Quick answer
You can study English speaking for free, but a free certificate is rare. Alison, edX and Coursera let you learn or audit for free and charge for the certificate. USA Learns, BBC Learning English and the British Council's LearnEnglish site are free study resources. Free courses build knowledge; live speaking practice builds fluency. Checked 9 November 2026.
Many LearnWithZavi readers in India, Pakistan, Nigeria, the UAE and the UK want a free English speaking course "with certificate" for a CV or job application. We checked each option at its official source to show what is free and what costs money.
Want free certificates in AI skills too? See our free courses with certificates.
Which free English speaking courses actually give a certificate?
| Course | Provider | Cost to learn | Certificate | Level | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Introduction to Conversational English | Alison | Free | Paid (optional) | Beginner | Basic conversation and greetings |
| Diploma in English: A1 Level | Alison | Free | Paid diploma (optional) | Beginner | Absolute beginners who want a structured path |
| Speak English Professionally: In Person, Online & On the Phone | Georgia Tech on Coursera | Paid certificate track; financial aid available | Paid | Beginner | Meetings, phone calls, interviews |
| English courses (for example Upper-Intermediate English, English Communication Skills) | edX university partners | Free to audit on most courses | Paid verified certificate | Intermediate to advanced | University-style lessons |
| 1st English Course, 2nd English Course | USA Learns | 100% free | Not confirmed on official pages | Beginner to intermediate | Speaking and listening drills with recording |
| 6 Minute English, Real Easy English and other series | BBC Learning English | Free | No certificate course | All levels | Daily listening and vocabulary |
| LearnEnglish free resources | British Council | Free | Badges in the paid Self-Study course; attendance certificate if you upgrade and attend live classes | All levels | Grammar, vocabulary and listening |
| Practice test | Duolingo English Test | Free, unlimited | Estimated score only, not a certificate | Test takers | Getting used to the DET format |
The short version: the learning is often free, the certificate usually is not.
The best free English speaking courses in 2026
Alison: free courses, optional paid certificate
Alison says all learning on its platform is free. Its English language section lists 144 free courses, including speaking-focused ones like Introduction to Conversational English (about 1.5 to 3 hours) and English Vocabulary and Pronunciation. Beginners can take the Diploma in English: A1 Level (about 10 to 15 hours).
To pass, Alison's help centre says you need at least 70% in each assessment. The certificate itself is optional and paid. Alison's pricing page lists the current price of a digital certificate and a digital diploma. The prices we saw changed between checks, so look at the pricing page before you pay. If you don't pay, you can still access a free Learner Report showing the courses you completed.
Good for: beginners who want short, structured lessons and a low-cost credential.
Coursera: Georgia Tech's professional speaking course
Speak English Professionally: In Person, Online & On the Phone from the Georgia Institute of Technology is one of the most popular English speaking courses online, with over a million learners enrolled and a 4.7 rating. It covers small talk, stress and intonation, phone calls and interviews.
Be careful with the "free" label. The course page says you need to purchase the certificate experience to access the assignments and earn a certificate. Some courses offer a "Full Course, No Certificate" option, which gives no certificate. Coursera does offer financial aid on select programmes, which you apply for from the course page. For a deeper look at how Coursera pricing works, read our guide Is Coursera free?
Good for: working adults who need English for meetings and interviews.
edX: free to audit, pay for the verified certificate
edX hosts English courses and programmes from universities such as Universitat Politècnica de València (Upper-Intermediate English) and Tsinghua University (English Communication Skills). edX says most courses can be audited for free, but audit access is temporary and does not include a certificate. A verified certificate requires the paid track.
Good for: intermediate learners who want university-level material.
USA Learns: 100% free speaking practice
USA Learns describes itself as 100% free. Its 1st English Course and 2nd English Course use video stories and interactive activities for listening, speaking, reading, writing and pronunciation, and speaking activities let you record your voice. There are no teachers. We couldn't confirm a certificate on USA Learns' official pages, so treat it as practice, not a credential.
Good for: beginners who want lots of free listening and speaking drills.
BBC Learning English and British Council LearnEnglish
BBC Learning English publishes free programmes every week, such as 6 Minute English, Real Easy English and The English We Speak, organised by level. It is a study resource, not a certificate course, but excellent for listening.
British Council LearnEnglish has a free resource library with thousands of activities by level and skill. Digital badges come with the separate English Self-Study course, which the British Council lists at £5.99 per month. That paid course includes four Live25 teacher-led webinars on grammar and pronunciation each month. An attendance certificate is available if you upgrade and attend live classes, which cost extra.
