We’ll contrast Babbel and Rosetta Stone in this comparison. In the world of language learning, these two apps are very well-liked.
What I Like About Each Program
Babbel
- With numerous examples, grammar is clearly explained.
- It employs natural language that you would use in conversation.
- There is a respectable range of exercise types.
- High-quality audio.
- Nice design and layout.
Rosetta Stone
- It might be simpler to translate less in your head as a result.
- High-quality audio.
- Nice design and layout.
What I Dislike About Each Program
Babbel
- The voice recognition program can be annoying.
- Exercises that you must perform repeatedly are not particularly unusual.
- To practice conversation, you’ll need to use additional tools in addition to Babbel.
Rosetta Stone
- Matching pictures to words is the focus of repetitive exercises.
- Compared to most other platforms, it is more boring.
- The majority of substitutes are more expensive than it.
- A straightforward explanation in English would be much more effective than attempting to convey all the information through images alone.
- It won’t help you speak English fluently as quickly as some other platforms.
What Distinctions Can Be Drawn Between Babbel And Rosetta Stone?
First of all, both platforms have well-structured lessons that build on each other but can get a bit too repetitive.
Rosetta Stone uses more distinct sentences, whereas Babbel uses longer dialogues to teach.
The layout and design are attractive, and the audio quality is excellent—much like with Rosetta Stone. But both parties might find the voice recognition software annoying. Actually, it is not that trustworthy.
Babbel, unlike Rosetta Stone, has a Review Manager feature to help you bring back information you’ve learned in previous lessons.
Babbel offers pop-up culture and grammar tips in your native tongue that put what you’re learning into context by providing helpful and applicable explanations as well as translations of the words and sentences you learn along the way.
Rosetta Stone’s immersion method offers no explanations or tips in your native language, meaning you’re doing 100% of your learning in your target language.
The fundamentals can be learned using this method, but as you move through the lesson, it may become more difficult to comprehend complex grammar concepts without additional explanations.
When a straightforward explanation in English would work much better, trying to convey all the information through images alone can cause unnecessary confusion.
Compared to Rosetta Stone, Babbel lessons typically cover more material faster.
Rosetta Stone, on the other hand, takes its time drilling you on the same words and phrases, which makes lessons move more slowly.
Additionally, compared to Babbel lessons, Rosetta Stone lessons are a little more repetitive and monotonous.
Babbel Vs Rosetta Stone: Features
Let’s now examine some of the intriguing features that Babbel has to offer.
- Students learning German, Spanish, French, or Italian can use the app to access podcasts in those languages. Some of these podcasts are entirely in English, whereas the others are only in one language.
- Additionally, there are some additional courses offered for each of the 13 languages. The topics covered in these courses include tongue twisters, various nations and cultures, and other topics of interest. You can also take a brief review course to brush up on the language you previously learned.
- Through “Babbel Live,” Babbel provides users with access to optional live classes. French, German, and Spanish translations are offered for this feature. To join Babbel Live, however, you must pay a fee.
Several Rosetta Stone users have enjoyed the following features:
- A phrasebook with various categories of helpful sentences from the lessons you learned is available. You can practice speaking and recording it after hearing a native speaker.
- When you want to download MP3 practice sessions both online and offline, Audio Companion is helpful.
- The user can view brief clips pertaining to a certain culture in the “On demand” video section. Additionally, it offers helpful conversational hints.
- You can use your iPhone’s camera to point at an object and get a translation into the language you’re learning if you have one. Only some languages have this “Seek & Speak” feature available.
- “Stories” is an additional feature offered by Rosetta Stone. There are a few paragraphs in a story that you must first read. You can record yourself speaking the paragraphs after hearing a native speaker do so. The difficulty level of the story increases with each higher level. It is a fantastic tool for speaking and understanding.
How Languages Are Taught On Each Platform
Babbel
Although they are not particularly original, Babbel’s lessons are a decent place to start. The majority of what they offer, if not all of it, is also available on other platforms for language learning.
They begin with a speaker reading the key terms you must learn while providing images for each term.
Then, using their voice recognition software, you’ll listen to the words and repeat them to receive a grade based on how accurately you pronounced them. The technology isn’t advanced enough for you to rely on it to determine whether your pronunciation is correct on its own, which is a shame because it encourages you to start speaking out loud.
Finding a tutor on italki is my recommendation for getting quality feedback on your speaking; rates are frequently less than $10/hr.
After that, you’ll match the translations to the images. Next, using the random letters you’ve been given, write the translation for each image.
Even though these exercises aren’t all that exciting, doing them repeatedly is beneficial.
The words then combine to create sentences, and eventually a dialogue. You’ll use the appropriate word to complete the sentence’s gaps. You’re given the letters mixed up, so this is pretty straightforward.
The conversations are extremely authentic and are the kind you would actually have in daily life. It’s spoken clearly and the audio quality is quite good.
Additionally, there are grammar lessons here that are easy to understand and include pop-up notes to clarify some important concepts. This, in my opinion, gives it a significant edge over Rosetta Stone. Although grammar may not be the most exciting subject, learning it can make life much simpler.
