Busuu is partly free: the free tier lets you start the French course, use many features and get your exercises corrected by other learners, with ads; the full A1 to B2 course needs Premium, which was €4.83 a month billed €57.99 a year (standard €116.28) and Premium Plus €5.83 a month billed €69.90 a year (standard €142.80) on busuu.com/products, shown from Germany on 9 October 2026.
Checked October 2026 · Busuu price: Free tier; Premium €4.83/mo billed €57.99/yr (standard €116.28); Premium Plus €5.83/mo billed €69.90/yr (standard €142.80) (checked 2026-10-09 (busuu.com/products, shown from Germany))
What the free tier gives you
The start of the Complete French course, vocabulary practice, and the community feature that sets Busuu apart: you write or record short answers and native French speakers using the app correct them. The free tier is limited in how much of the course you can do and shows ads, but it is one of the more usable free tiers among French course apps.
Ads were the most common complaint in the 500 most recent App Store reviews we read, but complaints were rare overall: only 38 of 500 were one or two stars, the fewest of the ten apps we checked. 12 of those were about ads.
What Premium adds
The whole Complete French course, more than 330 lessons from A1 to B2 labelled by CEFR level, without ads, with offline lessons, AI review tools and progress tracking by level. Premium Plus adds more on top of Premium; check the products page for the current list.
Premium was €4.83 a month billed €57.99 a year (standard €116.28) and Premium Plus €5.83 a month billed €69.90 a year (standard €142.80) on busuu.com/products, shown from Germany on 9 October 2026. The standard prices are about double the offer prices, and offers come and go, so check on the day you buy.
Is the free tier enough?
For trying the course and getting a few corrections from native speakers, yes. For working through A1 to B2, no; the free tier runs out early in each level. Busuu Premium is still one of the cheaper paid French courses: compare Babbel at €107.88 a year on its 12-month plan, and Duolingo, which is free throughout. See Babbel vs Busuu and Busuu vs Duolingo.
Free alternatives
Duolingo for a free daily course, Anki and Clozemaster for free vocabulary, and TV5MONDE for free listening from A1 to B2. Our free French learning apps page lists them all.
Who it's for
Beginners who want to try a CEFR-labelled French course for free, and learners who will pay a modest yearly price for the full A1 to B2 path.
Who it's not for
Anyone who wants a complete French course for nothing; the free tier is a generous trial, not the whole course. And anyone whose main goal is real-speed listening, which no course app trains.
How it compares
| App | Price | Levels | Real-speed French | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Busuu | Free tier; Premium €4.83/mo billed €57.99/yr (standard €116.28); Premium Plus €5.83/mo billed €69.90/yr (standard €142.80)checked 2026-10-09 (busuu.com/products, shown from Germany) | A1–B2 | No | A solid A1 to B2 path with a usable free tier. |
| Duolingo | Free; Super from $9.99/mo or $79.99/yrchecked 2026-10-06 (US App Store) | A1–B1 | No | The easiest free habit for week one; plan what comes after it. |
| 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. |
| Memrise | Free plan; Pro $61.99/yr or $329.99 lifetime; monthly plan $24.99checked 2026-10-09 (US App Store in-app purchases) | A1–B1 | Yes | Native-speaker clips for beginners; a supplement, not a course. |
| French with Amélie | Free weekly lesson; Premium $24/mo or $240/yr | B1–C1 | Yes, with a slow version and a transcript | Real-speed dialogues by email and a private podcast. Not an app. Visit |
Prices as shown on the official site on the date given; they vary by country and change often.
Questions
Is Busuu free for French?
Partly. The free tier lets you start the course, practise vocabulary and get community corrections, with ads. The full course needs Premium.
How much is Busuu Premium?
€57.99 a year (€4.83 a month) on the offer we saw from Germany on 9 October 2026, against a standard €116.28.
Is Busuu cheaper than Babbel?
On the offers we saw, yes: Busuu Premium €57.99 a year, Babbel €107.88 a year on its 12-month plan.
More on Busuu
The full listing: Busuu: price, levels and who it suits.