We have done the work for you and researched the 40 best online language courses. Many choices are available to students looking to learn a new language or improve upon an existing one. Once you decide to take the plunge, there are many ways to get started. One of the most convenient and accessible methods are online classes, whether it be one-on-one, or in groups, online classes have exploded in popularity, especially since the pandemic in 2020. Below is 40 of the best available online language instruction providers. These serve a variety of needs and employ a broad range of methods. You will be sure to find an appropriate option if you are looking to take online language classes.

 

1. Strommen

Price: One-on-one classes from as low as $15/hr and small groups from as low  as $10/hr

Best for: Language students of all levels – Online and also In-person options

Strommen Inc. is a Los Angeles-based language tutoring company offering an extensive range of languages and skilled and talented teachers worldwide. Unlike most platforms Strømmen interviews and vetts all of their tutors to ensure they are up to standard. They also have expert language learning consultants available to speak over the phone that can help you choose the right tutor. Their group classes are fun and affordable, and they are constantly enrolling. Learn conveniently and safely from your own home, or meet up in person in your home, office or a public location. Both group and private classes are offered

Strommen also helps actors perfect their language skills for performances. They have done dialect coaching with actors like Keanu Reeves, Sir Patrick Stewart, and many more

2. Babbel

Price: Starting at $6.95/mo

Best for: Absolute beginners

For language learners Babel is an excellent choice that offers the convenience and ease of use of of a well designed app based learning approach, as well as a video platform (Babel Live) offering access to skilled language teachers. A subscription to either service will entitle you to access hundreds of hours of award winning lessons for all levels at all levels, from beginner to someone looking to polish their existing skills.

 

3. LingQ

Price: Free basic plan, Premium plan starting at $7.99/mo

Best for: Intermediate learners

LingQ is a web-based language-learning system founded by Steve Kaufmann. It offers a wide range of resources online, from thousands of lessons in the 37 languages offered to forums and online groups where you can converse with fellow language learners.

A Premium plan and points on this site will provide access to apps, vocabulary features, one-on-one English conversations, group conversations, writing corrections, and a wide range of learning activities. The website offers an integrated set of tools to track progress and boasts a machine learning algorithm that will assist a student in selecting the best content to focus on.

4. Duolingo

Price: Free for basic plan

Best for: Casual learning

Duolingo makes learning into fun bite-sized games that allow language learners to progress at their own pace. The feedback provided by the platform encourages users to continue to make progress and incentivizes their efforts. The platform also includes advanced AI-based tools that ensure lessons are crafted around each user’s individual needs.

With its integrated social features, learning languages can be made into a fun group or family activity where each person’s progress is shared to harness natural competitiveness towards progress. Duolingo teaches 38 languages, including some that you likely wouldn’t find in any other apps on this list, such as Navajo and High Valerian from the Game of Thrones franchise.

5. Busuu

Price: Free basic plan, Premium plan starting at $6.56

Best for: Social learning

6. Mondly

Price: Free basic access, Premium plan starting at $4/mo

Best for: Vocabulary practice

Mondly like a few of its competitors, offers a gamified approach to language learning via their app.  Users can play the mini games to make progress towards learning vocabulary and its uses, and conversations are presented as text messages. A unique feature of Mondly is the ability to learn a language from a different starting language, other than English. People can choose to learn Spanish through Italian or French through Vietnamese.  Mondly also offers access to less common and more obscure languages, examples of which are Magyar, Catalan and Bengali

7. LanguagePod101

Price: Subscription plans start at $8/mo, and a free plan is available

Best for: Podcast-based learning

The LanguagePod series of interconnected sites offers resources for several languages. There are free and paid plans, and a wide range of study materials, from flashcards to videos and audio media, is available. The lessons cover grammar, vocabulary, and culture.

8. FluentU

Price: Starting at $19.99/mo

Best for: Immersion-based learning

FluentU provides an audio-visual approach that turns widely available media such as commercials, movie trailers, music videos, and other visual material into immersive lessons. The site offers many built-in tools, such as context-sensitive pop-up descriptions of words, dual language transcripts, and interactive subtitles. All of the material is carefully curated by the language experts at FluentU. There are personalized quizzes for users to measure their progress.

