25 Best Online Portuguese Classes (2024)
By J Maver
January 10, 2024 • Fact checked by Dumb Little Man
If you’re looking for a new language to learn, the Portuguese language might be the right choice. The beauty of this language is that it’s easy to pronounce and understand, so even beginners can start learning with ease. There are plenty of online courses available, making it easier than ever to find your perfect fit. From basic vocabulary lessons to more complex grammar tutorials, there are tutorials out there for everyone!
See our list below for some of the best Portuguese learning programs and apps today.
Online Portuguese Classes
1. Pimsleur
Variety
Pimsleur offers three Brazilian Portuguese courses: Beginner 1, Beginner 2, and Intermediate 1 . Some special Portuguese courses, and a few conversational sessions are available for European Portuguese too. It is used for Spanish too.
Cost
Pimsleur offers a free 7-day trial, but after that, the courses cost $15 each. Or $19.95/month.
Summary
Pimsleur is very popular among online Brazilian Portuguese learners – not just for its wide range of courses but also because of its effective method. By listening to authentic audio files as you learn new idioms and phrases from vocabulary lists, you’re able to form speaking skills your brain will remember long after your ears have stopped listening. It is widely used in Spanish countries.
Pros
Lots of vocabulary, pronunciation is not too difficult, portable, and easy to use while commuting.
Can be used to learn Brazilian Portuguese and Spanish.
Cons
The courses are pretty expensive if you decide to buy all three levels at once.
Some learners have found it frustrating that the Pimsleur Method requires self-discipline to keep up with daily study schedules.
Click Here To Read More About Pimsleur!
2. PortuguesePod101 Portuguese Lessons
Variety
PortuguesePod101 has several Brazilian Portuguese courses ranging from Beginner 1 to Advanced. They also offer special sessions from teachers for business Portuguese and speaking practice as well as grammar sessions. Available for European Portuguese too.
Cost
PortuguesePod101 is completely free to use. They have four flexible subscription levels: Basic, Premium, Unlimited, and Business, ranging from 8$ to 549$, based on subscription hours. That would make 24$ for 3 months at least.
Summary
It offers a wide range of Portuguese learning at novice, intermediate and advanced levels and features high-quality audio recordings with transcripts so you can read along. The site also provides extra fun language learning features like a regular blog, forums, and other resources to help you improve your communication skills. They have native speakers teaching from all across the world, including Brazil, Portugal, and Africa, with various accents and cultural influences.
Pros
It’s completely free to some extent.
The podcasts are easy to use on the go due to their portable size.
Enables one to learn and speak Brazilian Portuguese.
Cons
There are no courses available at a novice level (only a travel course).
The podcasts cannot be rewind once you’ve started listening to them.
Click Here To Read More About PortuguesePod101!
3. Babbel for the Portuguese Language
Variety
Babbel offers four different Portuguese levels, from A1 Starter to C1 Advanced. They also have special vocabulary sessions under the heading “Speak Up” and audio dialogues on everyday topics such as “At the Store” or “Ordering Food.” Available for European Portuguese learning too.
Cost
Paid subscription plans start from 14€ per month with discounts up to 50% off if you buy at least a 3 months subscription.
Summary
Babbel is a language-learning service featuring professionally recorded audio classes by native speakers and teachers, many interactive tasks, and games. It also has a separate audio-visual course called Babbel TV, where you can watch short movies and listen to recordings of Brazilian Portuguese speaking. The site offers an easy way to learn grammar using flashcards, which enables you to practice your conjugations while reading or listening to the recording at any hours. The apps areavailable for Android devices and iPhone/iPad users.
Pros
The news is it has various options such as speaking tests, quizzes, and games designed by teacher.
Can learn Brazilian Portuguese, European Portuguese.
Cons
The site doesn’t have many recorded resources.
The pronunciation is often unclear because of the accent.
You can also hear many errors due to their lack of proofreading and editing.
Click Here To Read More About Babbel!
4. Memrise
Variety
Memrise offers over 1,000 Portugueseclasses and courses on various topics – from grammar to vocabulary to comprehension to culture. They also offer some free flashcard decks designed by Portuguese speakers for learning Portuguese. Available for European Portuguese learning too.
Cost
There are no costs associated with Memrise; all the classes are available for free on the site. However, they do have an associated mobile app available for free or as a paid download for 3 months or so, in Google Play or Apple’s iTunes store.
