Babbel vs Rosetta stone: Which One to Choose in 2024? (Detailed Comparison)

In the present world learning a new language has become one of the easiest tasks. As people are learning a new language, there are a lot of platforms that have emerged online. Two such platforms that are commonly used to learn the language are Babbel and Rosetta Stone. If you are also confused between both of them then you may be interested in learning the differences between them. Thus, here we will help you to get a complete guide on Babbel vs Rosetta stone.

Quick Takeaways

• Following is a quick comparison between both of the platforms-

Features	Babbel	Rosetta Stone
Number of languages	14	20+
Grammar	Within the lessons	Light focus
Lesson duration	10-15 minutes	10-30 minutes
Placement test	Yes	No
Pricing	$7-$14 per month	$8-$12 per month

However, you must read till the end so that you get a better understanding of Babbel vs Rosetta Stone.

What is the Babbel?

Babbel is one of the apps which is the oldest app for learning a new language. Here you will be able to learn 13 languages which are the popular ones. The lessons on this platform are very interactive and you will enjoy studying them. You will see the exercise including the fill-in-the-blanks and quiz-style matching exercises. If you want to advance the language, you will need to answer the questions correctly. You will be getting real-life dialogues from the first lesson which will help you to learn the context in active and passive form. 

What is Rosetta Stone?

Rosetta Stone is a platform where you can learn a new language with an immersive style. This platform works on desktop, Android, and Apple devices. Rosetta Stone is also very interactive when it comes to learning a new lesson. The platform has audiovisuals that help you to learn the targeted language only. When you complete the lesson, you will get a percent score which depicts your pass or fail. You will be able to understand how well you perform in various skills including pronunciation, writing, grammar, etc.

Babbel vs Rosetta Stone: What are the main differences?

Following are the main differences between Babbel and Rosetta Stone-

1. Number of languages

The first that you must look at before choosing the platform is the number of languages available on the platform. The language you want to learn may not be available on one platform. Although both platforms have multiple languages Rosetta Stone has some extra to give. Further is a table that shows what are the languages that are common in both of the platforms and also the languages that are not common in between-

Common	Offered Only on Babbel	Offered Only on Rosetta Stone
Dutch	Danish	Arabic
English	Indonesian	Tagalog
French	Norwegian	Hebrew
Portuguese		Chinese
Spanish		Irish
Italian		Greek
Russian		Japanese
Swedish		Vietnamese
German		Hindi
Turkish		Latin
Polish		Korean
		Farsi

The above table shows the languages that are common and noncommon between both platforms. 

2. Lesson format

The lesson structure of both platforms is very similar and therefore it is very difficult to understand the differences between them. Starting with Rosetta Stone, it is more simpler app than Babbel. The app is designed so that you can achieve your ultimate goal of traveling to the country as it follows zero English translation. All the lessons on this platform are very static and you will be able to know what you are going to get from it.

It is an accident for you if you are at the beginner level. You will see that there is a space reputation for the words on this platform. On the other hand, Babbel will help you to get more responses to the answers you are giving up. When you get wrong answers you will see that same question repetitively coming on your screen until you give the right answer. Also, the content on this platform will be getting more advanced and will be more like a textbook. There will be less repetition but the words which are more difficult will be on your screen again.

The number of reputations on this platform is static. If you want to have more repetitions then Rosetta Stone is for you. Further, you will also be getting CD sets if you are using Rosetta stone. Not only this the static lessons on this platform follow the subject-verb- noun sentence structure through the advanced content.

3. Placement test

Placement tests are the tests that help the person to understand at which level of language they are at. There are many platforms that provide this placement like Duolingo. Duolingo is also one such platform that provides a Placement test known as the Duolingo placement test. With the help of this test, you will be able to start your journey from the level you were facing difficulty.

Babbel is the platform that will ask you to access the level you are familiar with. Unfortunately Rosetta Stone does not have such features. However, it will give you the lessons that are available on the platform and will let you choose the lesson that matches your current skill levels. 

