Babbel
Language courses in an app and on the web, plus live online classes.
🇪🇸🇫🇷🇩🇪🇮🇹🇬🇧🇵🇹🇳🇱🇩🇰🇸🇪🇳🇴🇵🇱🇷🇺🇹🇷🇮🇩
- languages to learn
- 14
- lessons
- 60,000
- subscriptions sold
- 25M+
- app downloads
- 100M+
About Babbel
Babbel is a Berlin company that sells a language learning app. It teaches 14 languages in lessons of about 15 minutes on iPhone, Android and the web. European Spanish goes up to C1, French, German and Italian to B2, the rest to A1–B1. A subscription costs from €8.99 a month on the 12-month plan or €299.99 once for lifetime access, and the first lesson of every course is free. Babbel also sells live classes with tutors and a plan for companies.
Babbel teaches languages through short self-paced lessons in an app and on the web. Courses train grammar, vocabulary and pronunciation and repeat words with spaced review.
Thomas Holl, Markus Witte, Lorenz Heine and Toine Diepstraten founded the company in Berlin in 2007. Babbel keeps its headquarters in Berlin and runs a second office in New York.
Next to the courses, Babbel offers live classes with tutors, an AI conversation partner, podcasts and games, and a separate plan for companies. The first lesson of every course is free.
History
- 2007 Founded in Berlin in August by four co-founders.
- 2008 The platform goes online in January as a free beta with community features.
- 2013 Raises a $10 million Series B led by Reed Elsevier Ventures and buys San Francisco startup PlaySay.
- 2015 Raises a $22 million Series C led by Scottish Equity Partners.
- 2019 Markus Witte steps down as CEO, Arne Schepker takes over.
- 2022 Revenue grows 31% to €250 million.
- 2023 Buys Toucan, a language learning browser extension.
- 2025 Tim Allen becomes CEO in June, Markus Witte moves to chairman.
- 2026 Launches a group plan for up to six learners in April and joins the GSV 150 list in May.
Babbel funding and investors
about $34 million raised in disclosed rounds
- 2008 Seed Amount not disclosed
Kizoo Technology VenturesIBB Beteiligungsgesellschaft
Source: Wikipedia (DE) - 2009
- March 2013 Series B $10 million
Lead: Reed Elsevier Ventures Nokia Growth PartnersVC Fonds Technologie BerlinKizoo Technology Capital
Source: NGP Capital - July 2015 Series C $22 million
Lead: Scottish Equity Partners Reed Elsevier VenturesNokia Growth PartnersVC Fonds Technology Berlin
Source: NGP Capital
Sum of disclosed amounts: $2.2 million before 2013, the $10 million Series B and the $22 million Series C. Babbel has not announced rounds after 2015.
Leadership
- TA Tim Allen CEO
-
Markus Witte Co-founder and executive chairman Photo: TechCrunch, CC BY 2.0 - TH Thomas Holl Co-founder
- JH Julie Hansen CEO, US
- CB Christian Baier CFO
Names and roles from the Babbel press room. Babbel also has two more co-founders, Lorenz Heine and Toine Diepstraten.
Careers
jobs.babbel.com
11Berlin 2New York - Engineering5
- Learning content4
- Product and design2
- Marketing2
Perks
- Learning and development
- Flexible hours
- Hybrid and remote work
- Fitness and mental health platforms
- Retirement plans
- Bike or commuter benefits
- Parental leave
How Babbel teaches
- per lesson
- 15 min
- language experts write the courses
- 200+
- free lessons per language
- up to 80
- AI speech recognition
- AI conversation practice (Babbel Speak)
- Personalised learning path
- Offline access
- Vocabulary workouts
- Grammar explanations
- Live classes with tutors
- Progress tracking
- Spaced repetition review
- Podcasts
- Games
In a study by Yale University researchers, 100% of learners improved their oral proficiency in 3 months.
