Softwr

Education & E-Learning · head to head

Khan Academy vs Babbel

Khan Academy logo

Khan Academy

Education & E-Learning

Free world-class education for anyone, anywhere

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Babbel logo

Babbel

Education & E-Learning

Language learning that works

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Khan Academy has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Khan Academy the Internet Archive's capture of Khan Academy's homepage on 1 January 2021 stated it is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and that its full library of practice and lessons 'is all free for learners and teachers', funded by donations rather than subscriptions.; 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.
  • They diverge on capability: Khan Academy covers Video lessons, Babbel covers Bite-sized lessons.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Khan Academy and Babbel actually diverge.

Attributes where Khan Academy and Babbel differ
AttributeKhan AcademyBabbel
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelfreesubscription
Free tierYesNo
Founded20082007

Identical on both: platforms (Web, IOS, Android), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Education & E-Learning).

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 Khan Academy

  • Video lessons
  • Practice exercises
  • Mastery system
  • Personalized learning
  • Teacher tools
  • Parent dashboard
  • Test prep
  • Google Classroom

Only in Babbel

  • Bite-sized lessons
  • Speech recognition
  • Review sessions
  • Podcasts
  • Games
  • Live classes
  • Offline mode
  • Mobile apps

Both cover

  • Progress tracking
  • Web support
  • IOS support
  • Android support

What people use each for

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

Khan Academy

  • Free self paced learning across maths, science and humanitiesnot Babbel
  • Assigning practice and tracking student progress in a classroomnot Babbel

Babbel

  • Language learningnot Khan Academy
  • Travel preparationnot Khan Academy
  • Career developmentnot Khan Academy
  • Hobbynot Khan Academy

Where each one falls short

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

Khan Academy

  • The Internet Archive's capture of Khan Academy's homepage on 1 January 2021 stated it is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and that its full library of practice and lessons 'is all free for learners and teachers', funded by donations rather than subscriptions.

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.

Pricing, plan by plan

Khan Academy

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Video lessons
    • Practice exercises
    • Progress tracking

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

Which should you pick?

Choose Khan Academy if

  • You need video lessons.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, IOS, Android.
  • You also want practice exercises.
Khan Academy review

Choose Babbel if

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

Questions people ask

Is Khan Academy or Babbel better?
Neither clearly leads. Khan Academy starts at Free and Babbel at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Khan Academy or Babbel?
Khan Academy has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Khan Academy and On request for Babbel.
Does Khan Academy or Babbel run on more platforms?
Both run on Web, IOS, Android, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
Can I use Khan Academy for free?
Yes. Khan Academy has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Babbel starts at On request.
What is Khan Academy best used for?
Khan Academy is most often used for free self paced learning across maths, science and humanities, assigning practice and tracking student progress in a classroom. Of those, free self paced learning across maths, science and humanities and assigning practice and tracking student progress in a classroom are not what Babbel is typically brought in for.
What can Khan Academy do that Babbel cannot?
Khan Academy covers Video lessons, Practice exercises, Mastery system, Personalized learning. Babbel covers Bite-sized lessons, Speech recognition, Review sessions, Podcasts. Both handle Progress tracking, Web support, IOS support, Android support.
ShareXLinkedInRedditWhatsAppEmail

Related pages

More on Khan Academy

More on Babbel

Keep looking

Other head to heads