Pimsleur is a paid French 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 French | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pimsleur | See site; free first lesson | A1–B1 | No | Best for speaking from day one on a commute; thin on vocabulary. |
| Babbel | See site; first lesson free | A1–C1 | No | The most course-like app; a good spine for A1 to B1, light on real listening. |
| Glossika | See site; 7-day free trial | A1–C1 | No | High-volume listen-and-repeat sentence training; best beside a course. |
| Coffee Break French | Free podcast; Academy courses: see site | A1–B2 | No | A friendly free podcast course explained in English; slow by design. |
| French with AmélieRuns this site | 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 |