Babbel languages: 14 to learn
- Spanish↗
- French↗
- German↗
- Italian↗
- English
- Portuguese↗
- Dutch↗
- Danish↗
- Swedish↗
- Norwegian↗
- Polish↗
- Russian↗
- Turkish↗
- Indonesian↗
Levels by language, CEFR scale
| Language | A1 | A2 | B1 | B2 | C1 | C2 | Courses · topics |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spanish (Spain) | C1 · B2 | ||||||
| French | B2/C1 · B2 | ||||||
| German | B2 · C1 | ||||||
| Italian | B2 · B2/C1 | ||||||
| Portuguese (Brazil) | B1 · B2 | ||||||
| Swedish | B1 · B2 | ||||||
| Dutch | B1 · B2 | ||||||
| Spanish (Mexico) | B1 · B1 | ||||||
| Turkish | A2 · A2/B1 | ||||||
| Danish | A2 · A2 | ||||||
| Norwegian | A2 · A2 | ||||||
| Indonesian | A2 · A2 | ||||||
| Polish | A2 · A2 | ||||||
| Russian | A1 · A2 |
Core coursesExtra topics onlyPartly covered
Levels for English speakers from the Babbel help center, 5 October 2026. English courses open when the app runs in Ukrainian, Polish, German, French, Swedish, Italian, Spanish or Portuguese. Mexican Spanish needs American English as the display language.
18 podcasts
babbel.com/podcasts- Babbel Nachrichten World news from Reuters in German. Apple Spotify
- Aventura on the Babbel Express An interactive mystery where the listener decides what happens. Apple Spotify
- Hoy en el Pasado What happened on this day in world history. Apple Spotify
- Voices of Bell’Italia A bilingual trip across Italy with locals. Apple Spotify
- A-Zero to A-Hero Apple Spotify
- Palabras Bravas Apple Spotify
- La bottega di Babbel Apple Spotify
- Un día en español Apple Spotify
- Un día en español – monolingüe Apple Spotify
- Eavesdrop en español babbel.com
- L’Histoire au jour le jour Apple Spotify
- French en route Apple Spotify
- Parlez Away Apple Spotify
- En route vers le français ! Apple Spotify
- Oggi nella storia Apple Spotify
- Speaking of Berlin Apple Spotify
- So ist Berlin Apple Spotify
- Talking on the Job Apple Spotify
Video, blogs and resources
Products
- Babbel app Self-paced lessons of about 15 minutes with progress tracking and spaced review, on iPhone, Android and the web. Open babbel.com
- Babbel Live Live online classes with tutors, booked from the learner account. Book from the account
- Babbel Speak An AI conversation partner for speaking practice, with speech recognition for pronunciation. Read about the method
- Babbel for Business Language training for teams: access codes by email, volume discount from 25 seats, monthly onboarding. babbelforbusiness.com
How much is Babbel?
- 3 months €17.99/mo €53.97, charged every 3 months Base monthly price
- 6 months €13.99/mo €83.94, charged every 6 months Save 22% vs 3 months
- Lowest monthly price 12 months €8.99/mo €107.88, charged every 12 months Save 50% vs 3 months
- Lifetime €299.99 one-time payment Pay once, no renewals
Is Babbel free?
Free account: the first lesson of every course, up to 80 free lessons depending on the language. A group plan covers up to six learners on one subscription.
Discounts forStudentsEducatorsHealthcare workersMilitary
Prices shown on babbel.com/prices for a visitor in the EU on 5 October 2026. Prices can differ by country.
How to cancel Babbel and get a refund
Help center- babbel.com ↗
- Log in and open the profile icon in the top right corner
- Choose Profile and settings, then Account Information
- Pick the subscription and click Cancel auto-renewal
- App Store ↗
- Open Settings on the iPhone or iPad and tap your name
- Tap Subscriptions
- Select Babbel and confirm the cancellation
- Google Play ↗
- Open Google Play and tap the profile icon
- Choose Payments and subscriptions, then Subscriptions
- Select Babbel and tap Cancel subscription
- Deleting the app or the account does not stop the subscription.
- Cancel up to the day before renewal. Access stays until the end of the paid period.
- Babbel charges the whole period upfront and has no instalments. Lifetime has no renewals.
- Store purchases are billed by Apple or Google, so refunds for them go through the store.
Refund rules
- EU
- 14 days to withdraw from the contract without a reason, with a button in the account. Babbel can keep a share for the days already used.
