Best Spanish Online Courses: 40+ Options to Learn Spanish easily!

Not sure where to find the best Spanish courses online?

We’ve put together a list of some of the best apps, online courses, podcasts and Youtube channels out there designed for Spanish learners. Our top picks include Babbel for beginners, Baselang for intermediate learners and Dynamo for advanced learners.

In this list we've included a mixture of free and paid:

• Online courses
• Mobile apps 
• Website offering free courses and free resources 
• Podcasts 
• Youtube Videos

Best Spanish Courses For Beginners

1. Babbel: 3/5 – Desktop and Mobile App

Cost: $13.95/month

Babbel is one of the best online tools for learning a language from scratch. It is relatively inexpensive and very accessible. You can learn at home on your laptop or on-the-go with their phone app. It focuses on all the core elements of language learning such as writing, reading, listening and speaking. After your first lesson, where you learn key vocabulary, Babbel puts you to the test and gets you talking, which is something lots of language learners struggle with. Although Babbel can be a hit and miss with some languages, Spanish is one that they do very well.

2. Memrise: 3/5 – Desktop and Mobile App

Cost: Free or $8.99/month for Memrise Pro

Memrise teaches you Spanish in the form of flashcards, quizzes, games and interactive videos with native speakers. Created by a neuroscientist and a memory expert, Memrise uses a combination of tools that allow you to pick up Spanish in no time! Memrise is available on your desktop, but also as a mobile app. The free version is excellent and offers a lot of great lessons. However, with the paid version you can also download content to use offline which is a great asset when you're travelling. It would be difficult to learn a language fluently just using Memrise, however, it's a great course for beginners or those hoping to improve their vocabulary.

3. Rosetta Stone: Desktop and Mobile App

Cost: $11.99/month for a 3-month subscription

Rosetta Stone is very well known in the world of language learning. It has been on the market for three decades, so it's definitely doing something right. It aims to teach you your target language the same way a child would learn a new language: through immersion. There’s no teaching of grammar or explicit translation between your native language and your target language. You learn through vocabulary and intuition. Unfortunately, Rosetta Stone's way of teaching isn't for everyone. The most common complaints include that it lacks translations making it confusing, and the lack of grammar, which makes it difficult for newbies to create sentences. However, for beginners, it is an excellent course with a lot of content to memorise and learn.

4. NoComprendo: Website

Cost: Free

NoComprendo is an interactive textbook. It’s ехаctly like learning at school with a textbook, minus the teacher and you can do it from the comfort of your own home. You can only use NoComprendo on your browser, which means you’ll need a computer or laptop to access the software. There are clear lesson plans to follow, however, you can go rogue and only focus on the lessons you want to. It offers a lot of grammar and later tests you with helpful exercises. The website also offers a dictionary, as well as extra tools to help you learn, such as conjugation charts. 

5. Quizlet: Desktop and Mobile App

Cost: Free

Quizlet is a flashcard app that offers their resources in fun, quick and efficient memory-focused games. It’s very similar to Memrise in that it helps you to learn a language through repetition. There are a lot of customisable learning options; you are totally in control of the course, and you can even create your own content. This is great if you want to learn Spanish for a specific reason: for instance business Spanish, meaning you can skip all the holiday Spanish vocabulary. However, it's not great if you are overwhelmed and don't know where to start with your language learning.

6. Butterfly Spanish: Youtube

Cost: Free

Butterfly Spanish is a great Youtube channel that focuses on teaching Spanish to those who are too busy to learn a language or those who prefer shorter lessons with less content. Each video aims to teach you several words in order to hold a meaningful conversation. What is great is that the lessons are well-thought-out, and a lot of language nuances are explained for better context. While you can't have a personal interaction with your teacher, you do have a native speaker teaching you the language.

7. Lengalia: Online Course

Cost: $12/month for one year

Lengalia offers Spanish courses for beginners as well as advanced learners. You can take a placement test to decide which level suits you best. What's great about Lengalia is that you can choose to follow the strict program of 24 language courses (which include grammar, vocabulary, reading and listening practices), or you can personalise your course and decide what topics you want to study. There are even specialised courses such as Spanish for Business and Medical purposes. Another great thing about Lengalia is that you have access to Spanish tutors which you can reach via video call, chat or email. Unfortunately, the course is quite expensive and can cost up to $140 annually.

