The 7 best online English courses on the internet

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Thanks to today's incredible technology, you can seamlessly access the best online English courses anytime, anywhere. English is the world's most spoken language, so it has become a priceless asset for working, studying, or traveling worldwide.

So, what are the best English classes online to help you improve your English language skills? Choosing the right online English course might be daunting as several options exist. After careful and extensive research, we have selected the top 7 places to learn English online based on the following criteria:

• Price
• Flexibility
• Certification
• Completion time
• Required skill level
• Pros and cons

Our highest-rated English courses online

There are so many ways to learn English online that it can take time to choose the right one. We've picked the seven best English courses on high-quality platforms and put them in the list below:

• Coursera (Rated For Flexibility)
• edX (Rated For College-level Courses)
• Alison (Rated For Intermediate Learning)
• Perfectly Spoken (Rated For Shortest Course)
• ABA English (Rated For Business Classes)
• Weaver School (Rated Overall Best online)

We picked the English courses below based on the following criteria:

• Each course is relatively inexpensive and gives good value for the money.
• The online English course promises to help people improve their English for work or school or to prepare them for English language tests.
• The teachers are certified to teach English to people who are acquiring English as a second language (ESLs).
• The exercises and materials are of high quality, and there are regular tests to show progress.
• The language course starts at convenient times and can be taken more than once a year.
• All courses must allow English learners to go at their own pace, which is the most convenient option.

Let's dive in to find the online English course that suit you the best.

Best online English courses available today

The Weaver School (rated overall most effective)

About the Weaver School

Taking a course with the Weaver School, you will immediately benefit from our science-based language learning approach. If you're looking for English fluency, we have courses covering all the parts of the language you need to reach.

We ensure you learn the vocabulary and grammar you need to use English in your career and life.

How do we do it?

To reach fluency in English, you must use it in real-life situations. More than just reading textbooks and doing worksheets is required. We ensure you do as many speaking repetitions as possible in your valuable lesson time.

When speaking in your lessons, you will have an experienced and certified teacher there to correct your mistakes and give you feedback. Receiving corrections for your errors signals the need for improvement in the areas of your brain that control your language skills. By challenging and guiding you to make productive mistakes, we help you reach fluency faster.

You'll also benefit from consistent testing throughout your lessons. Frequent testing allows you to measure your progress and shows that you're on the right track. It also serves as a vital reward system for your brain to keep motivation high and progress consistent. You'll take weekly quizzes and monthly tests to track your improvement.

What you get in our English lessons

Your course will use a "blended learning" approach. You receive the grammar instruction as a video lesson with an accompanying PowerPoint presentation every week and new vocabulary words with flashcards.

You will use your entire time with your teacher each week speaking English and discussing topics relevant to you while your teacher corrects your mistakes and gives you precise feedback on how you can improve.

You'll take an online quiz about that week's lesson material every week. Every four weeks, you'll take a unit test measuring your overall progress toward fluency.

Why is it best-rated?

The Weaver School is highly rated by successful professionals, students, and teachers. I designed our courses myself based on the neuroscience of language learning to give adult English learners the most effective learning experience possible.

Unlike other online English courses, we ensure you get high value and the very best learning experience by providing:

Certified and experienced teachers: Our modern method of instruction (taught by native English speakers) combines relevant course material with the focused practice of the most essential English language skills. This ensures that you reach fluency that will serve you well for years.

Customized learning plans: I designed all the lesson materials for our classes myself, and your specific lesson plan will be customized to you before you begin your lessons.

We will assess your current level of English before your course starts and tailor your course to your specific needs.

If you're ready to start your journey to English fluency, this is the course for you: Online English Private Lessons

Coursera (rated for flexibility)

What is Coursera?

Coursera can help you get the English communication skills you need, no matter how good you are at English or how new you are to the language. Learn entirely online with video lectures, quizzes, and projects you can do at your own pace.

Courses on Coursera are made by reputable universities, institutions, and businesses, which is a big plus because you can learn from the experts. You can also see how many people changed careers, got a pay raise or promotion, or started a new job after taking the course.

Top-rated English courses on Coursera

Improve Your English Communication Skills

This Specialization helps you improve your professional English communication skills to get along better with other business people. Each course focuses on a different part of communicating in English: writing skills, English speaking at meetings and interviews, giving presentations, and networking online.

Learn English: Intermediate Grammar Specialization

"Adjectives and Adjective Clauses," "Perfect Tenses and Modals," and "Tricky English Grammar" are the three English modules in this short course. The instructor will allow you to review everything you've learned in class. They discuss perfect verb tenses, adjective clauses, and other tricky English grammar points.

Coursera's pricing, mode of study, and duration

Free trial for seven days, but Coursera Plus costs $59 per month, and regular certificates cost you about 49 - 99 USD.

Flexibility: Set your own pace.

