The aim of this study was to reveal hotspots and frontiers of computer-assisted English learning (CAEL) studies indexed by EI Compendex database from 2001 to 2020 via bibliometric analysis. The publication output has exponentially grown in the past two decades and is likely to progress in the next several years. China occupied the leading position， while Lecture Notes in Computer Science was the most prolific journal, and Deyi Xiong was the most productive author. Keyword analysis was assisted by VOSviewer software. Our results show that “computer aided instruction”, “computer aided language translation” and “learning systems” were the most frequently used keywords in documents. CAEL studies were mainly conducted from five dimensions (technology, learners, teaching, English acquisition and testing). The findings of this study have implications for English language instructors. Teaching methods and modes should be adjusted according to technology development.