8. SpanishPod101: 4/5 – Podcast

Cost: From $4/month

SpanishPod101 is a great way to learn Spanish on the go. It's ideal for those commuting to work, doing chores around the house, or travelling. The lessons are consistent and well structured. They contain enough grammar to help you understand the language, but not enough for you to start despising the language learning process. They also discuss language nuances and cultural norms. What is great about SpanishPod101 is that they teach both Latin American Spanish, as well as European Spanish something that not all courses distinguish between. Another thing worth mentioning is that the lessons are fully downloadable: this includes the audio, video, script and other lesson material.

9. AIB Network: Youtube

Cost: Free

The AIB Network Youtube channel offers the “Spanish For Beginners” playlist which contains 22 videos and teaches you everything from the alphabet to necessary vocabulary for different situations. There is a lot of focus on mastering verbs, and the teacher even uses graphs and tables to help you. The AIB Network channel also offers other playlists when you're ready to move on like: “Hola! Adventures in Spanish” and more. Although this is a great free course, this Youtube channel raises some questions about whether it's qualified to teach Spanish. Aside from its Spanish playlists, it also offers exercises for seniors, arts and crafts and even astrology. That's not something we’ve come to expect from a Spanish course!

10. Rocket Spanish: 4/5 – Desktop and Mobile App

Cost:  Level 1 Spanish is $149.95 for lifetime access.

Rocket Spanish is one of the most popular courses out there for beginner learners, and it is definitely Rocket Languages' more popular course. The course is structured similarly to other popular language learning apps on the market. It teaches you Spanish through a combination of audio lessons, language and culture lessons, flashcards and fun activities like quizzes. It is available as a desktop version, or as a mobile app for on-the-go learning. Unfortunately, it is quite expensive and can get confusing with all the different packages they offer. Luckily, there is almost always some kind of discount available!

11. LingQ: 4/5 – Desktop and Mobile App

Cost: Free or $8.99/month for premium

LingQ (pronounced ‘Link!') is an online language learning ecosystem created by Steve Kaufman that primarily uses reading and audio lessons to teach French. At its core, LingQ provides assisted reading and listening exercises on a wide variety of topics. What holds it back in terms of clunkiness and strange features it makes up for with a robust lesson format and engaging content. Ideal for beginners and intermediate-level French learners, LingQ is a great resource to continue your journey towards actual fluency. 

12. Language Transfer: Audio Course

Cost: Free

Language Transfer is a great resource for learning how to speak a foreign language. Their Spanish course is one of their most popular courses too. Not only does this teach you a language, but it also teaches you about how language works, and how you can efficiently learn a language. The lessons are in audio form: there is a teacher and a student present engaging in a conversation. They provide a dialogue with a lot of explanations. It is a perfect course for those who never started learning a foreign language and are completely new to this journey.

13. MIT OpenCourseWare: Online Course

Cost: Free

That's right – you read it correctly, MIT offers free Spanish courses online. Their courses relate to language and culture, and some of them are even specialised including a course on Hispanic Literature. This is a great course if you are interested in Mexican culture, and Mexican Spanish. What else is great is that you can download the materials to your computer, and there are a lot of exercises for each lesson too. It's not the largest course or collection of materials, however, it's great for beginner learners. 

14. Synergy Spanish: Online course

Cost: From $67 for Synergy Light

Synergy Spanish is quite different compared to the courses we have recommended so far. This online course is catered for an older demographic. On the website, it specifically states that it's a course designed for those between “30 to 96 years of age”. Otherwise, Synergy is pretty much like any other language learning platform. It starts with teaching you limited vocabulary, basic sentences and then it gets you to start speaking straight away. It does not teach grammar rules. Instead, it chooses to focus on patterns and repetitions. It is definitely an outdated app – you can tell by the interface – however it doesn't mean that it can't be used by a younger audience too.

15. Duolingo: 3/5 – Desktop and Mobile App

Cost: Free

Duolingo is a very popular app that everyone has definitely heard of. It's super easy to use, and it's available on every app store and it even has a desktop version. Duolingo makes learning fun by encouraging users to play interactive games and activities. The key to Duolingo is to effectively memorise as much vocabulary as possible – so there's a lot of repetition. Duolingo doesn't teach grammar, however, clicking on a verb does show its conjugation chart in the given tense. It's a fun app but probably not enough to fully learn a language. 

16. Busuu: 4/5 -Mobile App

Cost: From $5.83/month

Busuu is a very similar app to the likes of Duolingo or Memrise. It is very close in quality, however, we have to admit that Busuu interface is much more appealing. Busuu also offers games and fun exercises to learn your target language. They don't necessarily teach grammar, however, they do cover it, especially notable issues within the language. The app also gets you to practice speaking as quickly as possible. Is it better or worse than Duolingo or Memrise? Probably not. However, if you want to venture out and learn more languages, it offers much less compared to Duolingo.

