As a trained linguist and tutor, I'm still cornered by questions like, “Can I learn a target language in three months?” or “Can I learn language X or Y with language learning apps?” There’s no yes/no answer to either. I mean, “Which target language? What's your native language? How much time a day will you invest?”

People define "fluency" differently. To some, speaking fluently is knowing how to ask for directions on the street; to others, it's being able to give a public speech on environmental protection. Great news if you’re person A: language learning software and three months should be enough. Foul news if you’re person B: (high five, we’re in this boat together) you’ll need far more time and resources to complement your app experience.

I’ve honestly tried a good number of contemporary language learning courses and apps on the market, at least the trendiest mainstays and vanguards. I now long to share my professional, snobbish, and user-based feedback. Meet today's viers: Babbel vs Rosetta Stone.

On Your Mark, Contestants

While some would argue Duolingo is the number one language app out there, it's the free version that people typically get hooked by. At the same time, language learning forums yield the ultimate competitive discussions regarding Babbel vs Rosetta Stone, the industry’s Mario Andretti and Michael Schumacher. Is there a major reason behind their popularity? Let's see.

Babbel

Babbel was launched in 2008, in Germany, and marked the the onset of the language learning app boom. It offers 14 popular languages and well-structured lessons. Babbel's teaching methods are robust and academic, albeit Babbel's lessons only last 10-15 minutes. It gives the user a sense of fast pace and engaging content.

Without further ado, here are Babbel’s vivid strengths:

• Fast-moving, dynamic courses
• A placement test at the beginning
• An emphasis on the grammar of the target language
• The freedom to change your lesson sequence
• English translations for complex instructions
• A focus on cultural competency

Sadly, the app has weaknesses too:

• A somewhat glitchy mobile version
• Not enough conversation practice
• Slightly poor sound quality
• Extra charges for every new language

Disclaimer: What appears as a strength to me may seem like a weakness to you (e.g., grammar rules or translation aids). So, trust but verify, as they say.  

Rosetta Stone

Rosetta Stone is a U.S.-based language software company with a long history. It was founded back in 1992, and the Rosetta Stone program was initially distributed in large CD boxes. The modern app looks more posh and offers 25 languages. What distinguishes it from Babbel (and Duolingo, for that matter) is the lesson duration. Rosetta Stone’s lessons last 30 minutes and are then complemented by 10-minute drills. You’d need to commit yourself to at least 40 minutes of language labor a day.

Let’s see what strengths make Rosetta Stone a big name in the industry:

• A strong emphasis on visuals
• A wide selection of extra resources
• A perfect sound quality
• An option of a lifetime subscription
• No extra charges for new languages

Is Rosetta Stone flawless? No, it has weaknesses:

• No focus on grammar
• No placement test in the beginning
• No use of English for complex instructions
• Little variety in exercise types

If you’re reading this article to get a lightning-speed solution, the above comparison might be enough. If you want a more detailed analysis, bear with me for another 10-15 minutes (just like one Babbel lesson).

Spoiler Alert (only read this if you’re about to stop here): The second time in a row I’m voting for… *ta-da*: Babbel. Although far from impeccable, this language app knocked out Duolingo in this duel and takes over another competitor in today's Babbel vs Rosetta Stone race. Touché.

Get Set, Players!

Pricing – Babbel Comes First

Consider me a fuddy-duddy, but I care about a price tag. I hate paying $3 extra a month if I can get a coffee instead. Plus, a pricier app is not necessarily a better one (just like the pricier oat-milk cappuccino isn’t tastier than a regular-milk cappuccino, yuck!). The good news is no app on the market will cost you an arm and a leg. Contemporary language resources boast a reasonable price-to-value ratio.

Both Babbel and Rosetta Stone offer four membership plans: Babbel – one-, three-, six-month, and a yearly subscription; and Rosetta Stone – three-month, yearly, lifetime access, and lifetime plus. While their three-month offers are almost identical in cost, I wouldn’t even bother to get them. Instead, I'd go straight to the yearly subscription. Why? I don’t want to hit you heavily with this truth (the truth is often unwelcome), but you’ll never learn a language in three months.

