Source-backed analysis9
Review basis
Research-based review: the AppDuo Editorial Team compiled it from official pages, documentation, app stores, press and user feedback, without hands-on testing. Every claim links to a source with the date it was checked.
9 reference sourcesInformation updated Nov 11, 2026
How we review
italki Review
1-on-1 language tutor marketplace, pay per lesson, no subscription required
By AppDuo Editorial Team · Updated
- Web
- iOS
- Android
On this page
Decide at a glance
Our verdict
italki suits learners who want live speaking practice with a teacher they choose and a price set per lesson. The trade-off is that purchased credits are non-refundable and quality varies by teacher.
Best for: Learners who want 1-on-1 speaking practice with native teachers
Skip it if: Those who want automated self-study at a low fixed cost
Pros
- Choose teachers by price, specialty and accent
- Per-lesson pricing, with community tutors from about $4 (per the blog)
- High ratings: 4.8/5 on the App Store, 4.4/5 on Trustpilot
Cons
- Purchased credits are non-refundable and expire after 12 months of inactivity
- Quality and cancellation terms vary by teacher
All pros and cons · Who is it for?
More pros
- App interface in 19 languages (English, Vietnamese, Japanese, Arabic, …) across web, iOS and Android
More cons
- Trustpilot's review summary says some users find the site and app hard to navigate and report scheduling times reverting unexpectedly
Best for
- Learners of less common languages (italki cites 130+ languages)
- People who need flexible scheduling and pay-as-you-go billing
Skip it if
- Those who need cash refunds on credits already bought
Experience & key features
italki connects learners with language teachers for 1-on-1 video lessons. Its About page cites about 10,000 teachers, over 5 million students and more than 130 languages. Per Wikipedia, italki started in 2007 as a language-exchange community and launched its teacher marketplace in 2009.
Students add USD-pegged credits and book lessons with teachers, who are either community tutors or professional teachers. The App Store listing mentions lesson lengths of 30, 45, 60 or 90 minutes, and lessons can run on italki Classroom, Skype, Zoom or another platform.
On price, italki's blog lists community tutors at $4-$20 per lesson and professional teachers at $10-$40, set by each teacher. The optional italki Plus at $5.99/month does not change lesson prices. The Payment Policy matters here: purchased credits are non-refundable and expire after 12 months of account inactivity (reactivation is possible once through support).
Compared with self-study apps, italki costs more per hour but offers live conversation with a person. Readers who want AI speaking practice or free language exchange may look at Cambly, HelloTalk, Speak or Praktika; each bills and personalises differently, so compare them before adding credits.
Plans & pricing
Prices last verified Nov 11, 2026
Trả theo buổi (Community Tutor)
PersonalContact sales
No subscription required. Per italki's blog, community tutors typically charge $4-$20 per lesson, and each teacher sets their own rate. Students add USD-pegged credits to book lessons.
Trả theo buổi (Professional Teacher)
PersonalContact sales
Per italki's blog, professional teachers typically charge $10-$40 per lesson. Trial lessons are usually 30 minutes and discounted 30-50% off regular rates (per the blog). Teachers may sell lesson packages at a slightly lower per-lesson price.
italki Plus
Personal$5.99/mo
$5/mo billed yearly
Optional subscription: $5.99/month or $59.99/year (about $4.99/month per the blog), with a 30-day free trial for new users. The blog says Plus is not required for lessons and does not change lesson prices.
- Free plan limits
- Signing up is free and the italki community is free to use. Costs arise when booking lessons with teachers.
- Free trial
- 30-day free trial · no credit card
Cancellation & refunds
Per the Payment Policy (October 14, 2024), purchased credits are not refundable. If a lesson request is cancelled by the student, declined by the teacher or expires, the student gets a 100% refund as credits. Subscriptions can be cancelled at any time, effective at the end of the billing period, with no refund for remaining days.
