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Studying Arabic by yourself can be a challenge, but the best Arabic courses online can mean the difference between a whole lot of frustration and a learning experience that’s rich and rewarding.
With the sheer wealth of options that are available nowadays though, how do you choose what’s right for yourself and your own needs? That’s where today’s guide comes in.
In my own Arabic learning journey, I’ve bounced around between countless different online courses. While I love the flexibility of web-based learning, I’m no stranger to the challenges that come with trying to study such a rich language solo.
So, without further ado, let’s take a look at the very best ways to learn Arabic online in 2023!
Why learn Arabic with online courses?
I’ll start by making one thing clear: studying Arabic online is not for everyone by any stretch. However, following an online course does come with quite a few solid advantages.
For example, the free-form nature of following a self-paced regimen comes naturally to a lot of people – I know I can count myself among them!
At the same time, plenty of online classes teach Arabic in a more traditional, structured manner if that’s what you prefer. Studying online in this way maintains all the benefits of conventional language education – the measurable goals, the predictable rate of progress, and more – while allowing you to stay on top of your curriculum from anywhere in the world.
Finally, online Arabic courses can take a lot of the guesswork out of learning the language. With structured materials and a near-endless variety of available resources, you’ll be well-armed to tackle just about any area that you might be interested in, from perfecting your pronunciation to mastering Arabic poetry and beyond.
Best online Arabic courses for beginners and intermediate students
1. Rocket Arabic
Learn Arabic on Rocket Languages
Rocket Arabic is one of the most highly-rated online Arabic courses in recent years, and not without good reason!
Focusing on Egyptian Arabic, arguably the most widely understood and useful dialect for day-to-day communication, Rocket Arabic covers all the bases from speaking and listening to reading and writing relatively equally.
Thanks to a clear, easy-to-follow lesson structure and a very rewarding curriculum, Rocket Arabic is both easy to follow and delivers measurable results. If your goal is simply to elevate your Arabic skills to the next level and you want a comprehensive course online to do so, then Rocket Arabic is a great pick!
What I like about Rocket Arabic:
- Comprehensive and deep level of content with Egyptian Arabic at its core
- Transparent course structure
- Loads of high-quality audio and written material with a focus on conversational language
Pricing: Starting from $99.95 for lifetime access. Start your free trial here!
2. Cudoo
To access a variety of Arabic courses for different levels and purposes, check out Cudoo.
Cudoo is a convenient and flexible way to learn Arabic at your own pace and schedule. This platform offers courses in Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) and Classical Arabic for beginners to advanced levels as well as beginner courses in Egyptian Arabic, Lebanese Arabic, and Moroccan Arabic. There’s even a special course in Arabic for Hospitality.
The beginner courses cover the basics of the Arabic alphabet, numbers, greetings, colors, likes and dislikes, and more. You can then progress to the Level 2 and Level 3 courses, which will help you improve your vocabulary, grammar, and communication skills. You will also receive a certificate of completion at the end of each course to showcase your achievement!
What I like about Cudoo:
- Courses for all levels and various dialects
- Certificate of completion for every course
- Lifetime access to materials
Pricing: From $12.99/course. Start learning on Cudoo now!
3. Pimsleur
A titan among language-learning programs, Pimsleur offers a highly respected course in Modern Arabic that heavily focuses on speaking and listening.
All of the exercises within the course are audio-based, using the trademark “Pimsleur method” of prompting you to first absorb, then repeat and memorize what you hear in what’s called a spaced-repetition format.
Since Pimsleur is especially geared towards those who are aspiring towards becoming conversational in day-to-day Arabic, they not only offer an MSA course but also a selection of the Egyptian or Levantine dialects.
What I like about Pimsleur:
- Excellent reputation among Arabic learners
- Two different vernacular dialects in addition to MSA
- Effective spaced-repetition method encourages speaking and listening skills
Pricing: Subscriptions start at $20.95 monthly. Try it free for 7 days!
4. Mondly
Similar to stalwarts Duolingo and Pimsleur, Mondly Arabic focuses on the MSA form of the language to impart a holistic understanding that can be useful for interacting with media, art, and people from all over the Arab world.
The bundled app makes navigation and progression through the course really simple and straightforward. While Mondly doesn’t go as in-depth as some competitors with its online Arabic course, that can be an advantage for those designing their own multi-layered self-study regimen.
