Duolingo vs Babbel vs FluenTech: Which to Choose?

It depends on what you want. Duolingo is a free, game-like way to start. Babbel is a paid app with structured lessons. FluenTech is built for what both tend to leave out: getting past the beginner stage and reading real books in the original language.

We make FluenTech, so we're not neutral, and you should read this knowing that. We've tried to be fair, including about where the others do better.

At a glance

	Duolingo	Babbel	FluenTech
Download	Free	Free	Free
Courses	Every course is free	Subscription for full courses, with a free lesson to try	Free to start; some books and extra content need diamonds you earn while learning, or Premium
Style	Short, game-like	Structured lessons	Vocabulary, grammar, then reading
Real books	Not a focus	Not a focus	Full classics, with a translation under every line
Free on the web, no account	Check its site	Check its site	Grammar, word lists and exam guides, plus books to read, with no account needed
Languages	The most of the three	14	7: Russian, English, German, Turkish, Spanish, French, Italian

The Duolingo and Babbel details come from their US App Store listings on 30 October 2026, and prices and features change. Listed Babbel plans ran from $17.99 to $107.99, and Duolingo's purchases from $0.99 to $119.99.

Choose Duolingo if

You want to try a language for free, and streaks and points keep you coming back. It's good at building a daily habit, and it has the widest choice of languages. It's where many people start, and that's fine.

Choose Babbel if

You want organised lessons around everyday conversation, with more explanation than a game gives you, and you're happy to pay a subscription.

Choose FluenTech if

• You feel stuck at beginner level. FluenTech began because its founder got stuck there on Duolingo while learning Russian, and other apps weren't much better.
• You want to read real books. You move from vocabulary and grammar to graded reading, then to Dostoevsky, Kafka, Flaubert or Sabahattin Ali in the original, with a translation under every line.
• You want the rules explained. Short grammar lessons with a quiz after each one mean you don't have to guess the pattern.
• You're learning one of our seven languages. If you aren't, Duolingo or Babbel will serve you better for now.

Which is most effective?

Nobody can say for sure. We don't know of an independent head-to-head study of these apps. Duolingo has published research, but its authors worked for the company. What does have strong support is reading a lot, which is why it's at the centre of FluenTech. The best app is largely the one you'll still be using in six months.

Try FluenTech

You can start on the website right now, with no account. Read White Nights in full in Russian or The Metamorphosis in full in German, with a translation under every line, or try the free Russian grammar lessons.

Or get the app for the language you're learning: Russian, English, German, Turkish, Spanish, French or Italian. It's free to download, though some books and extra content need diamonds you earn while learning, or Premium.