Privacy
Per its privacy policy (effective January 30, 2026), italki HK Limited and its affiliate Lingbe, S.L. collect identifiers, billing information, browsing history, microphone activity (volume) and the content of messages and video recordings of lessons. The policy cites GDPR and UK GDPR compliance, names a data protection contact, and says sensitive personal information is not used without consent.
italki alternatives
6.8/10Speak
Speaking-first language app with an AI tutor and instant feedback
6.7/10Praktika
Speaking practice with AI avatar tutors, plus a free tier
Controversies & incidents
Issues documented by the press, regulators, courts or the vendor itself. Every item is sourced; unproven claims are labelled as allegations. Last researched: Nov 11, 2026
No significant controversies or incidents found in the sources we checked.
Frequently asked questions
Does italki require a paid subscription?
No. italki's blog says Plus is optional and lessons are paid per session with credits.
Are italki credits refundable?
No. Per the Payment Policy, purchased credits are not refundable. Lesson requests that are cancelled, declined or expire are refunded 100% as credits.
Do credits expire?
Yes, if the account is inactive for more than 12 months. If they expired less than 12 months ago, support can reactivate them once, and they then stay valid for another 12 months.
How are italki teachers paid?
Teachers set their own prices; per italki's blog, the platform takes a commission from the teacher's side and adds no booking fee at checkout.
Review evidence & sources9
Scores
- Ease of use
- 7.5
- Features
- 7.5
- Value for money
- 7.0
- Performance
- 7.5
- Support
- 7.0
- Privacy & security
- 7.0
Why this score
The flow from teacher search to booking to an italki Classroom lesson is simple, and the App Store listing shows 19 interface languages. Some Trustpilot reviewers still call the site and app hard to navigate.
Why this score
Large teacher pool (about 10,000 per the About page), several lesson lengths, lesson packages and a community. No self-study curriculum of its own.
Why this score
No mandatory subscription and lessons from about $4, but credits are non-refundable and expire after 12 months of inactivity.
Why this score
Trustpilot reviewers mention minor technical interruptions in lessons; no major outage was found.
Why this score
A help center and email support are available. On Trustpilot, italki replies to 98% of negative reviews, typically within 48 hours. On the downside, expired credits can be reactivated only once, and only by request to support.
Why this score
The policy, updated January 2026, cites GDPR/UK GDPR and consent for sensitive data, but it also covers lesson video recordings and message content. No reported breach was found.
What users say
- App Store (US)4.8/5 · 10,000
- Trustpilot4.4/5 · 15,084
Sources
- Vendor-provideditalki blog: giá bài học (cập nhật 21/9/2026)Nov 11, 2026
- Vendor-provideditalki AboutNov 11, 2026
- Vendor-provideditalki Payment Policy (hiệu lực 14/10/2024)Nov 11, 2026
- Vendor-provideditalki Terms of ServiceNov 11, 2026
- Vendor-provideditalki Privacy Policy (hiệu lực 30/1/2026)Nov 11, 2026
- storeApp Store listing (US)Nov 11, 2026
- storeGoogle Play listingNov 11, 2026
- review-siteTrustpilot: italkiNov 11, 2026
- Community-reportedWikipedia: ItalkiNov 11, 2026
Specs & compatibility
- Developer
- italki HK Limited
- Headquarters
- Hong Kong SAR China
- Launched
- 2007
- Category
- Education
Capabilities
- Mobile app
- Real-time collaboration
Platforms
- Web
- iOS
- Android
Interface languages
- English
- Vietnamese
- Japanese
- Chinese
- Korean
- Spanish
- French
- German
- Portuguese
- Russian
- Thai
Integrations
- italki Classroom
- Zoom
- Skype
Support
- Live chat
- Help center
- Community forum
Change history
- Price.italki's pricing blog is updated: community tutors $4-$20 per lesson, professional teachers $10-$40, italki Plus $5.99/month.
- Update.The current privacy policy takes effect.
- Update.The current Payment Policy takes effect.
Full change history (4)
- Feature.italki launches its teacher marketplace so teachers can charge for online lessons (Wikipedia cites a VentureBeat article of March 25, 2009).
About the author
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