Because of its ease of use and emphasis on daily recall, Mondly works perfectly as a digital study buddy, and if you’re serious about learning Arabic online, I highly recommend you use it in this way.
What I like about Mondly:
- Solid progression based on regular drills and repetition
- Easy, accessible, and jargon-free learning
- Fun to use and very affordable
Pricing: Subscriptions start at $9.99 a month. Check out the latest Mondly promo here.
5. Rosetta Stone
Like Pimsleur, Rosetta Stone has built a rock-solid reputation on their proprietary learning method that encourages deep understanding without the need for intricate grammar study or lots of unwieldy theory.
Learning Modern Standard Arabic with Rosetta Stone is likewise very heavy on conversational skills. Relying on a large database of recordings by native speakers, Rosetta Stone aims to get you acquainted with the intricacies of the Arabic language largely through immersion alone.
In my experience, this is a method that works well for almost any type of learner, though its approach might not suffice for some very advanced students of Arabic that might actually benefit from something more technical.
What I like about Rosetta Stone:
- Highly effective base program targeting speaking and listening skills
- Fast progression without fluff or technical jargon
- More affordable than most of the competition
Pricing: Subscriptions available from £11.99 per month. Start with a free trial here!
6. Ling
Another entry in the tightly contested field of gamified language-learning courses, Ling does a few things that set it apart from the pack.
First of all, it offers a staggering list of over 60 languages including mainly minority and native dialects not often available on mainstream apps. Apart from Arabic (MSA), this includes for instance Bengali, Armenian, Lao, and many others.
Studying Arabic on Ling works in a very clearly structured manner, involving a series of daily exercises and lessons that work on memorization, recall, and imprinting knowledge mostly through reading and listening. It’s not a very comprehensive course, but it doesn’t need to be.
Ling only asks for a few minutes of your time every day to make measurable progress. Particularly if used as a vocabulary aid, this can make it an effective, fun, and low-impact app that’s a perfect choice for someone learning Arabic online from scratch.
What I like about Ling:
- Daily recall mini-games implemented very well
- Easy to combine with other learning methods
- Quick progression, especially with regards to vocab
Pricing: From $14.99 a month. Get discounted rates here.
Best courses to improve your Arabic reading and writing online
7. Learn to Read and Write Arabic for Beginners
Ranking among the top-rated language courses on Udemy, this course is one of the few video-based Arabic classes online that focuses almost entirely on the topic of reading and writing Arabic from scratch.
Everything from the shapes and sounds of the Arabic letters to syntax and grammar gets covered – in other words, everything you need to start interacting with written Arabic on your own.
At over five and a half hours, the video material included alone is enough to put you on a solid path towards mastery of written Arabic. This makes Learn to Read and Write Arabic for Beginners one of the few online Arabic classes I would recommend to just about any curious learner who is looking to master the written language!
What I like about this course:
- Excellent comprehensive overview of written (MSA) Arabic
- Perfectly laid out for bare beginners
- Focused on quickly developing fluent reading skills
Pricing: $43.99 for the whole course. You can also find discounted monthly plans.
8. Arab Academy
For many foreign learners, Arabic is a much more difficult language to read and write than it is to speak and listen to. This is why, if written Arabic is a priority for you, a dedicated online course is definitely a good option.
Arab Academy is one of the oldest and one of the best online Arabic courses I know that focuses very heavily on the written form of the language. Using a university-like curriculum that is staggered to accommodate many different kinds of experience levels, as well as a choice between MSA, Colloquial Egyptian, and Quranic Arabic, Arab Academy really does offer something for everyone.
With one-on-one tutoring available, you also don’t have to worry about losing yourself in the huge catalog of courses and lessons.
What I like about Arab Academy:
- Deep instruction in spoken and written Arabic, with some of the highest-quality material for the latter
- Huge amount of options, study tracks, and language registers to choose from
- Excellent tutoring by educated, native-speaking professionals
Pricing: Starting at $69 semi-annually.
9. Arabic Path
If you want a free, holistic resource to refer to whenever you may need to brush up on your written Arabic knowledge – on vocabulary, grammar rules, vowel patterns, or even the individual letters and their forms and pronunciations – then Arabic Path it is.
