This page contains affiliate links. If you buy through them we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you. It never changes our verdicts.
italki review (2026): is it worth it for language lessons?
italki is worth it if you want to choose your own teacher and pay lesson by lesson, without a subscription. It is a marketplace: independent teachers set their own prices, and you book a trial lesson before committing. On 27 October 2026, the English list showed 4,248 teachers, and trial prices on the first page ran from €4.48 to €43.01. The optional italki Plus subscription costs $5.99 a month or $59.99 a year and adds study tools around your lessons, not lessons themselves. If you want a fixed price per lesson and don’t want to compare profiles, Cambly is simpler.
italki at a glance
| What we saw | Check before you book | |
|---|---|---|
| Model | Independent teachers; each sets a price per lesson | The price on the teacher’s own profile |
| Choice | 4,248 English teachers on the list (27 Oct 2026) | Availability in your time zone |
| Trial prices seen | €4.48 to €43.01 on the first page of the English list (27 Oct 2026) | The price of the lesson type you book |
| Guarantee | “100% Satisfaction Guarantee up to 2 times on your trial lessons” (banner on the list) | The conditions in your account |
| Currency | Prices shown in EUR; the list says the final payment is made in USD | Your bank’s conversion fee |
| Teacher types | Professional Teachers and Community Tutors | Which one you are booking |
| Subscription | italki Plus: $5.99/month or $59.99/year, 30-day free trial for first-time subscribers | That you cancel before the trial ends if you don’t want it |
Sources: italki English teachers, italki Plus.
Who italki suits
- You want to pick your teacher. The filters cover lesson category, price, lesson time, languages the teacher speaks and country. The “Speaks” filter matters if you want explanations in French or Arabic: several first-page English teachers listed French or Arabic among their languages.
- You want to try before you commit. Every card we saw had a “Book trial” button, and the trial lessons are covered by the satisfaction guarantee shown on the list.
- You prepare for an exam or a job. Many profiles we read target IELTS, TOEFL, TOEIC, DELF/DALF or job interviews. Read the profile for the exam you need.
- You don’t want a subscription. Lessons are paid one by one or in packages. italki Plus is optional.
Who should look elsewhere
- You want one fixed price. Every teacher sets their own rate, so your monthly cost depends on who you book. Cambly sells plans with a set price per lesson.
- You want a course that tells you what to do next. italki gives you a teacher, not a curriculum. An app like Babbel or Mondly guides you lesson by lesson.
- You can’t keep a regular slot. One lesson a week works only if you keep it. Without a routine, an app is easier to fit in.
How much italki costs
Lessons. Teachers set their prices. On 27 October 2026, the first page of the English list (default sort, prices in EUR) showed trial prices of €4.48, €6.27, €8.06, €8.96, €12.54, €13.43, €14.16, €14.34, €17.02, €17.92, €18.82, €19.78, €20.61, €22.40, €25.98, €40.32 and €43.01, and one teacher at €41.22 an hour for a regular lesson. Trial lessons are usually shorter and cheaper than regular ones, so open the teacher’s profile to see the price of the lesson you will take after the trial. The list also notes that the final payment is made in US dollars, so your bank may add a currency fee.
italki Plus. The official page lists $5.99 a month, or $59.99 a year ($4.99 a month). Both include an advanced lesson summary, error corrections, flashcards, AI roleplay, practice exercises and progress tracking. The yearly plan adds a free italki Language Test (the page says up to four tests a year, in 7 languages, “valued at $30”), given after the trial. Plus also unlocks promotional trials on partner apps such as LingQ, Glossika, Migaku, Readlang, Tandem and Clozemaster. The 30-day trial is free if you have never subscribed; the first payment is taken at the end of the trial unless you cancel. You must cancel two days before the next billing period, and the page says paid periods are not refunded.
Plus does not include lessons. If you take one lesson a week, the lessons are most of your cost and Plus is an extra.
Professional Teachers and Community Tutors
italki labels each profile Professional Teacher or Community Tutor. According to italki’s help centre, Professional Teachers have uploaded documents showing their teaching training and experience, and can offer prepared materials and structured lessons; Community Tutors focus on conversation practice. The two price ranges overlap, and on the first page we browsed both types appeared at low and high prices: one of the cheapest trials (€6.27) was a Professional Teacher’s. For grammar, beginners or an exam, a Professional Teacher is the safer pick; for speaking practice, a Community Tutor is often enough. Either way, read the profile: what it says about level, exams, children and lesson platforms matters more than the label. Some teachers state conditions on their profile, for example that they teach only on Zoom or Microsoft Teams, don’t teach children, or want a message before the first booking.
italki also showed 36 “Instant Lesson” teachers who could start a lesson immediately when we checked.
Pros and cons
Pros
- A very large choice: 4,248 English teachers on the list we checked.
- Low entry price: several trial lessons under €10 on the first page.
- A satisfaction guarantee on trial lessons, up to two times.
- No subscription required; Plus is optional and its price is published.
- Useful filters, including the languages the teacher speaks.
Cons
- Prices vary by teacher, so the monthly budget is harder to predict.
- Payment is in USD, which can add a conversion fee for euro payers.
- Quality varies: you have to read profiles and recent reviews.
- Plus adds tools, not lessons.
italki vs Preply vs Cambly
- italki if you want to compare many profiles, pay per lesson and try teachers with a guarantee.
- Preply if you want the largest tutor network and the option to switch tutor for free if you are not satisfied. Its French site lists English lessons from €2 an hour, with an average of €16 an hour. See Preply vs italki.
- Cambly if you want 30-minute English lessons on a plan, with a set price per lesson, and a €1 trial lesson. Cambly only teaches English.
Compare lessons of the same length and level: a 30-minute trial is not the same as a 60-minute lesson.
What we did, and what we didn’t
We browsed the italki English teacher list with an account the site owner created, on 21 and 27 October 2026, with prices shown in euros, and read the italki Plus page on 27 October 2026. We read the guarantee banner and several teacher profiles. We did not book or pay for a lesson. So we can’t tell you how quickly teachers reply, how the classroom works during a lesson, or what the final price was after currency conversion. Teacher names and photos are not shown here because teachers are private individuals.
FAQ
Is italki legit? italki is a large marketplace (the English list alone showed 4,248 teachers), and it shows a satisfaction guarantee on trial lessons. Whether a lesson is good depends on the teacher, so book a trial first and read recent reviews.
Is the italki trial lesson free? No. Trial lessons are paid, but cheaper: on the list we browsed, trial prices started at €4.48. The free trial is the 30-day trial of italki Plus, the optional subscription.
Is italki cheaper than Preply? It depends on the teacher, not the platform. Both have low-cost tutors and expensive specialists. Compare teachers with the same experience and the same lesson length.
Do I need italki Plus? No. You can book lessons without it. Plus adds lesson summaries, flashcards, AI roleplay and progress tracking; it is worth it only if you take lessons regularly and use those tools.
Can I learn Arabic or French on italki? Yes, italki lists teachers for many languages, including Arabic and French. For this review we only browsed the English list.
Related pages
- Preply vs italki: the two marketplaces compared on price, trials and scale.
- Best app to learn English: apps and tutoring platforms side by side.
- Best app to learn Arabic: where italki fits for Arabic learners.
- Language app prices: our dated price tracker.
Sources
- italki, English teachers
- italki Plus, official page
- italki help centre, Professional Teacher vs Community Tutor
- Preply, English lessons (French site, euros)
- Cambly, plans
italki prices were checked on 27 October 2026, and Preply and Cambly prices on 21 and 24 October 2026. Prices change often: check them on the teacher’s profile or the plan page before you pay.