On first impression, you can see that Babbel is more comprehensive and conventional than the other two apps. I was fortunate enough to receive a recurring subscription by a corporate client, so I gave it a try. While Duolingo and Memrise are free of charge, Babbel is a paid service. As with Duolingo, I also felt using Memrise on its own won't get me very far in the language. I felt I wasn't really able to use the words I learned without understanding the basics of the grammar. But the heavy focus on vocabulary comes at a price. I also liked the graphics and stats they used since they made it fun to use the app. Obviously, words you find easy to remember you don't want to be tested on all the time, and Memrise gets that. The courses created by Memrise are more clearly structured, though, and I liked how they spaced out the repetition of the words. My students encountered the same with German. When starting as a beginner in modern Greek, for example, I sometimes encountered words that would require quite some understanding of Greek grammar for me to use them correctly. Here, a more rigorous quality control system should be in place. The problem is that most courses are added by users of the app, so it's impossible to see how good and effective they are other than by trying them.
New words are being taught through flashcards, which is a very effective way of learning vocabulary- one I also recommend to my students. Like Duolingo, it's easy to use and great for casual learners. Unlike Duolingo, Memrise concentrates on teaching you vocabulary in the new language rather than how to form sentences. Since the app doesn't offer any explanation, you have to start googling or draw on other resources. There were numerous occasions when I couldn't see why a particular article or preposition was used in one sentence and not in another. While the fact that grammar seems to just 'slip in' is great for those who might otherwise be intimidated by seemingly abstract grammatical terms, I found it very frustrating that no explanation of the grammar was provided at all.
Even though I found the app's reward system (points, streaks, achievements etc.) a bit too gimmicky, I think that it will keep many people motivated enough to continue.
You're also being tested in both, the new language and English, which helps you remember the meaning of a word. Since what you're being taught seems to fit together rather nicely and is organised by topic, there is a genuine feeling of progress after just a few hours. Rather than just learning individual words, you learn to form sentences within minutes of using the app. Duolingo is free, fun and easy to use, and what I enjoyed is that you're being thrown right in, as it, were.
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