by Lea Hauke
Updated on October 15, 2024
Are you an avid French student looking for learning materials online? Given the worldwide popularity of French as a second language, online resources for improving your grammar and speaking skills abound. But not all of them are high-quality, and many of them may not suit your learning style and preferences.
To save you from endless comparison shopping, we’ve compiled seven of the best websites to learn French. For each, we’ve included a short list of pros and cons to help you decide quickly and dedicate more of your precious time to learning one of the most romantic languages in the world.
With countless options available, finding the perfect fit can be overwhelming.
To help you navigate the vast landscape of online French learning, we’ve carefully curated a list of top-rated platforms. Explore our table below and find the ideal website to embark on your French language journey.
Platform | Why we like it |
Lingoda | Best for flexibility |
Le Point de Fle | Free learning materials |
Rocket French | Emphasis on speaking |
Lingolia Français | Interactive exercises |
French Today | Connects students and teachers for 1-1 tutoring |
FluentU | Teaches real-life phrases and idioms |
French Together | Strong focus on immersion |
If your busy schedule often precludes time for a French course, Lingoda is a great solution to consider. The online language school offers French classes 24/7, making it easier to practice French whenever you can fit it in.
The online classes are taught by native-level teachers, each with at least two years of professional experience. These teachers cover the most critical aspects of the language and foster a welcoming environment in which students are encouraged to speak French from the very first session. And the course format is flexible, with options to take part in small groups of up to five people or a one-on-one session with a tutor.
Lingoda offers classes for language levels ranging from French Beginner (A1) to French Upper-intermediate (B2), in accordance with the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). Supplementing these classes is a wide selection of blog articles about French grammar, culture and vocabulary available for free on the website.
Lingoda offers a variety of subscription plans:
Le Point de Fle is a French learning platform with an impressive collection of links to free learning resources. The site was originally designed to help teachers and tutors find learning materials for their classes, but it has since transformed into a great resource for anyone wishing to practice on their own.
There’s a broad range of content available, from quizzes to videos to textbook articles. You’ll also find links to some of the best French dictionaries listed on the site. The best part? They’re all completely free.
Wondering how to learn French as quickly as possible? Nothing beats totally immersing yourself in the language. And for those who can’t book a month-long vacation in Paris, Rocket French offers an alternative path toward immersion with its strong emphasis on listening and speaking.
Students are prepared for real-life situations with exercises that require them to take both sides of a conversation. Rocket French courses also feature a voice recognition software that helps students improve their pronunciation.
A single subscription to Rocket French gives students lifetime access to the site’s full range of French courses.
With its extensive selection of grammar, vocabulary and writing exercises, Lingolia Français ranks among the best resources to learn French. The website’s content is meant to supplement a proper language class and features well-structured explanations to deepen the knowledge you acquire during an online or in-person course.
The website is completely free of charge. Pro-Admin accounts for teachers and language schools are available for a fee per month and provide access to self-study exercises in French, German, English, and Spanish.
French Today claims to go beyond the textbook and teach students French as it’s used in daily life. The website’s content is thus tailored to avoid overly formal sentence structures and outdated pronunciation. Most of the exercises revolve around audiobooks available on the website, many of which are available for free. There are also specific vocabulary lists for almost any topic imaginable.
While most of the content on the site is free, you’ll have to pay for access to certain audiobooks.
FluentU teaches French as real people actually speak it. Instead of scripted videos, the site relies on snippets from TV shows, ads, and interviews with native French speakers. All of these come with interactive subtitles, so you can check translations and pronunciation as you watch. To help you progress more quickly, the video and audio content features short exercises.
French Together is an informative blog on French culture, grammar and vocabulary. The articles are well-structured and entertaining and give tips on different topics like writing an email in French.
French Together also offers an app that motivates students to invest ten minutes daily for real-life conversation practices. More than 90 real-life dialogues help you practice listening and speaking with AI voice-recognition software that gently corrects your pronunciation. There’s also the option to slow down the recordings to make them easier for you to follow. Targeted exercises and flashcards support your learning progress.
There are several good websites to learn French online, some of which even offer a wide range of learning resources for free. While the time you dedicate plays a big role in how long it takes to learn French, speaking is still one of the most important aspects of internalizing a new language. This is why a fair share of our picks for the best websites to learn French focus on natural conversations with native speakers.
Some of them, like Rocket French, French Today and FluentU, use AI voice-recognition software and other tools to help with pronunciation. This can be a great addition to your learning routine, and it may help you get over the initial struggle of confidently speaking French in public.
While AI tools can help you get into a regular speaking practice, they’re still not the same as real-life conversations with a teacher and other students. At Lingoda, you get the chance to practice in a relaxed environment with a native-level teacher. And with courses available 24/7, Lingoda makes it easy to fit language practice into your busy schedule.