9. Memrise

Price: Free basic plan, Pro plan starting at $7.50/mo

Best for: Vocabulary retention practice

Memrise is a language learning and retention tool based on the spaced repetition technique of learning. Its strength is as a vocabulary retention tool that provides its user with flashcards. These can be updated by fellow users, resulting in a large collaborative platform. The platform also offers a variety of audio-visual games and interactive activities and exercises. Users are free to customize their course to focus on specific words and terms that they find challenging. Currently the platform offers 23 languages for learners.

10. Rosetta Stone

Price: Starting at $11.99/mo

Best for: Long-term learning

Rosetta Stone is one of the oldest and most well-established language learning aids that has evolved with the times. The service is a full-featured language learning platform with many features that will enable its users to pursue lifelong efforts to learn new languages. Now available, users will find an app for lessons on the go, advanced progress-tracking functions, as well as exercises covering vocabulary, pronunciation, grammar, and culture. The app boasts an accent analyzer capability that will analyze for accuracy a user’s recorded voice sample.

11. Fluent in 3 Months

Price: $97

Best for: Language-learning strategies

FI3M is not a traditional language learning course for specific languages but rather teaches techniques that will enable a user to become a better and more effective language learner. This program is filled with a number of “tricks” and “hacks” to make the process of learning a new language easier, more approachable, and more enjoyable.

12. Rocket Languages

Price: Starting at $149.95

Best for: Beginner conversation practice

 

Rocket Languages is another service with an accent analyzer that gives feedback after analyzing a user’s recorded speech. It currently offers instruction in 14 languages and is a well-organized service with a large amount of downloadable content for lessons on the go.

14. Assimil

Price: Starting at €49,90 (roughly $61)

Best for: Text-based learning

This is a French company that bases its course material on a proprietary two-step process. The initial step concerns vocabulary acquisition and retention. The second phase involves users applying the acquired words and expressions to construct sentences and concepts of their own. Assimil includes a complete e-course with a full range of multimedia learning materials as well as physical textbooks.

15. Pimsleur

Price: Starting at $19.95/mo

Best for: Audio-based learning

Dr. Paul Pimsleur developed his proprietary language learning program, similar to a few other options mentioned on this list. Dr. Pimsleur is an accredited academic whose method is based on the importance of internalization and the proper retention of words and phrases, especially in the spoken context. This is a program that targets speaking and listening skills. Therefore, users may wish to supplement their efforts with one of the other options on this list: supplement their studies with more reading material. Pimsleur lessons are 30 mins long, making them ideal for short sessions, on the go, or between longer engagements.

16. Transparent Language

Price: Starting at $24.95/mo

Best for: Language Variety

Offering over 100 languages, Transparent Language is another service boasting of a speech recognition and accent analysis tool to help users with their pronunciations. Short lessons available on an included app make learning anytime as easy as pulling out your phone.

17. MyLanguages.org

Price: Free

Best for: Extra review

This is a free resource with information on 95 languages. Its illustrated word lists, many of which also include audio and video, make it a great review and practice tool for improving your language skills.

18. Omniglot

Price: Free

Best for: Quick language research

Best considered a research and informational tool, Omniglot has information on over 600 languages, including many obscure ones that often have only a few thousand practitioners globally. It also provides cultural information and details on writing systems. Further links are provided to related resources containing audio and video resources. Finally, with a large Facebook group associated with the platform, users can seek assistance from the more than 30,000 members.

19. Foreign Services Institute

Price: Free

Best for: Short clip-based lessons

This is a unique government-funded collection of open-source language learning materials developed to train foreign service members in preparation for their assignments. Given the source, the material is on the theory side, and some of it may be outdated, but much of it is still relevant and will remain so for some time.

20. Headstart2 from Defense Language Institute

Price: Free

Best for: Self-study language introduction

Intended as a specialist study guide and material for military personnel prior to their deployments, to prepare them for their intended operational areas, this is nonetheless a another good resource for people looking to learn new languages. The variety of languages is notable, ranging from Balochi to Hausa to Uzbek, as well as including the most popular ones.

