The 7 Best Online English Courses in Portugal (2026): A Comparison

Years of English at school, TV series watched in the original language since childhood, a “B2” on your CV. And yet, your sentence comes out shorter than it should in a meeting with the Amsterdam team. People looking for the best online English courses in Portugal rarely start from scratch. In the EF English Proficiency Index 2025, Portugal ranked 6th out of 123 countries, with 612 points (the global average is 488). The detail lies in the skills: 632 points in reading and just 502 in speaking.

In a text published in 2008 by Cambridge University Press, Jack C. Richards calls this the intermediate-level “plateau”: you communicate well, understand more than you can produce and, because everyone still understands you, stop noticing your own mistakes. That is where school leaves us. In the Directorate-General for Education’s Essential Learning Outcomes for English, Year 11 corresponds to level B2.2.

So we compared seven platforms with one question in mind: do they help people who already have a good level move forward? There are online English lessons with native-speaking teachers, tutor marketplaces, schools with a set syllabus and a hybrid model with centres across the country. All prices are listed below.

Our evaluation criteria

We assessed every platform against the same seven questions, using the information published on their pricing pages, in their help centres and in their subscription terms. The seventh, highlighted in orange, was designed for people who have already reached B2 and want to know whether the next step is worth the investment.

Quick comparison of the best online English courses in Portugal

The last column shows the lowest price we found on the official websites, usually for the longest plan or a group option, along with the lesson length. The second-to-last column summarises the criterion that matters most to learners already at B2.

Prices last checked: November 2026. 

From B2 to C1: why your English stops improving

According to Cambridge English, reaching B2 from scratch takes between 500 and 600 guided learning hours, while reaching C1 takes between 700 and 800. That means roughly 200 hours separate the two levels, and these are a different kind of learning hour. It is no longer about learning new structures. It is about using the ones you already know accurately, expanding your vocabulary with expressions and collocations, and adjusting your register, from a formal email to a coffee with a colleague.

The errors that persist up to B2 are almost always the same among Portuguese speakers, because they rarely prevent communication:

• false friends: actually (meaning in fact, not “currently”), eventually (in the end), pretend (to act as if something is true), assist (to help), sensible (showing good judgment)
• uncountable nouns treated as countable: informations, advices, feedbacks
• structures translated literally from Portuguese: explain me, depends of, discuss about
• the present perfect: I live here since 2019, instead of I've lived here since 2019
• in pronunciation, short and long vowels (ship and sheep), the “th” sound, and stress in longer words such as comfortable

For each platform, we checked three things: whether there are materials and teachers for B2 and C1, whether someone corrects these errors systematically, and whether there is a written record of the corrections. If you want to understand what changes at each CEFR level, our guide What Are English Language Levels (A1-C2)? explains it with examples.

#1 - Flalingo: a regular teacher, a report after every lesson, and advanced-level content

Flalingo offers live, one-to-one English lessons lasting 25 or 50 minutes, which are analyzed afterward by artificial intelligence. You can book between one and seven lessons per week. According to the platform, only one in every 73 teacher applicants is accepted, and each teacher's specialty is listed: business English, exams, or conversation.

Its top ranking is mainly down to continuity. The Smart Matching system cross-references 18 data points (your goal, level, schedule, preferred accent, and even the teacher's personality) and shows you between 22 and 30 profiles. Flalingo estimates that the likelihood of keeping the same teacher throughout your plan is over 90%. At an advanced level, this matters: after three or four weeks, your teacher knows your ingrained language habits and stops spending time on what you have already mastered.

For B2 and C1, there are teachers specializing in business English and advanced English, with dedicated materials. The Smart Personalized Books include the English at Work series, up to Advanced level, and Everyday English, up to Advanced Plus. The business English page lists curricula for more than seven industries, with simulations of meetings, presentations, emails, and negotiations, and says that 68% of students take lessons between 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. If your company wants to train a team, you can request a proposal from Flalingo for companies. The article Executive English shows how industry-specific support works.

For an official qualification, the exam preparation section has teachers who specialize in Cambridge (FCE, CAE and CPE), IELTS, TOEFL and TOEIC. Flalingo Exams offers IELTS, TOEFL, TOEIC, PTE Academic and OET mock exams, with writing and speaking assessed by AI in seconds. After 30 hours of lessons, you also receive an accredited digital certificate in your name, which documents your progress but does not replace an exam such as C1 Advanced.

Between lessons, Flalingo Daily News publishes daily news graded up to Proficient level, with vocabulary exercises and audio, including a business section. And before you book, the placement test and accent test, both free, show you your starting point.

How FLAI works is explained in What Is FLAI?.

