Best sites to learn a language online

Best site to learn a language for free: Busuu

Why we chose it

Busuu offers free access to language courses online and has a Trustpilot rating of 4.2.

For free, you can access one language in a variety of courses and levels. The site allows you to tailor a course to your needs, first asking for your proficiency in the language, how frequently you'd like to learn and for how long each day. It then offers a lesson to suit.

A premium subscription service is also available, which allows you to access more content, multiple languages, native speakers and an offline mode.

Upon testing it, we found it to have a good course structure that allows you to develop your words, sentences and conversations easily. It features loads of repetitive quizzes to aid with memorisation, explains the context in which you'll use certain words, and features conversations for a better idea of sentence-flow.

What it lacks in is quality lessons in grammar. This may hinder you when you reach more advanced levels.

• Runner-up: Innovative Language

  There aren't any Trustpilot reviews for this free online course website, but Amazon users give it a 3.5/5 and competing language sites FluentU and Fluentin3months rave about it. After putting it through its paces, we agreed with the hype. We found Innovative Language to be easy to use with friendly, personable voices and lessons that were repetitive, yet engaging.

  You'll start with a language proficiency assessment to place you in the right course. The lessons start with the basics but move quickly and feature male and female voices using different expressions so that you can get used to different tones and pitches. The use of male and female voices also aids in understanding language-based gender rules.

  Another refreshing point is that Innovative Language provides practical explanations for questions you might have about other elements of that culture, such as how to greet others when saying hello (Do you give them a kiss? Under what circumstances?).

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Best to learn a language fast: Rosetta Stone

Why we chose it

Rosetta Stone was chosen as the best website for fast learning as it has an intensive learning model which requires a 30-minute commitment per day, 5 days a week for 6 weeks. It also has a bespoke Dynamic Immersion method which utilises repetition and real-world context to reinforce the language. Plus it boasts a 4.1 Trustpilot score.

You do have to pay for the course, however, a free trial is also available. Each course comprises of beginner, intermediate and advanced levels, which are further broken down to suit your needs into categories such as travel, family, work or basis. This allows you to hone in on words and phrases you truly need.

There's also a focus on speaking and listening skills, which will have you conversing fast.

When we tested it, the first thing we noticed was the lack of explanations. Similar to how you'd learn in the classroom, speaking your native language is not allowed. You'll only get written, audio and visual queues in the language that you're learning. You'll be tested on reading, writing and listening, as well as speaking and pronunciation using your mic.

All quizzes are given a numerical grade as opposed to a pass or a fail. This works amazingly to drive you to succeed and get that perfect score the next time around.

Live tutoring is also available for a fee.

• Runner-up: Mondly

  After road-testing it, Mondly definitely deserves an honourable mention. This online language course has a Trustpilot score of 4.1/5 across 21 reviewers, with positive feedback for how aggressively it can be used for fast learning. What holds it back is that it's quite basic and is best-suited to beginners.

  Personally, we found it intuitive and thorough. It outlines exactly what you'll learn in each lesson by introducing you to a conversation featuring the words you'll learn. It then breaks this up into words, phrases, pronunciation and spelling. We loved how you could click on words for a grammatical explanation.

  We found that there wasn't a lot of repetition. On the upside, this lets you get through each course at lightning speed, however, it might not be effective for long-term learning.

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Best for kids: Duolingo

Why we chose it

While Duolingo caters for all ages, its gamified layout and cartoon-based design makes it a fun way for kids to learn. While its Trustpilot score is poor at 2.6/5, many of its complaints are around how basic it is. This might be okay though if your child is searching for an entry point into a new language.

Duolingo is free and available online and as an app. Lessons can be short, starting from 5-minutes long, which is ideal for short attention spans. Longer lessons of 10, 15 or 20 minutes are also available and you can take as many or as few as you like.

The course is clearly structured and, much like a game, completing lessons "unlocks" your next set. You can also receive points, achievement badges and gifts for participating in lessons and correctly answering questions.

When testing it out, we found that Duolingo was very easy to use and we quickly found ourselves addictively "playing" to earn those points. The course progression is arguably quite slow, with each lesson only teaching you a handful of words. The online version tests your reading, listening, writing and verbal skills using a workable mic.

• Runner-up: Transparent Language

  This site is used by schools and the military in the US and has a childish feel to it that seems suitable for late-primary and early-high-school students. It doesn't have any Trustpilot reviews, but running it through its paces, we found that its lessons were structured in a very methodical way.

