If you’re anything like me, choosing a language-learning app is no small task. With so many options out there, it can be hard to decide which one suits your needs best.
As someone who’s used Mondly and Babbel, I thought it’d be helpful to do a side-by-side comparison of these two popular apps. That way, you can easily decide which platform is right for you—or you can use both, like me!
In this article, I’ll break down the core features, learning approaches, and price points for each app. I’ll also share my personal experience using both, so you can make an informed decision when choosing between Mondly vs Babbel.
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What Is Mondly?
Mondly is a language-learning app that’s designed to make learning fun and accessible for everyone. It was created in 2014 by Alexandru and Tudor Iliescu, and the platform quickly became a hit.
In 2020, it partnered with Pearson, one of the world’s leading educational companies.
One of the things I like about Mondly is that it offers courses in over 40 languages, including popular ones like Spanish and French, as well as less common ones like Croatian and Vietnamese (read my review: Spanish with Mondly: Can I Recommend This App?).
Its mission is to connect people through language, and with its game-like interface, it certainly makes learning enjoyable.
Key Facts About Mondly:
- Over 10 million downloads on Google Play.
- Available in 15 languages on the website.
- Award-winning app: Best New App, Editor’s Choice, and App of the Year (multiple platforms).
- Popular with younger users, especially ages 25-34, and more women than men use the app.
- Mobile app is available for Android and iOS.
Mondly’s Learning Approach
Mondly is like a game—it’s designed to make learning feel less like a chore and more like an adventure.
Here’s how Mondly’s approach stands out:
Complete Phrases, Not Words: You learn full sentences, making it easier to understand context and apply what you’ve learned in real-life situations.
Native Speaker Audio: Lessons are recorded by native speakers, giving you a more authentic feel for pronunciation and intonation.
Speech Recognition & AR/VR: You can practice conversations with a chatbot and use augmented reality (AR) or virtual reality (VR) to simulate real-life situations.
Short, Bite-Sized Lessons: Each lesson is designed to be quick and manageable, perfect for fitting into your busy schedule.
Mondly is fun and efficient, but here’s the catch: While it’s great for beginners, it’s not enough to make you fluent.
A few minutes a day can help you pick up vocabulary and get conversational basics, but if fluency is your goal, you’ll need to dedicate more time (and use additional resources).
Who Should Learn a Language on Mondly?
Mondly is perfect for beginners—whether you’re an adult or a kid, there’s plenty of beginner-friendly content to keep you busy.
The app offers beginner, intermediate, and advanced levels, but honestly, it’s better suited for newbies.
If you’re at an intermediate level, it can help you revise or focus on particular skills, but advanced learners may find the content too simple.
Learn languages quickly with Mondly Premium. Learn the language you’ve always wanted to learn. It’s fun, fast, and easy!
What Is Babbel?
Babbel is one of the oldest language-learning platforms out there. Founded in Germany in 2007, Babbel claims to be the first online language-learning app.
The focus here is on real-life conversations, and Babbel is designed to get you speaking your target language.
With Babbel, you can access lessons, live classes, podcasts, and videos. The lessons are crafted by a team of 150+ experts, and they’re designed to help you start having real-world conversations quickly.
Key Facts About Babbel:
- Over 50 million downloads on Google Play.
- More than 10 million subscriptions sold.
- Website traffic is high, with 6.4 million visitors in September 2024.
- Users are evenly split between men and women.
- The app is most popular in the U.S., Germany, and Italy.
Babbel’s Learning Approach
Babbel is all about keeping it real. The focus is on teaching you how to navigate real-world conversations, from ordering food to introducing yourself at a party.
The lessons are short but immersive, with native speakers guiding you through pronunciation and grammar.
How Babbel’s approach differs:
Real-Life Conversations: Babbel teaches you the practical language you’ll actually use in real-world scenarios.
Native Speaker Audio: Like Mondly, Babbel uses native speakers for all audio, so you get a true feel for pronunciation and culture.
Proven Learning Techniques: Babbel uses cognitive techniques, like spaced repetition, to help you remember vocabulary over the long term.
Multiple Formats: You can learn via lessons, games, podcasts, live classes, and even the Babbel Magazine.
Who Should Learn a Language on Babbel?
Babbel is ideal for adults and teenagers, especially those who are beginners or at an intermediate level.