Key features

• Live one-to-one lessons lasting 25 or 50 minutes, 1 to 7 times a week
• Smart Matching using 18 criteria
• FLAI report and Flomework exercises created from your mistakes
• Smart Personalized Books up to Advanced and Advanced Plus levels
• Business English teachers, with industry-specific curricula
• Preparation for Cambridge, IELTS, TOEFL and TOEIC, with AI-assessed mock exams
• Flalingo Daily News, with news graded by level
• Accredited digital certificate after 30 hours of lessons
• Personal learning advisor

Price

The price depends on lesson length, the number of lessons a week and the length of the plan, with discounts already applied.

• 25 minutes: from €23 a month (12-month plan, 1 lesson a week) to €386 (1-month plan, 7 lessons a week)
• 25-minute lesson: €5.76 on the annual plan and €14.37 on the monthly plan (4 lessons a month)
• 50-minute lesson: €11.48 on the annual plan and €28.15 on the monthly plan
• Discounts: 30% on the 3-month plan, 40% on the 6-month plan and 60% on the 12-month plan
• Trial lesson: 25 minutes for €1.80, refunded if it does not convince you
• Pauses: 1 pause of up to 2 weeks (3 months), 2 one-month pauses (6 months), 3 two-month pauses (12 months)

Prices last checked: November 2026.

Who is it for?

• Adults at B1 to C1 level who understand well but want to speak more accurately and naturally
• Professionals with specific goals: meetings, presentations, C1 Advanced or IELTS
• Anyone who wants the same teacher every week and a written record of their progress
• Budget from €23 per month with the annual plan

User reviews

Flalingo has a rating of 4.9 out of 5 on Google, based on 710 reviews. The two reviews below come from Google.

#2 - Preply: thousands of teachers for every budget

Preply is an international online tutoring marketplace: each tutor sets their own price, schedule and method. A search for English tutors brings up more than 47,000 profiles, and Preply itself gives an average price of €22 an hour with native-speaker tutors and €24 with non-native tutors. A standard lesson lasts 50 minutes, and the subscription also allows 25-minute lessons.

The subscription is tied to one teacher: at least four lessons per 28-day cycle, with automatic renewal. Lessons you haven't scheduled before renewal expire. You can pause for up to 20 days per cycle, and you must cancel at least one day before the next payment. If the first teacher isn't right for you, you can try two more at no extra cost.

At an advanced level, the strength is specialisation. There are tutors who focus on C1 Advanced, IELTS or business English, and you can filter for tutors who also speak Portuguese. On the other hand, quality depends entirely on your choice, there is no shared curriculum, and nothing guarantees that the same mistakes are corrected from week to week. We compare the two models in Flalingo vs Preply.

Key features

• More than 47 000 profiles, with filters for price, country, languages spoken and specialisation
• 50-minute lessons, or 25-minute lessons with a subscription
• Subscription in 28-day cycles, with pauses of up to 20 days
• Lesson Insights, an AI-generated lesson summary (optional, English only)

Price

Preply shows prices in euros or US dollars, depending on your account settings.

• Average hourly price: €22 with native-speaker tutors and €24 with non-native tutors
• Price filter per lesson: from US$3 to over US$50 (≈€2.69 to €44.84)
• Trial lesson of 25 or 50 minutes
• Subscription: minimum of 4 lessons per 28-day cycle

Prices last checked: November 2026.

Who is it for?

• Anyone who knows what kind of teacher they want and is willing to take two or three trial lessons
• Highly specific goals: an interview, an industry, an exam
• Every budget, starting from just a few euros per lesson

User reviews

Preply has a rating of 4.4 out of 5 on Trustpilot, based on 25 979 reviews (November 2026). The two reviews below come from there.

#3 - Cambly: chat with native speakers anytime

Cambly is a US-based platform that works exclusively with native English-speaking tutors. Open the app on your phone or computer, choose someone who is available and, seconds later, you're talking, day or night. You can also book in advance.

There are three plans. Small Groups pairs a tutor with one or two students and is only for those over 21. Private+ adds one-on-one lessons, recordings, transcripts and automated feedback, while Pro gives you access to exclusive tutors, with lessons structured around your goals. Each plan includes a set number of minutes per week, with a maximum of 60 per day. Minutes reset on Mondays, and any unused minutes expire.

If you are already at B2, Cambly helps you keep your fluency and tune your ear to American, British or Australian accents. To reach C1, it lacks structure: there is no curriculum to take you from one level to the next, and corrections depend heavily on you asking for them. We compare the two approaches in Flalingo vs Cambly.