Certification: For a fee once the course is finished.

Time to finish: Vary by English courses (on average, 20 – 30 hours to complete).

Level: Between Intermediate English level and advanced level.

Pros of learning on Coursera

• Coursera brings together courses and programs from some of the high-ranking universities and colleges in the world.
• Learners can use Coursera to find fully accredited, 100% online bachelor's and master's degree programs in high-demand fields like data science, engineering, public health, and more.
• Students who get a university certificate can use the credits they earned toward a master's degree if they decide to graduate school.

Cons of learning on Coursera:

• Coursera gives you access to various degree programs, but they're usually just a middleman.
• Coursera is also one of the more expensive providers, with monthly subscriptions starting at $59 per month.

edX (Rated For College-level Courses)

What is edX?

EdX began in 2012 as a way for Harvard and MIT to offer free online English learning courses to many people. Over the past ten years, it has become a leading online education platform that offers online English classes, professional certificates, boot camps, and degrees.

EdX brings together courses from well-known universities worldwide, so students can get a high-quality degree no matter where they live. We chose edX as the best overall online course provider because it has a wide range of courses, links to well-known colleges and universities, and reasonable prices.

Why is edX top-rated for college-level courses?

If you want to take a college course, edX might be what you're looking for. It has partnerships with the best universities, colleges, and organizations worldwide to offer more than 3,000 interactive online courses and more than 300 programs.

Most edX courses give you a chance to get a verified certificate. It also lets you take its systems for a free trial. Still, if you do that, you won't be able to see how your assignments are graded, and you won't get a verified certificate.

Which edX courses are the most sought-after?

Upper-Intermediate English: Business and Modern Life

This four-week MOOC is for people who are already good at English and want to get even better. It has video lessons, reading practice, and English-speaking exercises to help people do that. The self-paced class covers various topics, such as movies, health, sports, nature, pets, and the Olympics. These try and help learners improve their ability to understand and speak English.

English for Journalists – Part 1 and Part 2

English for Journalists is a course for journalism students and working journalists who want to improve their English language skills. Learners who know the basics of journalism and are interested in it are encouraged to sign up. In this communication class, you will learn about important topics that journalists worldwide need to know.

edX's pricing, mode of study, and duration

Price: available for free trial, Audit Track students pay nothing but Verified Track students can pay up to $200.

Flexibility: Set your own pace

Certification: Available for students on the Verified Track

Time to finish: varies by English courses, from 4 to 10 weeks, 2 to 5 hours per week.

Level: Upper-Intermediate to advanced

Pros of learning on edX

• There are more than 3,700 courses in 31 different fields, such as business, computer science, humanities, STEM, science, technology, engineering, and math. There are beginning, intermediate level, and advanced levels of classes.
• Through edX, learners have more than one way to finish their education. edX also offers boot camps, professional certificate programs, and complete degree programs for you to learn the basics concepts in addition to individual English courses.
• Even though most of edX's courses are taught in English, the platform has many courses taught in Mandarin, Spanish, French, and Italian.

Cons of learning on edX:

• Prospective students can search for English courses on edX in many different ways, such as by subject, level, and the educational partner institution. However, there is no way to search by price.
• Sometimes potential students may feel lost without personalized course suggestions.

Alison (rated for intermediate learning)

What is Alison?

Alison, which came out in 2007, is one of the world's first and largest free English learning platforms. With more than 1,500 Certificate and Diploma Courses, the group has helped more than 2 million graduates improve their skills.

The English course material is on presentation slides, and there are no pre-recorded videos or one-on-one lessons.

If you want a smooth user experience, you might need help finding it here. Since Alison is a free English education website, most of its money comes from ads. But there are many different ways to learn English, such as through business, tourism, and journalism.

Which Alison Courses are the most sought-after for intermediate-level learning?

English for Career Development

The class is for people who don't know much English and is taught by native speakers from the University of Pennsylvania. Afterward, learners can leave with a professional-looking resume and the ability to network and write a cover letter. They can also improve their skills and English vocabulary and grammar in a big way.

English Grammar: Comparisons and Word Order (Intermediate)

This short program from Advance Learning, an online trainer known for its IT courses, helps people who are learning English with the subtleties of the language. Students learn to find and use the right word in the real world. It also puts much emphasis on comparative words and phrases, which are used to describe how big something is.

Alison's pricing, mode of study, and duration

Price: there are free online English classes, but certification costs about $30.

Flexibility: Set your own pace.

Get a certificate by getting at least 80% in the course.

Lessons vary by course but take between 1.5 and 3 hours to finish.

Level: Beginner to intermediate level

• Pros and cons of learning about Alison

Pros of language learning with Alison:

• Alison's interface and landing page are interactive and easy to use.
• Courses are broken down into different categories. You can see which methods belong to each class and look at trending, new, popular, and certified courses.
• This platform makes finding time to work on your courses easy because it is built around your schedule. It is entirely self-paced, so you can move through the lessons as slowly or quickly as you want.