Then, every app has a free trial period – seven days with Babbel and three days with Rosetta – and a money-back guarantee – 20 and 30 days, respectively. Unless you procrastinate these trial days away, you’ll get a general idea about their lessons and see whether you’d like to continue.

As for the price difference, the annual plan will cost you slightly over $83 with Babbel and $96 with Rosetta. The latter will give you unlimited language options for this price, while the former will make you pay extra for any second and further language (I felt betrayed). Unless you’re as language greedy as I am (embarking on my eighth language while typing this), you should be fine with a more affordable option, i.e. Babbel. If you’re up for trying as many languages as possible – go for Rosetta Stone.

Pro tip: download both apps simultaneously. Consider this like going on a few dates with two Tinder matches before committing to one (I’m currently dating four apps and developing a stable relationship with two, by the way).

Grammar and Other Exercises – Babbel, Again

In essence, your courses in both apps will unfold similarly. You'll even learn the same words in vocabulary lessons with either. It’s just that the activities will take slightly curvier turns with Babbel [you’ll manage to hold onto the steering wheel, no worries].

The fact that Babbel’s lessons are twice as short as Rosetta Stone’s makes the former come off as flashier and more enjoyable. You're introduced to a topic, receive new vocabulary, and jump into your racing car to run lap after lap. The drill speed is high, and you feel your brain do some training in there. Occasionally, you’re slowed down by a simple explanation (grammar tips) or request to type in some responses (phrases) and fill in the blanks. If you ask me [please do!], I’m the most committed fan of writing exercises. Not that I enjoy them, but - I bet my boots here - they work wonders in contrast to half-mechanical clicks.

If you try Rosetta Stone lessons right after Babbel's, you’ll see how much slower the former ones are. Matching words, playing around with sentence structures, and navigating Rosetta's free resources you'll be able to do at your own pace. If Babbel is a Formula-1 in the language learning world, Rosetta is Nordic walking. You do apply effort, but your heart isn’t racing.

Grammar isn’t an explicit part of Rosetta Stone’s lessons, but you kind of get it with images and example sentences. Does this approach suit my learning style? Not really. I don’t believe in the "immersion/acquisition" model and the blah-blah that Rosetta promotes. I mean, learning a language as a child is fantastic, but pretending we’re adult tabula rasas with no prior knowledge to build on (hello to Noam Chomsky) is gibberish.

Vocabulary and Speaking – A Tie

Conversation practice is the most problematic aspect of all apps (unless you think of word repetition as actual speaking because it isn’t). What these apps claim they do is teach you how to speak. What they do is teach vocabulary. It's a hot lap between Babbel vs Rosetta Stone, but both will be overtaken by our future Flying Languages app (seriously, it'll rock!).

Babbel beat Duolingo in the speaking duel in my previous assessment here, and it kinda beats Rosetta Stone in this race, albeit I’m not impressed by either. I admit that Babbel offers a bunch of colloquial phrases and conversational language tips, and I love that it presents users with longer dialogues (vs Rosetta’s individual sentences). Plus, the app clearly acknowledges the need to listen to natives and repeat after them. Is this enough to make me a fluent speaker? No. (I don't exclude the possibility of being a challenging student, though).

Babbel vs Rosetta Stone: Vocabulary Drill

If you’re ready to spend extra time practicing speaking rather than just learning vocabulary, switch on creativity. I use the dialogues of both apps as the basis. What I do is pause a lesson after I’ve repeated a dialogue. Then, I look into a mirror and recreate it – straying away from the memorized passage and extending it with new words from previous lessons. I also act the dialogue out (with myself). I know it's not a hero tip (and I agree it might look a bit weird), but that’s what works for me. It also works for my husband, who had no idea he'd become my language guinea pig when he said "I do" (if that’s not love, what is?).

Live Classes - Yay or Nay?

