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Babbel vs Rocket Languages
An honest and detailed comparison of the Babbel and Rocket Languages programs to help you decide which is best
So you’ve decided to learn a new language, and you’ve narrowed down your list of preferred language programs to Babbel and Rocket Languages – two very solid options. But now it’s time to make a final call, and you don’t know which one to go with. That’s where we come in. In this detailed guide, we analyze the key differences and similarities between these two language apps, as well as provide our thoughts on which we think is better, and will ultimately be more effective for you.
As our comparisons are typically long and packed with detail, we’ve added jump-to links above so you can quickly jump to the relevant section.
Video Review: Rocket Languages or Babbel?
In the video above, Lara from the Test Prep Insight team runs down everything you need to know about the differences between Babbel and Rocket Languages, as well as which course we think is better. For more detail, be sure to continue reading our full written comparison below.
To help provide some context for our thoughts on the Rocket Languages program, let’s start with a quick overview of how the Rocket course works.
To begin, the Rocket Languages program is split between two different types of lessons: (1) interactive audio lessons and (2) language and culture lessons. This is the same course format for all Rocket courses, including German, Italian, and Japanese.
For the interactive audio lessons, a moderator speaking in English walks you through a conversation in your target language step-by-step. The moderator will start by explaining what the goal of the lesson is, a little background on why you’re learning it, and set the stage for the upcoming conversation.
Then you’ll dive into the actual conversation where you listen to native speakers converse. Every few sentences, the moderator will stop to explain what you just heard, provide some tips and grammar explanations, and perhaps most importantly, ask you to engage and participate in the conversation by speaking yourself.
So in a way, you can think of these interactive audio lessons as guided conversations. Once done with the audio lessons, you then complete the relevant language and culture lessons. To use an analogy, these lessons are like interactive textbooks.
The Rocket Languages lessons are very thorough
You’ll read a short paragraph explanation of a particular grammar rule or cultural insight, be shown a couple examples to ensure you understand, and then cover another.
In other words, they are short, back-to-back lessons to help you gain deeper insights into grammar rules and cultural topics.
And then to finish out each lesson (audio and language), you review what you just learned through several short, reinforcement exercises. These include variations of flashcards, speaking drills, writing drills, quizzes, and more.
All told, each complete lesson (with drills) takes around an hour or so to complete from start to finish.
Our Evaluation of Rocket Languages
Now that you have a high-level idea of how the Rocket program works in terms of lesson format and content, let’s get into the major advantages and disadvantages that I noted with this program.
Highly Effective Audio Lessons
The clear highlight of this course has to be their interactive audio lessons. Instead of listening to or reading an individual word or phrase, and then repeating it like you do with Babbel most of the time, the Rocket audio lessons prompt you to use vocabulary and respond to native speakers in the context of a 30-minute simulated conversation.
You’re actively involved in following the conversation, and the moderator of the audio lessons keeps you engaged. You need to understand what’s going on in the situation at any given time and respond when called upon.
Even better, one of the practice activities in the lesson is for you to replay the entire conversation, but this time, you take the place of one of the main speakers. This was pretty intimidating for me the first time I gave it a shot, but after leading an entire conversation a few times, I found it much easier to respond out loud, without needing to slow down and think of a response.
The Rocket audio lessons are powerful for language retention
This type of simulation is powerful at getting you to recall and use language under pressure, just as you would in most real world situations (though without any real pressure).
This is what master linguist Paul Pimsleur discovered years ago and built his longstanding Pimsleur language program around.
This is the key point here: the Rocket Language audio lessons simulate real-world experiences. And to me this is a much more effective approach for learning as compared to listening to words and phrases and repeating them in a vacuum.
Plus, Rocket’s speech recognition software is powered by Google, so it’s pretty accurate. You get a score between 1 and 100, then watch your score climb as your pronunciation improves, which I found very motivating.
So Rocket definitely has the edge over Babbel in that regard.
Flexible Structure
As roughly half of the Rocket lessons are audio-based (the “interactive audio lessons”), I like that you can complete these lessons while you’re working out, cooking, taking a walk, or even driving.
It’s nice your face doesn’t have to be buried in your computer or phone at all times like you do with Babbel. Sometimes a change of scenery when you’re studying or learning a new language can be helpful, especially if you’ve been staring at a screen for work all day.
The Rocket Languages teaching framework makes lessons very flexible
One slight downside is that Rocket’s lessons are long. I handled this by doing the audio portion one day, then the reinforcement drills the next day. This split the workload up and kept everything manageable for me.
Overall, I have to give props to Rocket for how flexible their lessons are compared to Babbel and think this is great for folks who burn out their eyes at work or school.
Grammar and Culture Emphasis
I like that the Rocket Language programs emphasize cultural insights and grammar instruction.
To be totally fair, Babbel does include helpful grammar tips and instruction throughout their courses as well, but the Rocket lessons take it to whole new level. In fact, it’s the main focus of almost half of the Rocket lessons.