The course may be basic and not much more interactive than an old-fashioned print grammar book (remember those?), but it’s nothing if not succinct and effective.
What I like about Arabic Path:
- A real holistic resource for all things Arabic
- Easy to navigate
- Perfect descriptions of grammatical and phonetic rules to practice and revise
Pricing: It’s free!
The best free Arabic courses online
10. Madinah Arabic
This is one of the best providers of free Arabic classes for those wanting to delve into the language of the Quran or develop a solid understanding of Modern Standard Arabic. Madinah Arabic offers both free as well as some paid courses, the majority of which include 1-on-1 time with a private tutor.
This is in addition to excellent written material designed to familiarize you with basic Fusha (Classical Arabic) grammar, writing, and basic vocab.
What I like about Madinah Arabic:
- One of the best straightforward resources for Quranic Arabic and MSA
- Neatly-structured curriculum perfect for beginners
- Wide variety of material, most of which is available for free
Pricing: Paid content starts at $12 per lesson hour.
11. Language Transfer
Learn Arabic on Language Transfer
Launched in 2011 as a one-man project to represent an alternative language learning method known as the free model, Language Transfer is a fully free and very innovative look at imparting foreign languages in an organic way.
The Arabic course, which by now is just one of many, mostly concentrates on Cairene Egyptian Arabic but also gives you a healthy overview of some other useful dialects recognized throughout the Arab world.
Language Transfer’s method might challenge some of your pre-existing assumptions about language learning, but since it’s all free of charge and the individual podcast episodes are easy and engaging to listen to, there’s little reason not to give it a shot!
What I like about Language Transfer:
- Unconventional, yet highly effective and fun curriculum
- Easy to follow
- Intuitively organized and tutor-led
12. FSI Arabic
The Foreign Service Institute, which trains US diplomatic personnel for missions abroad, has a unique reputation among language learners worldwide.
On the one hand, some revere the FSI for the high quality, intensity, and depth of the courses they produce. On the other hand, others lament the dry nature of the material in addition to some concerns over accuracy.
The facts are these: the FSI’s Arabic course, at least the one that is publicly available today via LiveLingua, is fairly old, dating back to the 1970s.
Some of the language in it may therefore be pretty antiquated to today’s ears. That’s in addition to the naturally formal, niche vocabulary expected of a course intended to train diplomats and foreign service agents. The course only covers MSA, Modern Standard Arabic, foregoing vernacular dialects that wouldn’t likely be useful to its target audience anyway.
In addition to that, the FSI Arabic course may be hard to follow for some, as its written material relies entirely on photocopies of typewritten pages (which can get quite dense), complemented by audio files which are, of course, digitized cassette tapes.
If all of this doesn’t sound like a hard barrier to you, you’re in luck – you might be one of the few who can really benefit from the FSI Arabic course’s rich, fast-paced instruction and follow it as intended to acquire a high proficiency of MSA in record time.
What I like about FSI Arabic:
- High-intensity curriculum
- Excellent overview of vocab, grammar, and pronunciation for Modern Standard Arabic
- Exhaustive number of exercises and drills to go through
13. Duolingo
No list of free language learning apps for studying Arabic would be complete without a mention of Duolingo.
While it is true that Duolingo’s gamified, purposely addictive approach to learning can be a bit too shallow sometimes, it can nonetheless serve as a great motivator and a solid start for many different kinds of learners.
Duolingo teaches exclusively MSA, which isn’t too bad if your learning goals include being able to follow Arabic-language news TV or reading contemporary Arabic literature, for example. With Duo’s snappy, 5-minute exercises, you’ll get in a lot of speaking and listening comprehension practice while also developing a solid grasp of the Arabic writing system at the same time.
Even for learners who are already at a bit more advanced level, Duolingo can easily serve as a free, fun complement to keep your vocab and existing knowledge fresh!
What I like about Duolingo:
- Short, yet effective exercises
- Addictive ‘gameplay’
- Serves as a great foundation for learning MSA at a high level
Best Arabic courses for speaking practice with natives online
14. Preply
If you want to converse with other Arabic speakers at a high level, there’s no substitute for one-on-one conversational practice. While Arabic is a widely-spoken language within the Arab world and far beyond, you don’t need to seek out a local tutor.