17. Mondly: 3/5 – Mobile App

Cost: Free or $9.99/month for Mondly Premium

Mondly consists of language lessons based on game-like activities. Each lesson is very quick and efficient. The goal of the app is to grow your vocabulary. There is no focus on grammar, which can be tricky when you're trying to understand some concepts of the language. What is great about this app is that it includes a chatbot to help you practice your conversations, and it also includes a whole feature for you to track your progress. Now, this is something we don't usually get to see – so this is very exciting!

18. Spanish Uncovered: 4/5 – Desktop

Cost: $297 for the full course

In our opinion, Spanish Uncovered is one of those courses that will take you from beginner to immediate in no time… as long as you're willing to put the work in. While the price is slightly steeper than you may want to pay, it is justified with its comprehensive materials and unique ‘StoryLearning Method'. This is a method whereby you immerse yourself in Spanish through books and stories, which allows you to learn vocabulary, grammar and cognates in context. If you're not sold yet, you can try out Spanish Uncovered absolutely at no cost to you for seven days!

Best Spanish Courses For Intermediate Speakers

19. Lupa: 4/5 – Audio Course

Cost: Free or from $8.95/month

Lupa is an extension of the popular podcast, Radio Ambulante, which has been around for more than ten years. The podcast features real-life stories from native speakers from across Latin America. Lupa takes these podcasts, adds an interactive transcript to them, and helps you to break down each sentence, word by word. Using the transcript you can repeat and rewind the audio, control playback speeds, create flashcards and hide certain words to make it even harder. It's a unique app that fills a void Spanish learning apps tend to overlook. It caters to the upper-intermediate and advanced learner that want to listen to native speakers talking at real speed, while still having a support system in place. 

20. Coffee Break Spanish: Podcast

Cost: Free

Coffee Break Spanish is a series of podcasts available on most podcast providers such as Spotify, Apple Podcasts App, iTunes, and more. It is designed to teach you Spanish in a short space of time, no longer than your average coffee break (15-20 min). Perfect for busy individuals, or perhaps those who prefer to learn in small intervals. It includes four seasons of the podcast, with each season containing 20 classes. This also includes corresponding notes with each class! There is also an online course you can buy to aid you with your strides produced by the same people who created Coffee Break Spanish. This is great if you enjoy listening to podcasts, but perhaps not ideal for visual learners.

If you're interested in discovering more Spanish podcasts, you'll find a handy list of our best Spanish podcasts here.

21. Udemy: Online Course Provider

Cost: Differs depending on the course

Udemy is an online platform that offers courses on just about anything. They are created and curated by individuals who are skilled in the areas that they are teaching. For language classes – this is perfect! There's native language speakers, or fluent speakers of Spanish producing courses for beginners, intermediate speakers and even for advanced speakers. We recommend this platform if you are an intermediate speaker, however, as you will be able to advance quicker and you can target specific areas of Spanish to increase your knowledge and to cater your learning to your needs. Udemy is available on your computer, as well as on a mobile device. They are well structured and include a lot of content.

22. Notes in Spanish: Podcast

Cost: Free (includes paid extra materials)

Notes In Spanish has hours of great content for Spanish language learners. The content is never-ending and the topics vary a lot too. One day you will be listening to Ben and Maria discuss literature and Harry Potter, and the next day they will be explaining their daily routine. Each episode is around 10 minutes long, so perfect for those who want to learn on the go or lead a busy lifestyle.

We decided to include this as an intermediate course because it would be quite hard for a total beginner to follow the podcast. In the beginning, they use some English, however, they do phase it out slowly so by episode 30 there is almost no English. The founders know that this might not be the best way to learn a language (as a podcast is quite limiting), however, they do offer extra paid resources that vary in price. Altogether, this makes for a great Spanish course!

23. Baselang: 4.5/5 – Online Course

Cost: $900 for the full course

Baselang offers both an online course, as well as an in-person course in Medellin, Spain. It provides two approaches to language learning: Grammerless and Real World. The ‘Grammerless’ method, as implied, does not teach any grammar. It relies more on repetition and learning new concepts. The Real World approach is more structured. You learn new concepts and then apply them in your learning.

The ‘Grammerless’ program is 80 weeks long (that makes it 5 days a week, four hours a day of intensive learning). The great thing about this program is that you work one-one with a teacher! Alternatively, the Real World program is self-paced, and you can change your instructors as often as you'd like. This course claims you will be conversational in Spanish within a month. We believe that with this structured and in-depth course, with a native language speaker by your side, you may be on the right course to fluency!

