Advertiser Disclosure

trusted is an independent review site funded by referral fees. We may be paid compensation when you buy a Tool through our links. This does not affect our reviews which are based on thousands of hours of research and testing. It may impact the location, prominence and order in which these Tools appear. We regularly review new Tools but do not feature every Tool product on the market.

The best language courses for at home

Learn languages from home. Make good use of the Corona winter and the lockdown period and brush up your English skills or learn a whole new language with Babbel and Co. Try it out now and start learning!

Learning languages easily and flexibly from home - is that even possible? Yes, it is possible. Modern online language courses and language learning apps are already replacing expensive classroom courses at night school or audio trainers on CD for many language learners. The short and interactive lessons mean that you are in control of when, how and on which device you want to learn. In addition, the choice of languages in online language courses is much greater than in the local adult education centre. In addition to classic languages such as English and Co., Chinese, Arabic and many other languages are also offered there. trusted has compared the best language courses for home for you.

The best language courses for at home

The following online language courses and language learning apps are particularly flexible and are therefore ideal for language learning at home:

Babbel is the ideal online language course for learning at home and currently offers 14 possible learning languages: English, German, Spanish, French, Italian, Dutch, Portuguese, Swedish, Danish, Norwegian, Russian, Polish, Turkish and Indonesian.

Thanks to the mobile app, you can switch flexibly between your preferred devices; and since the individual lessons at Babbel are pleasantly short, you are not limited by time either. Whether before going to bed, in the morning during breakfast or simply in between, a short Babbel lesson is always possible. If you do have more time, you can complete several lessons at once or repeat your vocabulary in the vocabulary trainer. And if there are any distractions while learning, you can interrupt the current lesson at any time, restart it at will or repeat it completely.

The individual exercises are all structured according to the same pattern and teach you new vocabulary through the combination of p, sound and pictures. In addition, you can also repeat the newly learned words thanks to microphone support. You don't need anything more than your smartphone; Babbel doesn't have worksheets, bulky pbooks or video courses. There are no long-winded grammar and theory lessons on the programme either. Instead, Babbel's goal is to give you your first learning successes in a short time and make you fit for everyday conversations.

What's particularly nice about Babbel is the language course's latest trump card, the Babbel Podcasts. The professionally produced audio clips for example, tell stories of language travellers or are reporting on entertaining and quirky episodes in English, Spanish, French or Italian. The podcasts can be played on a smartphone, for example, and are perfect for continuing to learn a language on the side and deepening what you have learned so far.

Babbel's pricing is also suitable for everyday use. Your Babbel subscription has a term of between 3 and 12 months and costs between 6 and 10 euros per month (depending on the term you choose). Before you decide on a subscription, you can try out the first lessons of each language course on your PC, or get a 7-day free trial via your mobile device. It's worth trying out; start your learning journey with Babbel now.

Mondly currently has by far the best language selection among the top 5 language courses. You can learn over 40 different languages with the language learning app, including classics such as English, Spanish and Co. but also many unusual and exotic languages. There are hardly any limits here.

Otherwise, Mondly and Babbel don't have much in common when it comes to the learning concept. Here you are taught new vocabulary through a combination of p and pictures; afterwards you have to match the words to the correct translation or picture in small learning games. Through this visual approach, the vocabulary learned is supposed to stay in your memory for a long time and teach you the most important basics of the respective language in a short time.

What's cool about Mondly, however, is not primarily the lessons - which, just like Babbel, are very suitable for everyday use - but rather the surrounding features. With MondlyAR and MondlyVR, the provider also offers two apps that predestine the language course for learning in your own four walls, and which let you immerse yourself even more directly in the respective learning language through augmented and virtual reality. This works, for example, on a PC with the appropriate VR glasses, or via your smartphone. For example, you can project a virtual language teacher into your living room or hold conversations with an AI in virtual reality on the train or in a hotel.

Another great feature is that Mondly can involve your family in the learning process if you wish. As a Premium customer, you get free access to the MondlyKIDS app, with which children and teenagers can also learn the chosen language in a fun and playful way. Mondly thus becomes an activity for the whole family.

