Opened in 2007, Alison is considered by most to be the first MOOC. They have a whole section dedicated to learning English<\/a>.<\/p>\n They\u2019re one of the best MOOCs for starting your English studies from the very beginning, as they have courses for each level, from beginner to advanced.\u00a0<\/p>\n The website has over 4,000 total courses and 192 language courses. Its goal is to help learners improve their existing skills, switch careers, or pursue hobbies they\u2019re passionate about, all for free.<\/p>\n After you complete a course, you are given either a diploma or certificate depending on the length of the course.<\/p>\n Some courses I suggest are English for Business and Entrepreneurship<\/a>, for those who need to use English with clients, and Fundamentals of English Grammar<\/a>, for a basic grammar review.\u00a0<\/p>\n Summary: Learn British English from expert teachers and by socializing with your classmates<\/strong><\/p>\n The courses offered come from 40 places all across the world, including some top British institutions like the British Council<\/a> and the British Museum<\/a>.<\/p>\n FutureLearn has no partners in the United States, so if you\u2019re looking for American English, you might want to try a different website!<\/p>\n FutureLearn works like many MOOCs\u2014lessons are given every week for a certain number of weeks. You can learn along with the class, which is highly encouraged (so you can talk to other students). But if the class doesn\u2019t fit into your schedule, you can take it at your own pace.<\/p>\n FutureLearn has different membership levels, including a free option, course upgrade options and a subscription option for unlimited access.\u00a0<\/p>\n A course I recommend is Exploring English: Language and Culture<\/a>. With this course, you can learn about British culture as you improve your English.<\/p>\n Summary: A variety of college-level courses taught by real professors<\/strong><\/p>\n edX is one of the biggest MOOC websites out there. It was created by Harvard and MIT, two very famous, elite universities in the United States.<\/p>\n You can find a lot of college-level courses here, created and taught by professors from top universities.\u00a0<\/p>\n You can even do courses that will count toward the completion of your degree on edX, through Arizona State University. It\u2019s not free, but it\u2019s cheaper than being in an actual college.<\/p>\n Some of the courses have certificates you can get for completing them. Most of these cost some money, so make sure you check the details before you sign up!<\/p>\n A course I\u2019d recommend taking is Academic and Business Writing<\/a> for those who want to improve their writing for university or work.<\/p>\n Summary: A wide variety of either free or affordable video courses\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n There are tens of thousands of courses, and even though not all of them are from well-known universities, they have some great ones to choose from.<\/p>\n Not all the courses on Udemy are free, but there\u2019s a good number of free ones. Even the courses that aren’t free can be pretty affordable.<\/p>\n Udemy uses video lectures, written materials and quizzes to help you learn. You can watch a video or read a lesson, then test yourself to make sure you understand. You can also go as fast or as slow as you want!<\/p>\n A great course to take is English Grammar Pro | Beginner to Advanced (A1 to C1) Grammar<\/a>, which covers a wide range of grammar topics, as well as pronunciation and conversation skills.<\/p>\n Summary: A wide variety of self-paced and university courses, particularly good for advanced learners<\/strong><\/p>\n Coursera has a huge number of partners, institutions and universities offering courses. You can complete courses as they take place, or just look over the material when they\u2019re over.<\/p>\n Each course has instructional videos, followed by quizzes and exercises you can take to make sure you understood the materials.<\/p>\n There are a few peer-rated (graded by your fellow students) assignments, so it\u2019s a good place to exchange information with other students who are learning just like you.<\/p>\n Some of my course suggestions are Essentials for English Speeches and Presentations<\/a>, which is a course specifically aimed at Chinese learners of English and will teach you English public speaking skills.<\/p>\n Another one is English Composition I<\/a>, taught by Duke University, which teaches college-level writing.<\/p>\n Summary: Courses about science and tech topics, taught in English for advanced learners<\/strong><\/p>\n If you\u2019re an upper-intermediate or advanced learner of English and want to practice the language while learning something else in English, you\u2019re going to love Udacity.<\/p>\n Udacity offers comprehensive career development programs in the fields of tech and science. You’ll feel like a real native speaker of English while you take courses on computer science, AI, coding and more, all of them completely in English!<\/p>\n If you want to take a full program<\/a> and get a certificate, the courses can be quite pricey (but worth it, if you need one!). There are also many (300+) free classes<\/a> to get you started!