The interface is clean and geared toward an older audience, making it a little less kid-friendly.
If you’re brand new to a language, Babbel will give you a solid foundation. For intermediate learners, it’s great for practicing and honing your skills.
However, advanced learners might not find the material challenging enough. Babbel excels at building conversational skills, but if you’re looking to master complex grammar or dive deep into advanced topics, it might not be the best fit.
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Mondly vs Babbel: What Languages Are Available?
One of the biggest differences between Mondly and Babbel is the number of languages they offer. If you’re looking for more variety, Mondly has a much larger selection, offering over 40 languages.
Here’s a list of languages you can learn on these apps:
Mondly’s Language Courses
You can learn 40+ languages on Mondly.
| Languages to Learn on Mondly | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Afrikaans | Czech | Greek | Korean | Portuguese – Brazilian | Swedish |
| Arabic | Danish | Hebrew | Latin | Portuguese – Portugal | Tagalog |
| Bengali | Dutch | Hindi | Latvian | Romanian | Thai |
| Bulgarian | English – UK & USA | Hungarian | Lithuanian | Russian | Turkish |
| Catalan | Finnish | Indonesian | Norwegian | Slovak | Ukrainian |
| Chinese (Mandarin) | French | Italian | Persian | Spanish – Latin America | Urdu |
| Croatian | German | Japanese | Polish | Spanish – Spain | Vietnamese |
What I also like about Mondly is that you have a selection of over 33 input languages! And you can learn all the languages that Mondly offers except your native or input language.
Babbel’s Language Courses
Babbel currently has 15 languages courses you can choose from:
Languages to Learn on Babbel | ||||
Brazilian Portuguese | English | Indonesian | Polish | Mexican Spanish |
Danish | French | Italian | Russian | Swedish |
Dutch | German | Norwegian | European Spanish | Turkish |
A Price Comparison: Babbel vs Mondly
There’s quite a price difference between Babbel’s and Mondly’s subscriptions. Let’s have a closer look:
Babbel’s Language Courses
Babbel has a free trial, though the app doesn’t advertise it. You can complete the first lesson of each module of all 15 language courses for free to get a taste of what the app has to offer.
If you like how Babbel teaches a new language, choose from one of two main Babbel subscription options:
- Babbel Self-Study
Babbel Self-Study includes access to the platform’s interactive lessons, cultural insight videos, podcasts, and more.
Babbel Self-Study Subscription Costs | |
To Learn Only One Language | |
3-month plan | US$9.95 per month |
6-month plan | US$8.45 per month (save 15%) |
12-month plan | US$6.95 per month (save 45%) |
To Learn All 15 Languages | |
Lifetime plan | One-off US$299 (discounted from US$599) |
2. Babbel Live
With Babbel Live, you have access to everything in the Self-Study subscription and live classes. But you have to choose between unlimited online group classes only or private classes (which includes group lessons).
Babbel Live Subscription Costs | |
Private Classes | |
1-month plan | US$149 per month |
3-month plan | US$127 per month (save 15%) |
6-month plan | US$112 per month (save 25%) |
12-month plan | US$75 per month (save 50%) |
Group Classes | |
1-month plan | US$99 per month |
3-month plan | US$70 per month (save 30%) |
6-month plan | US$60 per month (save 40%) |
12-month plan | US$50 per month (save 50%) |
Begin learning a new language with Babbel! 🌟 Unlock up to 55% OFF your Babbel subscription today!
Mondly Subscription Costs
Mondly offers more language courses and is more affordable than Babbel. For free, you can do the Hello lessons, a chatbot lesson, and daily lessons in any of the 40+ languages.
A premium Mondly subscription includes:
- 250+ lessons spread over 40 topics
- 2,600+ daily lessons
- 320+ weekly quizzes
- 60+ monthly challenges
- 36 vocabulary builders
- 50+ real and simulated conversations between fluent speakers
- Grammar features
- 300+ specialized lessons with business content
- Mondly Kids and Mondly VR apps
- 108 English language progress tests
Mondly Subscription Costs | |
| Monthly plan (for 1 language) | ±US$10 per month |
| Annual plan (for 1 language) | ±US$48 per month |
| Lifetime Access (all 40+ languages) | One-off US$99 (discounted offer) |
Mondly vs Babbel: Special Features Edition
Babbel Special Features
- Podcasts: A great way to improve listening skills.
