We’ve tested tons of resources for learning French to help you figure out which ones are worth using and which ones should be avoided. These are our top choices.
Popular Posts
MOST RECOMMENDED RESOURCES FOR LEARNING FRENCH
FrenchPod101
FrenchPod101 teaches French primarily through audio lessons, but there are also some videos as well. The basic plan offers a ton of content and is one of the most affordable paid resources you’ll find. There are also Premium and Premium Plus plans that are a bit more expensive and include extra materials. There are tons of lessons covering lots of topics, but it’s best for beginners.
See our Super-Detailed FrenchPod101 Review
Pimsleur
Pimsleur is among the most popular language learning courses but in the past was too expensive. Now that they have an affordable subscription plan, it’s something I’d recommend. The lessons focus on oral French – listening and speaking while ignoring grammar. Compared with most other courses, you need to be more active in the lessons and will start speaking quicker.
See our Super-Detailed Pimsleur Review
French Uncovered
French Uncovered is a beginner level course that’s quite a bit different than other courses you’ll come across. In the beginning, it’ll be a bit more challenging than other courses as you’re thrown right into a story that’s entirely in French. While this may sound impossible, you’ll soon find that you know more French than you may have thought. This method of ‘Guided Discovery’ is quite fun and very effective.
Grammar Hero
Grammar Hero focuses on 5 important aspects of French grammar that students often struggle with. This course, for lower intermediate students, or a bit above that level, teaches grammar within its natural context. It consists of 15 different stories written for French learners. Students first simply notice when a grammar point is used, before learning it, internalizing how to use it, and finally reproducing in on their own.
See our Super-Detailed Grammar Hero Review
italki
If you’re interested in taking online French classes, italki is the place to go. On this platform, there are hundreds of teachers that you can book classes from. The classes are quite affordable, especially when compared with other options. You can also find language exchange partners and submit your writing to be corrected by members of their community for free.
See our Super-Detailed italki Review
Speechling
Speechling is one of the best ways to improve your spoken French – both pronunciation and rhythm. They make it easy to record yourself speaking and compare it to native speakers. For free, you can also access a bunch of extra study materials, like dictation, quizzes, listening practice, and more. The paid version lets you submit unlimited recordings to be corrected by a teacher.
See our Super-Detailed Speechling Review
Lawless French
This website is completely free and offers a ton of useful information for those studying French, regardless of their current level. There are grammar lessons, listening practice, pronunciation guides, speaking tips, quizzes and tests, and a whole bunch more. The site is definitely worth checking out.
Language Transfer
Language Transfer is a fantastic beginner level audio course that’s completely free. The French course has 40 lessons with most lasting between 8-12 minutes. The instructor, Mihalis, teaches a student French by using what he calls, ‘The Thinking Method.’ This works great as it gets students to really understand how the French language works.
See our Super-Detailed Language Transfer Review
Lingodeer
Lingodeer is a newer app for learning several languages, including French. It’s fairly similar to Duolingo where you learn the language by completing a lot of short exercises. However, I prefer Lingodeer because it’s a bit more comprehensive. It includes more grammar explanations and the audio quality of recorded sentences is much better. While it’s not completely free, a subscription isn’t expensive.
See our Super-Detailed Lingodeer Review
Babbel
Babbel is a well-known online language-learning platform with over 1 million active users. It’s available on the web, for iOS, and for Android. Its goal is to get learners to a conversational level as quickly as possible through the use of a variety of exercises and spaced repetition for review. The courses are well put together and relatively inexpensive compared to other resources that exist. Overall a decent resource for those looking to learn French.
See our Super-Detailed Babbel Review
News In Slow French
News in Slow French is definitely one of the most fun ways to study the language. They offer a weekly podcast episode discussing current events, spoken at a slower pace, made specifically for French learners. You’ll also find important grammar and expressions in the episodes, as well as on their website with quizzes and explanations. There are lessons available for everyone from beginner to advanced level learners.
See our Super-Detailed News In Slow French Review
Memrise
Much like Duolingo, Memrise is an extremely popular free resource for language learning. There are lots of French courses, some added by Memrise and others by users. It’s best for studying vocabulary but there are courses for other topics as well. The content is taught through flashcards and there are a lot of game-like elements that make them a bit more fun.
See our Super-Detailed Memrise Review
All French Reviews
- 17 Minute Languages Review: I Wouldn’t Recommend Using It
- Assimil Review — A Fresh Look at a Longstanding Resource
- Babbel French Review – Reasonably Priced Solid Program
- Babbel Review – Nothing Flashy, But Good, Trusted Courses At Reasonable Cost
- Busuu Review: Some Courses Are Better Than Others
- Chatterbug Review: Self-Study + 1-1 Classes – Does It Work?