And the nice thing is that Rocket accomplishes this in different ways. For one, as you complete the interactive audio lessons, the moderator regularly stops to discuss different grammar principles and verbally explain the reasoning behind them. These little snippets are quick, and I like them.
But then of course, the lion’s share of the grammar instruction is delivered through the company’s language & culture lessons. Again, these lessons take the form of a digital textbook (though very streamlined).
Rocket does a great job breaking these lessons down into short, compact segments, with each section within the lesson containing about 3 to 6 sentences.
Not to mention, within the lesson, there are dozens of break points where you interact with examples and pictures to keep you engaged. So it’s more like a mix between a scaled-down digital textbook and an interactive exercise.
They also throw in language survival kits, which cover those basic words and phrases you’ll definitely need if you’re traveling or jumping straight into a real-life scenario where you’re using the language. Lots of programs center their entire curriculum around these foundational language building blocks, but never go much deeper. Rocket’s approach is to prioritize more in-depth conversations while including these language survival kits to make sure all the bases are covered. In my opinion, it’s a pretty good idea.
All in all, I was impressed with the level of grammar and cultural insights the Rocket courses provide, as well as how the company integrates this material into their lessons.
Focus on Making Learning Fun & Collaborative
Lastly, I like that Rocket tries to create a fun, learning-based community with its users by gamifying the language learning experience.
Not only are there forums where you can interact with other Rocket users to discuss whatever your heart desires, but they also make it a bit of a competition.
A sample Rocket reinforcement exercise
When you complete lessons and drills, you earn points that represent your progress. From the dashboard, you can then review the leaderboard where you can keep track of your streaks and compare your performance against other Rocket Language users.
To me, this can be useful for keeping yourself motivated and coming back each night.
Then in addition to the points leaderboard, Rocket also offers certification tests. As you complete each module, you can choose to take a test based on the widely accepted CEFR framework, where if you score at least 80%, you’ll receive a printable Certificate of Achievement.
That might not sound like much in the big picture, but when you’re trying to learn a new language, every milestone and achievement can improve morale.
Bottom line, I like that the Rocket program offers outlets for you to connect with other users, as well as tools and games to keep you energized and encouraged.
Knowing what you know now about Rocket, let’s take a look at how Babbel differs in terms of program structure, length and format. That way you have a good idea of what to expect if you decide to go with Babbel for your language learning needs.
To start, their core lessons are much shorter than Rocket’s. Each Babbel lesson is only about 10 to 15 minutes in length, and they go by super fast.
This is largely the case because each lesson is made up of several quick-hit, interactive drills and exercises. For the first two minutes, you might be listening to new words or phrases and then repeating them, then you’ll quickly transition into a digital flashcards drill for a few minutes, before reading a short grammar lesson.
This might be followed by an exercise where you reconstruct phrases using your keyboard, and afterwards you might be asked to complete a fill-in-the-blank exercise by following a mock conversation.
One of the keys to the Babbel method is that they use a lot of spaced repetition to make sure you retain everything you’ve learned so far. After you finish a lesson, you’re not done with the words and concepts you covered that day. Instead, you’ll start each new lesson with a few quick drills that push you to recall information you learned earlier. Everything is timed strategically, so you’re seeing the content at regularly spaced intervals, and you even get to choose how you prefer to review, whether that’s by flashcards, listening, speaking or writing.
It’s a very fast-moving, hybrid approach that is undoubtedly engaging and fun (like Duolingo). The practice exercises and drills are similar for all Babbel courses, including French and Italian.
We love Babbel’s quick-hit and engaging lessons
So stepping back and looking at the apps from both companies side-by-side, that’s how lessons compare. The Rocket lessons take around an hour, include more in-depth grammar instruction, and place a very strong emphasis on listening and speaking in the context of realistic, simple conversations.
In comparison, the Babbel lessons are much shorter and include more variety in terms of drills and exercises.
Our Evaluation of Babbel
Let’s change gears now and cover the standout features of Babbel’s program, especially as they compare to Rocket Languages.
Better for Visual Learners
The most notable aspect of Babbel’s app in comparison to Rocket is that their lessons are more geared towards visual learners. With Rocket, besides the limited number of images used in their language and culture lessons, there aren’t many visuals.
We generally found Babbel’s lessons to be better for visual learners
This could be problematic for people who are primarily visual learners. There are certain people who simply learn best by viewing images and visuals, and then associating them with words and phrases. It’s how some people absorb and retain new words.
For these types of folks, Babbel has the leg up on Rocket. Babbel’s program contains a ton of visuals as compared to Rocket, including graphics, images, and text.
Diverse Lesson Format
Babbel’s lessons are incredibly diverse and keep learning fun with a mix of exercises that cover reading, writing, speaking, and listening.
