Reviewing Duolingo, Memrise, and Babbel. Which one really is better?

In this blog, I will be reviewing Duolingo, Memrise, and Babbel, known language learning apps. There are so many out there that I decided to just choose the three most popular ones to review for you all because, as someone who has used them all, they each have their pros and cons. Some have what others don’t or vice versa. I know it is very hard to decide which app to choose, and that is why I am here today: to show everyone the good and the bad aspects of each app.

First, we have Duolingo, which is arguably the most favored one out of all of them. Some of the pros are to be free and accessible, it kind of seems like a game instead of just a simple school lesson, and there is a very wide variety of languages you can choose from. I started learning Portuguese on this app and did enjoy it. Its lessons are short, which makes it user-friendly and for people that can not sacrifice a full hour every day because of other commitments. The cons though are that they focus more on the translation rather than real-life language use, and there is limited depth to the lesson, which could make it harder for advanced learners. There are ads if you choose to use the free version, but you could also opt to use the paid version for no ads and unlimited mistakes. Lastly, speaking and listening are very limited because it does not allow for much real-time conversation practice. 

Now for Memrise, it’s a good app if you prefer spaced repetition and different features of native speakers teaching pronunciation rather than just a robot. It also integrated cultural contexts into the lesson, which gives learners multiple sights on how the language can be used in day-to-day scenarios. Memrise offers a significant amount of free content but with paid subscriptions, you can unlock many more features. I would say that the free version is still very useful and you can learn a lot from it. The downside to this app is that it focuses less on grammar and more on vocabulary and phrases rather than explaining any of the grammatical study or rules. This can leave learners with gaps in their linguistic knowledge. Some people could also find it a bit repetitive, especially if they are advanced. Compared to Duolingo, there are a limited number of languages that are taught.

Finally, we have Babbel which contains more structures and comprehensive courses that focus on practical conversation skills, grammar, and syntax as well. This app focuses more on the real-life conversations that one might have, which makes it seem more practical for users. Babbel offers in-depth grammar lessons that can help the learner understand the language’s structure for better knowledge. Just like Memirse, it offers some cultural insights alongside language learning. The best part about it, in my opinion, would be the offline mode, which none of the other apps have. This is great for when you are somewhere with little to no cell service and your lesson can still be completed. The cons to this are that Babbel is a subscription-based service, which just means that to use any part of the app, one would need to pay. It also doesn’t offer as many language courses as Duolingo, which could disappoint customers. Some people believe that it is less engaging than Duolingo’s lessons since Babbel feels more classroom style.

In conclusion, I believe that Duolingo would be best for the more beginner or casual learners since it is ideal with its fun, and easy-to-use systems, but it has limited fluency, which can deter more advanced users. For people who would like to retain more vocabulary and immerse themselves in culture, Memirse would be the app to use because it offers such a distinct approach with the native speakers and also the spaced repetition, even though it lacks some grammar induction. Babbel would be the best site for those who would like structure and in-depth learning and are willing to pay for a subscription. It is most suitable for those who are looking to have a fluent conversation and solid grammar foundations. At the end of the day, it is up to you which one you decide is best, but these have been my opinions so far on these apps.