Cons of Alison's intermediate English courses:

• Alison gives you free courses but shows ads, which is how it makes money. One big problem with using Alison is that you have to watch the 10-second or longer ad during or before your class.
• You can only see a course description after signing up. This can be frustrating when you're looking at the reports of several categories and trying to decide which is best for you based on your first impression.
• Alison has many courses in various subjects and fields, but the lessons could be more exciting. If you only want to take a few classes, this won't be too much of a problem.

Perfectly Spoken (Rated For Shortest Course)

What is Perfectly Spoken?

The Perfectly Spoken course is made by English teachers who are experts in the IELTS and Cambridge English exams. It includes pre-recorded video lectures to help you learn how to speak and pronounce English.

You can sort courses by IELTS, Cambridge, or other types to get on the right track (exam preparation, business English, or general English). There are many ways to improve your competence, such as with extra study materials and progress tests.

Which short English courses are best rated?

Everyday English

This short course, taught from a British point of view, helps English learners who don't use English as their first language learn the kind of English used on the street and when traveling. It goes over common phrases, how to meet and greet people, and how to talk about how you feel. It also covers the language used in real life when traveling, ordering food in a restaurant, and on holidays in the United Kingdom.

A2: Pre-Intermediate Online English Course

This English language course is comprehensive, with 45-minute lessons that English learners can watch as often as needed. It prepares students for Cambridge English and IELTS Life Skills listening and speaking, two of the most common English exams. Perfectly Spoken gives you extra interactive content through Facebook, Instagram, and other social media apps.

Perfectly Spoken's pricing, mode of study, and duration

The student plan costs $8.25/month, and the Pro plan costs $25/month.

Self-paced and live interactive course meets once a week.

Getting certified depends on the project.

Time to finish: Vary by course (ranging from 5 – 60 lessons, on average of 30 minutes each).

Level: Elementary to proficiency.

Pros of learning English on Perfectly Spoken

• Many classes also have audio recordings that can be listened to online, allowing students to study whenever it is most convenient.
• Its courses range in price from about $8.25 per month to several hundred dollars. Still, the company frequently runs sales and discounts that make them more affordable.

Cons of language learning with Perfectly Spoken:

• This platform doesn't offer completion certificates, or the kind of hands-on practice students need to learn new skills.
• Some people may prefer to avoid video lessons, primarily lectures, especially if they prefer to learn with interactions.

ABA English (rated highly for business classes)

What is ABA English?

ABA English is different from other ways to learn English. Each course comprises five parts: the film, the speaking, the lessons, the vocabulary, and the tests.

Each unit starts with a short film in which actors who speak English as their first language act out everyday situations. You will feel many other emotions when you watch a movie and be able to relate to the characters. With more than a thousand writing, English grammar, pronunciation, and vocabulary exercises, you will learn something you can use immediately.

Which of their business English classes are most rated?

ABA English levels

From Beginner to Advanced, the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages has created a list of English levels so that universities, businesses, and schools may better understand what to anticipate from each student or employee based on their level.

English conversation classes

You will find an entire video-based English learning course with six levels, from English for Beginners to Business. There are also live review tutorials where you can review everything you've learned and see if you're making progress.

ABA English's pricing, mode of study, and duration

Price: not for free, up to $30 per month (quarterly and yearly plans may cost less).

Support is available 24/7.

Certification: Premium users who finish all course exercises can get it.

On average, each level takes three months to complete.

Level: Beginner to advanced in English language (A1 to C1).

Pros of ABA English courses

• By learning through online platforms, you can connect to the forum wherever is most convenient.
• Online teaching platforms are made so you can use them from any internet-connected mobile device. This gives you more freedom with your schedule and lets you use your time in waiting rooms and on public transportation.

Cons of ABA English courses:

• There's no one to teach you. Even though you don't have a teacher in front of a blackboard, online English language courses have excellent tutors who help people learn on their platforms.
• They don't help you improve at speaking. Even if you don't have live conversation classes, you still have to practice your pronunciation in other ways.

Extra tips to help you succeed when taking online English courses

Consider the cost

You can find English lessons anywhere from free to $299 here. The typical price tag is $50. Numerous service providers now offer monthly payment plans to make their services more accessible to students.

Almost all of these options support auditing, which allows students to sit in on some or all of the lessons without paying anything. However, there is often a cost associated with achieving certification and gaining unlimited access to the material.

You should consider your budget before selecting a course provider. Consider a subscription service like FutureLearn if you want to take multiple courses simultaneously. It's possible to find similar courses offered by various vendors at varying per-course costs.

Be prepared with the necessary learning materials and resources.