Both apps offer live lessons, but for a limited selection of courses (Spanish is a rock-star language). Am I a fan of live lessons on either Babbel or Rosetta? Nah. Don’t get me wrong: these are great resources where you can select a time slot and a topic. The problem is, again, value per money. For instance, Babbel's one to two classes a week will cost an extra $50+/month on top of your subscription plan. And don’t even expect them to resemble lessons with a native speaker.

Rosetta Stone’s classes have a direct link to the lesson you’re completing. On one hand, that’s great – you get to practice what you’ve just covered. On the other hand… I took Spanish live lessons twice to drill my speaking skills. Guess how many times I spoke up! None. Not a single word, for crying out loud. We were just instructed to type our questions in the chat tab for the coach to address them. This experience returned me to the times my ex-boyfriend was into Dota and spent hours "talking" with other players. Somewhere down the road, I felt so confused I left (both my ex and Rosetta Stone’s live lesson).

Bottom Line: Neither app gives you enough speaking practice. Sorry to break this to you, but you’ll only reach fluency if you go beyond the app requirements. Have a real "live" – with natives or, bonus secret, get a tutor at just $10/hour on itaki.

Speech Recognition – Applause to Rosetta Stone

Voice recognition software is great for learning languages, at least with no native speakers around. Babbel and Rosetta Stone boast of tools they promote as their key assets. These are swift, mostly accurate, and intuitive to work with. However, they don’t replace real-life conversations. What they do is confirm or reject the correctness of what you said aloud (man, can that green indicator be a badass).

Their software drives me nuts at times, but I suspect it's my tech dumbness (and my pathetic French pronunciation) rather than their glitchiness. If I have to play favorites in this Babbel vs Rosetta Stone game, I vote for Rosetta Stone’s TruAccent. First, it's indeed a true native accent with great sound quality. Second, I love the karaoke feel this tool gives me. Last, it's more accurate – you're allowed to set the level of sensitivity, adjusting it higher as you improve (I might want to select the lowest in my French course).

Bottom line: TruAccent is less glitchy than Babbel’s software. Neither is 100% accurate, though. Just as it is with speaking, you might consider getting itaki for human feedback on your pronunciation instead.

Review, Review, Review – Rosetta Stone Gets My Vote

Reviewing might be boring, I know. But if learning is the king of knowledge, reviewing is his queen. Do Babbel and Rosetta Stone recognize this importance? Kind of. Babbel does it more explicitly, though. It's tailored to your preferences and allows you to choose how you like your review: flashcards, listening, speaking, or writing. It’s great, especially if you try out all the options and develop various language skills.

Rosetta Stone language courses don't have a special review section, but they embed this function into the lessons. Your lessons are "graded" by means of percentage for every category (e.g., vocabulary, writing, speaking), and you can review problematic categories. I find it quite motivating (but this might just be me - according to my husband, I’d even want a grade for doing household chores and making dinners).

Go! Unique Features of Babbel vs Rosetta Stone

Let’s imagine Babbel and Rosetta Stone are two kids on a seesaw or two apples on a weight scale. Are they in equilibrium, or is one heavier (read: has more value)? Playing around with two of them, I see Rosetta Stone as a heavier extra-feature app. Which one is your winner based on the below-listed extras?

Babbel:

1. Babbel preaches English translation as a useful addition, especially if you’re a complete novice to a language (hello from someone who's French dumb even though she’s mastered six different languages). I know a handful of adepts to Rosetta Stone who would stone anyone arguing against a “complete language immersion”. Well, stone me! I’m a linguist, and I know all pros of language immersion, but I’m here to confess I L-O-V-E Babbel's English translations. P.S. I canceled my Rosetta Stone French course the evening I started it, but I'm still trying to get ahead with my French on Babbel. Touché, Rosetta Stone adepts, touché!

2. Babbel has some worthy extras. Warning: they’re charged separately and are only available in a few languages. Like with Rosetta, Babbel’s extras primarily cover French, Spanish, and German. Well, demand defines offer:

• Babbel offers great resources that complement the main course: culture, conversations, and grammar. I know taking an additional grammar course doesn't seem a delightful idea, but it’s a must if you want to go beyond the beginner’s level. That Babbel teaches grammar is wonderful. Run away from anyone saying you need no grammar to learn a language (my ears bleed when I hear this nonsense).

