Babbel vs Busuu Review: Structured Learning or Interactive Community? [Updated for 2024]

“Which platform is which?” If you've found yourself confused between Babbel and Busuu, you're certainly not alone. Before last year, I was only familiar with Babbel. Since discovering Busuu, I frequently get these two mixed up.

Each app has its own advantages and disadvantages. Babbel generally suits beginners and learners who prefer a structured curriculum, whereas Busuu appeals more to intermediate students and those seeking a community-oriented experience.

I've compared these two programs side-by-side to help you understand their differences more clearly.

So, which one is the right choice for you in the Babbel vs. Busuu debate? Continue reading to discover the answer!

What Are Babbel and Busuu?

Babbel: Structured Language Courses Taught in Your Native Language

Babbel is a language learning company from Germany, headquartered in Munich. The name carries several meanings, primarily as a play on the Tower of Babel. In German, "babble" and "babbel" are often used interchangeably for the imperative form of "babbeln," which means “to babble,” making it a homophone in English as well.

Babbel provides courses in 14 languages: Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese (Brazilian), Polish, Russian, Dutch, Turkish, Danish, Norwegian, Swedish, Indonesian and English.

The platform offers seven languages of instruction: English, German, Italian, Portuguese (Brazilian), Polish, Spanish and Swedish.

For widely spoken languages like Spanish and French, advanced courses are available, corresponding to CEFR levels B2 and C1. In contrast, languages such as Indonesian currently only feature beginner-level content.

Each language includes tailored learning paths designed for different types of learners, from absolute beginners to those focusing on business language. Spanish learners can also access a course specifically on Mexican Spanish. There are even courses focused on enjoyable topics like colloquial expressions, idioms, and tongue-twisters.

Busuu: Self-paced Learning Combined with Community Interaction

Busuu is a British company based in London. The name comes from an endangered language in Cameroon, which was spoken by only eight people in the 1980s. The platform not only motivates you to learn a new language but also highlights lesser-known languages like Busuu itself.

With Busuu, you can study these 12 languages: English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Chinese, Japanese, Polish, Turkish, Russian and Arabic.

You can view a video where Teddy, an enthusiastic polyglot, discusses his experiences and insights into using Busuu.

Half of the languages offered can be studied up to the CEFR B2 level.

The lessons are built around conversational situations, followed by vocabulary and grammar exercises, pronunciation practice, and interactive quizzes. A community feature also enables learners to participate in language exchange.

How Do Babbel and Busuu Work?

How Babbel Works

You will be prompted to take a placement test to determine your starting level. The outcome is a recommendation, and you can choose to begin at a higher or lower level based on what feels right for you.

New vocabulary is introduced using word-picture associations. After you become familiar with the words, you'll complete exercises that require using them in sentences. These activities include matching games, pronunciation practice with speech recognition, quizzes, and review sessions. Audio lessons featuring native speakers are also part of the curriculum.

Each lesson typically takes about thirty minutes to complete.

As you advance to new words and lessons, you'll receive daily reminders to review previously learned vocabulary for reinforcement.

While Babbel primarily uses AI technology to practice the four core language skills, there are additional opportunities for practice outside the main curriculum.

Firstly, interaction with native speakers is possible with a Babbel Live subscription. Subscribers get unlimited access to hour-long group classes.

For additional listening practice, Babbel offers a range of podcasts for specific languages.

Regarding official certification, Babbel has teamed up with Cambridge to provide certificates for English up to the B2 level.

How Busuu Works

Unlike Babbel, Busuu's course content follows a more linear structure, organized into CEFR levels to show a natural progression of topics. A placement test helps find your level, but you are free to adjust it as needed.

You'll also set up a personalized study plan by answering questions about your target proficiency level and study routine. This will generate an estimated timeline for reaching your goal.

Similar to Babbel, Busuu employs auditory and visual cues to teach all four language skills.

Beginner lessons are divided into three mini-lessons. The first introduces new vocabulary, the second shows how to use these words in sentences and asks you to form your own, and the final part is a multiple-choice quiz or writing exercise.

As you move forward, lessons are centered around dialogues between native speakers. Corresponding exercises test your reading and listening comprehension through activities like fill-in-the-blank and true or false questions.

If you are learning English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, or Portuguese with Busuu, you can obtain CEFR certificates for levels A1 to B2, thanks to a partnership with McGraw-Hill Education. To earn these certificates, you'll be tested on dialogue, comprehension, and productive skills.

Social interaction within the Busuu community is strongly encouraged, but if you prefer guidance from a professional, you can enroll in group lessons via Busuu Live. These are teacher-led 45-minute sessions with a maximum of five participants.

Babbel vs Busuu: Cost

How Much Does Babbel Cost?

Babbel offers the first lesson of each course for free, allowing you to gauge your level and interests. Essentially, there are numerous lessons you can sample before making a purchase. Access to all subsequent lessons requires a membership fee.

Babbel Live is a separate, more expensive subscription because it involves learning with a tutor in small group classes. Subscribing to Babbel Live automatically grants access to all Babbel content, so there's no need to pay for both a regular Babbel subscription and Babbel Live.

A standard membership, which provides access to one language, can be renewed every 6 months ($11.15/month), annually ($7.45/month), or semi-annually. Alternatively, the Babbel Complete subscription costs $349 for unlimited access to all languages.

A 20-day money-back guarantee is available if you are not satisfied with the product.

How Much Does Busuu Cost?

Busuu provides both free and paid options, along with a 14-day trial for premium subscriptions.

The free plan allows access to the flashcard system and exercises for one language. It's limited but useful for practice. You'll also receive the first set of lessons at no cost.

