Babbel
If one of your personal improvement goals during the pandemic has been to master a new language — perhaps so you can watch Dark on Netflix without subtitles — there’s never been a better time. And I don’t mean it’s a good time because it looks like staying at home is the new normal. Right now you can save 50% on a lifetime subscription to the language learning app Babbel, which might make immersing yourself in a foreign language more affordable than ever. ZDNet Academy is offering a lifetime subscription to Babbel for $199, which is half off the regular price of $399.
Whether you consider that a good deal depends on if you love learning new languages and want to be able to draw on Babbel resources for at least the next two and a half years or so. Here’s why: Babbel often discounts its service up to 50%. Right now, there’s a 50% off deal on a one-year subscription, which comes out to $83.40. I’ve sometimes seen two-year subscriptions for half-off at Babbel, so if you kept your eyes open, you could conceivably snag a two-year plan for about $160. So a lifetime subscription for $200? That’s a deal if you see yourself continuing to hone your Russian in 2023.
In CNET’s recent roundup of the best language learning apps, Babbel topped the list. Reviewer Shelby Brown said that of the apps in her roundup, Babbel was most like a traditional foreign language course in an online school curriculum. The app has an encouragingly minimalist layout and each lesson is bite-sized — just 15 minutes, so you can fit it into your busy workday.
First published earlier this year. Updated to reflect the latest deal.
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