Un, deux, trois — three language learning apps, tested by an editor

I’ve always wanted to be fluent in multiple languages, but at 27 years old with just English under my belt, I think I’m falling behind on my polyglot dream. It’s partly my fault — I studied French in elementary and high school, but have barely practiced since then, which means I’m essentially starting from scratch.

Unlike private or group classes which are effective but expensive, language learning apps are affordable and can be used at my own leisure. I’ve tried them here and there in the past, but this time around, I tested three different apps consistently to discover which one would bring me closer to French fluency.

Learn more about my experiences with Duolingo, Babbel and Pimsleur below, including the sign-up process and lesson structure for each one.

SKIP AHEAD Get to know the apps | How I tested the language learning apps | Getting Started | Lesson Plans | Special Features | Final verdict | Why trust NBC Select?

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What I tested: Duolingo versus Babbel versus Pimsleur

I tested three popular apps with different approaches to language learning. All three options can be used on a range of iOS and Android devices including phones, laptops and tablets.

Duolingo

I’ve been a casual Duolingo user since 2017, and the app’s user-friendly and playful design is one of its best features, in my experience. Lessons are guided by the app’s colorful bird mascot, Duo, who enlists a group of characters (such as the purple-haired Lily or Falstaff, a bear) to help you along in your learning. You can study as many of the 40+ available languages as you want since Duolingo has no limits on the amount of courses you can take at once. However, on the app’s free version you can only do lessons until you run out of your daily allowance of five hearts, which allows up to five mistakes across lessons. Each mistake made will cost you one heart, and for each practice lesson you complete, you’re rewarded with a new heart.

In addition to the app’s free tier, Duolingo has multiple paid, subscription-based memberships that include all available language courses and come with extra features to enhance your learning experience, according to the brand. For $12.99 per month (or a $59.99 annual fee), you can purchase Super Duolingo, which is ad-free with special benefits like unlimited mistakes and customized reviews to help you practice weak areas of your language skills. Super Duolingo is also available as a Super Family plan, which allows up to six users to share a Super Duolingo subscription for $9.99 per month, or $119.99 for a full year.

Lastly, the app also has Duolingo Max, which runs for $29.99 a month or $168 a year on an individual plan and $200 per year on a family plan. It includes all the benefits of Super Duolingo, along with AI features like roleplaying, answer explanations and video calls for speech practice.

Babbel

What we like

• Minimalist design
• Simple layout
• Goal-setting features

Something to note

• Very traditional learning

If you prefer a minimalist app design, Babbel may be right up your alley. Its straightforward yet comprehensive layout is simple enough to keep you from feeling overwhelmed, but colorful enough to prevent boredom. Though not designed like a game, the app’s learning plans include interactive elements in lessons, along with in-app podcasts to help with listening and conversation comprehension. The app offers 14 languages, including French, Spanish, German and more, and a free signup that allows you to take the first lesson of any course for free.

Following the free lesson, Babbel offers a few subscription options, all of which include access to all available language learning courses. For shorter-term learners, the app offers a range of monthly subscriptions, including one month for $17.95, three months for $45.75, and six months for $80.70. You can also purchase a full year’s membership for $107.40, which works out to $8.95 per month, or a lifetime, all-access subscription for $299.

If you’re looking for a more immersive experience, Babbel also offers Babbel Live, which is a subscription tier that includes all the features for the Babbel Self-Study App along with unlimited access to either private or group language classes taught in the app on a flexible schedule by over 500 certified instructors, according to the band. Babbel Live ranges from $99 per month for unlimited group classes to $149 per month for unlimited private and group classes.

Pimsleur

What we like

• Great for developing speech
• Lots of conversation practice
• Helps pronunciation

Something to note

• Longer lessons
• Not as many extras

Pimsleur’s language learning process is based on the brand’s namesake method, which is designed to help you speak and understand a language in a short period of time by building on a core vocabulary using recall, repetition and organic, conversation-based learning, according to the brand.

Pimsleur’s lessons emphasize talking to help you learn the pronunciation of words in a “near-native” accent. The lessons are also designed for hands-free navigation so you can listen and learn while cooking, working out, and more. After hitting play, you only need to press buttons as needed to fast forward or rewind; other than that, the lesson continues automatically without any interruption.

