italki
Marketplace of online tutors and community teachers for 150+ languages.
What it actually is
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.
Who it suits
Learners who want to pay per lesson with no commitment and try several teachers before settling on one. It suits people with irregular schedules, and anyone who mainly wants regular speaking time with a community tutor rather than a paid curriculum.
Who should skip it
Skip it if you need someone else to supply structure and motivation: you book every lesson yourself, and a cheap tutor who just chats will not fix persistent errors unless you ask. Credits bought are non-refundable, so do not load a large balance before you have found a teacher you like.
What it costs
Free account; you pay the price on each teacher's profile. italki's guide (Sept 2026) puts community tutors at about $4-$20 and professional teachers at $10-$40 per lesson (USD), with discounted trials. Your payment provider may add a processing fee; packages must be used within 6 months.
Checked 29 Sept 2026 on the official pricing page. Prices change and can differ by country.
How it compares
What it covers
- Speaking
- Listening
- Grammar
Learners who used it
From field notes — real posts we read and linked. What they say is their account, not our finding.
- 12 months at 1–2 h a day, from scratch, on a five-app stack · used it for human feedback
Similar tools
Sources
Prices and features above come from these pages, read on 29 Sept 2026. The judgements are ours.