• I especially enjoy Babbel’s podcasts. As a learner of Spanish and French (am I allowed to call myself a French learner if so far I'm not capable of learning it?), I enjoy this function immensely. True to the original idea of providing English translation that help negotiate the challenging parts, Babbel offers both bilingual and monolingual podcasts. For instance, its Spanish Palabras Bravas offers a perfect mix of dialogues and expert explanations, spiced with quizzes and jokes. I honestly see my Spanish soar over the roof with this resource. P.S. Great news for those who learn Spanish: Spanish courses are generally more comprehensive than others on Babbel and Rosetta Stone.

Rosetta Stone

1. Rosetta Stone is a very visual language app (I could only endure four lessons of their French course thanks to wine-and-cheese images). I mean that’s fun, and it makes vocab stick to your brain like chewing gum sticks to a school desk. This app stands out in the industry because of the image-based approach (Pimsleur also relies on images, albeit not that extensively). Now I'll add a pinch of salt to this ode: learning grammar with pictures is not that helpful.

 2. Rosetta Stone includes a killer "extra" selection:

• I love the "Seek & Speak" augmented reality function. How fun is it to train your iPhone camera on an object to learn its name in the target language? Unfortunately, the feature is only supported with a limited section of languages and on the latest iPhone models (a bit disrespectful to Android users).

• The same language limitation concerns my absolutely favorite "On Demand" video feature with useful culture tips, tongue twisters, and slang phrases. Fortunately for me, I’m interested in "non-fancy" languages, so I can enjoy all these extra resources. If you’re into an Asian language, this uniqueness will hardly influence your decision.

• Then, Rosetta Stone offers a great "Stories" resource. It’s different from Duolingo’s in that Rosetta Stone wants you to read a short story first, hear it told by a native speaker second, and record yourself repeating the text third (a fantastic implementation of the TruAccent tool).

And the Victory Goes To….

So, the race between Babbel vs Rosetta Stone is complete. Who’s crossed the finish line first? If you ask me, that's Babbel. If you don't (why wouldn't you?), read the final face-to-face comparison to decide for yourself.

You’ll be happier with Rosetta Stone if:

• You don't mind lots of repetition and revision in your lessons
• You learn languages better with visuals
• You'd like to do phonetics drills in a new language
• You look for a completely immersive experience (with no English explanations)
• You want the grammar to be blended into learning implicitly
• You’re fine with some lack of variety in lessons
• You don’t expect to learn any cultural aspects or go beyond the intermediate level

Get your Rosetta Stone subscription here.

You’ll enjoy Babbel more if:

• You crave cultural competency in a new language
• You want an English translation aid to avoid unnecessary confusion with instructions
• You enjoy structured lessons with grading and assessment
• You don’t mind paying extra for every new language
• You aren’t ready to spend more than 20 minutes a day on lessons
• You want a larger selection of exercises and drills
• You don't want many other resources on top of your regular lessons

Get your Babbel subscription here.

Bottom Line: Neither of these apps would make you happy unless you’re a person who favors structure and routine. At the same time, either will serve you well if you’re a matter-of-fact type of individual. Both feature simple interfaces, no gamified approach, and no user incentives that engage your competitive spirit (the way Duolingo does).

If Rosetta Stone and Babbel were kids in the sandbox, they’d both be… not sitting in the sandpit or climbing monkey bars. They’d be crouching next to the sand, not getting any dirt on their ironed clothes, and most definitely not making excessive noise. They would never take any other kid’s pails and shovels without permission. Neither of them. Are you one of such kids? If so, you’ll enjoy your overall experience with Babbel lessons or Rosetta Stone lessons. If you’re a kid who wants to jump into the sand and even taste it (man do I hate when my kids do this), you’ll probably be happier with Duolingo.