Perhaps one of the major downfall's of Baselang is its price: it's expensive. Saying that, you can trial a full week on Baselang for just $1, using this link!

24. Michel Thomas Method: 4/5 – Audio Course

Cost: One-off fee of $90

The Michel Thomas Method is an online audio-only course. You can purchase physical CD's too, but it's much easier to purchase the course on iTunes. This makes the course convenient, and ideal for commuters or those with a busy schedule. Who doesn't love to learn while vacuuming the house? The Micheal Thomas method is all about learning without grammar, without writing or reading, and without memorising. It does make you question whether this is a good method for learning a language. However, we think it is a great course for intermediate learners. It teaches you about using verbs without actually bringing up a conjugation chart, and it starts off by teaching you cognates (i.e words that are similar between Spanish and English). This makes you feel like you're advancing quickly from the start! 

25. Easy Spanish: Youtube

Cost: Free

Easy Spanish is a great Youtube channel consisting of improvised street conversations with Spanish speakers. Each video is on a different topic, however, the episodes are not scripted. You can learn real Spanish from real native speakers. This means you can learn to use Spanish slang: which will definitely help you stand out from other language learners! The channel is also perfect for learning about Spanish culture and traditions. There are two new videos posted every week, and the videos always include subtitles to help you follow the conversations. This is ideal for intermediate speakers who already have a grasp of the language. However, extra resources on the side would be beneficial to aid you with your learning.

26. Finally Learn Spanish – Beyond the Basics: Podcast

Cost: Free

This is a podcast for those who have previously studied Spanish – as the name suggests. There are 38 lessons, all of which include real-life scenario dialogues on a range of topics. Within the episodes, a lot of phrases and words are repeated to help you remember the content. Repetition here is key! You can download the podcast on iTunes, or you can use their mobile app to gain access to the podcast and to extra vocab sheets.

27. StudySpanish.com: 3/5 – Online Course

Cost: Free or $119 for premium access

StudySpanish.com is all about taking your knowledge of Spanish to the next level. They want to drill the information into your head through listening and speaking exercises. That's all that you will be doing in this course: listening and speaking. The course is available in physical form: you can purchase 15 CD's, or take part online. This is a great course for solidifying what you already know in Spanish and helping you gain more knowledge.

28. Destinos: Online Telenova Course

Cost: Free

Destinos is an old-school Spanish telenovela (or soap opera) that has been adjusted to help teach intermediate speakers of Spanish. This program is divided into 52 half-hour videos, which are also divided into two parts to make them easy to digest. It is a very immersive program as the students watch everyday situations acted out by native speakers. It introduces a lot of cultural aspects too, as well as different dialects and accents such as Mexican Spanish, Argentinian Spanish and Puerto Rican Spanish. Students are more likely to learn when they are watching an entertaining story!

29. Extr@: Audio-Visual course

Cost: Free

Extr@ is a Spanish educational series created for the upper beginner or intermediate learners. It was modelled on a lot of popular American sitcoms like Friends or Frasier. It's a super entertaining way to learn, and if you’re a young adult it's great since you can relate a lot to the characters. It's definitely quite cheesy – so it may not be for everyone. The downside is that it is quite limited with only 13 episodes. Definitely not enough to go up a level in Spanish, but it's an excellent and fun language aid.

Best Spanish Courses for Advanced Speakers

31. The Spanish Blog

Cost: Free

The Spanish Blog is a series of lessons created by Laura Eslava on her blog. Laura has created beginner and intermediate classes on Youtube before, so it's no wonder she has moved on to creating advanced Spanish courses. The Spanish Blog is quite heavy on grammar, but as an advanced speaker, grammar is crucial. You also learn about colloquial expressions, expressions with double meanings, English cognates and more. The lessons are short (2-5 minutes long) which means they are easy to fit into a busy day and you can re-play to them as much as you want. There are only 75 videos, however, which means the course is limited. 

32. Light Speed Spanish: Online Course

Cost: Free

 Light Speed Spanish teaches you based on a casual interaction between two people: a teacher and a student. The conversations are fully in Spanish, and zero English is used. The lessons primarily focus on using grammar correctly, as well as focusing on a lot of varied topics like medicine, politics and more. However, despite the topics being advanced, the feel of Light Speed Spanish is very relaxed and enjoyable. It doesn't feel like a language class that's for sure!

33. La Casa Rojas: Podcast

Cost: Free

La Casa Rojas is a great course for advanced Spanish learners. The average podcast length is around 15-20 min, which is the perfect length to get immersed in the language, but not tire yourself out too much. The topics are super interesting and unique. Forget about talking about regular topics like food, or music (though these are also included). This podcast discusses more precise topics like ‘living in the moment' and ‘things in life that make us smile'’. You are sure to learn a wide range of interesting vocabulary with this course!

