Learning a new language each year is always a great feeling. But comparing different language software can often prove to be quite futile.
If you are thinking about which software you should choose to learn a new language, you can go for either Babbel or Rosetta Stone. But in the event of Babbel vs. Rosetta Stone, which one is the winner?
Both language programs are quite known to the masses, thanks to advertising, prices, and the amount of time spent in the market. But which one out of the two will work out better for you?
In this post below, we have compared major considerations like how the software work, its advantages and disadvantages, and the factors you need to consider before choosing one.
Overview of Babbel and Rosetta Stone
Before diving into the details, we will first go through some basic details about both language applications:
- Fee
- Structure
- Language options
- Interactive
- Focus
Babbel
- Fee: Starts from $12.95 per month to $83.40 per year
- Structure: The program primarily focuses on the usage of words and basic-level conversation
- Language options: You can choose between 14 different available languages
- Interactive: Medium
- Focus: The primary aim is to aid with beginner conversational phrases
Rosetta Stone
- Fee: Starts from $179 to $479
- Structure: You will be able to learn sentence structures, grammar, and vocabulary
- Language options: There are more than 30 languages available for choosing
- Interactive: Low-medium
- Focus: Vocabulary and grammar are the main focus here
The fastest way to describe this Babbel vs. Rosetta Stone post would be:
Babbel is a more pocket-friendly alternative and includes translations and explanations in English.
On the other hand, Rosetta Stone only makes use of your target language. Babbel can make longer dialogues, while Rosetta Stone teaches you to formulate individual sentences.
Both these platforms contain well-structured lesions that are built upon each other. Both are fitted with voice recognition software, which works just okay and is not too reliable.
While you can learn different languages in both, they are not the best options for learning about different cultures.
Babbel vs. Rosetta Stone: Comparison
What is Babbel?
Babbel is a paid language software where you will find more than 12 different languages. The app has to offer practice methods for beginner conversational phrases, vocabulary lessons, and grammar classes.
While it might be a paid application, the program is quite cheaper than Rosetta Stone; compared to Babbel’s $80-$150 price range, Rosetta Stone can cost you $400+. Babbel is based in Berlin, Germany.
What is Rosetta Stone?
Rosetta Stone is another paid language program that can be accessed via your mobile, tablet, and computer devices.
From the brand point-of-view, Rosetta Stone is a more well-known name in the market since they have been around since 1992. The brand was named after Egyptian hieroglyphics.
How Does the Babbel Function?
If you are a new user, you will expect the following steps:
Selecting the Language, You Wish to Learn
First, you will be asked to choose which languages you want to learn. Once you select the preferred language(s), you will be directed to the correlated language courses.
Also, the payment for each language is separate; if you wish to learn both Spanish and French, you will have to pay the fees separately.
Know Your Level with a Proficiency Placement Test
To judge your previous grasp of the language and your current level of language proficiency, Babbel will ask you five different questions.
While these questions might be in the same format as the language course lessons, they are tailored specifically to determine your language grasping skills.
Payment for the Subscription
Once you are done with the trial lessons, you can move forward to select your preferred paid plan if you wish to continue.
As of 2018, you can choose any one of the four available options – monthly plan, 3-month plan, 6-month plan, and 12-month plan. Apart from the single-month course, the rest require you to pay upfront.
How Does Rosetta Stone Function?
The functioning of the Rosetta Stone is as follows:
Watch the Interactive Demo
Overall, the first glance might give you an impression that Rosetta Stone is not too different from Babbel.
The interactive video will offer you four free lessons, giving you a general idea of how the process works. Rosetta Stone has a less open onboarding process, as compared to Babbel.
Choosing Between Online Subscription or a CD-ROM
Once you decide to pay, Rosetta Stone will offer you two options – a downloadable CD-Rom version and an online subscription.
The CD-Rom version has been available since Rosetta Stone’s inception, while the online subscription is a comparatively new trend that came into being as technology started advancing.
Both methods have their sets of pros and cons. For instance, you can keep your license forever and share it among five users in the CD-Rom option, but it only includes three months of trial for mobile apps.
Upgrade to the Pricing Plan
In today’s times, most people would opt for the subscription plan. Similar to Babbel, Rosetta Stone has different pricing plans per language.
While the price plans are almost identical for all languages, the cost is approximately twice what Babbel offers.
Some reasons for this high cost might probably be that Rosetta Stone is more known among the masses or that the brand has invested substantially into building top-notched technology and curriculum.
Babbel vs. Rosetta Stone: Business Model
The business models of the Babbel vs. Rosetta Stone brands used to be slightly different from each other. However, this scenario changed after Rosetta Stone started offering subscription plans.
As said above, the second model will charge you for an instant downloadable product. The breakdown for the CD-Rom is given below:
- 1 level: $179
- 2 levels: $279
- 3 levels: $379
- Full 5 levels: $479
The overall cost of the levels will eventually build up since each level can take up to 40-50 hours to complete. Once you are done with a particular level, you will have to invest another $179 to purchase the next tier.
Babbel vs. Rosetta Stone: Specialty
Both Babbel vs. Rosetta Stone language applications is great for helping you form simple sentences and grasp the grammar rules and basic vocabulary.
Babbel claims to focus more on improving conversational skills. Meanwhile, Rosetta Stone offers live tutoring and private video lessons.
Babbel Vs. Rosetta Stone: Likeable and Non-likable Features
In Babbel, Some Great Features Include:
- The grammar will be explained most concisely and clearly, along with a lot of different examples.
