--- title: "Alliance Française or Français Prep for Express Entry" description: "An honest comparison of Alliance Française general French courses and exam-focused TCF Canada preparation, so you can tell which one your timeline…" canonical: https://francaisprep.com/alternatives/alliance-francaise last-updated: 2026-10-24 --- [Alternatives](/alternatives) # Alliance Française or Français Prep? Alliance Française is a long-established global network of French cultural centres, and in many countries its centres also administer the exam you are preparing for. That is a real advantage, and it answers a different question from the one this site answers. Alliance Française teaches French. We prepare people for one exam, on a deadline, with every writing and speaking task marked by hand. Those are different products, and for a lot of candidates the right answer is one then the other. Updated 24 October 2026 ![Adèle, the native French teacher who runs Français Prep](/_next/image?url=%2Fadele.png&w=3840&q=75) Not sure which of this you actually need? A 15-minute video call works out which of your four abilities is furthest from the level your application needs. It is free, and some candidates leave with a plan and no purchase. Adèle Sason · Native French teacher - every class, every correction [Book the free call](/book) Side by side ## Alliance Française and Français Prep, compared honestly | What you are comparing | Alliance Française | Français Prep | | --- | --- | --- | | What it is built around | General French proficiency across a level system, taught in term-length courses. | One exam, one target NCLC level, and the date you have booked. | | Format | In-person classes at a physical centre in many cities, plus online options that vary by centre. | Online only. A weekly plan for practising on your own, weekly small-group classes, or one-to-one. | | Pace | Set by the course calendar and the level you enrol into. | Set by your test date, working backwards from it. | | Marked writing and speaking | Varies by centre and course. Ask what is included before you enrol. | Every task, marked by Adèle, in both live tiers. | | Exam administrationThis is a genuine reason to deal with them directly. | Many centres are approved to administer the TCF. Check your local centre. | None. We are not a test centre and cannot register you. | | Price | Set locally by each centre and varies widely by country. | Published on this site in Canadian dollars, the same everywhere. | Français Prep is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or partnered with any organisation named on these pages. We describe them only in general terms that are publicly documented, and we do not quote their prices, because those are set independently and change. Verify anything that matters to your decision with the provider directly. ## Choose Alliance Française if - →You want to learn French properly rather than pass one exam, and you are not on a deadline. - →You learn better in a physical room with other people, and there is a centre near you. - →You need to sit the exam and your local centre administers it. - →You are starting from close to zero, where general instruction beats exam drilling. ## Choose Français Prep if - →You have a test date, or you need one soon, and you are working backwards from it. - →You already speak French and are losing marks to exam format rather than to the language. - →You need every writing and speaking task marked by a person, weekly. - →You need to know which of your four abilities is below NCLC 7 and what closing that gap takes. If that points to us ## What preparation here costs Prices are in Canadian dollars and the same wherever you are sitting the exam. - ### Weekly plan The whole practice platform: every TCF and TEF Canada series, unlimited AI corrections, timed mock tests and the course lessons. CA$9.99per week Canadian dollars (CAD) Billed weekly, cancel any time. Access runs to the end of the week you paid for. [Start the weekly plan](/dashboard/premium) - Every practice series in all four exam sections - Unlimited AI writing and speaking corrections - Timed mock tests in the real exam format - Course lessons and a weekly study plan - ### Small-group live Weekly live classes with Adèle, in groups small enough that everyone speaks, plus marked writing and speaking. CA$449per 8-week block Canadian dollars (CAD) Eight weekly classes of 60 minutes: 8 hours of live teaching, CA$56 an hour, with your writing and speaking marked every week. [Join a small