Last updated: August 2026. Written by Josh Hutcheson, OnlineCourseing editor. Lingoda prices re-verified on the live site on 4 August 2026.
QUICK VERDICT
Bottom line: 4.1/5. Lingoda French is one of the best-value ways to learn French with live teachers: 60-minute classes with 3–5 students and certified native-level instructors, on a CEFR curriculum, from $5.99–$7.99 a class. The honest caveat: the French track stops at B2 — advanced learners will outgrow it — and teacher rotation means quality varies class to class.
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What is Lingoda French?
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Lingoda is a Berlin-based online language school (founded 2012) that teaches French through live video classes rather than app drills. Its French track runs from A1 – B2 on the CEFR scale, with roughly 2,500 certified teachers across the platform running about a million classes a year. You attend scheduled 60-minute sessions — small groups of 3–5, or private one-on-ones — and work through a fixed curriculum with downloadable materials for every lesson. For the platform-wide picture (billing mechanics, certificates, what students say), see our full Lingoda review; this page is about the French program specifically.
How the French classes work
You subscribe to a 4-week plan of 5, 12, 20 or 40 class credits and book classes from a calendar that runs 24/7 — teachers sit in time zones around the world, so early-morning and late-night French classes genuinely exist. Each class covers one curriculum lesson (grammar, conversation, vocabulary in context), and you can follow the sequence in order or jump to what you need. A level takes about 50 classes; between sessions the platform adds self-study exercises, quizzes and a mobile app.
Classes are capped at five students, which matters more in French than in a lecture format: you will speak, be corrected, and answer follow-ups in every session. Book popular slots about a week ahead, and remember the 3-day cancellation window — inside it, a booked credit is spent whether you attend or not.
French levels: A1 – B2 — and the ceiling
Lingoda’s French curriculum covers A1 (absolute beginner) through B2 (upper-intermediate) — four full CEFR levels, each around 50 classes. That range comfortably serves the “I did Duolingo for a year and still can’t hold a conversation” learner all the way to confident professional conversation. What it does not offer is C1: unlike German and English, the French track has no advanced level, so if you’re preparing for C1-level study or DALF, plan to graduate to a private tutor after B2. Within its range, the curriculum is the selling point — every class maps to a defined competency, which is exactly what app-hopping never gave you.
| Level | What you can do when you finish it |
|---|---|
| A1 | Introduce yourself, order, ask directions — survival French in the present tense |
| A2 | Handle routine exchanges: shopping, small talk, simple past and future |
| B1 | Hold real conversations, tell stories, manage travel and everyday work situations |
| B2 | Argue a point, follow native-speed discussion, operate professionally — the fluency threshold most learners are actually chasing |
Each level is roughly 50 classes. At three classes a week that’s about four months per level; a class a day compresses it to just over seven weeks. Lingoda lets you take a placement test and start mid-track, and you can repeat individual lessons freely — useful, because skipping a shaky A2 grammar block is how B1 becomes miserable.
What a class is actually like
You join a video room with the teacher and up to four other students — usually a mix of time zones and first languages, which quietly forces everyone to use French as the common tongue. The teacher works through the lesson’s slide deck: a concept, guided exercises, then rounds of speaking where every student answers and gets corrected. Expect to talk within the first five minutes and roughly every five minutes after; with only 3–5 students there is no back row. Materials are downloadable beforehand, and the learners who skim them the night before consistently report getting twice the value from the hour.
What learners say about Lingoda French
Lingoda holds a 4.3/5 on Trustpilot across roughly 5,800 reviews (July 2026), and the French-specific feedback tracks the platform-wide pattern. The praise: patient teachers, the jump in speaking confidence after a few weeks of small-group practice, and the curriculum finally providing the through-line that apps never did. The recurring complaints have little to do with the teaching — they cluster on the trial’s day-8 auto-charge, the strictness of Sprint attendance rules, and occasionally on thin evening availability for popular French time slots. In other words: the product convinces; the billing mechanics annoy.
Lingoda French pricing (verified August 2026)
| Classes per 4 weeks | Current price | List price | Per class |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | $39.99 | — | $7.99 |
| 12 | $85.99 | $6.99 | |
| 20 | $143.99 | $6.99 | |
| 40 | $242.99 | $5.99 |
Plans renew every 4 weeks and unused credits roll over while you subscribe. Lingoda charges the same group rates for every language — we re-checked French against English on 4 August 2026 and the group tables matched to the cent. Private classes are the exception, and most reviews get this wrong: French privates run $209.99–$871.99 per cycle ($21.99–$41.99 a class), which is not what English privates cost, so don’t assume parity there. Promo discounts (5–15% off list) rotate near-continuously, but Lingoda cut that depth from the 10–40% it ran through July, so every plan above costs more than it did a month ago. Full plan-by-plan math and the annualized cost live in our Lingoda cost breakdown.