<\/p>\n A course I would suggest is Refresh Your Resume<\/a>, which will help you have the best English resume in town.<\/p>\n Another one is Introduction to Artificial Intelligence<\/a>. From machine learning to robotics, after you finish this course you\u2019ll be one step closer to calling yourself The King\/Queen of AI.<\/p>\n Summary: Take courses on your own time for free or paid courses for college credit<\/strong><\/p>\n Another advanced-level option, Saylor offers courses for free. This website is a non-profit, meaning it doesn\u2019t make any money from teaching online courses.<\/p>\n Here you can take courses online that will count towards your American university degree. Many universities around the world have this, but in the U.S., you collect college credits during your studies, and you need a certain number of them to graduate with a degree.<\/p>\n There is a small $5 fee if you\u2019d like to take exams to get the college credits, but otherwise the courses are free. Even if you don\u2019t need the credits, it\u2019s still a great option! There are no start dates here\u2014all courses can be taken at any time.\u00a0<\/p>\n For those planning to study in English at university, the course Pre-college English<\/a> prepares you for college-level writing.<\/p>\n Summary: Quick, focused English courses that include subtitles<\/strong><\/p>\n You will see courses offered by British universities, the BBC and even the British Council. Most of the courses offered are self-paced.\u00a0<\/p>\n The main difference is that most of the courses here take from one to 30 hours, so they\u2019re short and to the point. It\u2019s the perfect solution for learners of English who don\u2019t have a lot of free time but want to improve their resume or CV fast.<\/p>\n My MOOC focuses on speaking and writing, but everyone can find a course that adapts to their needs. The best part? Most of the courses include subtitles!<\/p>\n One course you should be taking is English pronunciation in a global world<\/a>. In this course, you\u2019ll learn everything about English pronunciation and the differences between global English accents.\u00a0<\/p>\n If you\u2019re looking for structured English lessons that you can take on a flexible schedule, you\u2019re in luck, because there are lots of free and mostly-free resources like this.<\/p>\n Some of these websites offer full courses you can complete on your own. Others are collections of lessons you can pick and choose to suit your needs. If you\u2019re a self-directed person who prefers to march to the beat of your own drum, one of these might be for you.<\/p>\n Different resources offer lessons in a variety of formats, including video and text-based, so you\u2019re sure to find something that fits your learning style.<\/p>\n Summary: Video lessons for all learner levels, taught by experienced English teachers<\/strong><\/p>\n Perfectly Spoken features over 500 video lessons, all taught by experienced English teachers. It\u2019s a great place to start your online English learning journey!<\/p>\n Each course is separated by learner level, and you can find out which course is best for you with a free English test. The best thing is that you can attend live classes, get actual speaking practice and even join a writing club.<\/p>\n There are two learner plans: student and pro. You need to pay for both plans, but the costs begin at around $8.25 a month which is completely worth it for the quality of material you get.\u00a0<\/p>\n As a bonus for learners, Perfectly Spoken also provides extra learning materials and practice tests. Once you complete a course, you can even get a fancy certificate of completion!<\/p>\n Check out their courses by level<\/a> or specialty courses, such as English for Job Applications and Interviews<\/a>, to prepare for your English-speaking job.<\/p>\n Summary: Detailed lessons covering a wide variety of skills, with new lessons uploaded frequently<\/strong><\/p>\n Oxford Online English has many free lessons that teach different English skills.<\/p>\n They cover many different topics and are surprisingly quite detailed. There are even lessons that focus on Business English and IELTS preparation. Free lessons are uploaded weekly, so you can keep looking forward to new content!<\/p>\n Besides free lessons, Oxford Online English also offers personal paid lessons<\/a> with teachers on programs like Skype, Google Hangouts or whatever else works for you. Your teacher can also give you feedback and tell you what you can improve on.<\/p>\n To further practice your speaking, the section Free Spoken English Lessons<\/a> has several free video lessons about various topics such as describing people, shopping and telling a story in English.\u00a0<\/p>\n Summary: Mostly text-based material on a variety of themes<\/strong><\/p>\n Leo Network is a relatively simple mostly text-based website, but it\u2019s packed with learning material and focuses entirely on English!<\/p>\n Most of it is not actual course material, but divided into different themes, such as grammar, vocabulary, basics, pronunciation and even tests and quizzes.