Babbel French

Summary

Babbel French app aims 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.

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I Like

• The content is practical for real-life use
• It’s easy to use
• The lessons are fairly short

I Don’t Like

• The exercises can get repetitive
• The review exercises don’t include grammar concepts
• Speech recognition isn’t the best way to learn pronunciation

Price

Babbel uses a recurring subscription model and offers a 20-day money-back guarantee. Price per month depends on the length of the subscription and only includes access to one language.

Monthly – $14.95/mo Every 3 Months – $12.65/mo Every 6 Months – $11.15/mo Every year – $7.45/mo

The prices listed here are for customers in the United States; they otherwise vary by region.

Pimsleur French

Summary

Pimsleur is one of the most popular and longest-standing resources out there for learning a foreign language. Pimsleur French courses place a strong emphasis on aural and verbal communication skills, paying less attention to grammar explanations and reading or writing skills. The bunk of the material is taught with audio lessons, making it an ideal app for people on the go.

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I Like

• The lessons are structured well and are an appropriate length.
• There are both male and female native speakers.
• Lessons build on each other nicely.
• The platform is easy to navigate and visually appealing.

I Don’t Like

• There’s very little visual content.
• Lesson speed isn’t customizable.

Price

Subscriptions of either $14.95/month or $19.95/month are available for courses with at least 60 lessons. Prices otherwise range from around $20 to over $500. All purchases come with a 7-day free trial.

Rosetta Stone French

Summary

A Rosetta Stone French course could be most suitable for learners that don’t mind repetitive exercises and prefer to learn from pictures and context rather than translations and explanations. It’s probably not a good option for anyone wanting to significantly improve their speaking or writing skills, or those looking for an engaging course.

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I Like

• The audio quality is very good.
• Lessons progress naturally and logically.

I Don’t Like

• It’s repetitive and boring.
• You don’t get to generate your own sentences.
• Speech recognition doesn’t work very well.
• No grammar explanations in core material.

Price

A three-month subscription to one language is $35.97, which works out to be $11.99/month.
A year-long subscription to one course is $95.88, which is $7.99/month. Both of these subscriptions are automatically recurring.
Lifetime access to all Rosetta Stone language courses is available for $199.

ALR Readers Exclusive Holiday Deal!! Get the Lifetime Subscription for 25 languages for $179 (everywhere else it’s $199 right now!). See details on the website.

StoryLearning French Uncovered

Summary

StoryLeaning French Uncovered comes from Olly Richards, the creator of the super popular polyglot blog. It’s quite a bit different than most courses as it revolves around an engaging story. It can be a bit more challenging than other courses, as you begin reading somewhat long texts right off the bat. Overall, I found it to be a more fun way to approach language learning that will be great for some but not ideal for others.

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I Like

• Unique course structure
• Strong focus on listening comprehension
• Immersion approach to building fluency

I Don’t Like

• No direct speaking software
• Costs more than many app-based subscription courses

Price

A one-time purchase costs $297. Multiple course bundles offer huge discounts. There’s also a 7-day free trial.