Summary
Memrise is a system designed to help you remember vocabulary words through the use of mnemonic imagery. The app platform is very user-friendly and easy to navigate, making it an excellent choice for beginners.
Pros
Free courses.
The news is it is available for mobile devices.
Cons
Lacks comprehensive grammar classes.
Must use a desktop computer to access all features.
Click Here To Read More About Memrise!
5. Semantica
Variety
There are over 1,000 videos on Semantica’s website that cover upper beginning and intermediate levels and specific topics, including sports, pop culture, business, and lifestyle.
Cost
It is free to watch individual videos if you don’t need access to the rest of the content. Still, to progress through all of the sessions and gain unlimited access to other videos on Semantica’s site, you must pay $4.99 per month or $39.99 for a year.
Summary
Semantica has some very high-quality cultural information that will give you a deeper understanding of Brazilian Portuguese culture.
The news is, you can skip over most of this info if you just need grammar, comprehension, and vocabulary learning resources.
Pros
Lots of courses.
Excellent cultural information provided by native speakers.
Can watch individual videos without paying for membership
Cons
Fairly expensive monthly subscription fee.
Videos are not always captioned or subtitled.
The news is its limited number of videos for more advanced learners.
Click Here To Read More About Semantica!
6. Lingodeer
Variety
Lingodeer offers a wide range of Portuguese resources, including online courses and videos on grammar, culture, vocabulary, comprehension, and speaking skills. New resources are added to the website every day.
Cost
It costs 11.99$ per month. You may get a discount if you buy it for 3 months.
Summary
Lingodeer has an interactive community of learners and native speaker (you can practice speaking Portuguese with other members). This platform is perfect for intermediate to advanced students who want a fun way to practice their speaking skills.
Pros
Many courses.
The news is, it is possible to use for free if you’re willing to watch ads.
Cons
Many resources require that you make purchases to access full course content.
Some learners feel that the website is not very intuitive.
Click Here To Read More About Lingodeer!
7. Duolingo
Variety
Duolingo offers a free Portuguese learning program for upper beginners to advanced speakers. The platform is entirely internet-based, so you don’t need any extra software or books to use it.
Cost
The Duolingo platform is completely free to use to learn a language. However, if you want access to all of the fun language learning tools mentioned above (vocabulary tests, flashcards, comprehension tests, etc.), you will need to create a free account and purchase points within the system to unlock them. You can earn more points by inviting friends or completing certain tasks on the webpage(your points will typically be deducted from this total when you unlock new content). Points are $0.10 each ($1 purchases 550 points).
Summary
Duolingo is the best general resource for Portuguese learners. It offers a wide variety of language learning courses with frequently updated resources by a language teacher. It’s available on desktop computers and mobile devices, and it also has an active language learning community forum where you can ask questions and interact with other Portuguese speakers.
Pros
Wide range of content (course selection includes topics like travel, music, and health).
Lots of practice opportunities (flashcards, online test) to reinforce new vocabulary, fun game-like evaluations, interactive lessons that make learning a language more fun.
Cons
More expensive than other websites and apps if you plan on purchasing points to unlock additional features.
Not as many advanced-level resources.
Some users report problems with canceling accounts and the time required for a refund.
Click Here To Read More About Duolingo!
8. Mango Languages
Variety
Mango offers programs to learn Brazilian Portuguese as a second language. Their webportal says that their “we focus on the practical aspects of real-world communication, including useful vocabulary and expressions related to travel, culture, food, and everyday life.” Currently, there are 13 available levels.
Cost
The cost of Mango Language is $7.99 per month for one language or $17.99 for all languages. You can get a discount if you purchase more than one level at once. There is also a free trial period of 7 days.
Summary
Mango Languages is probably the most popular online tool for learning Brazilian Portuguese today. The curriculums are well organized into lessons with audio recordings, quizzes (with immediate feedback), and idioms, phrases for learning Portuguese.
Pros
Lots of vocabulary.
The content is well organized.
Quizzes help to check if you actually understand the resources.
The news is, a native speaker provides audio recordings.
Cons
Some users have found it difficult to navigate through the app.
Click Here To Read More About Mango Languages!
9. Practice Portuguese
Variety
Practice Portuguese offers free resources for learning Brazilian Portuguese, including lessons, audio files, and grammar information.