Pimsleur gives access to courses for 51 languages with English as the source language and 14 English as a Second Language (ESL) courses, along with a free trial for the first seven days of your learning. After the trial, there are a number of subscription options to choose from. For $14.95 per month you can get a Pimsleur Audio Only subscription, which gives you access to all core audio lessons for all Pimsleur languages, but doesn’t include any of the visual tools or special features. Pimsleur Premium includes all core lessons and interactive tools for a single language, and costs $19.95 per month, but can only be used for a single language. For access to all content from all Pimsleur languages, Pimsleur All Access costs $20.95 per month, or $164.95 per year. You can also purchase lifetime access to specific language courses or levels for varying prices.

How I tested the Duolingo, Pimsleur and Babbel language learning apps

I tested each app for at least two weeks at a time continuously, for a total of six weeks. During that time, I did at least one lesson daily from each app for two weeks straight, and then continued to do lessons afterwards on a less frequent (but still pretty often) basis, usually every two to three days. Each app has a streak feature that tracks the amount of days you’ve been learning consecutively, which is what I used to time and track my lessons.

I set up an account and learning plan on each app with the exception of Duolingo. Since I already had a French course on my Duolingo account that I‘d started previously, I went through the setup process on a guest account as a refresher, and then went back to my original French course for the rest of the testing period. For each app, I tested a tier of their paid subscription-level membership, and I chose a French course for each learning experience so as to make comparing lessons and teaching styles easier across the board.

For this article, each brand gifted me access to a paid subscription account — I tested Super Duolingo and Babbel Self-Study — which are mid-tier subscription options — and a Pimsleur All-Access Account, which is the brand’s highest subscription tier.

What was getting started like?

Duolingo

Registering for Duolingo starts with identifying your level of fluency (in the language you want to learn) by choosing from a range of responses, including being new to the language to being able to have detailed conversations. If you’re not totally new, once you make your choice, you’ll be asked if you’d like to start from scratch or find your level. I chose to find my level, meaning that the app gave me a short assessment to complete and placed me in a section and unit based on those results.

The entire process is easy and takes less than five minutes — the app also provides translations of the words used during the assessment, which makes it easier but also makes me wonder if I’d have done as well without the translations being available.

Babbel

Out of all the apps, Babbel had the most comprehensive start-up process, which still took less than ten minutes in total. After signing up, I had to fill out a questionnaire that asked about my goals, my language learning experience, what I hope to use the language for, how much time I’m willing to commit to learning and more. I liked that these questions helped to narrow my focus — it can be hard to form realistic expectations when learning a language, and it was really helpful and encouraging to be able to set goals that felt achievable. I chose a goal of being proficient in French within 3-6 months and a daily time commitment of five minutes. Once I put in my language goal and time frame, the app suggested I practice for 15 minutes daily, however, I decided to stick with the five minute timeframe to keep my time spent on each app roughly equal.

Following the sign-up questionnaire, I was given the option to do a language assessment that would let me know which level I should start learning at. However, you can also choose to skip the assessment and start from the beginning. What I liked about this assessment is that you can take it as many times as you want (which I had to do multiple times because of a glitch on my screen). This means that if you make a mistake on your first try or just think that you can do better on a second try, you can give it another go instead of being stuck at the first level, which can be especially annoying if you already have previous knowledge of the language.

Pimsleur

Pimsleur’s language learning setup was the quickest and simplest of the three. After asking me to choose a language, the app took me through a quick rundown of Pimsleur’s teaching style, which is mostly speech and listening-based lessons. Following this, I was brought to my learning plan’s homepage, where the app lets you begin your French lessons right away from Level 1 — the entire process took less than two minutes. To change your level, you can select the French course from the master course list and select your preferred level (ranging from 1-5).

Although this process was really easy, the lack of assessment may make navigating the learning startup process tricky for those with language experience — since I didn’t want to start with the basics, it was a bit more difficult to gauge which level was best for me to begin with.

How are the lessons structured?