Key features

• Exclusively native-speaking tutors, available 24 hours a day
• Small groups (1 tutor and 1 or 2 students, over 21)
• Recordings, transcripts and automated feedback (Private+ and Pro)
• Professional development and exam preparation courses
• Certificate available after 10 hours of lessons

Price

Cambly shows "from" prices in US dollars, which we have converted to euros.

• Small Groups: from US$12 a month (≈€10.76)
• Private+: from US$28 a month (≈€25.11)
• Pro: from US$40 a month (≈€35.87)
• These are promotional prices. Without the promotion: US$24, US$56 and US$80 (≈€21.52, €50.22 and €71.75)
• Full refund in the first 7 days of your first plan, even if you have already taken lessons

Prices last checked: November 2026.

Who is it for?

• Learners at B1 and above who want to feel more comfortable speaking, at unpredictable times
• Those who want to listen to native speakers and do not need a curriculum
• Budgets starting at around €11 per month for small groups, at the promotional price

User reviews

Cambly has a rating of 2 out of 5 on Trustpilot, based on 256 reviews (November 2026). That is a small number of reviews for a platform of this size, so it is worth reading them individually before drawing conclusions. The two reviews below come from there. The second is from a tutor on the platform.

#4 - Lingoda: small groups and a CEFR-aligned curriculum

Lingoda is an online language school based in Berlin. Its English classes last 60 minutes, in a group or one-to-one, and follow its own curriculum from A1 to C1, taught by around 2,500 certified teachers. When you complete the 50 classes of a level, you receive a CEFR-aligned certificate.

You buy a package that renews every four weeks and book time slots from an extensive schedule. Unused credits roll over to the next cycle, and you can cancel a lesson without losing the credit if you give seven days' notice. The trade-off for this setup is that your teacher and classmates change from lesson to lesson.

At an advanced level, there are two limits. The business English track stops at B2. And with five people in a 60-minute class, each one speaks for around twelve minutes, teacher included. That is enough to consolidate vocabulary, but not much for correcting mistakes that have become habits. We compare this format with one-to-one lessons in Flalingo vs Lingoda.

Key features

• 60-minute live lessons, in small groups or one-on-one
• General English from A1 to C1, business English from A1 to B2
• CEFR-aligned certificate for each completed level (50 lessons)
• Unused credits roll over to the next cycle

Price

Lingoda publishes its prices in euros, and the price per class drops as the package gets bigger.

• Group: from €59.99 for 5 classes (€12 per class) to €289.99 for 40 classes (€7.25 per class)
• One-to-one: from €169.99 for 5 classes (€34 per class) to €834.99 for 40 classes (around €20.87 per class)
• Free 7-day trial (3 group classes or 1 one-to-one class). If you do not cancel, the plan starts being charged at the end of the trial
• Refund if you cancel within 14 days of subscribing, minus the classes already taken

Prices last checked: November 2026.

Who is it for?

• A2–C1 learners who need a set curriculum
• People who enjoy learning in groups and can plan their week in advance
• Budgets starting at around €60 every four weeks for group lessons

User reviews

Lingoda has a rating of 4.2 out of 5 on Trustpilot, with 5910 reviews (November 2026). The two reviews below are from there.

#5 - italki: pay-as-you-go lessons, no subscription

italki works like Preply, but without a subscription: you top up your account and book one-off lessons or packages whenever it suits you. italki's Portuguese site lists 4,248 English teachers. Professional teachers are trained to teach, while community tutors focus on conversation and tend to be cheaper. According to the page's FAQ, a lesson costs between €11 and €13 with an experienced teacher and between €8 and €12 with a community tutor, but the final payment is made in US dollars.

Most teachers offer a discounted trial lesson, from US$5 to US$18 when we checked. If the teacher does not show up or the lesson is not what you expected, italki refunds you in credit, as long as you ask within 48 hours, up to twice.

At an advanced level, italki shares Preply's strength and weakness. You will find specialists in exams, accent or business, but quality depends on your choice and there is no shared report. On the plus side, if you are away for August, you simply do not book anything. We compare this model with structured lessons in Flalingo vs italki.

Key features

• 4248 English teachers, including professional teachers and community tutors
• Individual lessons or packages of 30- or 60-minute lessons, with no subscription
• Satisfaction guarantee for trial lessons (refund as credit)
• Video classroom built into the website and app

Price

italki shows prices in euros in its FAQ and charges in US dollars. We have converted the dollar amounts to euros.

• Lesson with an experienced teacher: between €11 and €13. With a community tutor: between €8 and €12
• Trial lessons: from US$5 to US$18 on the list of English teachers (≈€4.48 to €16.14)
• Package discounts, set by each teacher

Prices last checked: November 2026.

Who is it for?