Cost
There’s no charge to use these resources.
Summary
The majority of evaluations on Practice Portuguese require you to click on one or more correct answers for each exercise, rather than simply listening to a native speaker speak and trying to repeat what they said. This format may take some getting used to, but there are audio files with authentic recordings, making this a good resource for those looking to learn from listening.
Pros
Lots of assignments and audio files. The e-portal is easy to navigate.
Cons
Many users have found that the exercises on this platform are frustrating unless you already know a great deal of vocab since there are few or no pre-lessons to explain new words seen in the exercise.
Click Here To Read More About Practice Portuguese!
10. Portuguese Lab Academy
Variety
Portuguese Lab Academy offers 12 levels of Portuguese coursebooks for beginners and intermediate students. Each book is an e-book, which can be accessed online or downloaded as PDFs with interactive activities.
Cost
There’s no charge to use these resources.
Summary
It has been set up like a textbook, with each chapter introducing new information and gradually increasing grammar complexity for beginners.
Pros
It’s a good resource for getting used to different evaluations and being properly challenged at each level.
Cons
There are no audio recordings.
Click Here To Read More About Portuguese Lab Academy!
11. Udemy
Variety
Udemy offers quite a few free and paid sessions taught by native speakers or professional academicians from Brazil. Some of these, also have video recordings and follow-up quizzes with immediate feedback.
Cost
Price is between $9-$200+ depending on difficulty Level.
Summary
Udemy offers a wide variety of courses, including some from Brazil. You can filter your search by language to find Portuguese lectures. It also has an in-built mechanism for rating each lesson that is provided and reviews written by past students. There are quite a few Brazilian teachers on Udemy who have presented full beginner’s courses and intermediate learners.
Pros
You can find some free lectures on Udemy. The system has a great variety of Brazilian Portuguese lectures, like starter ones for completely new to the language. Some courses have downloadable PDFs and classroom notes which can be very helpful while learning.
Cons
Learning resources may not correlate with one another as they come from different people, e-books, and other materials. The in-built platform for rating lesson quality could also present biases depending on an individual’s preferences, rather than simply judging it by its content.
Click Here To Read More About Udemy!
12. FSI
Variety
For Portuguese learners, FSI or Foreign Service Institute has all the necessary language learning resources. According to their website and the videos available in mp3 format for free, there are 30 free courses you can download, plus 28 more advanced courses (which cost money).
Cost
Free
Summary
A great option for people looking to grasp Portuguese from scratch. It has a lot of items in lots of different formats, making it an ideal choice for learners who want a more structured fun learning experience. There are no audio lessons on their platform, but the courses seem very well designed and easy to follow.
Pros
Free, lots of materials available.
The courses are structured and well designed for beginners.
Cons
The portal is a bit outdated-looking.
The news is, no audio lessons currently available
Click Here To Read More About FSI!
13. Glossika
Variety
Glossika focuses on teaching you Portuguese with the help of audio, which makes it an excellent choice for people who want to assimilate languages quickly. Their system is easy to navigate and gives you access to more than 30 Portuguese lectures. Besides, the structure of their course seems visually appealing and easy to follow. The lessons include sentences, phrases, and words you’ll be able to use in your daily conversations.
Cost
Its price is 30$ per month or 299$ per year for subscribing
Summary
A great option for people who want to speak Portuguese with the help of audio and visual aids. The courses are well designed and easy to follow. The audio-only lessons can be boring, but the voice is clear, and it’s easy to understand what the person is saying.
Pros
The course program includes sentences, phrases, and words you’ll be able to use in your daily conversations.
Cons
The audio-only lessons by tutor can be kind of boring.
Click Here To Read More About Glossika!
14. Instituto Camões
Variety
Instituto Camões offers video course programs on their platform, which makes it a very appealing option for people who want to assimilate from the convenience of their home. The videos are recorded with native Portuguese speakers and help you expand your vocab, pronunciation, grammar, and listening efficiently.
Cost
The courses are free, but you need to register to watch the lessons. If you want to take a Portuguese class at the Instituto Camões, there’s a price of 30$ per hour.
Summary
A great option for people who want to grasp Portuguese with video and audio aids. It has many materials available on its portal, which makes it an ideal option for students who want to catch Portuguese efficiently and quickly.