Preply allows you to connect with native Arabic-speaking language tutors from all over the globe to study the language with the help of one-on-one speaking practice.
Preply uses an algorithm-bound quiz to automatically “match” you with the kind of tutor that suits your needs, goals, and preferences. And as of the time of this writing, there are more than 1,700 Arabic tutors active on the site – so you should have no trouble finding someone whose teaching style works well for you!
What I like about Preply:
- Large, impressive selection of expert Arabic teachers online
- Neat “matching” system
- Group lessons are a rare, but welcome feature
Pricing: Single 50-minute classes start at around $10. Discounted trials available!
15. italki
Another tutoring service is italki. Here, you can take online Arabic lessons with professional, native teachers from home, no matter where you live!
Out of all the various online language tutoring services, italki offers the greatest selection of Arabic tutors as well as some of the most flexible pricing and booking options. That makes it an easy choice that I can recommend wholeheartedly both to beginners as well as more advanced students.
What I like about Italki:
- 1-on-1 instruction with professional Arabic tutors from anywhere in the world
- Fair pricing model and excellent filtering and booking system
- Almost any and all experience levels, dialects, and language goals are covered
Pricing: Trial lessons start at around $5 per lesson hour. Grab a deal now!
16. AmazingTalker
Find Arabic tutors on AmazingTalker
Unlike many of its competitors, AmazingTalker doesn’t just match you with Arabic tutors online, but also with local teachers close to you. All of its detailed tutor profiles are also furnished with extensive bios and introductory videos to help you get an idea of each teacher’s personality and working style.
Similar to Preply, AmazingTalker also offers an AI-powered matching system to help you find your perfect fit among its thousands of online language professionals, which cover all spoken dialects of Arabic in addition to MSA and Quranic language.
What I like about AmazingTalker:
- In-depth filtering, selection, and matching system
- Both local in-person and online tutoring
- Huge selection of highly detailed profiles
Pricing: Starting at around $6 per hour. Grab a free trial now!
17. Busuu
A more unique take on the traditional language app concept while maintaining plenty of practical day-to-day usability, Busuu is one of the most powerful ways to learn Arabic online – if it matches your style, that is.
Beyond a mere ‘study buddy app’, Busuu teaches you grammar, reading, writing, and speaking, too – uniquely, speaking exercises are graded by other users who are fluent in Arabic (you get the option to rate others’ English speech as well), forgoing algorithms and automatic voice recognition software.
That might seem like a small difference on paper, but in truth, it opens the door to much more faithful, authentic translations. Think of all the countless exceptions and nuances in expression that exist in English that would be difficult even for a computer program to match perfectly!
What I like about Busuu:
- Excellent course structure and holistic program
- Human-powered speaking exercises feel genuinely helpful
- Base version available for free!
Pricing: Starting at $1.99 a month for the premium subscription. Try it out for free!
18. Wyzant
Wyzant offers some of the most highly experienced, credentialed language tutors out of all platforms on the market today. Their pay-as-you-go pricing model, rating system, and a high degree of safety go a long way to prioritize peace of mind.
Using Wyzant’s built-in search, you can both match with online Arabic tutors as well as arrange for local classes. Detailed filters allow you to refine and narrow down your search with ease, too.
Many of Wyzant’s tutors are uniquely specialized in certain academic and cultural fields. If you, for example, are particularly interested in contemporary Iraqi literature and poetry and want to practice toward that goal – you’re sure to find someone on Wyzant who can help.
What I like about Wyzant:
- High concentration of experienced, professional Arabic language teachers online and locally
- Lots of room for specialized, targeted study
- Very well-optimized website with loads of search and matching features
Pricing: Lessons start at around $15 an hour. Discounts available for trials!
Wrap up
Of course, no matter which online Arabic classes you take, no single course can replace a holistic study plan that covers all the necessary bases.
I recommend equipping yourself with all the resources you can get—from Arabic books to grammar books, podcasts, and much more – including face-to-face interaction with native speakers to really get the most out of the time you spend studying.
Most of all, it’s important to set realistic goals for yourself and stay motivated! Mastering Arabic is a lifetime mission, and you will need to be patient with yourself and learn to enjoy the ride.
Good luck, and don’t forget to have fun!