Babbel and FluentU are two of the most popular platforms for learning a language nowadays. However, you might be torn between which one to use and make the most out of during lockdown. Let’s go over some of the features, advantages, and disadvantages that each one has.
FluentU
Available for iOS and Android for a monthly fee of £20 and works with videos in English such as TV Shows, cartoons, and music videos, among others. You can set your own pace and learning goals.
It has a feature to show you the many uses a word can have with easy, understandable examples. It allows progress saving to help you be aware of your improvements.
Despite all these good features, it has the big drawback that a vast portion of its content is aimed at people that already understand the language a bit. Thus, beginners won’t be able to learn on this platform. Additionally, FluentU also lacks help to practice your written English.
Babbel
Also available on iOS and Android, but at an affordable £8 a month, Babble is great for practising vocabulary, learning entire sentences, and basic dialogues. It also has features to help you practice your writing and pronunciation lessons that everybody can understand.
If you are unsure where to start, the platform has a quiz you can take to determine at what level you are.
Although it is a well-rounded language learning platform, the feature that corrects your pronunciation doesn’t work that well with whole sentences. This will keep you from progressing faster, but you can get around the issue by simply turning off your mic and focusing on everything but the pronunciation. In conclusion, perhaps if you want a more formal and well-structured experience and have no problem taking a bit longer to learn, you should use Babbel. For those of you wanting a more organic experience through pop culture and mass media videos, FluentU is a perfect choice.