Duolingo

Duolingo’s learning plan is visualized as a winding path, with stops along the way for lessons and extras like bonus challenges, reading comprehension practice (in the form of short stories), learning mini-games and more. You must complete lessons to move forward and can also take a knowledge test to see if you’ve learned enough to skip ahead to further units. You’re also given a score on your language knowledge, which increases as you complete more lessons and move through the material. Lessons are grouped by subject into sections and units, which follows the CEFR (Common European Framework of Reference for Languages) proficiency guidelines, and becomes more difficult and complex as you get further along in your journey.

Each regular lesson contains a mixture of reading, speaking and listening activities, and are grouped together by subject matter and difficulty level. For example, my lesson on grocery shopping began with my hearing a food item, and then choosing the correct translation from a group of pictures. Following that, I had to translate a few sentences to practice my new vocabulary, and then moved into the speaking portion, where I practiced pronouncing words, sounds and phrases. Each lesson ends with an increased difficulty challenge, which is usually a series of more complex sentence translations.

At the end of each group of lessons, you complete a review (which is structured/scored in the same way as your regular lessons) before moving onto the next stage, and for each lesson finished you gain XP (experience points) that help you to compete with other learners for spots on leaderboards, rewards badges, and more. Although with Duolingo Super you have unlimited hearts, mistakes made during lessons will result in less XP gained (your mistakes are also reviewed at the end of each lesson). Duolingo’s creative setup makes it easy to come back to — since the lessons are so short and playful, it sometimes feels more like you’re playing a game than learning a language.

Babbel

While Duolingo feels a lot like a game, Babbel’s lesson structure is more traditional. As with all the apps, there’s a big emphasis on repetition, but unlike Duolingo, there are no penalties for incorrect answers, though you’re still given the option to go back and correct them after lessons. The lessons also follow CEFR guidelines and are grouped into sections and units that include reading, listening and speaking activities, all of which emphasize learning the rules and reasoning of French grammar and language structure, which I definitely appreciate.

While learning a new concept, the lessons include automatic, interactive explanations of not only what the grammar or language rule is, but why it’s used and how it may change in different situations — it reminds me of the French classes I’d taken in school. For example, when learning about masculine and feminine French vocabulary, the lesson explains the differences between the two, why it’s important to know, and tips on how to distinguish between them for yourself.

As someone who’s always questioning the “why” of things, the in-depth learning structure helps to reinforce the concepts, and it elevates my understanding, rather than having constant repetition with no explanation.

Pimsleur

Of the three apps I tested, Pimsleur has the most unique lesson approach. Due to the app’s emphasis on comprehension and pronunciation skills, the lessons are fully speech-based, meaning there are no reading or writing exercises in the average Pimsleur lesson (although there are specific lessons/extra review features for reading skills). The skills you learn in each session are listed on the lesson page, but unlike the other apps that have a space for exercises or activities to pop-up, each Pimsleur lesson page instead has a timer in the middle that lets you know how long your lesson has been going for.

Each lesson runs for 30 minutes, and focuses on listening and repetition, which I found boosted my pronunciation skills and the general rhythm of my French speech almost immediately. The lesson page also has controls for skipping backward or forward in your lessons, so you can practice certain words and phrases as little or as much as needed.

What special features are available?

Duolingo

As a naturally competitive person, Duolingo’s special features are right up my alley. The app allows you to add friends and follow their progress, along with competing alongside and against them for XP in friend clashes and friend quests. You can also compete in weekly leaderboard standings, which are ranked leagues that, based on your weekly XP, you can advance in or be demoted from. The app also has daily quests which you can complete to earn prizes like reward badges and increased XP for short periods of time.

This is my favorite thing about Duolingo — being able to include my friends in the experience is extremely motivating, especially when we’re learning the same language. I was more encouraged to complete my daily lessons by seeing my friends advance and earn prizes than I was by my own drive to achieve fluency. I also like the app’s Feed feature, which shows your friends’ recent accomplishments and milestones, which you can react to or comment on to congratulate them on their achievements.

Babbel

In my experience, Babbel’s special features are focused on enriching and supplementing your regular lessons with more personalized and comprehensive practice. On the “Explore” section of the app, you can practice conversation with an AI partner or go through guided conversation scripts on your own. Once you choose a mode of conversation, you can also select the subject and view your goals for the practice session. For example, I practiced ordering a drink, entree and dessert at a restaurant with my AI partner. This was really helpful because it gave me an applicable yet still guided way to practice my French conversation skills, which can be hard to form without a consistent practice partner. In addition to the conversation practice, you can access mini games, a grammar guide, and audio recap sessions to practice your listening skills. I also enjoy listening to the Babbel podcasts, which are labelled according to proficiency level, and include topics on French culture and customs.

