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Education · head to head

Babbel vs Clever

Babbel logo

Babbel

Education

Language learning that works

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Clever logo

Clever

Education

Single sign-on and roster synchronisation between district student records and classroom applications

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Clever has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Babbel the App Store listing for Babbel (seller of record: Babbel GmbH) states that subscriptions renew automatically unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period, with payment charged to the buyer's Apple account; plans are sold in 1, 3, 6 and 12 month terms, and the listing itself discloses no price figure, so the actual monthly-equivalent cost is not visible without proceeding into a purchase flow.; Clever coverage is built around United States district data models and state reporting patterns, so schools outside the United States often find their student information system unsupported and their local identity conventions unrepresented.
  • They diverge on capability: Babbel covers Bite-sized lessons, Clever covers Secure Sync.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Babbel and Clever actually diverge.

Attributes where Babbel and Clever differ
AttributeBabbelClever
Starting priceOn requestFree
Pricing modelsubscriptionquote
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWeb, IOS, AndroidWeb, iOS, Android, ChromeOS
Founded2007Unknown

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Education).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Babbel

  • Bite-sized lessons
  • Speech recognition
  • Review sessions
  • Podcasts
  • Games
  • Live classes
  • Progress tracking
  • Offline mode

Only in Clever

  • Secure Sync
  • Clever portal
  • Clever Badges
  • Instant Login
  • Clever IDM
  • Application analytics

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Babbel

  • Language learningnot Clever
  • Travel preparationnot Clever
  • Career developmentnot Clever
  • Hobbynot Clever

Clever

  • A district that has bought forty classroom applications and wants pupils to reach all of them without forty passwordsnot Babbel
  • Primary schools where pupils cannot yet type a password reliably and need badge loginnot Babbel
  • District IT that needs accounts created and revoked automatically as pupils enrol and leavenot Babbel
  • Evidencing to a board which licensed applications are used enough to justify renewalnot Babbel

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Babbel

  • The App Store listing for Babbel (seller of record: Babbel GmbH) states that subscriptions renew automatically unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period, with payment charged to the buyer's Apple account; plans are sold in 1, 3, 6 and 12 month terms, and the listing itself discloses no price figure, so the actual monthly-equivalent cost is not visible without proceeding into a purchase flow.

Clever

  • Coverage is built around United States district data models and state reporting patterns, so schools outside the United States often find their student information system unsupported and their local identity conventions unrepresented.
  • Because application vendors pay and districts do not, a district has no commercial leverage when a sync breaks, and support priority follows the paying side of the market.
  • Rostering is a single point of failure. One bad field mapping propagates wrong class lists to every connected application at once, and unpicking it means correcting the source system and waiting for the next sync cycle.
  • Sync is scheduled rather than immediate for many connections, so a pupil who transfers mid week can sit in the wrong class in several applications for a day or more.
  • Ownership moved to Kahoot! in 2021 and then to a private equity consortium in 2023, so a district is now depending on infrastructure whose long term roadmap is set by investor timelines rather than by education procurement cycles.

Pricing, plan by plan

Babbel

On request
  • 3 Months$8.95/month
    • 1 language
    • All lessons
    • Speech recognition
  • 6 Months$7.45/month
    • 1 language
    • Review sessions
    • Podcasts
  • 12 Months$6.95/month
    • 1 language
    • Games
    • All features
  • Lifetime$249/month
    • All 14 languages
    • Lifetime access

Clever

Free
  • Clever core rostering and single sign-on$undefined/year
    • Free to United States districts
    • Funded by application vendors rather than the district
    • Secure Sync, portal and Badges included
  • Clever paid district products$undefined/year
    • Identity management and account provisioning
    • Multi-factor authentication for staff
    • Pricing quoted per district, not published

Which should you pick?

Choose Babbel if

  • You need bite-sized lessons.
  • You work on Web, IOS, Android.
  • You also want speech recognition.
Babbel review

Choose Clever if

  • You need secure sync.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android, ChromeOS.
  • You also want clever portal.
Clever review

Questions people ask

Is Babbel or Clever better?
Neither clearly leads. Babbel starts at On request and Clever at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Babbel or Clever?
Clever has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for Babbel and Free for Clever.
Does Babbel or Clever run on more platforms?
Babbel runs on Web, IOS, Android. Clever runs on Web, iOS, Android, ChromeOS.
Can I use Clever for free?
Yes. Clever has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Babbel starts at On request.
What is Babbel best used for?
Babbel is most often used for language learning, travel preparation, career development, hobby. Of those, language learning and travel preparation are not what Clever is typically brought in for.
What can Babbel do that Clever cannot?
Babbel covers Bite-sized lessons, Speech recognition, Review sessions, Podcasts. Clever covers Secure Sync, Clever portal, Clever Badges, Instant Login.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Babbel: Does Babbel offer a free trial?

Yes. Babbel's free tier allows you to try the first lesson of every course at no cost. Depending on the language, you get access to up to 80 free lessons before a subscription is required.

Source
Clever: Does Clever really cost a district nothing?

The core rostering and single sign-on service is free to districts. Application vendors pay for the connection and build that cost into what they charge the district, so the money reaches Clever through the software bill instead of a direct invoice.

Babbel: What languages does Babbel teach?

Babbel offers 13 languages: Spanish (two variants), French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Russian, Danish, Dutch, Indonesian, Norwegian, Polish, Swedish, and Turkish.

Source
Clever: Is Clever FERPA and COPPA compliant?

Clever operates as a school official under FERPA, acting on district instruction, and relies on district consent rather than parental consent for COPPA. It has signed the Student Privacy Pledge.

Babbel: What features are included with a Babbel subscription?

Subscription features include interactive lessons tailored to your proficiency level, speech recognition for pronunciation practice, AI conversation partners, podcasts, grammar tips, culture content, progress tracking, and real-time feedback.

Source
Clever: What happens if we leave Clever?

Every connected application loses its roster feed and needs a replacement method, either a competing rostering service or manual CSV uploads per application. That is why districts rarely switch once more than a handful of applications depend on it.

Babbel: Does Babbel offer different subscription tier levels?

Yes, Babbel offers multiple subscription plans, though the specific prices and plan details are not listed on the main page. A detailed overview is available in their support documentation.

Source
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