- Live Classes: Interactive group sessions with language experts.
- Games: Fun ways to reinforce what you’ve learned.
- Toucan: A browser extension that helps you learn as you browse the web.
Check out my reviews of the Babbel language courses:
Mondly Special Features
AR & VR Lessons: Mondly’s immersive technology makes learning fun and interactive.
Chatbot: Practice conversations with AI.
Mondly Kids: A kid-friendly version of the app for younger learners.
Pros and Cons of Learning a Language on Mondly
Here are the pros and cons to consider before choosing Mondly:
Pros:
Wide range of languages: Offers over 40 languages, including less common ones like Bengali, Tagalog, and Vietnamese.
Game-like interface: The gamified approach makes learning fun and engaging, especially for beginners.
Freemium model: There’s a limited free version that allows you to do the daily lessons without committing to a subscription.
AR & VR features: Immersive augmented reality and virtual reality lessons provide a unique and interactive learning experience.
Focus on conversational phrases: Teaches complete phrases and sentences, which can be helpful for real-world conversations.
Affordable subscription: Mondly’s monthly and annual plans are more budget-friendly, and the Lifetime plan is often discounted.
Multiple platforms: Available on Android, iOS, Huawei, and the web, making it accessible across devices.
Learn languages quickly with Mondly Premium. Learn the language you’ve always wanted to learn. It’s fun, fast, and easy!
Cons:
Limited depth: Great for beginners, but Mondly lacks depth for intermediate or advanced learners.
Single-language subscription: Most subscription plans allow you to learn only one language at a time unless you invest in the Lifetime Access plan.
Less structured learning: The app lacks a clear, logical progression through lessons, which can be confusing if you prefer structured courses.
Repetitive exercises: The game-like approach may feel too repetitive for some learners, especially after progressing beyond beginner levels.
Limited speaking practice: While Mondly has a chatbot, the exercises don’t include as much spoken language practice compared to Babbel.
No alphabet/writing system support: The app doesn’t teach different writing systems (like Cyrillic) in-depth, so you need supplementary resources.
Pros and Cons of Learning a Language on Babbel
Pros:
Real-life conversation focus: Lessons are designed to help you speak the language in practical, real-world situations.
Native speaker audio: All lessons feature native speakers, improving pronunciation and cultural context.
Multiple learning formats: Offers podcasts, games, live classes, and even a magazine, providing various ways to learn.
Structured lessons: Babbel’s courses are organized in a clear, progressive structure that builds on what you’ve learned.
Spaced repetition: Uses proven cognitive techniques to help move vocabulary into long-term memory.
Offline learning: You can download lessons to use offline, great for learning on the go.
Money-back guarantee: Babbel offers a 20-day money-back guarantee if you’re not satisfied.
Cons:
Limited language options: Only 15 languages are available, which may not appeal to users wanting to learn more niche languages.
Not ideal for advanced learners: Babbel’s content is better suited for beginners and intermediate learners; advanced content is lacking.
No freemium model: Unlike Mondly, there’s no free version, though you can try a few lessons before committing.
Live classes limited to certain languages: Live classes are only available for a handful of languages (like Spanish, French, and German).
Varied content: Not all languages have the same depth of content; languages like Turkish or Indonesian have fewer lessons.
Can get expensive: Each subscription is for one language unless you buy the Lifetime plan, making it costly if you want to learn multiple languages.
My Final Verdict: Which Language-Learning App Is Best for Me?
The best app depends on your learning style and goals.
Mondly is perfect for beginners who want a fun, game-like approach with access to over 40 languages, including some less common ones. Its features like AR and VR make it engaging, though the app’s language content is less suited for advanced learners.
Babbel, on the other hand, offers a more structured approach with a focus on real-life conversations. It’s ideal if you want to acquire practical language skills quickly, especially in popular languages like Spanish or German.
If you’re after variety and playfulness, go for Mondly.
But if you prefer structure and real-world application, Babbel is your best bet.
Both are great tools—and I use both when I’m learning or reviewing languages.
Ultimately, what matters most is sticking with your learning journey and enjoying it!
Begin learning a new language with Babbel! 🌟 Unlock up to 55% OFF your Babbel subscription today!
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Disclaimer: I select and review independently. If you buy through affiliate links, I may earn commissions that help support my testing at no extra cost to you. Please read my full disclosure for more information.
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