This study aims to explore learners’ need satisfaction and effort in an online English language learning setting, focusing on Korean college students. A total of seventy-seven participants were divided into low-, intermediate-, and high-proficiency groups based on their English competence. Four major instruments were employed in the current study: a background questionnaire, an assessment of English competency, the Need Satisfaction in an Online English Learning (NSOEL) questionnaire, and the Online English Learning Effort (OELE) questionnaire. The results indicate that learners with high- and intermediate-levels showed significantly greater performance than those in the low-proficiency group in terms of need satisfaction for competence on the NSOEL and also substantive effort on the OELE. This study also reveals that there existed positive correlations among learners’ proficiency levels, factors on the NSOEL, and factors on the OELE. Based on the findings of the study, pedagogical implications and practical teaching methodologies are given for online English language learning instruction to help foster L2 learners’ need satisfaction and effort.