To access the remaining lessons, quizzes, and advanced grammar exercises, you'll need to choose a premium membership. The Premium Plan covers one language, while Premium Plus includes all 12 languages. Billing options are monthly ($13.95), every 6 months ($8.45/month), or annually ($6.95/month).

For Busuu Live, pricing depends on the number of lessons per month. You can choose two ($26), four ($50), or eight lessons ($84) per month. The Busuu Live free trial lasts seven days and allows you to try any number of lessons.

Busuu offers a 14-day money-back guarantee if you are not happy with the program.

Babbel vs. Busuu: Is One Actually Better Than the Other?

In truth, both platforms have their own strengths. However, their effectiveness will depend on your budget and the language you wish to learn.

Where Babbel Wins

Even though its language selection is predominantly European—especially the languages of instruction—Babbel stands out for its advanced learning opportunities. You don't need to be a complete beginner to benefit from Babbel.

The ability to change the language of instruction is another advantage for Babbel. Since learners come from diverse backgrounds, a single approach doesn't work for everyone. When instruction is tailored to your native language, explanations are more relatable, making it easier to draw connections between your first and second languages. This represents effective cultural integration.

Babbel Live is ideal for those who enjoy the online classroom environment and are willing to pay extra for classes. However, learners on a tighter budget can opt for just the Babbel app and seek tutoring elsewhere.

Although Babbel is suitable for learners with specific objectives, such as industry-related needs like business English, it also works for those learning for enjoyment. With numerous courses available for each language, you can focus on topics that interest you most.

Babbel is also well-suited for native speakers of English, German, Italian, Portuguese (Brazilian), Polish, Spanish, and Swedish, which are the available languages of instruction on the platform.

Where Busuu Wins

Busuu may offer slightly fewer languages than Babbel, but it provides a more balanced selection, including global languages like Arabic and Chinese.

To learn successfully with Busuu, cultural exchange is vital, which is a fundamental aspect of language learning in general.

By actively engaging with the Busuu community, you receive advice directly from native speakers. If your goal is to speak like a native, you must go beyond the lessons and discover how the language is used in real life. You'll also encounter various dialects within the Busuu community.

CEFR certificates are offered for six languages, which is beneficial for those needing them for academic or professional purposes.

With both free and paid plans, Busuu is more accessible to a wider audience. And for a reasonable fee, real-world practice is readily available.

Besides budget-conscious learners, Busuu is ideal for self-motivated, independent learners who can adhere to a structured schedule. While Busuu allows some flexibility, it operates on a study plan to help you achieve your goals.

You can watch a video where John from the Test Prep Insight team discusses his updated evaluation of Babbel and Busuu:

If I Had to Pick One…

I would select Busuu. Even though the instruction is in English and the courses only reach B2 level.

I believe Busuu has achieved an ideal combination of structured and social learning. With support from the Busuu community, you gain access to real-world practice and immediate feedback. This approach makes learning feel much less isolated.

Although you might not reach the same level of fluency with Busuu as with Babbel, I appreciate the accountability to practice what you learn.

Ultimately, you can enroll in the most costly language programs, but they won't be effective unless you communicate with native speakers. This helps develop good habits early on, so you aren't solely dependent on the curriculum for progress. Language learning is about human connection—machine translations have their limits.

I acknowledge that Babbel Live addresses speaking practice and native speaker feedback, but I value the sense of independence and responsibility that Busuu fosters. You take control of your own progress.

And if you need more guidance than the community provides, Busuu Live is an option, and you only need to commit to a specific number of classes. In comparison, the unlimited classes model for Babbel seems relatively expensive. You would need to attend several classes per week to make it cost-effective.

Generally, I feel that Babbel's pricing is justified mainly if you're studying Spanish, French, or German. These languages have the most diverse learning paths, offering a wealth of content. In contrast, the curriculum for Turkish and Indonesian is more limited, yet the cost is the same as for the more popular languages.

Busuu is also a great option compared to other language exchange platforms that are sometimes misused as dating apps.

Where Babbel and Busuu Can Improve

Due to the focus on grammar, lessons on both Babbel and Busuu can become somewhat repetitive and dull for learners who prefer variety in their study routines.

Since grammar is a frequently debated topic in language learning, it might be helpful to supplement these platforms with authentic content like Lingflix. Lingflix uses real-world videos—such as music videos, movie trailers, news, and inspiring talks—and transforms them into personalized language lessons. With Lingflix, you experience languages in authentic contexts—the way native speakers genuinely use them. A quick glance reveals the diversity of Lingflix videos available: Lingflix simplifies language learning by removing the tedious work, leaving you with an engaging, effective, and efficient experience. It has already curated the best videos for you and sorted them by level and topic. All you need to do is pick a video that interests you to begin! Every word in the interactive captions includes a definition, audio, image, example sentences, and more. You can access a full interactive transcript for each video under the Dialogue tab and easily review vocabulary and phrases from the video under Vocab. Lingflix's adaptive quizzes help you learn the vocabulary and phrases from the video through enjoyable questions and exercises. Simply swipe left or right to see more examples of the word you're studying. The program also tracks your learning and informs you when it's time for review, offering a fully personalized experience. Start using the Lingflix website on your computer or tablet, or download the Lingflix app from the iTunes or Google Play store. Click here to take advantage of our current sale! (Expires at the end of this month.)

You can also reinforce your grammar learning from Babbel and Busuu with other authentic materials, depending on the skill you wish to improve. For instance, you can use a tool like LingQ to enhance your reading skills (and further build vocabulary) through real content in your target language.

However you choose to do it, if you want to maximize your learning with Babbel and Busuu, it's important to combine them with additional, authentic context.

Despite their similarities, Babbel and Busuu also have significant differences. I hope this comparison provides you with the necessary information to decide which platform best meets your needs.

If you're still unsure, you can always explore the free lessons and trials to see for yourself!