group](https://buy.stripe.com/fZu4gyfXZ9uK5Aj1P46Vq01) Full refund within 14 days of purchase if you have not taken a session. - Everything in the weekly plan - One 60-minute live class with Adèle every week - Marked writing submissions every week - Marked speaking recordings every week - Most popular ### One-to-one tutoring Private sessions scheduled around your test date, with a study plan built from your diagnostic results. CA$800per 10 sessions Canadian dollars (CAD) CA$80 an hour, booked around your test date: ten 60-minute sessions. [Book one-to-one](https://buy.stripe.com/dRm8wOfXZdL07IralA6Vq0a) Full refund within 14 days of purchase if you have not taken a session. - Everything in small-group live - Private 60-minute sessions scheduled around your test date - Study plan built from your diagnostic test - Unlimited marked writing and speaking during your block Not ready to commit to a block? Try a trial class. One 40-minute class with Adèle, one to one. The CA$30 comes off any block you book within 30 days. [Try one class for CA$30](https://buy.stripe.com/6oU4gy3bd9uK4wf0L06Vq0c) Not sure which tier fits? [Book a free 15-minute video call.](/book) Prices are in Canadian dollars and include any tax that applies. Exam registration fees are paid directly to your test centre and are not included in any tier. Questions ## About Alliance Française ### Are you affiliated with Alliance Française? No. We have no relationship with Alliance Française, we do not resell their courses, and nothing on this page is endorsed by them. We describe them in general terms only, because their offering is set locally by each centre and we are not in a position to speak for any of them. ### Can I do both? Plenty of candidates do, and it is often the sensible order: general classes to build the French, then exam-focused preparation in the weeks before the sitting. If you are a long way from your target level, front-loading general instruction and coming to exam work later usually costs less than doing exam work too early. ### Which is cheaper? We cannot answer that honestly, because Alliance Française pricing is set independently by each centre and varies enormously by country. Our prices are published on this site and are the same wherever you are. Get a quote from your local centre and compare it against what you actually need, rather than against a headline number. ### They can administer my exam. Does that matter? It can matter a lot, and it is a legitimate reason to build a relationship with your local centre regardless of where you prepare. We do not administer either exam, we cannot register you, and we have no influence over seat availability or dates. From the blog ## More on Alliance Française and the alternatives - [ComparisonAlliance Française for the TCF/TEF Canada: centre or prep?Alliance Française plays two different roles for the TCF and TEF Canada. A non-affiliated comparison of using it as an exam centre and as preparation.](/blog/alliance-francaise-tcf-tef-canada) - [GuideHow much does the TCF Canada cost?There is no single TCF Canada fee: each approved centre sets its own. What moves the price, the costs nobody quotes, and how to avoid paying twice.](/blog/how-much-does-tcf-canada-cost) ## The other options - [italki and Preply TCF Canada alternative](/alternatives/italki-and-preply) - [Pack Ayoub TCF Canada alternative](/alternatives/pack-ayoub) - [PrepMyFuture TCF Canada alternative](/alternatives/prepmyfuture) - [Crack the TCF Canada alternative](/alternatives/crack-the-tcf) - [TCFCAD TCF Canada alternative](/alternatives/tcfcad) - [Pack IMED TCF Canada alternative](/alternatives/pack-imed) - [OPAL TCF Canada alternative](/alternatives/opal) - [Packs Nabil TCF Canada alternative](/alternatives/pack-nabil) - [TV5Monde TCF Canada alternative](/alternatives/tv5monde) - [Self-study for the TCF Canada, compared](/alternatives/self-study) - [Work out where you stand first](/tools/score-converter) NEXT STEP ## Find out where your French actually stands Book a short assessment with Adèle: one writing task, one speaking task, and an honest plan for the weeks you have left before the exam. [Book an assessment](/book)[See the course tiers](#tiers) --- For agents: site index https://francaisprep.com/llms.txt, developer access https://francaisprep.com/developers, and TCF or TEF to NCLC conversion over a plain GET at https://api.francaisprep.com/v1/score/convert?exam=tcf_canada&listening=512&reading=470&writing=12&speaking=11 (exam is tcf_canada or tef_canada).