4. Grammatical explanations

One of the important parts when you’re learning a new language is the grammatical explanations. There are many platforms that include grammatical explanations within the content but if we particularly talk about these two platforms then you may not be getting much grammatical knowledge on the Rosetta Stone platform. Whereas, in Babbel, you may get grammatical knowledge within the lessons. 

5. Speaking practices

Commonly the goal of learning a new language is to have the right conversations. And the most important part of these conversations is that you will need to have correct pronunciations. Thus you must also compare the speaking exercises of both platforms.

If we talk about Rosetta Stone there are exercises that also have components where you will have to speak up the words and the platform will check if the words are right or not. Whereas if we talk about Babbel there are no speaking skills exercises at all. The reason behind it is that it is not an immersive platform.

6. Babbel Live vs Rosetta stone live

The live features of both platforms are almost similar and you will be getting online tutors to teach you the language. If we talk about Rosetta Stone, the live classes will offer you real-time classes from a native speaker. Whereas, if we talk about Babbel Live, there are classes that are small in number. Only 6 people can join a single classroom.

Here you will be finding tutors to teach you online the languages including Spanish, German, French, and Italian. You must always remember that the price you will be paying for this feature is different from the standard features. However, if you are paying for Babbel Live then you will also be getting the subscription plan of this platform.

7. Cost Comparison

Both platforms have multiple subscription plans to offer. I have further mentioned the subscription plans of both the platforms one by one-

Babbel

Duration of the Plan	Cost of the Plan
3-month plan	$8-10 per month
6-month plan	$7-9 per month
12-month plan	$6-8 per month
Lifetime plan	$200 for all the Babbel languages

Rosetta Stone

Duration of the Plan	Cost of Plan
3-month Plan	$16 per month
12-month Plan	$14 per month
Lifetime Plan	$400

Both platforms also have discounts and coupons offered at various points of time. After the use of these coupons, their monthly plans are about $2 to $4. An interesting fact about Rosetta Stone is that it offers a 3-day trial period and a 30-day money-back guarantee. Whereas Babbel offers a 20-day money-back guarantee.

Babbel vs Rosetta Stone: Which one to choose?

Whenever you are choosing between the two platforms you will have to understand which is the right platform for you. The answer to this question is it depends. If you want a platform where you can think, read, and write in the targeted language then Rosetta Stone is a perfect choice for you. Whereas, if you are a person who wants to have more conversational skills then Babbel is a perfect choice for you.

Further, if you want more grammatical knowledge then Babbel is a much better option than Rosetta Stone. Also, the number of languages on the Rosetta stone is more than the Babbel. Thus you must undertake your ultimate goal of learning the language. 

What are the Benefits and Drawbacks of Rosetta Stone?

Below we have mentioned the benefits and drawbacks of the platforms-

Benefits

• This platform follows a spaced repetition system due to which you would be getting a good understanding of the common words and phrases used in language. You may also get exercises where you will be getting to see more complex words and sentence structure.
• As there is zero English translation immersive approach, you will be able to learn the language much faster. 
• The visuals used on this platform are very clear and interesting at the same time. 

Drawbacks 

• This platform is a little bit expensive when compared to other platforms. 
• As it has a repetitive system, you may get bored when you see the words you have learned again and again.
• As it follows the total immersive method, the pictures may make it difficult to remember the words and create unnecessary confusion.
• You may not be able to achieve speaking fluency as fast as other platforms.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of Babbel?

Following are the advantages and disadvantages of using the Babbel platform-

Benefits 

• There are grammatical explanations mentioned within the lessons.
• It will help you to have regular conversations as it uses conversational language. 
• It also has high-quality audio that will help you in offering a nice layout. 

Drawbacks

• The voice recognition software may cause frustration as it not always will recognize what you are saying.
• The repetitive exercises are not as unique as they can be.
• You may also need to use other resources along with this platform.

Conclusion

When you are learning a new language, you may be confused between the two most popular platforms Babbel and Rosetta Stone. You must choose Babbel if you are a person who wants to have more grammatical knowledge or is interested in developing your conversational skills. Choosing Rosetta stone can be a perfect choice for you if you want to learn the language with the immersive technique. Also, you will be getting a lot of flashcards that will help you remember the words easily.

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