Best Online French Classes

As one of the oldest and most well-known language schools, Berlitz is known for its immersive, communicative style, and for using and teaching language in a natural way.

The Berlitz corporation has been hosting lessons at language centers for years, but now you can also take its classes online. The French classes are taught live by Berlitz-certified instructors and you can enroll in either private or group classes.

There's also a program for online self-paced lessons, called Berlitz Connect, that provides the materials and lessons to study on your own. You can also schedule 30-minute practice sessions with instructors via video call.

Berlitz offers a 12-week online group class that meets twice a week for 90-minute lessons. The self-paced Berlitz Connect program costs about $699 for six months with 10 speaking practice sessions or around $849 for 12 months with 25 speaking practice sessions.

FrenchPod101 is a French learning system with audio and video lessons that are based on real French conversations. The classes focus on listening comprehension and pronunciation, and the teachers and speakers vary so that you can be exposed to different voices and speaking styles.

A positive aspect of this program is that FrenchPod101 releases new content every week, so its material is always current and relevant. You can start with a seven-day free trial and then sign up for a basic plan for roughly $8 a month. The basic plan includes unlimited access to all the audio and video lessons and notes, as well as a list of 100 French core words and phrases.

For about $25 a month, you can get a premium membership, which includes line-by-line audio dialogue for each lesson, 2,000 French core words and phrases, and other tools such as custom word lists, interactive quizzes, voice recording, spaced repetition flashcards, an audio dictionary, and a grammar bank.

Finally, you can get a premium plus subscription for approximately $47 a month, which includes one-on-one access to a teacher who can give you feedback, answer questions, and give you a personalized program and assignments.

The French Institute Alliance Française (FIAF) is an organization based in New York City that promotes the French language and culture. It offers French classes that feature an immersive, culturally-rich setting, both in-person and online. Online lessons are taught via Zoom by the FIAF’s experienced teachers.

The FIAF offers one- and two-week refresher courses, which would be ideal for someone who needs a crash course to brush up on their French before traveling or starting a new job. A one-week refresher course that meets every day for two hours costs roughly $300, or for the same price, you can take a two-week course that meets for two-and-a-half hours twice a week.

A great advantage of the FIAF is that it offers lessons specifically designed for kids aged 1 to 4, pre-teens, and teenagers at the beginner, intermediate, and advanced levels. FIAF also has summer intensives for children and teens to keep learning while school is not in session.

Additionally, the FIAF offers private French lessons for adults, kids, and teens, which can be customized to fit your needs. The hourly rates for private lessons start at about $88.

Rocket French is a language learning program based on interactive audio lessons. Each lesson is 20 to 30 minutes long and is accompanied by reinforcement activities like games, flashcards, and language and culture lessons. The sessions also use voice recognition, so you can practice your pronunciation.

Rocket French has a mobile app where you can track your progress and keep practicing. The company offers a free trial, and after that, you have the option to purchase the program and obtain lifetime access to its materials. There are three levels in the Rocket French program; the first costs about $150 and the remaining two cost about $300 and $450 respectively. However, Rocket French usually offers coupons that reduce the price considerably.

You can buy each level separately or buy two or three levels together as a bundle. Reviewers who enjoy this program claim the lessons are fun and entertaining and said it's nice to work at their own pace. If you enjoy learning by listening and repeating, and you want the flexibility to take lessons while walking or doing other activities, Rocket French might be right for you.

Babbel is a language-learning system that offers 14 different language options. The Babbel method involves learning through conversation and real-life dialogue.

With lessons that are between 10 and 15 minutes long, the company uses realistic scenarios and interactive dialogues to help you learn. Babbel uses the spaced repetition technique to help with long-term memorization, too. The company's system is meant to appeal to both visual and auditory learners.

Other standout qualities are using your first language to help you learn new languages and the ability to customize the program as you progress to make it more engaging based on your personal interests.

Babbel also has an app, which is a great option if you want to learn on the go with short lessons based on real conversations.