21. Live Lingua Project

Price: Free

Best for: Basic language foundation

A collection of freely available resources developed for Peace Corps training programs includes a number of had-to-find languages, as well as regional dialects and variations. Many of the courses are available with audio clips to assist with pronunciation learning. While dates, most of the material is still very much relevant today.

22. Internet Polyglot

Price: Free

Best for: Multilingual learning

Another unique resource that offers translations of words from and into multiple languages. This is great for non-English language learners and is primarily intended to help its users an easy way to memorize words and their meanings.

23. LearnaLanguage.com

Price: Free

Best for: Language-learning activities

Offering a fun and easy set of exercises in 19 languages, this is an entirely free collection of lessons.

24. Word2Word

Price: Free

Best for: Language-learning resources

A collection of free language learning resources, Word2Word has over 100 languages, including many obscure options such as Frisian and Xhosa and Lezgi

25. italki

Price: Starting at $5/hour

Best for: Social learning

Italki is a platform with heavy social media integration and access to a vast number of language teachers around the globe. Over 150+ languages are offered, and users can schedule their 1-on-1 lessons at their convenience. Many free services are available, and there is lots of scope for collaboration with fellow learners to enhance your language learning journey.

26. Rype

Price: Starting at $59/mo (for four hours of lessons)

Best for: One-on-one lessons

Rype is a language learning service that provides one-on-one live tutoring in 10 languages. The classes are conducted over Skype and are 30 minutes long, with scheduling being completely flexible. Lesson plans are tailored in consultation with the teacher to suit the student’s needs and availability.

27. Language Trainers Online

Price: Starting at $8

Best for: Customized learning

This is the right option for you if you like having a tutor but also want to be able to review your lesson later, because all courses are recorded. These courses are customized to the student, and their instructors are known to be highly qualified professionals. As a bonus, you can get a certificate of completion when you get through your learning, which you can use on your resume.

There are many languages to choose from, and you can take a level test in some of them before you sign up for a lesson.

28. MyLanguageExchange.com

Price: Free

Best for: Language exchange

Do you ever get bored or lonely trying to learn a lesson by yourself? This website is a great option for you social butterflies out there. On this site, you complete lessons with language-learning buddies from all over the world. Did we mention over a million members speak more than 115 languages?

Find someone who speaks your target language and is learning your native language, and help each other learn!

29. Verbalplanet.net

Price: Starting at about $20/lesson

Best for: Private language lessons

Do you need a teacher to help you through your lessons? Verbalplanet.net has a large staff of native tutors to help you through the trials of learning a language online.

After every lesson, your teacher will provide feedback and let you know how you’re doing in the core language skills (speaking, listening, reading and writing) using the Common European Framework of References for Languages (CEFR). This means you can track your progress and easily pinpoint trouble areas to work on.

30. Niuolahiki Online Hawaiian Language Courses

Price: Starting at $30 per chapter/class

Best for: Learning Hawaiian languages

Did you ever think you could learn the Hawaiian language online? Now you can, with this resource! The courses on this website are designed for self-learning and can be paired with an optional textbook.

Once you have your basics down, you can sign up for the conversation class, which is offered virtually three times a year and provides a safe and comfortable place to practice your new language skills with fellow learners

31. MIT OpenCourseWare

Price: Free

Best for: Lecture-style learning

Would you like an MIT education? Wouldn’t we all? Thanks to MIT OpenCourseWare, you can download the syllabus and course material in the language class of your choice.

Interested in a literature or culture class? No prob. Check out Scott Young’s TedX talk about giving himself an MIT education through this program.

32. Oregon State eCampus

Best for: Accredited language learning

Looking for college credit? Oregon State has a very well-known and accredited online campus that’s worth looking into. If you want to travel around while earning class credit, this is the virtual campus you’ve been looking for.

Currently, seven language programs are on offer, though you can also minor in French, German or Spanish. No pants? No problem.

