Difference Between Duolingo and Babbel (With Table)

Duolingo is a free language-learning platform and smartphone app for the general public that was launched in 2012 and is headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Duolingo, one of the pioneers in online education, offers global services such as language lessons in over 35 different languages. The software employs a variety of game-style approaches to keep users engaged and measure their performance as they master the language.

Babbel is a linguistic learning software developed in Germany, and the company was started in 2007. Babbel’s services are designed with a specific audience in mind; they offer beginner, intermediate, and grammar courses in different languages keeping in mind the native language of the user and their level of proficiency in the new language. It offers also Babbel Live which includes online interactive tutoring classes conducted by certified language experts. The language-based learning app is easily accessible on the laptop and the phone. 

Comparison Table Between Duolingo and Babbel  

What is Duolingo?

Duolingo is a language-learning program and website headquartered in the United States. Users learn by navigating through “trees” customized to their favorite language, each with its own “skills” for understanding vocabulary, grammar, and articulation through spaced repeats.

Written translations, reading, spoken texts, and short tales can all be used as exercises. Duolingo now provides 103 distinct language courses in 40 languages as of June 2021. Over 500 million people have signed up with Duolingo. The firm operates on a freemium model, with the app and website available for free, but Duolingo also provides a premium service for a price. 

Trees are made up of abilities that each focus on a different feature of the target language. They are often divided by parts, or units, each of which contains a subset of related abilities. Skills can be vocabulary and grammar-oriented, but courses often include skills related to color, idioms, partnerships, and nations. There are six levels of skills: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and Legendary.

When users finish a lesson or exam, they are awarded XP (experience points). Lessons may involve activities like pairing, transcribing, talking, and multiple choice. The quantity of XP earned in a week determines league rankings. In Duolingo, badges signify accomplishments obtained by achieving specified objectives or tasks. Duolingo offers “Duolingo for Schools,” which includes capabilities that allow teachers to monitor their pupils’ progress in language acquisition.

What is Babbel?

Babbel is a German subscription-based language learning application and e-learning network that has been in operation in a multitude of languages since January 2008. It is managed by Babbel GmbH, which is headquartered in Berlin, Germany. Babbel utilizes around 450 full-time and freelance employees. The company’s headquarters are in Berlin’s Mitte neighborhood. The company was founded in August of 2007.

Babbel is a paid language learning program available for the web, iOS, and Android. A workforce of over 100 instructors and linguistics creates Babbel’s exclusive learning content in-house. Every assessment has around 70 items taken from a library of hundreds of possible answers that, like Babbel’s course content, imitate proper communication settings such as radio programs and discussions for active listening.

There are beginner, intermediate, and advanced classes, as well as vocabulary courses, tongue twisters, idioms, idiomatic expressions, and catchphrases courses. Language courses can be tailored to a particular demographic; for example, English can be learned as “PR English” or “Marketing English.”

Babbel is a language learning platform that strives for a mix of thoroughness and cost-effectiveness. The free version of this service simply provides an introductory lesson for each subject. However, given that this is the sole disadvantage, it may be overlooked.

This service, like Linguist, allows you to travel through the courses as you see fit, and its main benefit is that each curriculum is tailored to the language in question. While this appears to be reasonable, the truth is that many courses teach the same principles, simply in a different language. Whether you visit a foreign nation, you may use Babbel without worrying about if the words you learned are correct or if you will cause a cultural issue.

Main Differences Between Duolingo and Babbel  

1. Duolingo is a lot simpler for beginners, while Babbel is a little tougher.
2. Duolingo offers a wider selection of languages to study, whereas Babbel offers fewer language courses.
3. Many starting classes on Duolingo are free, however, just the first session is free on Babbel.
4. Duolingo emphasizes grammar and vocabulary, whereas Babbel emphasizes real-life discussions.
5. Duolingo is best suited for learners who seek a basic grasp of a language, whereas Babbel is best suited for learners who wish to totally master a single language.

Conclusion

Sources of online learning seem to be getting better and better as they get more numerous. With diversity in services comes diversity in approaches without a single service that befits all language learners.

Babbel is harder for beginners, and it might be better to use it after getting yourself acquainted with the language. It pushes students to write more than reading and has a far more conversational approach, almost entirely teaching in the form of conversations. It is a greater emphasis on teaching grammar than alternatives, which seem to adhere more to the philosophy that students learn grammar through practice.

Meanwhile, Duolingo is undoubtedly the most well-known language-learning program on the market. One of its most significant advantages is that it is free. The lessons are based on text, music, or visuals, and the program assists you in mastering one of the many languages available on Duolingo through a sequence of questionnaires and suggested answers.

References

1. https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/recall/article/mobileassisted-language-learning-a-duolingo-case-study/A4D7C8F71782A37D258C19F357DDBCBE
2. https://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/calicojournal.27.2.233.pdf