- Clozemaster Review: Limited Focus But Fun Way To Grow Vocab
- Coffee Break Review: Italian, French, and German Courses
- Cudoo Review — I Wouldn’t Even Use it if it Were Free
- Drops App Review – Decent As A Supplementary Resource
- Duolingo Review: Useful But Not Sufficient – 2 Language Learners Test It (With Video)
- Earworms Review – A Unique Idea But Lacks Substance
- Fluent Forever App Review – Lots Of Potential But Not There Yet
- FluentU Review — More Expensive than the Competition
- Fluenz Review – Academic Approach With Thorough Explanations
- Français Authentique Review: Testing Out Their Courses
- Frantastique Review – Unjustifiably Expensive For Limited Lessons
- French Today Review: Fun To Use And Effective
- FrenchPod101 Review – Not Perfect But Offers Good Value
- Glossika Review – Not Cheap But Useful
- Grammar Hero Review – I Like It A Lot, But Wish It Were Cheaper
- HelloTalk Review – Make Friends & Practice Languages
- HiNative Review: Useful But Not Exceptional Q&A App
- italki Review – The Good, The Bad, & The Just Alright
- Kwiziq Review: Learn Grammar From Lots Of Quizzes
- Language Transfer Review – Better Than A Lot Of Expensive Courses
- Language101.com Course Review – The Worst I’ve Ever Tried!
- LanguagePod101 — All Languages, Pod101 and Class101
- Ling Review — Gamified Practice in Less Common Languages
- Lingoda Review – Positive Experience But Room For Improvement
- Lingodeer Review – A Better Alternative To Duolingo, Busuu, Rosetta Stone, etc.
- LingQ Review – Extensive Reading Made Easy
- Lingvist Review: Putting Their Courses To The Test
- Live Lingua Review: My Experience With Their Lessons
- Living Language Online Course Review – Not Very Good
- Mango Languages Review – Pretty Good For Beginners
- Memrise Review – Useful But Don’t Overuse It
- Michel Thomas Method Review – Avoid At All Costs
- Mimic Method Review: Trying Out The Elemental Sounds Courses
- Mondly Review – Made Significant Improvements Made in 2022
- News In Slow French Review – Makes Studying More Fun
- Ouino Review – My Experience Testing Their Spanish Course
- Pimsleur French Review: Great Choice If Your Goal Is To Get Speaking French Quickly
- Pimsleur Review — Learn While You… Do Just About Anything
- Preply Review – Tutors Created Tailored Lesson Plans for You
- Rocket French Review – Solid But Boring
- Rosetta Stone French Review: Good For Vocab. That’s About It
- Rosetta Stone Review — Updated and Improved…And Needs More Improvement
- Rype App Review: I Wouldn’t Recommend It To Anybody
- Speaky Review: Better Than Other Language Exchange Apps?
- Speechling Review – I Didn’t Know I Was Saying That Wrong!
- StoryLeaning Spanish Uncovered In-depth Review: One-of-a-kind and Surprisingly Effective & Enjoyable
- StoryLearning French Uncovered Review
- Tandem Review: A Tinder-esque Language Exchange App?
- Transparent Language Review – Not Exciting, But Language Offering Is So Vast That You May Need It
- uTalk Review – For Beginners Who Want To Learn Key Words & Phrases
- Verbling Review: Online Classes With Helpful Revision Tools
- Word Dive Review: Falls Short Compared To Similar Apps
- Yabla Review — Affordable and Effective Video-Learning
All French Mini Reviews
- 101 Script Writing App Mini Review: Good for Indian Languages
- 50 Languages Mini-Review: Basically an online phrasebook
- Alice Ayel Mini-Review: High-Quality French Videos For Beginners
- AmazingTalker Mini Review: Not Our Top Pick for Web Classes
- Anki Mini-Review: The Go-To SRS Flashcard App
- Bab.la Mini-Review: Use WordReference or Linguee Instead
- Beelinguapp Mini-Review: Reading & Listening Practice
- Bien Dire Mini-Review: A Must-Have if it Weren’t for the Price Tag
- Bilingual Oxford Dictionaries Mini Review: Handy Apps
- Bite Size Languages Mini-Review: Good for Beginners
- Bluebird Languages Mini-Review: Over 160 Languages Available
- BonPatron Mini-Review: Explanations With Error Identification
- Brainscape Mini-Review: Adaptive Flashcards
- CaptionPop Mini-Review: Use The Free Version
- Comme une Française Mini-Review: Understanding French Culture
- Complete Language Lessons Mini Review: Almost Useless
- Conjuguemos Mini-Review: Effective Language Drilling
- Conversations by StoryLearning Mini-Review: There are Cheaper Options
- Cooljugator Mini-Review: Conjugations For Uncommon Languages
- Daily French Pod Review: Bite-Sized Listening Comprehension
- DeerPlus Mini Review: Fun Supplementary App
- DLI Courses Mini-Review: Free With a Strong Focus on Pronunciation
- Easy Languages Mini-Review: Interviews Around The Globe
