italki Review: Great for Finding Affordable, High-Quality Online Language Tutors

As a beginner, I once gathered the courage to ask for something in a shop where my target language was spoken, only to have the owner respond, “You talkin’ to me?” Fortunately, after using italki for more than five years, my speaking abilities have gotten much better.

It took some time to locate the ideal tutors for me, but once I did, I gained valuable insights into my target language that I wouldn't have found in any textbook. Discover more about the platform in my review below.

What Is italki?

italki is a language learning platform based in Shanghai that was established in 2007.

Once you set up a profile, you can look for the perfect tutor in your target language and narrow the results by price, availability, country, and more.

There is a vast selection of languages available, from French to Tibetan, and the most popular languages have many tutors. For instance, Spanish has over 2,000 tutors, while Chinese has more than 1,000.

If you're attempting to learn a less common language, italki likely has a tutor for it!

How Much Does italki Cost?

Joining italki is entirely free—you only pay for the lessons you schedule with your tutors. Since each tutor sets their own hourly rate, you can make it as budget-friendly or as expensive as you wish.

Some tutors charge as little as $4 an hour on italki, while others charge $80 or more.

There are also options to buy lessons in packages.

For example, you can purchase five, 10, 20, etc. lessons with a tutor at once, often at a discounted rate.

How Many Languages Does italki Offer?

italki currently provides lessons for over 130 languages.

They include the most common languages—such as French, German, Spanish, Russian, etc.—and rare, endangered languages. Examples include Tibetan, Azerbaijani, and more.

How Does italki Work?

Types of Tutors

italki has two kinds of tutors—Professional Teachers and Community Tutors.

Professional teachers typically have college degrees, years of experience teaching their language(s), and prepared lesson plans.

Conversely, community tutors are native speakers who enjoy assisting people in learning their language through enjoyable conversations.

I personally use community tutors much more frequently than professional teachers.

Firstly, because they are usually less expensive. And secondly, even if you're a beginner, most community tutors are effective teachers.

If you want to concentrate on improving your conversational skills, I definitely suggest booking a community tutor. But if you're preparing for a proficiency test or exam, or desire structured lessons and a set curriculum, a professional teacher might be more suitable for your objectives.

One-on-One Video Lessons

After you've chosen a teacher, you'll provide additional details and have a video lesson with them. Lessons last from 30 to 90 minutes.

It's very adaptable because you can decide with the teacher what kind of lesson you want. The lessons might follow a specific textbook, consist purely of conversation practice, or help you prepare for an exam—the choice is yours.

I've found italki extremely useful for conversation practice since it's not always simple to find native speakers to talk with in daily life.

The quality of the lessons depends on the tutor, but I've had positive experiences with most tutors I've spoken with. They've generally been punctual and well-prepared, and they'd even take notes for me during the lessons and send me additional materials.

Since you typically book lessons one at a time, you can easily switch tutors if your current one doesn't seem like a great fit.

Even better, you can rotate between several tutors for variety. For example, I previously worked with a professional teacher who guided me through structured lessons, but I also had a couple of tutors that I just practiced conversation with.

Your Guide to Using italki

Now that you have an overview of italki, let's explore exactly how to use the platform:

Finding a Tutor

When you create your account, you'll need to set up a profile, which will show your language skills:

After your profile is complete, you can begin searching for tutors on the “Find a Teacher” tab:

After selecting which language you're learning, you can then apply filters for the type of teacher you want. Here are some important options:

• Teacher is from. This is particularly helpful if you're learning a specific dialect or accent.
• Teacher types. Remember the distinction between Professional Teachers and Community Tutors? If you have a preference, specify it by clicking this tab.
• Speaks. If you want your tutor to speak a language other than their native one, you can click this tab. For example, selecting a teacher who also speaks English (or shares a common language with you) can be beneficial if you're not yet very proficient in the language.

Other filters include lesson price, lesson time (you might only be available on certain days), or lesson category, like conversation practice and test preparation.

Each tutor's page displays an introductory video, information on where they're from, and even their resume, along with their exact schedule. You can also look at student reviews.

Booking and Paying for Lessons

Tutors will usually offer different kinds of lessons. For example, this Japanese tutor provides conversation practice, lessons for beginners, and textbook-based lessons, where he teaches from the “Minna no Nihongo” textbook:

To book a lesson, you'll select a lesson type and then choose the time, which the tutor will then confirm.

When you first start using italki, you'll be able to book trial 30-minute lessons a few times. If you want to do a lesson quickly, there's even an “instant lesson” option, where you can begin a lesson within an hour.

There are two main ways to pay for italki lessons:

• Buy italki credits first and then use them to pay for lessons as you wish
• Book a lesson and pay for it immediately

And as I mentioned before, many tutors also offer options for purchasing lessons in bulk at a reduced rate.