33. Open Culture

Price: Free

Best for: Culture studies

The self-proclaimed source of the “best free cultural & educational media on the web,” Open Culture is an awesome website that collects free courses and resources for its users. Equipped with an engaging blog and links to over 1000 free courses, this resource is perfect for the culture nerd in all of us.

It’s not exclusively dedicated to language courses, but you can still find resources in over 48 languages.

34. edX

Price: Free

Best for: Classroom-style learning

If you prefer a more traditional classroom experience, consider edX.

With curriculum from universities around the world—including Boston University, the University System of Maryland, Harvard, Peking University and the University of Oxford—edX gives learners at all levels free access to top-notch language courses.

In addition to the languages you might expect, such as French, German, English, Spanish, Chinese and Russian, you’ll find more unusual topics such as Noongar (an indigenous language from Western Australia) and Tibetan.

Some of the language courses are very specific to particular goals, such as English or Mandarin Chinese for business.

At a paid level, EdX has professional certificates and the XSeries (for deep dives into a language).

35. Alison

Price: Free

Best for: Self-learning

Do you need to learn a language for work or business? Do you like a self-paced, straightforward approach with no gamification or frills? Give Alison a try.

Alison uses a “freemium” model: Access to the self-paced video lessons, with ads, is free—and you can take as many different courses as you’d like. Stick with a single language or learn several from among these available choices: Japanese, German, Spanish, French, Chinese, Irish, Arabic, Engish or Swedish.

When you finish a language course, you have the option of purchasing a diploma or certificate as evidence of your achievement.

For a modest monthly fee, you can remove the advertisements that support the free program. You’ll also get a substantial discount on any certifications you purchase.

36. World Wide Learn

World Wide Learn is another comprehensive list of accredited language courses online. There are courses in 18 different languages, as well as in translation, ESL and TESL. There’s also a “live chat” feature if you need help figuring out which course is best for you.

World Wide Learn is especially good for those who want to travel as they go to school, or have busy work schedules that don’t allow them to attend brick-and-mortar campuses.

Update: This program no longer offers online courses or lessons, but it’s still a good resource if you’re interested in learning about different degrees and even finding a local school that teaches the language you’re interested in learning.

37. Mango Languages

Price: Starting at $6.67/mo

Best for: Learning essential phrases

Mango Languages is known for its game-like design and its ability to have you speaking phrases within a few weeks. It’s much like Babbel and Duolingo, but it offers a few fun extras. Chief among these, the program incorporates augmented reality into its teaching, literally bringing your learning experience to life in your living room.

It also includes cultural information about the language you’re learning and can be applied on a larger scale for organizations and classrooms (if that’s what you’re looking for). Finally, it incorporates a special review system that tracks your progress and gives you a more personalized training regimen.

The monthly subscription includes access to more than 70 language courses.

 

38. Preply

Price: Monthly Subscription

Best for: Online tutors

Preply started as a GMAT test prep service and, after funding and bootstrapping, has become one of the largest online tutor platforms. If you google language classes in any city you will see a sponsored add for reply and their tutors. Keep in mind that if you use this site, you will contact tutors directly and schedule a time with them. Some of the cons of using Preply are: a large commission taken from tutors, which can significantly reduce their earnings, unpaid trial lessons for tutors leading to potential no-shows, inconsistent tutor quality, difficulty finding the right tutor quickly, potential for mismatched expectations between student and tutor, limited customer support, and not being ideal for urgent help with assignments. 

 

39. Superprof

Price: $49 / Month plus cost of your tutor

Best for: Finding your own tutor

Superprof has spread around the world and has tutors for almost anything. The only downside is there is no quality control and you will essentially have to interview tutors on your own. A con of using superprof is you have to pay $49 USD PER MONTH just to have access to tutors. Many people pay the first one, thinking it’s an annual fee.

40. Wyzant

Price:  Depends on tutor

Best for: Scheduling tutors

Wyzant has been around for a while. They have tutors for almost any subject, and it is similar to other tutor services in that it is self-help, and you will have to schedule a direct interview with the tutors until you find one you like.