, so you can sit for a moment and think about your answers if you need to – or even take an emergency bathroom break!
• Babbel features a lot of review options, from additional exercises to flashcards and audio practice.
What’s not so good about Babbel?
Here’s what I didn’t like about Babbel.
• Like just about any language learning app out there, Babbel alone will not make you fluent in French. You’ll need additional help for that (more on this further on).
• The online courses offered on Babbel cost extra. These courses seem like they would be a really interesting and helpful supplement to the rest of the app. But despite the fact that you’re already paying for Babbel, if you want to take these courses, you’ll have to pay more, after one free trial lesson.
• Pronunciation evaluations could be stricter. While the quality of Babbel’s tech when it comes to processing audio from you microphone is impressive, it’s a bit relaxed when it comes to evaluating pronunciation. It’s understandable that the AI wasn’t programmed to expect language learners to have the same accents as native French speakers. After all, no matter how advanced their level of French is, just about every non-native speaker will have at least a slight accent. But it would be nice if it was a bit more demanding at times, or if there were an option where you could practice tricky sounds.
• You can’t do much with dialogues besides listen to them. It’s good that all audio is from native French speakers, and that dialogues are generally spoken at a normal or only slightly slower speed than usual. That said, if you’d like to really take the time to break down words and dialogues (something many other language learning apps, including the French Together app), offer, that isn’t possible here. For instance, there doesn’t seem to be an option to slow down audio or to listen to audio at both slow and normal speeds.
• There are no dialogue transcripts. Babbel’s dialogues are shown in writing line-by-line in certain exercises, but it would be very helpful to have a review option that lets you go back and listen to the dialogues alongside the text. This is especially useful for a language like French, where the way a word is written and the way it’s pronounced can often be very different. And as someone who’s both a visual learner and slightly hard of hearing, transcripts are always appreciated.
How much does Babbel cost?
As of this writing, a 6-month subscription to Babbel costs 53.94 euros and a one-year subscription costs 71.88 euros.
There’s also a lifetime plan, which currently costs about 300 euros but offers access to all of the languages offered by the app, not just French.
You can check Babbel pricing in your region’s currency on Babbel’s Prices page.
Should I use Babbel to learn French?
Babbel French covers a lot of ground, and its varied exercises keep practice interesting. It’s also a great way to see how what you’re learning can be used in practical situations. But, like most language learning apps, Babbel can’t do it all.
It’s best to use Babbel alongside other ways to practice French, especially if you want to focus on a specific learning goal. For instance, you could use Babbel for general practice and get additional practice with listening to and speaking conversational French with the French Together app.
I hope this Babbel review was helpful. Whichever app(s) you choose to learn or practice French, good luck and enjoy your French learning journey!