Babbel is a language learning platform which has slowly but steadily grown in popularity, to the point now it is one of the top-grossing apps of its kind in the world. It was originally launched as a web-app in Mitte, Berlin in 2008.
Babbel has garnered a studious reputation for its language learning system, called The Babbel Method, which uses real conversations by native speakers and retention techniques to quickly teach subscribers the language.
This method is a slight dig at some of Babbel’s competitors, which use text-to-speech artificial intelligence instead of importing actual voices.
Babbel also differs from other language learning apps in its approach to paid content. While Duolingo offers its app for free with adverts and Memrise and Busuu both offer some free tiered services, Babbel is paid-for only.
That focus on paid-only has lowered the amount of users Babbel has obtained, it only reached 10 million total subscriptions purchased in October 2020. For reference, Duolingo has 42 million monthly active users.
Babbel and other premium language learning services have argued with the subscription comes more dedication to the platform and to learning, while freemium service are often forgotten about by users after a while.
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Get the ROX guide nowWe have collected data and statistics on Babbel. Read on below to find out more.
Babbel key statistics
- Babbel generated €147 million revenue in 2020, a 19% year-on-year increase
- It has operated at a loss since 2013 and reported a €15.5 million net loss
- Over 10 million people have subscribed to Babbel since launch
Babbel overview
| Launch date | January 2008 |
| HQ | Berlin, Germany |
| People | Arne Schepker (CEO), Thomas Holl (CTO), Geoff Stead (CPO), Markus Witte (founder, Chairman) |
| Business type | Private |
| Industry | Language learning |
Babbel revenue
| Year | Revenue |
| 2013 | €13 million |
| 2014 | €30 million |
| 2015 | €50 million |
| 2016 | €67 million |
| 2017 | €84 million |
| 2018 | €106 million |
| 2019 | €123 million |
| 2020 | €147 million |
Source: Company data
Babbel profit
| Year | Net income |
| 2015 | (€10.3 million) |
| 2016 | (€8.4 million) |
| 2017 | (€9 million) |
| 2018 | (€12.4 million) |
| 2019 | (€3 million) |
| 2020 | (€15.5 million) |
Source: Company data
Babbel subscribers
| Year | Subscription sales |
| 2016 | 1 million |
| 2019 | 7 million |
| 2020 | 10 million |
Note: This is total subscription sales, not active subscribers. 52% of 12-month subs in 2020 were renewed in 2021
Source: Company data
Babbel vs Duolingo: revenue
Babbel FAQ
What is Babbel’s valuation?
Babbel has reportedly valued itself at $1.5 billion ahead of an IPO on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange (Reuters)
How many languages are available on Babbel?
Babbel currently offers 14 language courses
Where is Babbel most popular?
According to SimilarWeb, Babbel gets most traffic from the U.S. (21.5%), Germany (16%) and France (9.05%)