Every lesson feels fresh and engaging, making it easy to stay motivated as you build your skills. Babbel offers a well-rounded approach, which is good for anyone who wants to learn through an even balance of speaking, listening, reading, and writing.
Quicker Lessons
Babbel’s lessons are shorter. They go by incredibly quick, which is great for working professionals, students, and busy parents. Not everyone out there has a spare hour every day to complete lessons.
Sometimes 20 or 30 minutes is all you have, so it’s satisfying to knock out multiple lessons with Babbel in a short time frame and still feel like you’re being productive and making progress.
Babbel Speak
While Babbel doesn’t offer as much speaking practice as Rocket Languages, they do give you Babbel Speak, which uses AI for guided speaking practice through scripted dialogues. It’s a supportive, low-pressure way to get in some conversation practice if you’re a beginner or you feel a lot of anxiety when it comes to speaking.
Here’s what Babbel doesn’t give you. There’s no freestyle conversation practice, where you have to come up with your own sentences on the spot. Babbel Speak is a more structured tool, which is good for people who want a slow, gentle introduction to speaking but not the best match for anyone who wants more of a challenge.
If your goal is to become conversational, Rocket will get you there much faster, while still providing plenty of support through the English-speaking moderator.
Sleeker Digital Platform
If aesthetics matter to you, Babbel’s digital platform and mobile app are better than Rocket Language’s. To be clear, I’m not talking about functionality here. Both companies’ apps and websites function fine. They’re both logically laid out, easy to navigate, and fast.
I’m talking about the cool factor. At the end of the day, the Rocket Languages user interface isn’t as sleek or eye catching as Babbel’s. The Rocket digital platform feels a hair dated, whereas Babbel’s feels modern and hip.
The Babbel mobile app also includes some unique multimedia features that Rocket doesn’t offer. Whenever you want a break from your regular lessons, you can listen to a podcast, check out some engaging videos, listen to a brief audio lesson, or even read the Babbel magazine. Rocket is all-in on audio lessons as their primary means of delivering the content, whereas Babbel takes a more multifaceted approach to spice things up a little. Basically, if you’re an audio learner or your number one goal is to feel confident in natural conversations, Rocket is probably a better fit. But if you would rather keep mixing up your learning instead of doing the same thing over and over, Babbel is all about variety.
I’m not totally sure how big of a deal this is, given that you’re probably more concerned with the effectiveness of each company’s learning framework and lessons than how polished their app looks, but for some, this could factor in.
Pricing Comparison
Before we get to our final verdict and thoughts, let’s briefly touch on pricing, as this can be a major decision factor for a lot of people.
Babbel offers several different options: a 3-month plan, a 6-month plan, a 12-month plan, and a lifetime subscription. The monthly plans include access to all Babbel languages and range in price from around $8 to $15 per month after discounts, while the lifetime plan costs around $200 after discounts.
Rocket Languages, on the other hand, takes a slightly different approach. Instead of offering monthly subscriptions, they only offer lifetime plans.
The Rocket lifetime plans range from $150 to $450, depending on how many levels you want to purchase. But just so you know, those Rocket prices are a little deceiving, as they’re the MSRPs.
Rocket Languages is almost always running some sort of deal or special promotion, and in most cases, you can expect to receive at least 10% to 40% off, if not more. So be sure to check for coupon codes if you do go the Rocket route.
Nonetheless, from an overall cost perspective, Babbel is the winner. They are clearly the more affordable option, unless of course you’re looking for lifetime access.
Both companies do offer free trials and money back guarantees, so you can always test the waters before fully committing.
Should you choose Babbel or Rocket Languages? I have to give the edge to Rocket Languages, as their program will take you all the way from beginner to advanced.
Babbel’s short, engaging lessons are still a good fit for someone wanting to build a regular learning habit, busy people who don’t have much free time, and learners who feel intimidated by a language.
But Rocket offers the more complete language learning course, with more thorough lessons and audio lessons that feel like real conversations. For anyone wanting to achieve an intermediate or advanced level of proficiency in a language, Rocket is the better choice overall.
What is the difference between Babbel and Rocket Languages?
The biggest difference between Babbel and Rocket Languages is their approach to teaching. Rocket Languages focuses on learning and practicing conversational skills through an audio-focused approach, while Babbel uses a blended teaching style with tons of fast-paced interactive exercises.
Which is better, Rocket Languages or Babbel?
After thoroughly testing each program and a full scale review, we believe Rocket Languages is better than Babbel, since it offers more speaking and listening practice. Babbel is good for busy professionals who need to squeeze in quick lessons, but we liked Rocket better for anyone wanting to become conversational or use one program from beginner to advanced.
Rocket Spanish vs Babbel, which app is best for learning Spanish?
If your goal is to learn Spanish, we prefer Rocket Languages to Babbel. Our team found the Spanish lessons to be more comprehensive and in-depth with Rocket Spanish than with Babbel. Plus, we like the audio-centric approach.
Editor's Choice 