Pimsleur

In the “Practice” section of the Pimsleur app you can find review activities like flash cards, matching quizzes, and conversation transcripts that allow you to explore French outside of the app’s regular, speech-based lessons. However, my favorite special feature from Pimsleur is the “Mini”, which can be found in the app’s “Enrich” section. Minis are shorter lessons that have specific cultural, conversational or grammatical focus, which can help in learning parts of the language that may not be covered in detail in the general lessons. For example, you can do a Mini on airport French conversations or on essential French soccer culture terms. These are a great way to brush up on specific elements of a language before a trip, or to use your own interests as a way to further explore the language you’re trying to learn (for example, I’m a Premier League fan so the French soccer Mini was perfect for me). I also love that Pimsleur’s lessons are downloadable on your phone for offline use, making them a great activity for longer commutes or during travel where you won’t have constant access to Wi-Fi.

Final verdict

Overall, these language apps have renewed my commitment to learning new languages. I’m no stranger to language apps, but experiencing the range of methods and learning styles has really shown me that it’s possible to become proficient using them, which is something I wasn’t totally sure of before. Although the apps are effective on their own, other immersion activities like reading books, watching shows and movies, or listening to podcasts in your language of choice are helpful tools to continue to grow your skills outside of the apps, especially if you opt for the free membership versions. Paid memberships aren’t totally necessary for language learning, but I recommend trying one out because they really enhance the experience, and will help to get you to fluency faster. Each app has something unique to offer — since all three have their respective pros and cons, in my experience, the one you choose depends on your language goals and your preferred learning style.

Best for learning with friends: Duolingo

If you’re looking for fun, stress-free and casual language practice, Duolingo is the ideal option. The lessons within each course, however, they may take more time to complete if you’re only doing one or two lessons per day (I have friends who’ve had streaks for hundreds of days and are still on their journey to fluency). In my opinion, this makes it a great choice for anyone who isn’t looking to learn on a certain timeline, but rather wants to explore language learning in a new, interactive way.

The features make it easy to learn alongside friends, and are also very helpful in keeping you consistent. Videogame fans may also enjoy the app’s design and playful incentives. However, if you’re in a time crunch or looking for a more intensive learning experience, this may not be the best option for you.

Best for traditional language learning: Babbel

In my experience, Babbel is the ultimate classic language learning experience. The lessons are not only interactive, but very informative and really help to build an understanding of both vocabulary and the language’s structure as a whole. Although I’m not sure how realistic the estimated timelines are for full proficiency, I like that they help you work toward a focused goal and that your lessons are designed to keep you on track. It’s a great choice for those looking for a fully comprehensive language experience, and the personalized goal setting makes it ideal for those who may want to customize their learning timeframe and daily level of commitment. I also like that the app uses a mixture of reading, writing, listening and speaking exercises, along with guided explanations in their lessons; it feels like you’re getting a very balanced learning experience overall.

Best for speech: Pimsleur

I achieved the most improvement over time using Pimsleur. For fast proficiency and overall improved conversational skills, this app would be my go-to. In my experience, the focus on pronunciation throws you right into working on some of the most difficult aspects of language learning, which are listening, understanding and responding on the fly. I also like that it helps you to speak and pronounce words in the same tone and rhythm as native speakers, which helps to get rid of the awkward and confusing accents that can sometimes come with learning a new language.

The longer lessons require more of a commitment than the smaller, bite-sized ones from Duolingo and Babbel, however, I love how easy it is to integrate into my day. The downloadable and “hands-free” lesson design allows me to learn while cooking, working out, or commuting. I recommend it to anyone looking to learn a language in a shorter period of time.

Why trust NBC Select?

I’m an associate SEO reporter for NBC Select who regularly covers skin care, wellness and lifestyle. To write this review, I tested the language learning apps Duolingo, Babbel and Pimsleur for a minimum of two weeks each and recorded my experience, noting what I thought about each app throughout my time using them.