- Standard terms
- After the first term the plan renews month to month with one month notice, and Babbel refunds the unused part of the billing period.
- United Kingdom
- Babbel sends a reminder before the first term renews.
- United States
- The plan renews for the same period. No pro-rata refund after cancelling.
- Brazil
- Cancelling before the first term ends can cost 10% of the remaining order value.
From the Babbel help center and end user terms, checked on 5 October 2026.
Babbel for Business
babbelforbusiness.com- 01The same app and 14 languages, including business courses and AI speaking practice.
- 02Volume discount from 25 seats.
- 03Access codes arrive by email, and the company shares them with the team.
- 04Monthly onboarding sessions for new learners.
€90.65 per seat for 12 months or €299 lifetime, in the self-checkout shop on 5 October 2026.
Apps and ratings
- iPhone and iPad4.7 on the App Store, US
- Android4.6 on Google Play, 50M+ downloads
- WebCourses in the browser
- OfflineLessons available without internet
App details, App Store US
- Current version
- 22.17.0, released 2 October 2026
- First release on iOS
- 11 June 2014
- Requires
- iOS 17 or later
- Size
- 264 MB
- Age rating
- 12+
- App Store categories
- Education, Travel
- App interface languages
- English, French, German, Italian, Polish, Portuguese, Spanish, Swedish, Ukrainian
- Price
- Free to download, subscription inside
Is Babbel worth it?
What learners like
- Learners can follow the course order or pick lessons on their own.Elaine1cote, App Store, March 2025
- Courses explain grammar and give words in context.Jehan W, App Store, July 2022
- A structured, methodical course; several reviewers chose the lifetime plan.Jo_Hoya, App Store, December 2023
- 91% of Trustpilot reviews give 4 or 5 stars.Trustpilot, 33,124 reviews
What learners criticise
- A traditional model: grammar rules first, then exercises.tom de ariege, App Store, June 2024
- A subscription bought on the website does not show up in the App Store.Just Beth 1111, App Store, December 2021
- Customer service can be hard to reach.stachouli, App Store, August 2022
- The streak tracker sometimes does not update.Elaine1cote, App Store, March 2025
What learners write in reviews, not our rating. Prices start at €8.99 a month on the 12-month plan, and the first lesson of every course is free.
Babbel reviews
- Super Intuitive!
“You can learn at your own pace as the app guides you through or you can do it your own way.”
Elaine1cote · 13 March 2025 · App Store - Excellent App for Learning a Foreign Language
“I highly recommend Babbel for anyone who’s looking to learn a foreign language in a methodical, structured manner.”
Jo_Hoya · 25 December 2023 · App Store - Recommend Lifetime Subscription if you can afford it.
“I decided an app would be better for learning at my own pace.”
Phillip Hackney · 17 September 2025 · App Store - Actually, don’t like it, but maybe it’s just me.
“This app uses a very traditional teaching model. Grammatical rules followed by exercises.”
tom de ariege · 4 June 2024 · App Store
Latest news
- International ambassadors to the US share film, book and song picks for travellers
- Research for America’s 250th year: American English words lost to time
- “Diaphanous” voted the most beautiful-sounding English word by American poets
- Babbel named to the 2026 GSV 150
- Babbel launches a group plan for up to six learners
Contacts and company data
- Customer servicesupport@babbel.com
- App supportsupport-mobile@babbel.com
- Podcastspodcasting@babbel.com
- Legalimprint@babbel.com
- Contact pagesupport.babbel.com
- Legal entity
- Babbel GmbH, Andreasstraße 72, 10243 Berlin, Germany
- Managing directors
- Timothy Allen, Christian Baier
- Commercial register
- Amtsgericht Berlin-Charlottenburg, HRB 110215 B
- VAT ID
- DE 257994711
Programs and documentsAffiliate program, USPartner program, EuropeGift cardsAccessibility statementImprint
Babbel vs Duolingo, Rosetta Stone and others
| Babbel |  Duolingo |  Rosetta Stone |  Busuu |  Memrise |  Lingoda | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Founded | 2007 | 2011 | 1992 | 2008 | 2010 | 2012 |
| Headquarters | Berlin | Pittsburgh | Arlington, Virginia | London | London | Berlin |
| Languages | 14 | 42 | 25 | 14 | 35 official courses | 5 + Business English |
| Live classes with teachers | Yes, Babbel Live | No | — | Business accounts only | — | Yes, every class is live |
| Free access | First lesson of each course | Yes, most features with ads | — | All courses, Premium paid | Yes | — |
| Plan for companies | Babbel for Business | Schools only, closing in 2027 | — | Busuu for Business | — | Yes, B2B programmes |
| App Store rating, US | 4.7 (755K) | 4.7 (5.5M) | 4.8 (238K) | 4.7 (101K) | 4.8 (217K) | 4.8 (176) |
“—” means the public sources we checked do not say. Facts from Wikipedia and the companies’ websites, App Store ratings on 5 October 2026. Duolingo and Rosetta Stone are US companies outside the European catalogue.
