7 Online Language Courses that Offer Free Trials-Sign Up Now

Online Language Learning Programs with Free Trials

I’m a big fan of free education but when it comes to online language courses I find paid courses to be far superior to the free tools or free versions of courses that are out there. You are just going to get a better experience if you pay for the full version of a course or use higher-quality online language learning platforms. That said, many people prefer to see what is out there before committing. That is why free trials are such a great way to get to know the different online language learning options available to you.

Below are seven online language learning courses with free trials. Why not sign up for a free trial of each over the period of a month and see what works best for you?

Babbel Online Language Learning Program

Babbel has really impressed me. A few years ago I tried out their free version and I thought they were simply another ‘fun’ tool like Duolingo. I didn’t think they offered a substantial program for serious language learners. I was mistaken. I have since signed up for a paid (one-year) account and I have to say I’m learning more with Babbel than I’ve learned on any other online platform. This may be particular to me and where I’m at in my Spanish language learning journey, but I was looking for a program that challenged me, that offered more entire sentences and new vocabulary, advanced dialogue (where I have to type in words as well as pronounce words), and a more diverse mix of activities for learners who are at the Intermediate+ level.

Babbel offers the best combination of advanced learning activities-from listening, speaking, reading, and writing to section review sessions. They also have a podcast that you can download to work more language learning into your day.

Babbel Free Trial Details

Babbel offers free trials (though they are pretty short). The downside? You can’t see how great their program is with their normal free trials. They lock 99% of the program content up and you can only access one activity-which doesn’t let you see what it would be like if you signed up for the paid course access. If you end up wanting to sign-up for the regular course, I have a referral link here though that will get you 50% off of a six month membership.

Elayaa Online Language Learning Program

Elayaa.com is a relatively new online learning platform that has created Spanish lessons, organized by functional categories. The website offers online Spanish courses, live online conversation classes, and individual sessions with native speakers so that students can combine different forms of study and reach fluency faster. Students have three different language learning packages to choose from.

Package 1, the Express Package, includes online at-your-own-pace courses, grammar worksheets, vocabulary exercises, interactive exercises that provide immediate feedback, video lessons, graded readings, Audio lessons, and live educational support. The cost for this package is $29/month, $49 for three months, and $69 for six months.

Package 2, the Premium Package includes everything from the Express package in addition to unlimited live online conversation classes. Conversation classes happen 2-4 times a day Monday through Thursday. Students can choose to attend beginner, intermediate, or advanced classes at the time and on the days that work best for them. There are between 1-6 students per class, and they last a total of 45 minutes.

Package 3, the Premium + Package includes everything from the above two packages plus one-to-one live Spanish coaching sessions with Elayaa’s Spanish language instructors. Students can book coaching sessions at any available time from Monday to Saturday. Sessions are available in all major time zones and are 60 minutes long.

Elayaa Free Trial Details

Elayaa offers students some online activities as well as the ability to sign up for one conversation course. No credit card is needed to Sign Up for the trial. The trial version is limited, offering just the 1st unit of their interactive course, the 1st unit of their Audio course, 6 interactive exercises, and one live consultation session with a Spanish instructor (the platform founder). The option to book a live online session with an instructor is a fantastic opportunity and this may not be offered once the platform has a lot more students so I’d recommend taking advantage of this now.

Rosetta Stone Online Language Learning Program

I have taken all types of language classes and courses from in-classroom to intensive full immersion and online programs or tutorials. In my opinion, Rosetta Stone is one of the best online language-learning platforms (especially for those within the first year of their language-learning journey).

Their interactive and responsive online course is more advanced (from a technological perspective) than many other online courses and their platform is very easy to use. You will get to speak, read, and write and the Rosetta Stone tech is responsive so you will get corrected when you pronounce words, hear sounds when you get something wrong, etc. You can also skip around from lesson to lesson or level to level if you feel you have reached a plateau and need a more intense challenge or want to change focus (ex: focus on travel-focused Spanish today instead of business-focused Spanish)

Pricing: Rosetta Stone offers different rates depending on the type of package you purchase. Currently, the monthly rates for online access (which includes levels 1-4 of whatever language you choose) are: $11.99/month for 3 months (payable in one initial payment); $7.99/month for 12 months;(payable upfront) $5.99/month for 24 months (payable up-front); $199 for lifetime access (Best Deal).