Rosetta Stone
Rosetta Stone’s lessons are even less engaging and interesting than Babbel’s.
The main characteristic that sets Rosetta Stone apart from other language-learning programs is that it almost entirely uses your target language. Their basic tenet is that you should learn a language through immersion, just like young children do.
I usually don’t agree with this viewpoint. Compared to young children, adults are very different. By ignoring these advantages, we make language learning more difficult than it needs to be. Children do not have some advantages that we do.
Rosetta Stone lessons are very repetitive, despite the fact that they cover a variety of skills like writing and listening. Rosetta Stone use essentially consists of a continuous stream of matching images to words or sentences.
Several vocabulary words and even basic grammar rules can be taught in this way. Some vocabulary, however, is more difficult to understand from just pictures. The grammar in this is even worse. Although learning more complex grammar in this manner may make the learner confused, some simple grammar points are simple enough to be understood in this manner. Most of that uncertainty might disappear with a brief explanation in English.
The fact that each image has audio, that they use various speakers, and that the audio is of a very high caliber are all things I appreciate. Additionally, there are writing exercises that are undoubtedly beneficial.
Babbel Vs. Rosetta Stone: Difference In Terms Of Price
You must pay for a subscription in order to use Babbel and Rosetta to their full potential. However, both offer an introductory lesson or set of lessons as a free trial so users can try out the product before committing to a full subscription.
You can sign up for Babbel on a monthly basis for $12.95, a three-month plan for $26.85, a six-month plan for $44.70, or a yearly subscription for $83.40.
Accordingly, Babbel subscription costs vary depending on the length of the subscription purchased and range between $7 and $13 per month.
Compared to most alternatives, Rosetta Stone is more expensive.
A subscription to Rosetta Stone is priced at $35.97 for three months of access to one language, $179 for a year of access to all languages, or $199 for a lifetime of access to all of the company’s language programs.
As a result, Rosetta Stone can range in price from $12 for a month’s access to $200 for a lifetime subscription, depending on the subscription plan you select and the discounts.
Babbel Review
Babbel is made for people who are learning Italian from level 0, meaning beginners.
You will be guided through both new vocabulary and fundamental grammar rules.
For instance, it will make you practice verb conjugations and learn Italian tenses.
Grammar is explained in detail and with numerous examples in Babbel. There is a good selection of exercise types, and it uses language that you might use in conversation.
You should achieve a B1 level of proficiency after finishing Babbel Italian. This means that while it won’t make you fluent, it will still equip you with the knowledge necessary to structure your sentences at a functional level.
We don’t advise it, though, if your level of Italian is advanced. This is simply because Babbel doesn’t have lessons for advanced learners.
Additionally, Babbel won’t do much to improve your pronunciation.
Rosetta Stone Review
As we previously stated, one of the most well-liked Italian courses is Rosetta Stone, which is also comparable to Babbel.
The course generally keeps you motivated and is enjoyable. You feel like you’re making progress as you learn the vocabulary. And this promotes the formation of a learning habit.
Nobody particularly enjoys grammar, so Rosetta Stone is aware of this and won’t subject you to her lengthy explanations. In general, she doesn’t explain much about the rules of Italian, but it’s based on the “acquisition” model.
This model essentially describes how children learn languages, which is in a fairly organic manner. You might be required to choose the appropriate response from a set of pictures, for example. Rosetta Stone is so well-liked because of this.
Because you can’t really learn that much from just looking at pictures, the course isn’t perfect. You’ll learn the most popular expressions and some vocabulary, but it won’t help you get fluent.
In other words, it’s a good course if what you want is to improve your vocabulary, but if your aim is to become a fluent speaker we don’t recommend it.
Faq
Which Language Learning Program—babbbel, Duolingo, Or Rosetta Stone—is Superior?
We concluded after using each program for more than a month that Babbel is more comprehensive and entertaining than Rosetta Stone’s and Duolingo’s language learning apps. Although there are parts of the Rosetta Stone and Duolingo programs that we like, Babbel’s learning framework is undoubtedly more efficient.
What Distinguishes Babbel, Rosetta Stone, And Duolingo?
Between Duolingo, Rosetta Stone, and Babbel, the design of the lessons is the main distinction. Babbel uses a variety of quick-hit exercises and review sessions, while Duolingo’s lessons have a somewhat game-like feel. Rosetta Stone uses longer lessons (nearly an hour long) that heavily rely on imagery.
What Differences Exist Between Babbel, Duolingo, And Rosetta Stone?
Rosetta Stone, Duolingo, and Babbel all score fairly well on our grading scale, with Babbel clearly outperforming the other two. Compared to Rosetta Stone and Duolingo, we like Babbel’s lesson structure and learning framework better.
Conclusion
Thus, Babbel is a little more affordable than Rosetta Stone.
Rosetta Stone almost entirely uses your target language, while Babbel offers explanations and translations in English.
They both have a tendency to become repetitive, and the audio recognition software isn’t always accurate.
Italian is taught in Babbel lessons more quickly than it is in Rosetta Stone.
You won’t be able to speak fluently as quickly as some other platforms using Babbel or Rosetta Stone.
To practice conversation, you’ll need to use additional resources in addition to these.