Alternatives to Babbel
- DuolingoUnited States Most features free with ads, courses in 42 languages, no live teachers. ↗
- Busuu🇬🇧 United Kingdom Free access to all courses with paid Premium, also 14 languages, from London. →
- Lingoda🇩🇪 Germany Every class is live with a teacher, small groups or private, from Berlin. →
- Memrise🇬🇧 United Kingdom Vocabulary and speaking practice, 35 official courses, from London. →
- Rosetta StoneUnited States 25 languages, on the market since 1992, part of IXL Learning. ↗
-
Lingvist🇪🇪 Estonia A vocabulary-first app from Tallinn. →
How we built this profile
- Sources. Facts come from the company’s own website, press room, imprint and careers page, from Wikipedia, the App Store, Google Play and Trustpilot. Every source is listed on the page.
- Checks. Kinescope checked every number on 5 October 2026. Prices, ratings and job counts change, and we refresh them with each update.
- Our words. Descriptions are written by the Kinescope team. Quotes from reviews are marked with the author and source, and we do not rate the company ourselves.
- Corrections. The company can send new facts or corrections, and we update the profile.
Other language learning companies
- Lingoda🇩🇪 Germany
- Busuu🇬🇧 United Kingdom
- Memrise🇬🇧 United Kingdom
- Lingvist🇪🇪 Estonia
- L Lingumi🇬🇧 United Kingdom
- e eTutor🇵🇱 Poland
More EdTech from Germany
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On babbel.com open Profile and settings, then Account Information, and click Cancel auto-renewal. If you paid through the App Store or Google Play, cancel in the store subscriptions. Deleting the app does not cancel the plan.
In the EU the terms give 14 days to withdraw from the contract, minus the days already used. After the first term the standard terms renew the plan month to month and refund the unused part. In the US there is no pro-rata refund. App store purchases are refunded by Apple or Google.
European Spanish courses go up to C1. French reaches B2 to C1, German and Italian B2, Portuguese, Swedish and Dutch B1. Danish, Norwegian, Indonesian, Polish and Turkish stop at A2, Russian at A1.
About $34 million in disclosed rounds: $2.2 million before 2013, a $10 million Series B in 2013 led by Reed Elsevier Ventures and a $22 million Series C in 2015 led by Scottish Equity Partners.
Reviewers praise the structured course and grammar explanations and criticise the traditional rules-then-exercises model and billing outside the App Store. On Trustpilot, 91% of 33,124 reviews give 4 or 5 stars.
They work differently. Babbel is a paid course with grammar explanations, live classes with tutors and a plan for companies. Duolingo offers most features free with ads and courses in 42 languages, without live teachers.
On babbel.com for the EU on 5 October 2026: €17.99 a month for 3 months, €13.99 for 6 months, €8.99 for 12 months, or €299.99 for lifetime access.
Signing up is free. The first lesson of every course is free, up to 80 free lessons depending on the language. Full access needs a paid subscription.
Thomas Holl, Markus Witte, Lorenz Heine and Toine Diepstraten founded Babbel in Berlin in 2007.
The headquarters are in Berlin, Germany, with a second office in New York.
14: Spanish, French, German, Italian, English, Portuguese, Dutch, Danish, Swedish, Norwegian, Polish, Russian, Turkish and Indonesian.
Tim Allen has been CEO since June 2025. Co-founder Markus Witte is chairman.
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