Verdict
Babbel gets consistent praise for its clean, structured interface, but the reviews are dominated by complaints about subscription pricing, aggressive paywalls, and a hard-to-cancel process.
Best for
Someone who wants a structured, easy-to-navigate lesson format and is comfortable committing to an ongoing subscription without needing much customer support.
Dealbreaker
A recurring number of reviewers describe subscription pricing as a trap, with confusing cancellation and slow, email-only customer support when problems come up.
The facts.
Pulled from the App Store, not written by hand. unverified
Price
Free
In-app purchases
Unknown
Ads
Unknown
Platforms
iPhone, iPad
Rating
4.7★ (756,947)
Version
22.20.0
Last updated
Oct 24, 2026
Released
Jun 11, 2014
Attributes
Native app
Category
Education, Travel
What reviews consistently say.
Themes grouped from 200 App Store reviews. Source feed ›
Praised for
Ease of use and design6 reviews
Import and export4 reviews
Subscription pricing and paywalls3 reviews
Notifications and reminders2 reviews
Complained about
Subscription pricing and paywalls19 reviews
Confusing interface4 reviews
Customer support3 reviews
Too expensive3 reviews
Import and export2 reviews
Crashes and stability2 reviews
Privacy and data handling2 reviews
Where this comes from
19 of 200 recent reviews raised: Subscription pricing and paywallsApp Store reviews ›
6 of 200 recent reviews raised: Ease of use and designApp Store reviews ›
4 of 200 recent reviews raised: Confusing interfaceApp Store reviews ›
3 of 200 recent reviews raised: Customer supportApp Store reviews ›
3 of 200 recent reviews raised: Too expensiveApp Store reviews ›
Listed at Free on the App StoreApp Store listing ›
Where we recommend it
The best language learning apps ›Language apps that are well rated and still maintained, with the reason you might not want each.
Alternatives with the same rule.
Every app here is rated 4.2 or better, has been updated in the last eighteen months, and has no significant number of reviewers reporting it broken. Price is not the rule on this list — some are free, some are not. Also with a catch.
Free · 4.8★ (217,507) · Updated Oct 23, 2026
Verdict. Memrise has a loyal following and real content depth, but a meaningful slice of reviewers report crashes, freezing during exercises, confusing subscription billing, and slow support responses to refund requests.
Best for. Someone who wants a free-to-start language app with videos and AI conversation practice and is willing to tolerate occasional freezes and to watch their subscription renewal date carefully.
Dealbreaker. Multiple reviewers report being charged for subscriptions without clear renewal reminders and describe slow or unresponsive customer support when seeking refunds.
Free · 4.7★ (166,999) · Updated Oct 26, 2026
Verdict. Praktika offers AI conversation practice that many users find genuinely useful for building speaking confidence, but a recurring cluster of complaints centers on aggressive subscription tactics and difficulty getting refunds or canceling.
Best for. Someone who wants AI-driven conversation practice and is comfortable committing to a subscription without needing an easy exit if they change their mind.
Dealbreaker. A meaningful number of reviewers report the app makes canceling or refunding a subscription deliberately hard, and customer support often doesn't respond or refuses refunds outside a narrow window.
Free · 4.7★ (196,501) · Updated Oct 27, 2026
Verdict. EWA teaches English, Spanish, and French through short stories, but the review record is dominated by subscription billing complaints rather than praise for the learning method itself.
Best for. Someone curious about story-based language learning who reads the subscription terms carefully before starting a trial and sets a calendar reminder to cancel it.
Dealbreaker. A large share of reviews describe surprise renewal charges, no advance notice before billing, and support (via chatbots and third-party billing handlers) that doesn't resolve refund or cancellation requests.