Attending the Lesson

When you book the lesson, italki asks which platform you'd prefer to use for it.

You can select from popular video chat platforms like Skype, WeChat, Zoom, and more. Or, you can keep it simple and use italki Classroom.

Wherever you choose to have the lesson, be on time and enjoy getting to know and learning from your new tutor for the duration you booked them!

After the lesson, italki will ask you to confirm that the lesson took place, which is optional. This way, if it wasn't completed, you can request your credits back (and potentially receive a refund).

Please note, however, you're required to pay the tutor if you cancel less than 24 hours before the lesson starts to respect their time.

You can then rate the tutor and even leave an optional review. And the tutor will also be able to leave private feedback for you!

Other italki Features

italki Group Classes

Group classes can be a more structured, social, and cost-effective way to use italki compared to private lessons:

You can find many group classes happening any week. For instance, you can choose group classes that focus on:

• Daily conversation
• Language essentials
• Travel and global culture
• Debating and discussion
• Hobbies and interests
• Exam preparation
• And more

The classes are usually an hour long, with some being an hour and 30 minutes.

iTalki already provides group classes for several languages, including English, Spanish, French, and Japanese.

The italki Language Challenge

A few times each year, italki offers its italki Language Challenge.

It's free to register, and you can choose to commit to 12, 16, 19, or 20 hours of practicing your target language.

When you reach your goal, you receive prizes!

To complete your goal, all you need to do is book lessons with a tutor and finish the lessons before the time period ends. I'm currently registered for the 12-hour goal, and I have 13 days left to complete 9.5 hours of lessons.

italki Language Tests

You can take two types of tests on italki: the Oxford Online Placement Test for English grammar and their paid italki Language Test.

The italki Language Test is currently available for seven languages for $30: English, French, Spanish, German, Japanese, Portuguese, and Italian. The test results use global standards and align with other widely recognized tests like the CEFR, TOEFL, TOEIC, and more, with speaking abilities included.

The Oxford Online Placement Test is an English grammar exam and costs around $10.

Community Exercises

In the “Community” tab, you can go to the exercises section to find:

• Practice sentences in your native language from other people trying to learn it
• Posts from people looking for language partners
• Daily practice questions.

The daily practice questions are like prompts to encourage you to write your own journal entry in the community.

When a native speaker reads your exercise, they can provide corrections.

I use the post feature frequently:

Whenever I learn a new grammar structure or verb conjugation, I practice it by writing 10 sentences.

After I write my sentences, I type them into italki and ask native speakers to correct me.

And as a native speaker, you can assist learners of your language, too! I've left several comments on English learners' posts, offering them corrections.

You can also ask questions about the language in the question tab (or answer those about your native language).

Podcasts

italki’s tutors can create podcasts for learners. They cover a broad range of topics, from study motivation to vocabulary and grammar lessons.

For example, this professional Spanish teacher has created two podcasts where she explains commonly used Spanish expressions and daily vocabulary.

Pros of Using italki

Huge Variety of Languages

Many language learning platforms are selective about the languages they offer, and in this regard, italki is probably one of the least restrictive.

First, you'll find popular languages in the search bar. italki then provides a directory of languages in alphabetical order, making yours easier to locate.

With less common languages such as Assiniboine and Basque available, it's not only a great way to get introduced to languages you may not have considered learning, but it also gives minority and endangered languages a chance to be highlighted.

italki goes a step further and narrows down even further into specific dialects.

This kind of detail is very refreshing as a language learner!

If you're trying to learn a specific dialect (like Taiwanese Mandarin), you can most likely find it on italki. And if you can't search specifically for the dialect, you can find a teacher from that country or region.

I've been learning Spanish for several years now. I specialize in the Venezuelan dialect because that's where my dad is from.

So when I look for Spanish tutors on italki, I specify my search by selecting Venezuela in the “From” section.

Diverse Rates for Tutors

I already mentioned that your chosen tutor's hourly rate is the only price you pay. But did you know just how low some tutors go?

When browsing tutors, you can refine your search to show tutors who fit your budget. And some tutors charge as little as $4 per hour.

I was learning Tagalog in the summer of 2019, and I regularly booked lessons with a community tutor from the Philippines two or three times a week. Her rate was $4 an hour, and I've had several Spanish tutors who charge $5-6 an hour.

Tutors are thoroughly vetted by italki so no matter how much the tutor charges, you know you'll be getting quality.

Flexible Schedule

When you book a tutor, you don't feel like you're signing a contract. In fact, you can first book a 30-minute trial lesson with a tutor at a lower price than their standard rate.

After you've found a potential tutor, you can view their availability calendar to see if they have any times available that work with your schedule.

If not, you can simply look for another tutor!