Choose from five subscriptions: one month ($13.95 a month), three months ($9.95), six months ($8.45), 12 months ($6.95), or lifetime ($249). There's even a 20-day money-back guarantee with your subscription purchase.

Rosetta Stone is one of the most popular self-paced language learning systems, offering 25 languages. The company claims its curriculum is fully immersive, which means that you learn by being exposed to intuitive communicative contexts, replicating the way we learn our first language naturally.

You can access the Rosetta Stone materials on your desktop, tablet, or mobile phone, and the company includes a phrasebook, audio companion lessons, stories, and instant feedback using voice recognition software. In addition, some plans now have the option of live tutoring to practice with a native speaker online.

A three-month subscription to Rosetta Stone French costs about $36 ($12 per month). You can also buy a Rosetta Stone Unlimited Languages subscription for roughly $95.88 for 12 months ($7.99 per month).

However, the best value is a lifetime subscription to Unlimited Languages for a one-time payment of approximately $299 (discounts often available). This would be a great option if you're committed to learning not only French but other languages as well.

Frantastique is a French program that provides self-paced lessons based on stories with current topics. They are enjoyable and humorous in order to keep you engaged and entertained.

The system consists of a daily lesson that is delivered to your email or through the app. The lessons should take about 15 minutes a day, which is why Frantastique calls it microlearning. Sessions include exercises, videos, text, dialogues, conjugation tests, and mini-lessons. They include a revision to facilitate long-term memorization, and at the end of each lesson, you can find some interesting cultural content. The company also uses software that can adapt the lessons to the learner’s needs and native language.

Start with a free trial, where you can determine your level, and then you can decide on a subscription. There are three types of plans: basic, premium, and pro. The basic subscription costs $24 a month and includes up to five lessons a week, personalized content, and authentic cultural references.

The premium membership costs $36 a month, and in addition to what's included in the basic membership, you get access to specialized business episodes and personalization by sector, depending on your interests. You also get priority when requesting help from the technical team.

Finally, you can opt to get a pro membership, which costs $48 per month and also gives you access to pedagogical support, which means you can always ask for help from the team. If you don’t have too much time to spend on French lessons and want something simple, you should give Frantastique a try.

Lingoda is a European online language school based in Berlin that uses the video platform Zoom to offer group and private lessons in English, German, Spanish, and French.

Its French classes are taught by experienced teachers who are all native speakers and live in many different time zones, so there are classes available at any time no matter where you live. Lingoda says you should rotate teachers so that you can be exposed to different accents.

Lingoda’s methodology for language instruction is communication-based, meaning you get lots of speaking practice. It also uses what it calls situational training, which means that the concepts you learn during the lesson can be applied to real-life situations.

Classes are one hour long and you can either take private lessons or join a class of three to four students. When you sign up for lessons, Lingoda will send you class materials that you can download and use to practice anytime. You can take a free placement test to see which level you should start at; Lingoda uses the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). After that, live classes are available 24/7.

Lingoda offers a free seven-day trial, and the regular pricing varies based on the subscription plan that you choose. The cost for one class a week is about $68 a month ($17 per class), while the more in-depth subscription costs roughly $240 a month ($12 per class).

If you’re looking for online private or group lessons and need a very flexible class schedule, Lingoda is a solid choice.

Live Lingua is an online language immersion school. On its website, you will find 28 self-paced French courses that you can take for free, which are a compilation of courses from the Foreign Service Institute (FSI), Defense Language Institute (DLI), and Peace Corps.

However, Live Lingua’s main purpose is to offer lessons in seven different languages with experienced teachers via the online platform Skype. All the teachers are well-trained French native speakers who can create a customized curriculum to fit your needs.

If you want to test out the service, take a 60-minute free trial lesson. After that, the cost of lessons varies depending on the package you purchase. If you buy between one and nine hours of classes, the cost per course is roughly $20, but the price decreases the more classes you buy.

If you purchase more than 40 hours of lessons, each class will cost you about $16. Live Lingua is a great choice if you want to take online lessons with an experienced teacher, but also want to have access to courses you can complete on your own.