Pros
A wide variety of course material through the local speaker cum teacher is available , such as grammar, reading, listening comprehension, etc.
Cons
Some people may struggle with the pronunciation in the videos.
Click Here To Read More About Instituto Camões!
15. Busuu
Variety
Busuu is a very nice option for those interested in learning Portuguese and other languages from different parts of the world because it offers courses in over 16 languages. You can also learn from language course material by a local teacher, available for European Portuguese too; for free by using the flashcards, learning games, and exercises.
Cost
Free
Summary
It has a lot of material available on its portal, which makes it easy to learn from the comfort of your home.
Pros
The courses are free, available in 16 different languages. There’s a wide variety of games and exercises to practice with on their portal.
Cons
It has videos, but they’re only recorded in the Portuguese language.
Click Here To Read More About Busuu!
16. Mondly
Variety
Mondly focuses on communication, so most lessons are audio and video recorded with native Portuguese speaker. The structured course material is divided into different categories according to their level, which can be good for students who prefer a certain topic in particular. Their website is straightforward to navigate and allows you to learn Portuguese language with the help of pictures, audio, and video.
Cost
Its price is 20$ per month or 199$ for subscribing annually.
Summary
A great option for people who want to practice their listening skills and speaking skills in a realistic atmosphere. It has many different courses available on its portal, which makes it a great option for people who prefer to learn several topics at once.
Pros
You can follow the sessions on web or download them as audio files
There’s a variety of individual lessons made by some native teacher available on the platform.
Cons
It has fewer visual lessons by the native teacher than the other online platforms.
Click Here To Read More About Mondly!
17. Rocket Portuguese
Variety
Rocket Portuguese focuses on the written language, so most course programs are recorded with texts from famous authors and poets. The courses are divided into different groups according to the level, which means that you can choose the lessons that fit your needs in particular. Their guide will always tell you how to study the most effective and gives you some tips if you need them.
Cost
Its price is 27$ per month or 149.5$ one-time price for subscribing annually.
Summary
It is a good option for people with a busy schedule because it has a lot of different courses available on its portal. Although Rocket Portuguese focuses mainly on the writing language, it also offers a few audio lessons.
Pros
It has a lot of variety when it comes to courses to learn the writing language and some important grammar points.
Cons
In some of the lessons, they speak too fast.
Click Here To Read More About Rocket Portuguese!
18. Rosetta Stone
Variety
Rosetta Stone is created to focus on conversations, making it a great tool for intermediate and advanced students who want to practice their speaking skills. It has different categories, which can help you choose what you want to gain in particular. The lessons are recorded with native speakers, which is definitely a plus.
Cost
Its price is around 249$ for subscribing annually and 35.97$ for 3 months.
Summary
A good option for people who acquire the Portuguese language fast and effectively. It’s quite easy to navigate their portal, but you need an account to access all the lessons they have prepared for you.
Pros
The dialogues in the lessons are very realistic, which is a good thing for intermediate and advanced students.
There are various courses available on their portal so that you can focus on different topics.
Cons
This platform can seem intimidating to some users because it involves many exercises, and you have to pay more attention so that you don’t make stupid mistakes.
Click Here To Read More About Rosetta Stone!
19. Michel Thomas Method
Variety
Michel Thomas is created to focus on individual locutions, which makes it a great tool to learn basic Portuguese language with ease. It has different categories, which can help you choose what you want to gain and learn in particular. The sessions are recorded with Portugal native speakers, which is definitely a plus.
Cost
Free
Summary
It has many audio sessions that you can download for free, and it has a collection of various structured materials that will help you get started.
Pros
You don’t need to register on their webpage to use their resources and learn languages.
Cons
They only offer audio sessions.
Click Here To Read More About Michel Thomas Method!
20. Transparent Language
Variety
Transparent Language is created to focus on individual words, which makes it a great tool to learn basic Portuguese language with ease. It has different categories, which can help you choose what you want to learn in particular. The course material is recorded with Portugal native speakers, which is definitely a plus.
Cost
24.95$/month or 149.95$ annually.
Summary
It has interactive exercises, which make it easier to practice what you’ve learned .
Pros
Easy to navigate their platform.
The course is recorded with native speakers.
Cons
Over-priced.
Click Here To Read More About Transparent Language!