If you do want that “contract” feel (or just an extra push to make sure you show up and meet your goals), many tutors do offer package deals.

By choosing this route, you can purchase up to 10 lessons at once and schedule them whenever you're ready, and usually at a discount.

I did this with the Tagalog tutor I mentioned earlier, and it really helped me stay on track.

Additionally, many tutors offer multiple lesson duration options. This is great because if you really like a certain tutor, but can't afford their hourly rate, you can choose their 30-minute lesson option at a lower price.

Many tutors offer 30-minute, 45-minute, 60-minute, and 90-minute lessons.

Cons of Using italki

Lack of Real-world Situations

Is italki a good substitute for real-world situations?

The simple answer is no.

italki is probably the closest thing you can get to a real-world environment online, especially if you use it for finding language partners or having challenging conversations with native speaker tutors.

But you won't ever experience spontaneous conversations like at the grocery store, bank, hospital, restaurant, etc.

Sure, the tutors can teach you idiomatic expressions and native ways of expressing something during a one-to-one lesson, but it's still an artificial environment to some degree.

Inconsistent Tutor Quality

This applies to every tutoring platform. Even though italki verifies all of its tutors, I'd still suggest trying out a few different tutors at first before committing to one.

I've heard of some tutors not being good at explaining or adjusting to your level, for example, or sometimes they're just not a good match for your learning style.

Fortunately, with so many tutor options, you're sure to find a good fit for your language learning journey!

italki vs. Other Language Learning Programs

1. Lingflix

2. Preply

Like italki, Preply lets you browse hundreds of tutor profiles to find the right fit, with features like tutor videos, scheduling availability, student reviews, accreditations, etc.

The pricing is also relatively similar. Preply's tutors can be as low as $5 but no higher than $40 per hour.

Preply doesn't have anything like italki's Community feature, so you only get tutoring sessions.

The payment system is also different. Instead of buying lessons as you go, Preply asks you to choose from different lesson packages. They're usually 6, 12, and 20 hours, and the price is determined by the tutor's rate.

If you no longer enjoy learning with your tutor, you can transfer your purchased hours to a new tutor.

3. Verbling

Unlike italki, all of Verbling's tutors are professional, verified teachers with qualifications and prior experience.

There are over 2,000 tutors and more than 70 languages available.

Once you've found a teacher who interests you, you can book a 30-minute trial lesson for free. During the lesson, you discuss your goals and get to know your new tutor.

Verbling also has various learning materials for you to use on the platform.

On the tutor's profile, you can see at a glance which levels they teach, accents they specialize in, lesson subjects (i.e., business, conversation, exam prep), and what the lessons include, like homework and the curriculum.

4. Lingoda

Lingoda has become a popular choice among language learning platforms because of its unique challenge, the “Lingoda Sprint.”

No matter your current level, the Lingoda Sprint is a two-month challenge that promises to take you from nothing (or wherever you are currently) to speaking confidently.

Complete the challenge by taking live classes—either one-on-one or group classes—with a Lingoda tutor 15 times a month or 30 times (every day) per month. The 30-day challenge is called the Super Sprint, and if you complete it successfully, you get a 100% refund of your money.

If you complete the 15 classes per month Sprint, you get 50% back.

Of course, you don't have to participate in the challenge and can always take one-on-one or group lessons normally as on other platforms.

The main difference is Lingoda's language offerings. Lingoda only offers German, English, Business English, French, and Spanish.

5. Duolingo

Duolingo is famous for trying to “gamify” language learning.

One of the oldest platforms, Duolingo teaches your target language by taking you through a series of game-like lessons that include translation exercises, matching, listening, and more.

On italki, you have a personal, one-on-one teacher who customizes your lessons. However, Duolingo follows a pre-made course structure that prevents you from skipping ahead.

So if you want to learn a language quickly, be able to speak from day one, or have a specific goal you're preparing for (such as taking an exam or going on a business trip), I'd recommend italki over Duolingo.

6. Babbel

Babbel follows a specific course structure to teach your target language with lessons highly relevant to real-life situations.

The lessons include a variety of multimedia functions to help you learn and practice new words, such as “listen and repeat,” matching, translating, conversation fill-in-the-blanks, and more.

While the lessons are a bit more relevant than those on Duolingo for all languages, it's quite pricey for an app.

For example, a 6-month subscription is more than $50 and a lifetime membership is at least around $300.

Considering you can get an italki tutor for $4-$5 an hour (depending on the language), having a teacher who customizes your learning plan can be cheaper than paying for a Babbel course.

Plus, you'll only have access to one language with Babbel unless you pay for the lifetime membership.

Overall, italki is a great platform for connecting with native speakers, improving your speaking skills, and learning new words and phrases that textbooks won't teach you.