• People who travel or whose schedules change from month to month
• Very specific goals: an interview, an accent, an exam
• Flexible budgets, starting at around €4.50 for a trial lesson

User reviews

italki has a rating of 4.4 out of 5 on Trustpilot, with 15 042 reviews (November 2026). The two reviews below are from there.

#6 - EF English Live: a complete course, with group lessons at any time

EF English Live is the online school of EF Education First, the same company that publishes the EF EPI index mentioned at the start. It combines self-study units, group conversation classes 24 hours a day and, depending on the plan, one-to-one lessons, with more than 3,000 native and bilingual teachers. Courses run from A1 to C2, and each level ends with an exam that earns you a certificate if you pass.

For advanced learners, it is one of the few options on the list with a structured course all the way to C2, and it also offers a business English course. If you are not satisfied after the first 12 weeks, EF will refund your money, provided you have completed one teacher-led lesson and one self-study unit per week.

The weak point is transparency. EF does not publish prices in Portugal, because each study plan is personalised. Before you sign, ask in writing for the minimum contract length and the cancellation terms. We compare this model with one-to-one lessons in Flalingo vs EF English Live.

Key features

• Self-study units and group conversation classes available 24 hours a day
• One-to-one lessons, depending on the plan
• Courses from A1 to C2, with an exam and certificate at each level
• Business English course

Price

EF English Live does not publish prices in Portugal. The cost depends on the study plan and is only provided after you speak to an adviser.

• Personalised pricing, available on request
• Money-back guarantee after 12 weeks, provided you meet the weekly minimum

Information last verified: November 2026.

Who is it for?

• Those who want a structured course from start to finish, without choosing a teacher
• Consistent learners who can meet the weekly minimum
• Those who want to reach C2 within a single programme, with a certificate for each level

User reviews

EF English Live has a rating of 4.3 out of 5 on Trustpilot, with 15 056 reviews (November 2026). The two reviews below come from there.

#7 - Wall Street English: the hybrid approach, with schools across the country

Wall Street English celebrated 30 years in Portugal in 2025. It says it has 36 centres from north to south and more than 350,000 clients, and it also runs a fully online school. You study first on the interactive platform, at your own pace, and then take classes with no more than three or four classmates at the same level, either at a centre or in the digital classroom. Before you start, you take a free placement test.

For advanced learners, the school offers preparation for Cambridge exams, such as First (B2), and IELTS, as well as sessions for TKT, the Cambridge exam for English teachers. The website does not state which CEFR level the general pathway reaches, so if your goal is C1, confirm this during the placement test.

Wall Street English does not publish prices. On Portal da Queixa, it has a satisfaction score of 64.9 out of 100 (‘Good’), a resolution rate of 89.5% and the 2026 Recommended Brand seal in the foreign language schools category. The most recent complaints mainly concern contracts, cancellations and deadlines for completing the course, so read the commitment period and exit conditions carefully.

Key features

• 36 centres in Portugal and a fully online school
• Interactive platform and classes with no more than 3 or 4 classmates
• Free placement test before enrolment
• Preparation for Cambridge exams (Preliminary, First), IELTS and TKT
• Business solutions

Price

Wall Street English does not publish prices on its website.

Information last verified: November 2026.

Who is it for?

• Those who need structure, a fixed schedule and a place to go
• Those who want to alternate between in-person and online classes
• Those preparing for a Cambridge exam or IELTS as part of a comprehensive course

User reviews

We could not find an overall Google rating for the school, so the most comprehensive public indicator is the Portal da Queixa score mentioned above (64.9 out of 100, November 2026). The two reviews below come from Google.

Which combination of features suits you?

The ranking above follows our criteria. Yours depends on your weekly schedule and what you need English to help you do:

• You want to speak better at work, with the same teacher every week and a written record of the corrections made: Flalingo
• You want to hand-pick your teacher, perhaps someone who also speaks Portuguese, and control your budget: Preply
• You want to chat with a native speaker tonight, without booking: Cambly
• You like learning in a group with a syllabus and plan your week in advance: Lingoda
• Your schedule changes every week and a subscription would go unused: italki
• You want a comprehensive course up to C2, with a certificate at each level: EF English Live
• You need a physical school, small classes and a commitment lasting several months: Wall Street English

A tip for anyone already at B2: replace a vague goal (“improve my English”) with one that has a deadline. “Present the quarterly results to the London client in March” or “take C1 Advanced in June” gives your teacher a target and you a way to measure progress. Take the level test and the accent test now, repeat them three months later and judge the platform by that difference, including ours.

In our opinion, what matters most at an advanced level is the combination of two things: a teacher who already knows your mistakes and a concrete record of what was corrected in each lesson. That is why Flalingo ranks first.

Looking for lessons for your children too? See our comparison of the best online English courses for children in Portugal.