- Encore!!! Language Learning Mini-Review: Basically a Phrasebook
- Flowlingo Mini-Review: Has Potential, Still Developing
- Forvo Mini-Review: Audio Pronunciation of Millions of Words
- Frantastique Ortho Mini-Review: For Near-Fluent Learners
- French by French Mini-Review: Learn French From Scratch
- French Classes Mini-Review: Has Lots of Long Grammar Explanations
- French in Action Mini-Review
- FSI Courses Mini-Review: Free, Comprehensive, but Also Outdated
- FunEasyLearn Mini-Review: Build Vocabulary The Fun Way
- Glosbe Mini-Review: Thousands of Languages With Some Errors
- Hey! Lingo Mini-Review: Has Useful Phrases
- iLanguages Mini-Review: Almost Identical to Learn 101
- Ilini Mini-Review: Limited Videos but Still Evolving
- iLoveLanguages Mini-Review: Another Phrasebook SIte
- innerFrench Mini-Review: Gain Confidence in Your Listening Skills
- Instant Immersion Mini-Review: No Longer a Good Investment
- Interlinear Books Mini-Review: Literal Translations Between The Lines
- Internet Polyglot Mini-Review: Word Lists With Games
- iTranslate Mini-Review: 5 Apps To Support Communication
- L-Lingo Mini-Review: Textbook Content, Depends On Your Style
- Lang Workbooks Mini Review: Thorough Writing Practice
- LangCorrect: Unlimited, Free Writing Practice With Feedback
- Langu Mini Review: A Quality-Focused italki Alternative
- Language Learning WIth Netflix Mini-Review: Easy to Use
- Learn French With Alexa Mini-Review: Video Lessons and More
- Learn French With Vincent Mini-Review: Watch The Live Stream
- Learn WIth Oliver Mini-Review: Simple With Lots of Content
- Learn101 Mini-Review: A Re-Formatted Version of iLanguages
- Lexilogos Mini-Review: A Resource Bank For Dictionaries and Books
- Lingo Mastery Conversational Dialogues Mini Review: Dual-text
- Lingo Mastery Short Stories Mini-Review: Lots of Unique Words
- LingoHackers Mini-Review: Lots of Potential, Help It Grow!
- LingoHut Mini-Review: Good Intentions, So-So Follow Through
- Lingolia Mini-Review: Clear Grammar Explanations
- Lingoni Mini-Review: Comprehensive German Lessons
- Lingua Boost Mini-Review: Use Pimsleur Instead
- Lingua Mini-Review: Free Listening, Reading, and Writing Practice
- Loecsen Mini-Review: Phrasebook App For Absolute Beginners
- LyricsTraining Mini-Review: Listening Practice Through Songs
- Magic Lingua Mini-Review: Pricey But Potentially Worth It
- Master Any Language Mini-Review: No Words To Describe the Nope
- Mémorable Mini-Review: Enrichment for Advanced Learners
- Mini-Review of Progress with Lawless French: Grammar + AI
- MOSAlingua Mini-Review: Memorize Phrases and Words
- My Language Exchange Mini-Review: Millions of Active Users
- Newsdle Mini Review: Engaging Material to Help You Learn French and Spanish
- Open Learn Mini-Review: Very Specific Course Topics
- OPLingo Mini Review: Community Driven, Non-Profit
- Optilingo Mini-Review: Use if You Absolutely Love Slideshows
- Paul Noble Mini-Review: Great for Beginners
- Podcast Français Facile Mini-Review: Transition from A1 to A2
- Polly Lingual Mini-Review: Phrasebook With Simple Games
- Promova Mini Review: Personalized Content to Meet Your Language Learning Needs
- Quizlet Mini-Review: A Flashcard/Quiz App for Many Languages
- Readlang Mini-Review: A Must-Have For Language Lovers
- Reverso Translation Mini-Review: Best for French learners
- Simply Learn Mini-Review: Spaced Repetition Phrases For Travelers
- Speakly Mini-Review: Speaking, Listening, and Writing Practice
- Speed Learning Languages Mini-Review: Nope, Nope, Nope
- Speekoo Mini-Review: Dip Your Toes in a Language and Culture
- StoryLearning Olly Richards 101 Conversations Mini Review: Practical
- StoryLearning Olly Richards Short Stories Mini Review: Practical
- Storyling Mini-Review: Simple, Quality Content
- Strokes International Mini Review: Pricy but Comprehensive
- Sublearning Mini-Review: There Are Better Uses For Your Time
- SuperMemo Mini-Review: Not to Be Confused With Super-Memo
- Tatoeba Mini-Review: A Community Writing Sentences in Context
- The Staircase Method Mini-Review: Simple and Personable
- TV5Monde Mini-Review: No Reason Not to Visit This Site
- Verbix Mini-Review: Adequate for Less-Studied Languages
- VerbSquirt Mini-Review: Use Conjuguemos for Free Instead
- Vocabulearn Mini Review: Unlikely to Teach You a Language
- Wandering French Mini-Review: Learn Québécois French
- Wlingua Mini-Review: A Clear Learning Path
- WordReference Mini-Review: Thorough and Professionally Translated
- YouGlish Mini-Review: Thousands of Words in Context From YouTube