- You will most likely use the things taught here in real life since Babbel focuses on conversational languages.
- You will find a lot of exercise and practice here.
- The audio has a decent sound quality.
- The overall layout and design of Babbel are quite enticing and nice.
Some Not-so-nice Features About Babbel Include:
- Compared to other language programs, Babbel is quite costly.
- The exercises here are quite repetitive and are not very unique.
- While you will be able to speak a fair amount, other platforms will ensure that you will become a fluent speaker more quickly
As for Rosetta Stone, Some Fair Benefits Are:
- Translating in your head becomes a lot easier than before.
- The audio and sound system employed by Rosetta Stone is top-notched.
- The overall design and layout are quite eye-catching.
Sadly, Some Negative Points About Rosetta Stone Include:
- Rosetta Stone is one of the most expensive language interpretation applications in the market today.
- Most of the exercises revolve around the basic theme of matching the pictures to the words.
- The overall platform is quite monotonous and can prove to be a drag after some time
- Since all the information is conveyed via images, it can lead to unwanted confusion; in cases like these, a simple explanation in English would suffice.
- It will not get you to speak fluently as fast as other language interpretation applications.
What Are the Languages Available at Both Language Programs?
Babbel’s available language courses are English, Norwegian, Danish, Russian, Indonesian, Polish, Dutch, Turkish, Swedish, Portuguese, Italian, French, Spanish, and German.
In Rosetta Stone, you will come across languages like Spanish, Chinese, Italian, French, English, German, Dari, Arabic, Dutch, Filipino, Hebrew, Greek, Indonesian, Hindi, Japanese, Irish, Korean, Pashto, Latin, Polish, Persian, Russian, Portuguese, Spanish, Swedish, Swahili, Urdu, Turkish, and Vietnamese.
Which Language Software out of the Two is Better?
The answer to this question entirely depends on what you are looking for. For instance, Rosetta Stone comparatively offers a lot of features in their subscription plans, such as activities, games, etc.
The program is also fitted with speech recognition technology. However, Rosetta Stone costs a lot more than Babbel.
Remember that both the Babbel vs. Rosetta Stone programs are designed to help you reach a fluency level in conversation. Any claims stating that you will become a fluent speaker in months are completely false.
What Are Some Great Alternatives to Babbel and Rosetta Stone?
From the above, we now know the main differences, pros, cons, etc., between the two language instructional programs.
Both applications do not offer a constructive solution for improving conversational skills nor allow you to speak with your tutors for real-time feedback.
If you wish to learn and grasp the fundamentals of a language for basic conversation, then you can opt for any one of these language instruction programs; but improving fluency in conversation is important too, for reasons like:
- Building genuine friendships/relationships with speakers of other languages
- Look out for new job opportunities in foreign companies/countries
- Build new confidence while traveling to new countries
- Learn something new apart from your regular schedule
However, if you want to improve your fluency in language conversation, we would suggest you Rype.
With Rype, you can speak in record time with confidence. If you wish to know how much the human brain is capable of retaining, here are some results:
- Learning from a lecture – 5%
- Learning from reading – 10%
- And learning from audio-visual (Duolingo and Babbel) – 20%
- Watching a demonstration – 30%
- Engaging in a group discussion – 50%
- Practice and learning (Rype) – 75%
- Teaching someone else/using immediately (Rype) – 90%
Basically, the learning method used for Rype is at least 4.5 times more effective than Duolingo and Babbel.
Language Program Personalized According to You
While Rosetta Stone and Babbel follow a standard curriculum that is the same for everyone, Rype offers a personalized language program that can be tailored according to your level, goals, and specific needs.
This is the reason we offer private lessons to our patrons. You can consider us as your personal trainer for learning a new language.
Perhaps the best benefit of this approach is that you can grasp what you want to learn whenever and however you want.
As individual humans, we understand that people learn faster and slower than others and respond differently to various teaching methods.
By personalizing each lesson, according to the student, we will be able to concentrate on your specific needs so that you learn significantly faster with higher enjoyment and engagement.
FAQs
- Which platform offers more languages, Babbel or Rosetta Stone? Rosetta Stone offers more languages (24) compared to Babbel (14).
- Which platform is more cost-effective? While Babbel’s subscription plans are generally less expensive, Rosetta Stone’s lifetime access plan might be more cost-effective for long-term or multi-language learners.
- Which platform is better for quick conversational skills? Babbel, with its practical and conversation-focused approach, is better suited for those aiming to quickly develop conversational skills.
- Which platform is more suited for a comprehensive language learning experience? Rosetta Stone, with its immersive method, provides a more comprehensive language learning experience.
- Do both platforms offer a free trial? Yes, both Babbel and Rosetta Stone offer a free trial for new users.
Conclusion on Babbel vs. Rosetta Stone
We hope it will prove useful with the breakdown of the Babbel vs.Rosetta Stone article. Just like everything else in life, both programs come with their share of pros and cons, and you must carefully analyze both aspects to decide the right choice.
However, if you had to choose anyone out of the two, our choice would be Babble. Apart from being priced reasonably, you will find a bit more variety in the lesson’s exercises.
Also, the inclusion of grammar explanations in English will make the process much smoother and will be more effective in removing doubts and questions you might otherwise face.
If you are ready to accelerate your learning process to speak a new language confidently, you can opt for Rype. You will be offered a risk-free trial if you claim your spot today. You can learn more about it here.
For further questions and assistance, do not hesitate to contact us immediately at help@rypeapp.com. We always welcome new members with open arms and cannot wait to include you in the Rype family.