<\/p>\n There are several guides, such as the\u00a0guides to spelling<\/a>\u00a0(the correct way to write a word),\u00a0capitalization<\/a>\u00a0(when to write in uppercase letters) and\u00a0punctuation<\/a>\u00a0(the use of symbols to separate words and sentences) to become a master of English writing.<\/p>\n If you want something with a clear beginning and end, there are about 60 lessons<\/a> from beginner to intermediate available.\u00a0<\/p>\n You can also become a member of the English forums and Discord server so you can practice speaking with other English learners like yourself!<\/p>\n Summary: Video-based lessons and multimedia flashcards with material that adapts to your learning<\/strong><\/p>\n \r\nFluentU lets you turn authentic media into personalized language lessons, so you can learn English exactly the way native speakers use it.<\/a><\/strong>\r\n<\/p>\r\n \r\n\tWith FluentU\u2019s Chrome extension, you can use our interactive learning tools with any subtitled content on YouTube or Netflix<\/strong>. You can even import your favorite YouTube videos directly into your FluentU account for customized learning!<\/p> \r\n\t \r\nFluentU also gives you access to a huge library of real-world English videos<\/strong>\u2014movie trailers, news clips, music videos, and more\u2014all organized by topic and level.\r\n<\/p> \r\n \r\nNo more stopping to look up words or struggling to keep up with fast speech. While you watch, FluentU\u2019s interactive captions<\/strong> let you tap on any word for an instant definition, audio, image, and example sentences.\r\n<\/p>\r\n \r\n \r\nWorried you\u2019ll forget all those new words from the videos? We\u2019ve got you! Our fun, adaptive quizzes<\/strong> reinforce what you\u2019ve learned and even give you extra practice with words you find difficult, making sure they stick for the long run.\r\n<\/p>\r\n \r\n\t \r\nReady to make every video a language lesson? Start using FluentU on your computer or tablet, or download the FluentU app from the App Store or Google Play. Click here to take advantage of our current sale!<\/a>\r\n<\/p>\n Summary: Mix of professional courses and free courses open to anyone<\/strong><\/p>\n Here, anyone can take or create a course. You might not find as many college professors, but you\u2019ll find experts who want to share their skills.<\/p>\n Open Learning does work with a number of universities, so you can find a good mix of both professional and more casual courses. Not all the courses on Open Learning are free, but there are some that are free and open to anyone.<\/p>\n There are also not as many language courses, but if you\u2019d like to take specialized courses taught in English, then this is a good option for you.\u00a0<\/p>\n A course you should be taking is Using Sentence Connectors<\/a>, where you can learn English writing and grammar at a pre-college level of English.<\/p>\n Summary: Courses for any level that include lots of resources and cultural information<\/strong><\/p>\n ESOL means English for Speakers of Other Languages, so this site is perfect for you. The main difference with this website is that the material is not presented in a video format.\u00a0<\/p>\n ESOL Courses offer a lot of free online English courses for learners at any level (beginner, elementary, pre-intermediate, intermediate and advanced).<\/p>\n You can choose from a lot of resources to practice the skill you want, from listening to English for work to reading and writing. There are also sections called \u201cLife in the UK\u201d and \u201cLife in the USA\u201d for information about culture, travel and more.\u00a0<\/p>\n As a bonus, all this information is presented through hundreds of exercises in which you can practice your English.<\/p>\n I recommend trying out their intermediate reading exercises and activities<\/a> to improve your vocabulary. They include pictures and videos, and they tell you which words you need to remember.<\/p>\n Summary: Video lessons and activities for beginner and intermediate learners<\/strong><\/p>\n There are three main courses and their difficulties range from beginner to intermediate levels. Lessons are taught with videos and activities that improve different English skills, from vocabulary to speaking.<\/p>\n USA Learns also has content that teaches you what daily life is like in the United States! This adds a nice flavor to your English learning.<\/p>\n An excellent course to take is 1st English Course<\/a>, which offers 20-units that teach you the basics of the language, using a variety of lesson topics and all kinds of fun activities.<\/p>\n Another one is Practice English and Reading<\/a>, which is an intermediate-level course that focuses on improving written English skills with stories<\/p>\n Summary: Video lessons and text materials for intermediate learners<\/strong><\/p>\n The course levels go from \u201cintermediate\u201d to \u201ctowards advanced.\u201d You\u2019ll never get bored, as there are different formats for the lessons. Every level is composed of 30 units, which are in turn split into five sessions each.<\/p>\n First, choose a category from the upper menu and choose your level, which will bring you to the list of lessons. Then, I recommend clicking on the Vocabulary Reference of every unit and copying down the words and their explanations in your notebook. This tried-and-true method will help you build your vocabulary by creating your own dictionary.<\/p>\n If you like your free English lessons to have a funny twist, then the\u00a0Grammar Gameshow<\/a>,\u00a0Experiment<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Shakespeare Speaks<\/a> categories are all great options for you.<\/p>\n Click here to read our full review<\/a>.<\/p>\n Summary: Video and written lessons by experienced teachers<\/strong><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/alison-logo-150x150.png\"){kind=logo}
