Babbel is the better app overall, scoring 8.3 to 8.0. Babbel wins on 5 of the 5 scores, Memrise on 0.
Adults who want structured, grammar-aware lessons for travel, work or a move abroad
Learners who want to understand and speak everyday language
Score by score
The details
| Feature | Babbel | Memrise |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Learning | Learning |
| Category rank | #7 of 12 | #10 of 12 |
| Developer | Babbel GmbH | Memrise Limited |
| Pricing | Subscription | Free + paid plans |
| Usable for free | No | Yes |
| iPhone & iPad | ✓ | ✓ |
| Android | ✓ | ✓ |
| Web | ✓ | ✓ |
Common questions
Is Babbel better than Memrise?
Babbel is the better app overall, scoring 8.3 to 8.0. Babbel wins on 5 of the 5 scores, Memrise on 0.
Which is cheaper, Babbel or Memrise?
Babbel: Subscription or Lifetime plan; one language from $17.99/month on the App Store. Memrise: Free with ads; Pro listed at $61.99 a year or $329.99 lifetime in the US App Store. On value for money, Babbel scores higher.
Do Babbel and Memrise work on the same devices?
Yes, both run on iPhone & iPad, Android, Web.
Which is more private, Babbel or Memrise?
Babbel scores higher on privacy (7.6/10). App Store label says purchases, IDs and usage data may be used to track you across other companies' apps; contact info and content are linked to you. No ads in the app.
Strengths and weaknesses
Babbel
- Grammar is explained, not just drilled
- Lessons use practical, real-world dialogues
- No ads or game pressure, just steady progress
- Almost everything sits behind a subscription
- Only about 14 languages, with no Japanese, Korean or Mandarin
- Its App Store label lists data used for cross-app tracking
Babbel is the grown-up alternative to Duolingo. Lessons are built around practical dialogues, grammar is explained clearly instead of left for you to guess, and Babbel Speak adds guided AI speaking practice. Review sessions and podcasts round it out. There is no real free tier beyond sample lessons, and it covers far fewer languages than Duolingo, but the teaching is more structured. Get it for steady progress toward real conversations.
Full Babbel review
Memrise
- Real people speaking real, everyday language
- AI chat partner for speaking practice
- An Editors' Choice app on the App Store
- The free plan is limited and shows ads
- No offline mode
- Community courses were moved out of the app
Memrise teaches the language people actually speak. Lessons are built around short videos of native speakers in everyday situations, and then you practice talking with MemBot, its AI chat partner. Official courses cover the popular languages, and newer extras add exam prep and stories. The free plan is limited and shows ads, there's no offline mode, and the old community courses no longer live in the app.
Full Memrise review
