italki

What italki is

italki is an online marketplace for language lessons. Learners pick an independent teacher, book a one-to-one video lesson, and pay per lesson, with no subscription. Around that core sit group classes taught by teachers, a free community for practice, and a set of self-study tools. The homepage headline is "Start real learning, see clear progress," and the three promises underneath are "Flexibility: No subscriptions. Choose your own schedule," "Tired of app learning? Speak with a native teacher," and "A wide variety of tutors for all levels and learning styles." The footer names the company as italki HK Limited.

It is built for learners of any language and any level who want time with a real teacher, from a beginner preparing for travel to an advanced speaker polishing a second language.

The catalog of languages and teachers

The homepage invites learners to "Pick from 150+ languages." The largest teacher pools are shown with counts: English with 4257 teachers, Spanish 2345, French 1294, Japanese 1222, Chinese 980, Italian 834 and German 764, and a "More" tile with 20000+ teachers across the remaining languages. Portuguese, Korean and Arabic are among the languages featured as quick links, and the footer lists teacher pages for Russian and Hindi as well. Teacher cards also show dialects; one English teacher, for instance, also teaches Egyptian Arabic.

italki has two kinds of teacher, and the FAQ explains the difference: "Professional teachers have proven experience teaching and the qualifications required to help you learn a language efficiently. Community tutors are passionate language-lovers who want to share their knowledge with others." Anyone can apply to teach, and there is a teaching code of conduct. In practice the choice between the two is a choice between a structured, qualified instructor and a more informal conversation partner.

How lessons work

The FAQ sums up the model: "Find your ideal teacher and book a 1-on-1 lesson. There's no subscription or rigid schedule. Learn when you want, as much as you want." There is no weekly cap on lessons: "As long as you and your teacher have the time, you can take as many lessons as you want."

Lesson length is flexible. The FAQ says 30 minute or 45 minute lessons suit a quick session, such as a lunch break, and that learners who want longer can book up to 90 minutes. For people who want to start right away, italki offers an Instant Lesson, which the FAQ describes as a way to book and start a trial lesson immediately.

Each teacher card on the homepage shows the teacher's rating, the number of lessons taught, whether they are a professional teacher, the languages they teach and a starting price. The examples shown are all professional teachers rated 5.0, with lesson counts from 815 to 2570. Teachers' backgrounds and teaching styles vary, and the FAQ encourages learners to "Browse a marketplace of teachers with different teaching styles and curriculums until you find the teacher that's right for you."

Prices

italki does not sell a plan. The FAQ is direct: "Lessons are pay as you go, and teachers set their own prices." The homepage teacher cards show what that means in practice, with "Lessons start from" prices of USD 5.00, USD 6.00, USD 9.00, USD 10.00, USD 11.00 and USD 15.00 for the six featured English teachers. The header has a currency selector, and the prices quoted here are the homepage's US dollar figures.

Because each teacher sets a price, the cost of learning on italki depends almost entirely on the teacher chosen, the lesson length and how many lessons a week the learner books.

Group classes

Beyond one-to-one lessons, italki runs a Group Class section with "Fun and engaging online group classes designed and led by expert teachers." The page title also mentions group courses alongside its tutors. For learners who want some peer interaction, or a structured class at a set time, this is the alternative to booking a private teacher.

Free community and learning tools

A large part of italki costs nothing. The homepage says learners can "Practice for free" and "Meet and share experiences with millions of language learners from more than 190 countries." In the Community, learners share posts and receive feedback from other learners.

The FAQ adds that people who prefer to learn without a teacher can use italki's learning tools: vocabulary sets, podcasts "from around the world," prompts to practice with, and quizzes. A homepage block titled "Take learning beyond the classroom" lists Assessment, Podcast, Articles, Topics, Prompt and Quiz. The assessment is a "free language assessment" for testing your level, and the page shows how many people are taking part per language: 187616 for English, 30024 for Spanish, 18764 for French, 18470 for German, 14786 for Japanese, 13122 for Chinese, 11220 for Korean and 9570 for Italian. The footer also lists the italki Language Test and the italki Language Challenge.

Apps, business and other programs

italki has a mobile app, linked from the header ("Open in App") and the footer. The footer also lists italki Business for companies, gift cards, a refer-a-friend program, an affiliate program and a partnership program, plus a blog, support and a press page.

Who it suits and who it does not

italki suits adult learners who want to speak with a real teacher on their own schedule and pay only for what they use. The choice between professional teachers and community tutors lets a learner match the budget and the goal: a qualified teacher for structured progress or exam preparation, a community tutor for relaxed conversation practice. Learners of less common languages benefit from the 150+ language catalog, and the deep pools in English, Spanish, French and Japanese make it easy to compare several teachers on price, rating and experience before committing. The free community, assessment and practice tools make it useful even between lessons.

It suits less well a learner who wants one fixed curriculum and one fixed price, since every teacher sets their own rate and approach and the learner does the choosing. Someone who wants in-person classes will not find them here, as everything runs online. And because the marketplace is so large, a learner with little time to compare profiles may want to start with a trial lesson or an Instant Lesson rather than browsing thousands of teachers.