<\/a>Summary: Well-established site with free online courses and certificates<\/strong><\/p>\n2. Best for British English: FutureLearn<\/a><\/h3>\n
![\"FutureLearn](\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/site\/\/4\/online-english-courses-1.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n3. Best for Courses from Big Universities: edX<\/a><\/h3>\n
![\"edX](\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/site\/\/4\/online-english-courses2.png\")
<\/p>\n4. Best for Variety of Courses: Udemy<\/a><\/h3>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/site\/\/6\/udemy-logo-1-150x150.png\"){kind=logo}
<\/a>Udemy wants to teach everything and is one of the biggest MOOCs out there.\u00a0<\/p>\n5. Best for Advanced Learners: Coursera<\/a><\/h3>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/coursera-logo-150x150.png\"){kind=logo}
<\/a>Recommended for advanced learners, Coursera is another MOOC that lets you learn at your own pace (as fast or as slow as you want).<\/p>\n6. Best for Tech and Science: Udacity<\/a><\/h3>\n
![\"Udacity](\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/site\/\/4\/online-english-courses-4.png\")
<\/a><\/p>\n7. Best for College Credits: Saylor<\/a><\/h3>\n
![\"Saylor](\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/site\/\/4\/online-english-courses5.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n8. Best for Short Courses: My MOOC<\/a><\/h3>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/My-Mooc-150x150.png\")
<\/a>My MOOC is more like a portal to other bigger MOOCs, and covers a wide range of subjects. The majority of English courses<\/a> here focus on British English.<\/p>\nFlexibility: Self-study Lessons and Courses<\/h2>\n
9. Best for Live English Classes: Perfectly Spoken<\/a><\/h3>\n
![\"Perfectly](\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/site\/\/4\/online-english-courses-e1621742858268.png\")
<\/a><\/p>\n10. Best for One-to-one Classes: Oxford Online English<\/a><\/h3>\n
![\"Oxford](\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/b260f863-2a2d-4d07-bb40-347435f32f14_mq.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n11. Best for Grammar Guides: Leo Network<\/a><\/h3>\n
![\"LEO](\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/site\/\/4\/free-english-lesson.png\")
<\/a><\/p>\n12. Best for Authentic Content: FluentU<\/a><\/h3>\n
![\"FluentU](\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/iTunesArtwork@1x.png\")
<\/a><\/div>\n![\"learn-english-with-fluentu-chrome-extension\"](\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/FluentU-English-Netflix-Subtitles.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\r\n![\"learn-english-with-videos\"](\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/site\/\/4\/English-5.png\")
<\/a><\/p>\r\n![\"learn-english-with-fluentu\"](\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/FluentU-English-vocab-viral-on-app.jpg\")
<\/a>\r\n<\/p>\r\n![\"learn-english-with-adaptive-quizzes\"](\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/FluentU-English-vocab-quiz-web.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\r\n13. Best for Specialized Topics: Open Learning<\/a><\/h3>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/OpenLearning-150x150.png\")
<\/a>You\u2019ll find a very friendly environment at Open Learning.<\/p>\n14. Best for Text-based Courses: ESOL Courses<\/a><\/h3>\n
![\"ESOL](\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/site\/\/4\/online-english-courses-2.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n15. Best for American English: USA Learns<\/a><\/h3>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/USA-Learn-150x150.png\")
<\/a>USA Learns is a website that hosts free English lessons, all of which you can access after you register an account.<\/p>\n16. Best for Variety of Formats: BBC Learning English<\/a><\/h3>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/BBC-Learning-English-150x150.png\")
<\/a>This resource offers lessons that can be taken either on their own or as part of a full-length course.<\/p>\n17. Best for Number of Lessons: engVid<\/a><\/h3>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/engVid-150x150.jpg\")
<\/a>engVid\u2019s free English lessons are usually classroom-like videos where teachers explain concepts on a whiteboard, with a quiz to test your understanding and a\u00a0chat box to ask the teachers questions.<\/p>\n