These courses supply everything you need to get started, but if you want to study English even more, all you have to do is go online. Online video-sharing platform YouTube, for instance, offers a wealth of free videos. In addition, plenty of free apps are available for download, providing excellent listening and practice opportunities wherever you go.

What motivated you to enroll in a virtual class? Are you looking for an alternative to four-year universities? Do you feel like you're stuck in your current role and need to acquire new abilities? Are you looking to expand your mind or develop yourself?

With a clear goal of what you hope to achieve, you can select a distance learning school whose offerings are a good fit. Many, such as edX and Coursera, offer career development courses to equip students with the expertise they need to find work in their chosen fields. Some others, such as the Weaver School, cater to adults who never stop learning.

Have and follow your study schedule.

If you have long study sessions that last more than an hour, make sure to take short breaks to stretch, drink water, and give your mind a rest. This will keep your mind sharp and keep you from getting too busy.

Some students find it necessary to study with a partner because it holds them accountable and allows them to talk and work together. Check with other students to see if you can learn together while making your study plan. But if you like to speak more than study when you're with other people, stick to a plan for studying on your own. If you have a study partner, make sure it's someone who keeps you focused.

Find your ways to stay motivated.

It's not a secret that a sudden switch to online instruction could make many students worry about how well they will do in school. There are some challenges to learning from home. Still, USF Instructional Technology faculty members James Hatten, Ph.D., and Sanghoon Park, Ph.D., have some tips and strategies to help you switch to online learning.

"Online courses mean that you are learning separately from others," he says. "The feeling that you're isolated from your peers and even your instructors—that physical and emotional distance, causes many motivational issues."

Dr. Park tells people to first notice when they don't have much motivation and then figure out why. Here are a few of the things he tells students to do.

This communication happens when someone says how they plan to reach a specific goal. A common way to start a conversation with yourself is to ask, "What do I want to achieve by completing this task?"

Dr. Park says this way of thinking makes people say, "I don't have to do this, but I need to do it to reach my goals." Hence, you can set up a routine and stay productive in many ways to achieve your final goal, even though sometimes you feel like you need to do the task.

What are the benefits of taking online English courses?

The English language is spoken as a primary or secondary language by over 1.5 billion people. That is about 20% of the world's population. Therefore, your chances of needing English in your career, business, or studies are high.

Quite impressive. You can excel in those fields and benefit more from online English courses. The best part, you do not need to hinder any aspects of your life as these courses are super flexible. Other benefits include:

Study from anywhere.

Learning English on a digital platform differs from traditional schooling because you can study at your own pace and when convenient. When students learn online, they have more control over how fast they learn.

This can be a great chance because it gives you more time to work on the parts of the language that you find challenging. Remember that when you can learn on your own time, you must use your time well.

Our online English courses are a fast way to learn how to speak English. Whether a beginner or a more advanced learner, Weaver School's experts will help you move past the basics and become fluent in English.

Flexibility to study at your convenience.

Traditional classroom courses often have extra fees, such as fees to enroll, fees for materials, and fees to take tests, among others. There are also costs related to getting to and from school. Because of these costs, taking English classes in a real classroom can be much more expensive than taking them online.

Even though it can be helpful to take lessons in person, you may need help to do so. When you take online English classes, you can learn a new language in your own time and in the comfort of your home. This makes balancing work and family life easy with learning a new language.

Make new and exciting connections.

When did your student last talk to a classmate in Kenya, Poland, or Bolivia? One benefit of distance learning is the chance to connect with people worldwide. When students from different countries, ethnicities, and cultures get to know each other, the world enters the classroom.

An essential skill for the 21st century is communicating across borders and working with people from different backgrounds. Students can do the following things through international peer-to-peer exchanges:

• Find out what they have in common with people in other parts of the world.
• Learn to value what people from different places have in common and what makes them unique.
• Open their minds to the incredible variety of life on Earth.

Even though there are some problems with distance learning platforms, they still allow teachers to focus on diversity and intercultural exchange and open up new ways for people to connect with each other.

Digitally keep track of your progress.

With new devices and platforms and technological improvements, online learning gives you access to many different tools to help you learn. For example, you can use apps that help with pronunciation, translation, and speaking while you listen to a tutoring session. You can also quickly switch from your virtual classroom to Google to look up words or phrases you need to learn.

Learning English on a digital platform differs from traditional schooling because you can study at your own pace and when convenient. When students learn online, they have more control over how fast they learn. This can be a great chance because it gives you more time to work on the parts of the language that you find challenging. Remember that when you can learn on your own time, you must use your time well.

Let's take your English learning experience to a whole new level

There are a lot of online English classes from which you can choose. We've given you a list of the best choices based on what thousands of online English students have said about them. Now it's your turn. Taking an online English course could help you make significant changes in your life.

Start your English language learning journey by signing up for an online language course with us today.