  After learning words, you'll be tasked with speaking them to improve pronunciation. Likewise, you'll hear words and be asked to spell them based on sound. You can toggle between your native and your learning language and there are loads of matching games for kids to get behind.

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Best paid language site: Babbel

Why we chose it

Babbel has over 13,000 Trustpilot reviews with a 4.7 rating. Customers praise its quality courses and customer service. Babbel has also been featured in Forbes as one of the best online language courses. Amazon users give it a 3.5, however the negative reviews are centred on technical abilities to access the program and not the program itself.

Babbel uses spaced out repetition, real-life conversations, consistent quizzes and review exercises and speech recognition software to teach you a new language. It's not a free service – it only offers the first lesson as a taster – but course rates are fair. They start at $19.99 for a month-long subscription.

Babbel offers courses at newcomer, beginner I, beginner II, pre-intermediate, intermediate, independent and advanced levels. There are also courses for specific skills and interests, such as refresher courses for those coming back to a language and listening and speaking courses for those looking to converse only.

There's no limit to how many lessons you can take daily, which allows for flexible learning.

When trialling our first lesson, we found Babbel to be easy to use, with more than enough repetition of reading, listening and writing for remembrance. It jumps straight into phrases and sentences, with less focus on building your vocabulary, to get you conversing faster.

• Runner-up: Rosetta Stone

  While Babbel won with its cheaper price and higher Trustpilot score, Rosetta Stone is still a top option for a paid language course. It has an aggressive course structure and uses real-life conversations and speech recognition to upskill you at breakneck speed.

  Prices start at US$11.99 (AUD$19.01) for three months. In comparison, Babbel charges AUD$14.99 for three months. Both prices are to learn one language only.

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Methodology

29
Brands considered

20
Site courses tested

4
Best sites chosen

• We compared 29 language learning websites.
• We compared language courses that were easily and readily available online.
• We excluded sites that were language-specific, tutoring or coaching websites, and websites that offered translation services rather than language learning resources.
• We tested the remaining 20 sites, completing one lesson from each.
• The products on this list have been chosen by our editorial team and were not selected based on commercial relationships.

• Why you can trust our picks

  We considered the following language learning websites:

  • Alison
  • Babbel
  • Busuu
  • Carnegie Mellon Open Learning Initiative
  • Coursera Language Learning
  • Digital Dialects
  • Duolingo
  • EdX
  • FluentU
  • Foreign Services Institute
  • Headstart2 Defense Language Institute
  • HelloTalk
  • Innovative Language
  • Internet Polyglot
  • Languages Online

  • Learn a Language
  • Listen and Learn Australia
  • Live Lingua
  • Living Language
  • Livemocha
  • Mango Languages
  • Memrise
  • MIT OpenCourseware
  • Mondly
  • Open Culture
  • Rosetta Stone
  • Rype
  • Transparent Languages
  • Udemy

  We then researched each website, eliminating any that offered less than 10 languages or that were an online coaching school with tutors. Of the rest, we read through hundreds of reviews on Trustpilot, Amazon and on their own websites to identify which succeeded in each category the best.

  We then took one lesson in beginners French with each to verify its features and general quality. Each lesson was a free version and was the shortest lesson possible (typically 5-10 minutes long).

  As a result, we ended up with what we believe are the best websites for learning a language online, based on the categories set.

  We value our editorial independence, basing our comparison results, content and reviews on objective analysis without bias. However, Finder may receive compensation when you click some links on our website. Learn more about how we make money from our partners.

How long does it take to learn a new language?

The rate you learn at depends on how well you learn, your diligence in learning and how often you attend lessons and revise your coursework.

If we had to give you a number, you should expect to be fairly proficient in three months when learning at an intensive level. We've based this number on the minimum subscription time to learn a language on Rosetta Stone.

What is the best way to learn a new language?

The ability to learn a new language changes from person to person. Some people are auditory learners, some are visual learners and some are more tactile learners. Depending on the kind of learner you are, and how much time and dedication you can put toward learning, a language course that you find helpful might not work as well for someone else.

The best way to find out how you learn best is by trying different methods for yourself. If you can identify the type of learner that you are, this may help in narrowing down your options to find the language site that works best for you.

All of the above language courses offer free trials so that you can see whether you align with their teaching methods.