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Duolingo vs Babbel vs Busuu: which app has fewer problems?
We compared 500 recent App Store reviews of Duolingo, 500 recent App Store reviews of Babbel and 300 recent App Store reviews of Busuu, each classified by AI into 7 complaint themes (samples from up to 6 storefronts, latest review 2026-10-22). Busuu has the fewest complaints overall: 13% of its recent reviews contain a complaint, vs 46% for Babbel and 31% for Duolingo.
Ratings at a glance
| App | All-time US rating | Ratings | Avg in our sample | Reviews analysed | Reviews with a complaint | Sample dates |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Duolingo | – | – | 3.66★ | 500 | 31% | 2026-10-11 – 2026-10-18 (8 d) |
| Babbel | – | – | 3.13★ | 500 | 46% | 2025-06-26 – 2026-10-19 (481 d) |
| Busuu | 4.7★ | 101K | 4.53★ | 300 | 13% | 2026-05-15 – 2026-10-22 (161 d) |
Complaint themes side by side
Share of all analysed reviews that mention each theme (review count in brackets). Bold = lowest. A review can mention several themes.
| Theme | Duolingo | Babbel | Busuu |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bugs | 10% (49) | 13% (67) | 4% (11) |
| Crashes / freezes | 1% (4) | 1% (7) | 0% (1) |
| Performance | 2% (12) | 1% (4) | 0% (1) |
| UX / design | 3% (17) | 7% (36) | 2% (5) |
| Pricing / subscription | 14% (70) | 23% (115) | 5% (15) |
| Ads | 6% (30) | 0% (2) | 3% (10) |
| Feature requests | 14% (70) | 20% (102) | 6% (17) |
Verdict: which one has fewer problems?
Across the latest 1,300 App Store reviews we collected, Busuu has the lowest share of reviews with a complaint (13%) and Babbel the highest (46%). The biggest single difference is in pricing and subscription complaints: 23% of Babbel reviews mention them, vs 5% for Busuu. Each app's own biggest complaint theme: Duolingo, feature requests (70 reviews); Babbel, pricing / subscription (115 reviews); Busuu, feature requests (17 reviews). Average star rating in the samples ranges from 3.13★ (Babbel) to 4.53★ (Busuu). Time span of each sample: Duolingo 8 days (2026-10-11 to 2026-10-18); Babbel 481 days (2025-06-26 to 2026-10-19); Busuu 161 days (2026-05-15 to 2026-10-22). Because Duolingo's sample covers a much shorter period, a single recent update or outage weighs more heavily in its numbers. Samples that reach back many months (fewer reviews per day) show long-running issues rather than the effect of one recent update.
- Fewer bug problems: Busuu, 4% of its reviews vs 13% for Babbel.
- Crash and freeze complaints: roughly tied (Duolingo 1%, Babbel 1%, Busuu 0% of reviews).
- Performance (slowness, battery, storage) complaints: roughly tied (Duolingo 2%, Babbel 1%, Busuu 0% of reviews).
- Fewer UX / design problems: Busuu, 2% of its reviews vs 7% for Babbel.
- Fewer pricing and subscription problems: Busuu, 5% of its reviews vs 23% for Babbel.
- Fewer ad problems: Babbel, 0% of its reviews vs 6% for Duolingo.
- Fewest feature requests: Busuu, 6% of its reviews vs 20% for Babbel.
Gaps under 3 percentage points are called a tie. Samples are recent reviews only, so this is a snapshot of current problems, not all-time quality.
Top 3 specific issues for each app
Duolingo
- Improve content quality (66 reviews, severity 2.0/3)
- Rethink usage limits (47 reviews, severity 2.0/3)
- Soften the redesign backlash (39 reviews, severity 2.3/3)
Biggest theme: feature requests. Free PDF
FAQ
Which has fewer problems overall: Duolingo, Babbel or Busuu?
In the most recent App Store reviews we analysed, Busuu had the lowest share of reviews with a complaint (13% of 300) and Babbel the highest (46% of 500). Duolingo: 156 of 500; Babbel: 231 of 500; Busuu: 40 of 300.
Which has fewer bug complaints: Duolingo, Babbel or Busuu?
Busuu. Duolingo: 49 of 500 recent reviews (10%); Babbel: 67 of 500 recent reviews (13%); Busuu: 11 of 300 recent reviews (4%).
Which has fewer crash and freeze complaints: Duolingo, Babbel or Busuu?
In our samples they are roughly tied: Duolingo: 4 of 500 recent reviews (1%); Babbel: 7 of 500 recent reviews (1%); Busuu: 1 of 300 recent reviews (0%).
Which has fewer pricing and subscription complaints: Duolingo, Babbel or Busuu?
Busuu. Duolingo: 70 of 500 recent reviews (14%); Babbel: 115 of 500 recent reviews (23%); Busuu: 15 of 300 recent reviews (5%).
Which has fewer ad complaints: Duolingo, Babbel or Busuu?
Babbel. Duolingo: 30 of 500 recent reviews (6%); Babbel: 2 of 500 recent reviews (0%); Busuu: 10 of 300 recent reviews (3%).
Which is rated higher on the App Store: Duolingo, Babbel or Busuu?
All-time US App Store ratings: Busuu 4.7★ from 101K ratings. Busuu is highest, but all-time ratings move slowly; the recent-review samples above show current problems.
How recent is this Duolingo vs Babbel vs Busuu data?
Each sample is the most recent public App Store reviews we could collect (from up to 6 storefronts): Duolingo: 500 reviews over 8 days (2026-10-11 to 2026-10-18); Babbel: 500 reviews over 481 days (2025-06-26 to 2026-10-19); Busuu: 300 reviews over 161 days (2026-05-15 to 2026-10-22). It is a snapshot of current problems, not all-time quality.
What is the most common complaint about Duolingo, Babbel and Busuu?
Duolingo: feature requests (70 of 500 reviews), top-ranked fix: “improve content quality”; Babbel: pricing / subscription (115 of 500 reviews), top-ranked fix: “improve content quality”; Busuu: feature requests (17 of 300 reviews), top-ranked fix: “improve content quality”.
Full reports
- Duolingo reviews: top complaints and what users want fixed
- Babbel reviews: top complaints and what users want fixed
- Busuu reviews: top complaints and what users want fixed
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