{"slug": "babbel", "name": "Babbel", "category": "other", "category_name": "Other software", "description": "", "recommenders": 1, "commenters": 2, "warners": 0, "score": 1.037, "rising": -0.33, "first": "2025-11-08", "latest": "2025-11-08", "why": "I'm all-in on other learning aids like Anki or Babbel.", "why_is_quote": true, "has_verdict": false, "sentiment": {"recommend": 1, "neutral": 1, "compare": 0, "warn": 0}, "spark": [1, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0], "listed": false, "loved": [], "caveat": "", "short_quote": "I'm all-in on other learning aids like Anki or Babbel.", "icon": false, "domain": null, "github_repo": null, "official_url": "", "pricing": "", "aliases": ["Babbel"], "verdict": null, "praise": [{"label": "", "summary": "", "quotes": [{"id": 733771410, "item_id": 45860713, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45860713", "by": "briantoknowyou", "date": "2025-11-08", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I'm all-in on other learning aids like Anki or Babbel.", "excerpt": "I read a lot of reviews of people really unhappy about the change to the \"energy system\" (basically their lever to control how much content can be consumed before the paywall pops up), and it sounds pretty heavy handed. I can't comment on that since I'm a paying user, but for me as someone heavily immersed in learning a second language, this plus the changes that made the immersive gamified elements like audio positi", "context": "learning a second language", "use_case": "language learning", "switched_from": "Duolingo", "story": "Duolingo stock plunges as company prioritizes user growth"}]}], "caveats": [], "who": [{"by": "nozzlegear", "context": "2400+ day streak on Duolingo, relearning Spanish", "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45862594", "date": "2025-11-08"}, {"by": "briantoknowyou", "context": "learning a second language", "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45860713", "date": "2025-11-08"}], "tags": [], "use_cases": ["language learning"], "compared": [{"slug": "duolingo", "name": "Duolingo", "co": 2, "switched_from": 2, "switched_to": 0}], "makers": [], "threads": [{"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45859624", "title": "Duolingo stock plunges as company prioritizes user growth", "mentions": 2}], "sentiment_by_month": {"2025-11": {"recommend": 1, "neutral": 1}, "2025-12": {}, "2026-01": {}, "2026-02": {}, "2026-03": {}, "2026-04": {}, "2026-05": {}, "2026-06": {}, "2026-07": {}, "2026-08": {}, "2026-09": {}, "2026-10": {}}, "quotes": [{"id": 733801505, "item_id": 45862594, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45862594", "by": "nozzlegear", "date": "2025-11-08", "stance": "neutral", "quote": "finally move on to Babel", "excerpt": "I've got a 2400+ day streak going on Duolingo. I used to love the app, it really helped me relearn the Spanish I used to know from my youth. The app is a far cry from what it used to be. I can't stand the goofy animations and characters they've added to everything \u2013 the weird gigachad Duo or anime girl Duo, what is going on here? I want something that doesn't treat me like a child clapping at Saturday morning cartoon", "context": "2400+ day streak on Duolingo, relearning Spanish", "use_case": "language learning", "switched_from": "Duolingo", "story": "Duolingo stock plunges as company prioritizes user growth"}, {"id": 733771410, "item_id": 45860713, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45860713", "by": "briantoknowyou", "date": "2025-11-08", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I'm all-in on other learning aids like Anki or Babbel.", "excerpt": "I read a lot of reviews of people really unhappy about the change to the \"energy system\" (basically their lever to control how much content can be consumed before the paywall pops up), and it sounds pretty heavy handed. I can't comment on that since I'm a paying user, but for me as someone heavily immersed in learning a second language, this plus the changes that made the immersive gamified elements like audio positi", "context": "learning a second language", "use_case": "language learning", "switched_from": "Duolingo", "story": "Duolingo stock plunges as company prioritizes user growth"}]}