BabbelvsDuolingo
Babbel vs Duolingo
Shared comparison by A OneStar user · updated Oct 6, 2026
BabbelBabbel GmbH · Education · Free · out since 2014
Babbel is the award-winning language learning app with courses tailored to your native language, built by 200+ language experts and trusted by millions worldwide.
Store ratings: App Store 4.7 · Google Play 4.61,851 reviews read · Oct 7, 2025 to Oct 5, 2026DuolingoDuolingo, Inc · Education · Free · out since 2012
Duolingo is the fun, free app for learning 40+ languages through quick, bite-sized lessons.
Store ratings: App Store 4.7 · Google Play 4.71,794 reviews read · Sep 8, 2026 to Oct 5, 2026- Window length: The windows differ in length (365d and 90d).
- Date overlap: The reports share 8% of the dates they cover between them.
Duolingo leads on 5 of 6 measures, Babbel on 1.
Scorecard
Each value comes with its 95% range. A leader is named only when the gap holds up to the test.
| Measure | Babbel | Duolingo |
|---|---|---|
| ComplainShare of reviewers who complain about something, lower is better | 71%95% range 69% to 73% | 44%Leads95% range 42% to 47% |
| PraiseShare of reviewers who praise something, higher is better | 49%95% range 47% to 51% | 71%Leads95% range 68% to 73% |
| Said they leftShare of reviewers who say they quit or are leaving, lower is better | 5%95% range 4% to 7% | 1%Leads95% range 1% to 2% |
| Blame a changeShare of complaints tied to an update, redesign or price change, lower is better | 4%Leads95% range 3% to 5% | 17%95% range 14% to 21% |
| SpecificShare of reviews that name something concrete | 96%95% range 94% to 97% | 93%95% range 91% to 95% |
| Ask for featuresShare of reviewers who ask for something new or something back | 16%95% range 14% to 17% | 10%95% range 9% to 12% |
| SentimentMean feeling in the review text, 0 very negative to 4 very positive, higher is better | 1.82 | 2.65Leads |
| Star ratingMean stars of the reviewers the sample stands for, higher is better | 2.97 | 3.88Leads |
| Developer repliesShare of reviews with a developer reply, unweighted, higher is better | 85%95% range 83% to 87% | No data |
Top findings
- Fewer Duolingo reviewers complain: 44% against 71% for Babbel.
- Babbel is weak on pricing and paywall: 18% of reviewers mention it against 8% for Duolingo, and those reviews average 1.4 stars lower.
- Babbel is weak on content quality: 15% of reviewers mention it against 8% for Duolingo, and those reviews average 1.2 stars lower.
- Babbel draws more complaints about missing feature: 21% of reviewers against 12% for Duolingo.
Where complaints differ most
Share of each app's complaints
Pricing and paywallClear gap
Missing featureClear gap
Content qualityClear gap
Where praise differs most
Share of each app's praise
Helps me learn or get things doneClear gap
Fun and engagingClear gap
General praiseClear gap