italki is the world’s largest marketplace for 1-on-1 online language lessons, connecting learners with more than 30,000 teachers across 150+ languages — you pay per lesson, with no subscription required.
Instead of a fixed course, italki lets you choose your own teacher. Professional Teachers hold verified qualifications and build structured lesson plans for goals like exam preparation or business language, while Community Tutors are native or fluent speakers who offer affordable conversation practice. You can filter teachers by price, availability, specialty and student reviews, book a discounted trial lesson, and learn inside italki’s built-in classroom. Community features like notebook corrections and exercises, plus the optional italki Plus AI study tools, support your practice between lessons.
Lessons run over italki’s own classroom or common video tools, and teachers cover much more than casual chat: structured exam preparation for IELTS, TOEFL, HSK and DELF, business language coaching, and lessons for children are all bookable categories. italki also offers its own online Language Test for learners who need a quick proficiency snapshot, and because teachers set their own schedules across every time zone, you can usually find a native speaker available within the hour.
There is no platform subscription. Community tutors typically charge $4–$20 per lesson and professional teachers $10–$40, paid with italki credits you load in advance. The optional italki Plus add-on, with AI flashcards and lesson summaries, costs $5.99/month.
Learners of any level who want real conversation practice and total scheduling flexibility — especially for languages and budgets that course apps don’t serve well.