Rosetta Stone Free Trial Details

Rosetta Stone offers a three-day truly FREE trial for which they do not require your credit card information. They also give you access to their entire course, not a cheapo trial version. So, you can see what you’ll really be getting if you decide to purchase.

Pimsleur Online Language Learning Program

Pimsleur offers a variety of ways to consume their course content: CD’s for audio learning at home or in the car, online log-in from your laptop, or mobile learning through their app. I do really like Pimsleur, but it is a bit less multi-dimensional than Rosetta Stone or Babbel, offering fewer different types of activities, less responsive technology (the software doesn’t correct you or rate you on how well you pronounce words), and an overall less dynamic experience than some other programs. Pimsleur also costs more than Rosetta Stone or Babbel, if you go with their monthly plans which range from $14.99/month to $19.99/month depending on the package you choose. That said, if you want to test the Pimsleur course out to see how you like it compared to Rosetta Stone, it’s easy and free to do so as they offer a 7-day free trial.

Pimsleur Free Trial Details

Pimsleur’s free trial requires that you enter a credit card and you will be charged if you do not cancel before the end of the seven-day trial. However, you will get access to the full course, so you can get a sense of exactly what you would be paying for.

Duolingo Online Language Learning Program

Duolingo is a fun online language game/program. While I don’t consider Duolingo to be a serious online language learning course, I’ll admit it’s an enjoyable platform. Fun little icons and noises, levels, prizes, scores, etc. Duolingo feels a little like a video game. I do not really think that Duolingo is a worthwhile option for those who are really interested in learning a language to an advanced or really proficient level. Other programs offer much more and will get you where you want to be much faster (or at all).

I’ve spent quite a few hours on Duolingo and can safely say I might consider using it as an additional fun tool to do light, fun, activities on to fill in between more substantive language programs or courses. Duolingo has both a free and a paid option, but I don’t find the paid option impressive enough to warrant paying for it when compared with the other options on this list.

FluentU Online Language Learning Program

If you like learning by watching videos, are o.k. with self-paced (less structured) learning, and are looking for an additional online language learning tool to carry in your arsenal, FluentU could be good for you.

As someone who doesn’t prefer watching videos and is looking for more interaction (speaking, writing, etc.) FluentU isn’t my top choice for an all-in-one online language learning tool. When I signed up for FluentU I found myself still going to other sites to fill in with other types of lessons. However, FluentU has some nifty add-ons to help students fit in more learning such as a FluentU app you can download and listen to audio dialogues, etc.

At $30/month on a month-to-month basis and $20/month if you pay for an entire year, FluentU is one of the most expensive non-interactive options on this list. I think you get more bang for your buck with services like Rosetta Stone or Babbel. However, as they offer a two-week free trial you can try them out for yourself and decide!

FluentU Free Trial Details

FluentU’s free trial requires a credit card and will automatically bill you at the end of the 14-day trial unless you cancel first

Live Online Language Lessons with a Native Speaking Tutor

Both Elayaa and Babbel offer the option to book live online sessions with native-speaking tutors in addition to their at-your-own-pace online interactive courses. However, if you’re looking to ONLY book live, online sessions with native speakers you also have the following options.

Verbal Planet

Engage in live conversations with native-speaking instructors from around the world (Spanish, Russian, German, Dutch, Mandarin, Cantonese, Italian, French…..). Find the right tutor for you, and book one-to-one private Skype lessons. While working with a live tutor is obviously more expensive than signing up for one of the online learning programs on this list, it is also one of the best ways to learn a new language. Putting your language skills to the test by actually speaking out loud to another human being (and a native speaker and professional tutor to boot!)is invaluable.

The selection of instructors that you can connect with on Verbal Planet is fantastic and you can browse through their list of tutors and read their profiles, look at their ratings, prices, etc. before booking a session. Believe it or not, Verbal Planet also offers learners a free sample lesson with the instructor of your choice!

Verbal Planet Free Trial Details

Verbal Planet allows you to sign up for an account and set up a learning plan as well as book your sample lesson, without any obligation (no credit card required).

Verbling

Verbling is a website and learning platform that connects students to tutors for live online language tutorials. Students can not only book classes with tutors (of their choice) but will also benefit from Verbling’s extra learning tools such as flashcards, vocabulary review, and planned curriculums.

Verbling Free Trial Details

Verbling offers a 30-minute free trial lesson with the instructor of your choice. Just search and find the instructor you want to book with, choose a time that works, and book it!

8 Online Language Courses with Free Trials-Sign Up Now