Duolingo English Test: free practice, not a course
If you plan to take the Duolingo English Test for a university application, Duolingo offers a free practice test you can take as many times as you like. It takes about 45 minutes and gives an estimated score range, not a certificate.
Is a free English course certificate worth anything?
A course certificate shows you finished a course. It does not prove your English level like IELTS or the Duolingo English Test, which universities and visa offices usually ask for.
Course certificates can still show initiative on a CV or LinkedIn and give you a clear finish line. If your goal is a visa or admission, check which test they accept before paying for any certificate.
Why don't free courses fix your speaking?
Most learners already understand a lot of English. The problem is speaking it: freezing, mispronouncing key sounds, or translating in their head. Free courses teach vocabulary and grammar well but are weak at what builds fluency:
- Real-time conversation. Videos and quizzes can't interrupt you, ask follow-up questions or speak with a different accent.
- Personal pronunciation feedback. A recording exercise can play a model, but it rarely tells you which sound you're getting wrong and how to fix it.
- Accountability. Self-paced courses are easy to abandon. Nobody notices when you stop.
- Your goals. A general course won't prepare you for your specific job interview, client call or IELTS speaking test.
We compared free AI tools with live tutors in more detail in Learn English Online: Tutor vs Free AI Tools.
When is it worth paying for an English tutor?
If you still feel nervous speaking after a free course, regular conversation with a tutor is usually the fastest fix. A marketplace like Preply lets you choose a one-to-one English tutor by price, availability, specialty (such as IELTS, business English or conversation) and reviews.
Honest notes from Preply's own pages, checked on 9 November 2026:
- Prices are set by each tutor. Preply's English tutors page showed median rates of $26/hr for native English speakers and $23/hr for non-native speakers. Many tutors charge less and some charge more, so check the final price at checkout.
- Trial lessons are paid. Preply's help centre says trial lessons are paid lessons and last 25 or 50 minutes. Each tutor offers one trial per student.
- There is a replacement policy. If a completed trial doesn't meet your expectations, you can request a free replacement trial with a different tutor, up to two per account. This no longer applies once you subscribe to that tutor.
- Cancel in time. You can reschedule or cancel a trial up to 12 hours before it starts.
Tip: a tutor who shares your first language, such as Hindi, Urdu, Arabic or Yoruba, may explain grammar faster.
A simple free-first plan
- Weeks 1 to 4 (free): Complete one Alison or USA Learns course and listen to one BBC Learning English episode a day.
- Decide on a certificate: Pay for Alison's certificate or a Coursera or edX certificate only if an employer or your CV will genuinely benefit.
- From week 5 (paid, once a week): Book a 25-minute trial with a tutor and focus only on speaking.
Ready to practise speaking with a real person? Find an English tutor on Preply and compare prices before you book.
Sources
- Alison English language courses: https://alison.com/tag/english-language
- Alison Introduction to Conversational English: https://alison.com/course/introduction-to-conversational-english-revised
- Alison Diploma in English A1 Level: https://alison.com/course/diploma-in-english-a1-level
- Alison certificate pricing: https://alison.com/about/pricing
- Alison help centre, how to get a certificate: https://helpcenter.alison.com/en/articles/8206422-how-do-i-get-my-certificate
- Coursera, Speak English Professionally: https://www.coursera.org/learn/speak-english-professionally
- edX English courses: https://www.edx.org/learn/english
- edX, how to audit a course: https://www.edx.org/resources/how-to-audit-an-edx-class
- USA Learns: https://www.usalearns.org/ and https://www.usalearns.org/need-help-students
- BBC Learning English: https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/
- British Council LearnEnglish: https://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/
- British Council English Self-Study: https://www.britishcouncil.org/english/learn-online/learnenglish-subscription
- British Council, what is the Self-Study course (four Live25 sessions a month): https://englishonline.britishcouncil.org/faqs/what-is-english-online-self-study/
- British Council, Self-Study badges and certificates: https://englishonline.britishcouncil.org/faqs/do-i-get-self-study-certificate/
- Duolingo English Test practice test: https://testcenter.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/360011076591
- Preply English tutors: https://preply.com/en/online/english-tutors
- Preply help centre, trial lessons: https://help.preply.com/en/articles/4179487-how-to-book-a-trial-lesson
- Preply help centre, trial replacement: https://help.preply.com/en/articles/4182743-how-to-request-a-free-trial-lesson-replacement