The best tutors for learning Filipino

We tracked down 3 of the best tutors for learning Filipino. Our top picks right now are Learn Tagalog Filipino (Oliver Villaverde), italki and Preply. Every entry below is hand-checked and ordered free-first, so you can start without spending a cent.

3 resources

150+ free podcast episodes on speaking confidently, with optional paid tutor calls.

PodcastsTutoring Freemium BeginnerIntermediate A1–B1
listeningspeakingvocabulary
Details

Oliver Villaverde's long-running podcast focuses on getting learners speaking with native Filipinos rather than on grammar theory, and it passed 150 episodes while still publishing in 2026. The episodes are free; one-to-one voice calls with his tutors are the paid add-on. Delivery is chatty and unstructured, so it complements a systematic course rather than replacing one.

italki

Multi-language

Marketplace of online tutors and community teachers for 150+ languages.

Tutoring Paid BeginnerIntermediateAdvanced
speakinglisteninggrammar
Details

One-on-one video lessons from roughly $5–30/hr depending on the language and the teacher's credentials. It is the single fastest way to get real speaking practice, and the reason most self-study plans stall is that they skip this step. Community tutors are cheap conversation partners; professional teachers are worth it if you want structure, homework and error correction.

Preply

Multi-language

Large tutor marketplace with subscription-style lesson packages.

Tutoring Paid BeginnerIntermediateAdvanced
speakinglisteninggrammar
Details

100,000+ tutors across 120+ subjects, with a free replacement if your first tutor is a bad fit. The main structural difference from italki is that Preply pushes weekly lesson subscriptions and takes a large commission from tutors, which some learners consider a reason to prefer italki. Worth comparing side by side for your language — prices, availability and tutor quality differ per market rather than per platform.