Pimsleur is a paid language-learning course for beginner and intermediate learners (A1–B1). Best for speaking from day one on a commute; thin on vocabulary.
Checked October 2026 on the official site ·
About Pimsleur
Pimsleur is an audio-first course: 30-minute lessons where you listen, repeat and answer out loud, with a hands-free mode for driving and offline listening. You can try a lesson free; the full course is sold by subscription or in blocks of 30 lessons. It suits a beginner with a commute who wants to get speaking basic French early. It covers far less vocabulary than other courses, and the audio is slow, studio-clean and scripted.
How it compares
| App | Price | Levels | Real-speed audio | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pimsleur | Premium $19.99/mo; All Access $20.99/mo or $164.99/yr; one-off levels $150 each, 5 levels $575; free first lessonchecked 2026-10-09 (pimsleur.com/learn-french; subscriptions from the US App Store, 2026-10-06) | A1–B1 | No | Best for speaking from day one on a commute; thin on vocabulary. |
| Babbel | From €8.99/mo on the 12-month plan (€107.88 a year; €215.88 at the monthly rate); lifetime €299.99; first lesson freechecked 2026-10-09 (babbel.com/prices, shown from Germany) | A1–C1 | No | The most course-like app; a good spine for A1 to B1, light on real listening. |
| Glossika | $19.99/mo ($16.58/mo yearly); Pro $39.99/mo ($33.25/mo yearly); 7-day free trialchecked 2026-10-09 (ai.glossika.com/pricing) | A1–C1 | No | High-volume listen-and-repeat sentence training; best beside a course. |
| Coffee Break French | Free podcast; Academy courses £199 / $269 per season of 40 lessons, one-offchecked 2026-10-09 (coffeebreaklanguages.com/coffeebreakfrench) | A1–B2 | No | A friendly free podcast course explained in English; slow by design. |
Prices as shown on the official site on the date given; they vary by country and change often.
