Best Babbel Alternative in 2026: Why Comprehension-First Learning Wins

If you're researching language learning apps, you've probably come across Babbel. It's been around since 2007, has millions of subscribers, and is one of the most recognized names in the space. Erla is newer and takes a fundamentally different approach to how languages should be learned.

This isn't a "Babbel is bad" post. Babbel has helped many people learn languages. But the two apps are built on different philosophies, and understanding those differences will help you pick the right tool for how you learn best.

Babbel follows a traditional approach: structured lessons created by language experts, grammar explanations, vocabulary drills, and speaking practice with speech recognition. It's essentially a digital textbook—well-designed and comprehensive, but still built around the classroom model of learning.

Erla is built on comprehension-first methodology. We believe understanding must come before speaking. It's how children naturally acquire language—through listening, absorbing context, and building comprehension before they ever produce a word. Our Listening Mode and Reading Mode are designed around this principle: hear first, guess meaning, then confirm understanding.

This isn't just a preference. Research on comprehensible input (notably by linguist Stephen Krashen) suggests that language acquisition happens most effectively when we understand messages in the target language—not when we memorize grammar rules or drill vocabulary in isolation.

Here's how the two apps stack up across key factors:

Languages Offered

• Erla: 22 languages
• Babbel: 14 languages

Pricing

• Erla: Free (premium features coming)
• Babbel: $8-15/month depending on plan, $299 lifetime

Learning Method

• Erla: Comprehension-first through listening and reading
• Babbel: Structured courses with grammar, vocabulary, and speaking drills

Lesson Length

• Erla: 5-10 minutes (flexible, bite-sized)
• Babbel: 10-15 minutes per lesson

Best For

• Erla: Learners who want natural acquisition, better listening comprehension, or are frustrated with traditional methods
• Babbel: Learners who prefer structured progression with explicit grammar instruction

Credit where it's due. Babbel's courses are created by over 200 language experts, and it shows. The grammar explanations are clear, the progression is logical, and the content is professionally produced. If you're someone who learns best with explicit rules and structured lessons, Babbel delivers that.

Their speech recognition feature is also useful for practicing pronunciation, and the review system helps with retention over time. For learners who want a traditional textbook experience in app form, Babbel is one of the best options available.

Our philosophy starts with a simple question: How do humans actually learn languages naturally?

Children don't learn grammar rules before they speak. They listen. They absorb. They understand context before they produce words. By the time they start speaking, they've already internalized the patterns of their language through thousands of hours of comprehensible input.

Erla is built around this insight. Our Listening Mode puts you in real-life audio scenarios with native-like AI speakers. You hear a phrase, guess its meaning, then reveal the text and translation. Your ear learns to parse the sounds of the language—something flashcard apps completely skip.

Our Reading Mode offers interactive stories—fairy tales, interesting facts, engaging topics—where you can tap any sentence to see its grammar structure and translation. You build vocabulary through context, not isolation. You understand how words work together, not just what they mean individually.

Here's something most language apps don't talk about: listening comprehension is hard. Really hard. It's often the last skill to develop, and most traditional apps barely address it.

You can memorize 5,000 vocabulary words and still struggle to understand a native speaker at normal speed. That's because reading and listening are different skills. Your brain needs to learn to parse sounds in real-time, without the luxury of seeing words written out.

Babbel includes some audio, but it's primarily a reading and grammar-focused app. Erla puts listening at the center. We believe that if you can understand, everything else—speaking, reading, writing—becomes dramatically easier.

Babbel might be the better choice if you prefer explicit grammar explanations before you practice, want a traditional, structured curriculum with clear progression, learn best with a textbook-style approach, or need speech recognition for pronunciation feedback.

Erla might be the better fit if you've tried traditional methods and they haven't clicked, want to build genuine listening comprehension (not just reading), prefer learning through context rather than isolated drills, believe in natural language acquisition over grammar-first approaches, or want to try a different methodology without paying upfront.

We built Erla because we believe the comprehension-first approach is how languages are actually acquired—not just studied. Most apps teach you to translate. We teach you to understand.

That said, language learning is personal. Some people genuinely thrive with structured grammar lessons and explicit rules. If that's you, Babbel is a solid choice. But if you've tried that approach and it hasn't worked, or if you want to build the kind of deep comprehension that lets you actually understand native speakers, Erla offers something different.

The best part? Erla is free right now. You can try our approach and see if comprehension-first learning resonates with how your brain works. No subscription required, no commitment.

Download Erla and see the difference for yourself.