Mondly costs about 4 euros per month (for a single language course) or 40 euros per month (if you want access to all languages). Similar to Babbel, the first lessons of a course can be tested free of charge and without obligation.

Rosetta Stone is particularly popular because of its large selection of languages. Although it doesn't come close to Mondly's huge selection, it goes beyond the basics of the respective language and up to learning level B1/B2. Rosetta currently offers 21 languages, including the classics as well as exotic languages such as Chinese, Japanese and Arabic.

Unlike Babbel and Mondly, both of which have quick learning successes in mind, Rosetta Stone is more tailored to the long term. Its own learning method, "Dynamic Immersion", initially poses problems for beginners, as it does without translations completely, but only conveys new vocabulary through pictures or sounds. What sounds strange has a (scientific) background: by omitting translations, you are supposed to learn intuitively, like a child learning its mother tongue. This takes longer, but is supposed to have a much deeper effect than memorizing at Babbel or Mondly.

What's great is that you can always choose the lessons that interest you from the Rosetta Stone pool. For example, you learn about a certain topic and complete the respective lessons, which take between 5 and 15 minutes. If you don't feel like doing any exercises at the moment, you can also read a short p, play a community game or chat with other language learners. This increases motivation and helps you to shape your learning experience with Rosetta exactly how you want and how it fits into your everyday life.

Rosetta Stone's language courses are a little more expensive than Babbel's and Mondly's, but they still don't break the bank. On average, you pay between 10 and 16 euros per month. In addition, the provider offers a 3-day free trial period during which you can try out the course at your convenience.

At first glance, Busuu is a classic language learning app like Babbel or Mondly. You learn new vocabulary on your PC or smartphone and test your knowledge in short lessons and learning games. You can currently learn up to 12 languages, including English, Spanish, French, Arabic, Chinese, Japanese and Russian.

But if you take a closer look, you quickly discover the full potential of Busuu. Unlike Babbel and Co., Busuu does not rely solely on the well-designed language app, but also and above all on interaction in the community. As a self-proclaimed social network for language learning, Busuu currently gathers around 80 million members in the community, with whom you can chat on the platform or in the app, be active in forums or set up tandem partnerships. In some cases, your learning progress - for example, special writing exercises - can even be improved in the community so that you get direct input from native speakers.

The involvement of a large community is what makes Busuu so exciting and especially attractive for learning at home. Where else do you get the opportunity to interact and learn together with native speakers around the world right from the comfort of your own four walls?

Otherwise, the learning concept is pretty much the same as with Babbel or Mondly; with one exception. Busuu also places special emphasis on grammar lessons in the lessons, which interrupt the entertaining exercises every now and then with dry and theoretical ps. Mondly in particular treats grammar lessons very stepmotherly and covers mainly the important basic vocabulary, while Busuu takes a more "school-like" approach.

Online language courses at home - what is important?

The important thing about a home language course is that it is flexible, both in terms of time and equipment. The lessons should be short and simple so that you can do them in between or quickly complete one or two lessons in the evening before going to sleep. 15 minutes per exercise should be the maximum in order to remain flexible in terms of time. This way you can always decide when and how you want to learn with your language course so that your language course does not "get in the way" of your everyday life.

Ideally, you can even work with your language course while you are doing something else - housework, for example. This is possible if individual lessons can be completed by voice control, for example, or if your chosen language course offers audio trainers or podcasts that allow you to learn outside of the actual exercises.

Of course, your language learning should be as efficient as possible. You don't usually have the time or patience to swot up on language theory or grammar in everyday life. The lessons of your learning app should therefore teach you the most important basic knowledge and the necessary vocabulary in a playful and quick way, so that you are able to apply your knowledge in a short time. Such a language course does not aim to train your understanding of the language, but focuses on you being able to quickly put your knowledge to practical use.

Another important point: learning must be fun. If you are taught new vocabulary in small learning games or with the help of interactive exercises, it will not only stay in your memory longer; having fun while learning will also help you to keep up your own motivation. Unlike face-to-face courses, which always take place at the same time and where a teacher provides the necessary motivation and preparation, you are on your own when learning a language with your online language course. A good language learning app is therefore designed in such a way that you learn voluntarily and with fun and enjoy returning to the course - even without making fixed appointments for it.

trusted