The French Sprint
Lingoda’s famous cashback challenge runs for French: attend 15 (Sprint) or 30 (Super Sprint) classes a month for two months without a single miss and get up to 50% back — note the current terms, since the old 100% offer ended in 2023, and only first-time Lingoda customers qualify. Rules, realistic success rates and alumni tips are in our full Lingoda Sprint review.
Pros
- $5.99–$7.99 per live group class — the lowest per-hour price for certified teaching we’ve reviewed
- Real CEFR curriculum with a certificate per completed level — structure apps don’t provide
- Certified, native-level teachers with a high quality floor
- 24/7 scheduling fits shift work and odd hours
- 3–5-student classes force actual speaking every session
- 7-day free trial (up to 3 group classes) + 14-day money-back guarantee
Cons
- The French track ends at B2 — no advanced/C-level continuation
- Rotating teachers: most are good, some excellent, occasionally one reads the slides
- Trial auto-charges on day 8; billing mechanics punish the forgetful
- Certificates confirm attendance, not an examined result
- Popular evening slots need booking about a week ahead
Who should take Lingoda French — and who shouldn’t
A clear yes if you’re A1–B1, apps haven’t gotten you speaking, and scheduled, paid-for classes are what makes you show up. Look elsewhere if you’re already at or beyond B2 (a marketplace tutor extends further — see italki), you want exam-specific coaching with one mentor, or you can’t track billing dates.
The certificate: what it is and is not
Finish a level and Lingoda issues a CEFR-aligned certificate stating you completed it. Be clear-eyed about what that document is: proof of sustained, structured study — not an examined credential. It attests attendance and course completion, with no proctored test behind it, so official bodies that require certified French proficiency will still send you to the recognized exams. Where it genuinely helps: employers and universities that want evidence of level without a formal exam requirement, visa files that accept course certificates, and — underrated — your own motivation, since a dated certificate per level turns an open-ended slog into a sequence of finish lines. If you need the official credential, use Lingoda to reach the level, then book the exam.
Five ways to get more out of it
- Preview every lesson’s materials the night before — the hour of class becomes practice instead of first exposure.
- Book a week ahead and vary your teachers deliberately — different accents and correction styles are a feature; use the rotation instead of resenting it.
- Follow the curriculum in order through B1 — cherry-picking topics is how grammar gaps compound; jump around only once conversation carries itself.
- Pair classes with 15 minutes of daily app or flashcard work — classes teach; spaced repetition makes it stick between them.
- Size the plan to your real week, then use the pause feature for holidays — idle credits on an oversized plan are the most expensive mistake on the platform.
The fine print
| Policy | Detail |
|---|---|
| Trial auto-charge | Card charged automatically on day 8 of the 7-day trial. Cancel before day 7 ends. |
| Class cancellation | Cancel a booked class ≥3 days ahead to keep the credit; inside 3 days it’s spent. |
| Money-back guarantee | 14 days on new subscriptions, minus classes already taken. |
| Credit lockout | Unused credits become inaccessible if your subscription lapses (restored on resubscribe). |
Lingoda French vs the alternatives
For French with one consistent tutor, Preply and italki both have deep French tutor pools at ~$10–$30/lesson — better past B2 or for exam prep (DELF/DALF). For audio-first self-study, Pimsleur French builds pronunciation but gives no feedback. Apps like Babbel are cheaper but nobody corrects you. Lingoda’s lane is the middle: real teaching, group prices, fixed curriculum — see Lingoda vs italki for the head-to-head.
Is Lingoda French worth it?
Yes — 4.1/5 — for structured learners up to B2. Nothing in our French-learning coverage matches live certified teaching on a real curriculum at this group-class price. The deductions are the level ceiling and the rotation lottery. Use the free trial to sample three different teachers — and put the day-7 cancellation deadline in your calendar before your first class.
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Frequently asked questions
Is Lingoda good for learning French?
Yes, for beginner through upper-intermediate learners. You get live 60-minute classes with certified native-level teachers in groups of 3-5, on a CEFR-aligned curriculum from A1 – B2, at $5.99-$7.99 per class on August 2026 group pricing.
How much does Lingoda French cost?
Group plans run $39.99 (5 classes) to $242.99 (40 classes) per 4 weeks at August 2026 promotional pricing, working out to $5.99-$7.99 per class – the same group rates Lingoda charges for every language. Private French classes run $21.99-$41.99 each; unlike group plans, private rates do vary by language.
Does Lingoda French offer a certificate?
Yes – a CEFR-aligned certificate for each level you complete (A1 – B2). It documents attendance and course completion rather than a proctored exam result, so treat it as evidence of structured study, not an official credential.
Is Lingoda French good for DELF preparation?
Indirectly. The B1/B2 curriculum builds the competencies DELF tests, but Lingoda classes are not exam-prep coaching – there are no mock exams or examiner strategies. Many learners do Lingoda for the level, then a few private tutor sessions for exam technique.
Does Lingoda teach French to C1?
No. The French track ends at B2. Only German and English go to C1 on Lingoda. Past B2, a marketplace tutor on italki or Preply is the practical continuation.