21. Youtube for European Portuguese Language
Variety
It has many Portuguese language course programs for the European and Brazilian Portuguese languages. You can find starter to advanced European and Brazilian Portuguese languages. It has videos from Portugal natives. You can choose which videos you want to watch. It is being used by more than a million people around the world for learning purposes.
Cost
No charges.
Summary
There are many Portuguese languages course programs on Youtube even for Brazilian Portuguese, and it is conducive for novice to advanced students. You can choose which learning method you want to use
Pros
You can assimilate the European and Brazilian Portuguese languages for free.
It has a lot of videos.
Cons
You need to select what videos you want to watch.
It doesn’t have courses, yet it only has videos from Portugal natives.
Click Here To Read More About Youtube for European Portuguese Language!
22. Netflix for Brazilian Portuguese
Variety
You can find videos from native Brazilian Portuguese speakers. You have to pay a subscription so that you get access to the Brazilian Portuguese videos. The courses on Netflix provide audio and visual support. It is suitable for beginners, intermediate or advanced students.
Cost
Price varies depending on your country, but it generally ranges from $7 – $12 per month.
Summary
Netflix offers visual for the Portuguese language including Brazilian and European ones. You can use this service if you are an advanced learner. Still, the starter lesson might not be beneficial since there aren’t many interactive courses available on Netflix.
Pros
The visual quality is good.
You can grasp Brazilian and European Portuguese too
Cons
It doesn’t have an interactive course yet.
Click Here To Read More About Netflix for Brazilian Portuguese!
23. Easy Portuguese – Learn Portuguese
Variety
Easy Portuguese provides an interactive online course. It has learning material such as grammar, vocab, and audio to support the leactures. It is suitable for all levels ( beginner, intermediate or advanced ). You can also follow your progress by keeping track of your experiences. Available for Brazilian and European Portuguese too.
Cost
Price is $25 per month
Summary
Easy Portuguese provides interactive courses with visual and audio so that you understand the lessons clearly even for European and Brazilian ones. Since every lesson all have audio, it is good for people who understand language better from listening.
Pros
The verbal skills are well-developed. The illustrations are obvious.
Cons
It doesn’t have any written course yet.
Click Here To Read More About Easy Portuguese – Learn Portuguese!
24. Lingo-Play
Variety
It has grammar, vocab, writing, and interactive lessons that you can take on this platform. It is suitable for beginner to advanced students. However, it does not have much variety in its course ( only 1-2 free courses. Available for European Portuguese too.
Cost
No charges.
Summary
It only has 1-2 free basic Portuguese course programs ( you can grasp simple sentences like thank you and ask how are you ) but if you want the other lessons you need to pay for them. Even though it isn’t very popular on the internet but it’s worth trying because of its great interactive features.
Pros
You can use this to track your progress by keeping all your experience registered on Lingo Play.
Cons
Not many courses are available yet, especially for advanced level students, price is $25 per month.
Click Here To Read More About Lingo-Play!
25. Inlinguaporto
Variety
It provides interactive material such as stories with pictures and audio, grammar lessons, and some vocab for your practice. Although it does not have the course yet, it is recommendable to start learning these materials since they are handy for beginners who want to improve their learning Portuguese including European and Brazilian. You can create your own lesson by following the guide on this webpage, or you can just use the lessons they give, which trainers already create. Available for European Portuguese too.
Cost
No charges.
Summary
The e-platform is available in many languages since the target market is international students, so if you are interested in using this, choose your preferred language and start learning. It contains simple easy to follow material that is very suitable for beginners.
Pros
The writing skills are well-developed. You have access to lesson materials, so you can practice whenever you want. This course might be perfect for people who can’t fit into the schedule of any online Portuguese courses including European Portuguese.
It’s doesn’t cost
Cons
It doesn’t have built-in assessment tools.
Click Here To Read More About Inlinguaporto!
Conclusion
We’ve provided a list of the 25 best Portuguese programs over the web. The variety is something to consider when looking for an online class as well as the methodology and reputation of their instructors. The end goal, after all, should be effectively learning this beautiful language so that you can start interacting with Brazilians in Spanish-speaking countries or those who speak European Portuguese.
To sum up, we rank Pimsleur as the best one in this shortlist as it has 5 levels which include outstanding methods for teaching the language!
J Maver
Passionate in tech, software and gadgets. I enjoy reviewing and comparing products & services, uncovering new trends and digging up little known products that deserve an audience.