34. Dynamo Spanish: Online Course

Cost: $30/hour

Dynamo Spanish offers courses for those that have an extensive skill level in Spanish, and have been learning Spanish for several years. It uses the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) to determine the content of the courses. This means that their course corresponds to the CEFR C1 and C2 certificate. With Dynamo Spanish you will always be working with a teacher by your side, and always a native speaker. What's great about Dynamo Spanish is that they offer a trial class completely free – so you can decide if you are in fact ready for advanced Spanish or not. They also offer a placement test.

35. Lingus TV: Audio-Visual Course

Cost: Free

Lingus TV is a great video service providing advanced videos on different topics surrounding the Spanish culture. As an example, the first episode is about Spanish vines and you learn appropriate vocabulary and phrases to be able to discuss wine in real life. What is great is that each video comes with a dialogue transcript, a translation and notes. For a free course, it actually provides a lot of materials which are great for students. There is a limited amount of videos, so perhaps this wouldn't be enough to help you advance a level in Spanish, but it certainly is a great tool.

36. The Mimic Method: Online Course

Cost: $197 for lifetime access

The Mimic Method is a course that focuses primarily on pronunciation. The program is great for advanced students who still struggle with pronouncing Spanish words and want to improve. It will definitely help you to sound like a native! It's a 6 hour course (20-40 min per video) that is easy to navigate through and easy to use. It only teaches you the sound of the language and how to create each individual sound. Each lesson comes with two videos, a homework assignment, audio drills and a Q&A video. Additionally, you have access to a phoneme index, sound checklist and more. It's a very comprehensive course for really getting the hang of the pronunciation of Spanish!

Best Spanish Courses for Kids

37. Berlitz: Online Course

Cost: Available on request

Berlitz Language courses are known all around the world. They offer high-quality language learning and excellent teachers. With Berlitz Kids you will be able to give your child a great language education from the comfort of your own home. The lessons can be 1-1 with an experienced Berlitz tutor, or in small or large groups (classroom-style learning). You can customise your learning plans to meet your child's specific goals and needs too. For younger students, there is also Berlitz Play which offers activities and exercises that are more interactive.

38. Rockalingua: Online Course

Cost: From $10/month

 Rockalingua offers “music based Spanish language learning” that is aimed at younger children. The online course offers access to videos, games, songs, worksheets and even a vocabulary list. Like many language learning programs, it heavily emphasises the importance of repetition. There is also a picture dictionary available for the kids that  have already learnt how to read. The graphics are very fun and welcoming, making learning easy for little ones.

39. PBS Kids Spanish: Website

Cost: Free

PBS Kids Spanish has a great library of materials that young kids will love for sure. During the course children can interact with their favourite book characters like the Cat in the Hat and Curious George. With these characters they engage in fun games and activities to help them practice key skills…but in Spanish! The games are very immersive and some of them offer little to no English. 

40. Kids Club Spanish School: Website

Cost: Classes start from $18 

 Kids Club Spanish offers affordable options with live private teachers. The classes allow the student to sit down with a teacher and learn Spanish with an interactive program. This program makes learning fun, so your child won't feel like they are learning a language. There is a free trial class available, and you can purchase packages that make the classes cheaper in the long run.

41. Panda Tree: Online Courses

Cost: Five classes for $110

Panda Tree offers a fun program for kids as young as two years old! Similarly to Kids Club Spanish, it also provides a personal teacher for you, as well as fun interactive software for the child to use. Additionally, the children have access to a small library of extra materials like songs and activities to help them practice Spanish outside of the lessons. Panda Tree is also a colourful and engaging program, perhaps for young minds! 

42. Plaza Sesamo: Website

Cost: Free

Plaza Sesamo is a great platform to help young kids learn Spanish. Everyone is familiar with the famous program ‘Sesame Street', so Plaza Sesamo will bring back a lot of wonderful memories. The website offers a lot of amazing audio and video resources, games, stories, songs and even printable activities. Everything is available only in Spanish. Although the activities are OK for young kids, they will need a parent's help with some of them as they require reading ability. It doesn't actually teach Spanish, however this immersive and fun experience will help young kids absorb the language quickly. 

Our Final Thoughts

That's it for all the best online Spanish courses! Whichever course you pick, make sure it is the ideal course for your language learning journey to ensure that you will get the most out of it. We recommend supplementing each course with several resources to ensure you get an all-round learning experience. 

Happy learning!