italki is a leading online marketplace that connects language learners with live tutors for one-on-one lessons. Unlike the app-based platforms on this list, italki isn’t a course or curriculum; rather, it’s a tool to find human teachers for real-time online classes via video chat. You can learn virtually any language on italki – there are tutors for 150+ languages from common ones like Spanish and Mandarin to obscure dialects. If you’re serious about learning fast, especially in speaking and listening, working with a personal tutor on italki can be a game-changer.

Key Highlights:

• Huge Selection of Tutors (Affordable Rates): italki hosts thousands of language tutors from around the world. You can find professional teachers (often certified or experienced instructors) as well as community tutors (native speakers who may not have formal teaching credentials but can help you practice conversation). Each tutor sets their own hourly rate, so there’s a wide range. You might see tutors for as low as $5 or $8 per hour, and others who charge $25 or more, depending on their experience and the language demand. This marketplace model means you can likely find someone excellent within your budget. For instance, many highly rated tutors for popular languages charge around $10-$15/hour, making personalized lessons far more accessible than traditional language schools. With italki, you only pay per lesson – there are no subscriptions or contracts. This flexibility allows you to scale up your learning (take more lessons per week for faster progress) or scale down as needed.
• Customized Learning and Specialized Skills: One of the biggest advantages of italki is that your lessons are tailored entirely to you. When you start with a tutor, you can discuss your goals – whether it’s preparing for a job interview in German, practicing pronunciation in Japanese, or learning French from scratch. The tutor will then adapt materials and focus to suit your needs. This targeted approach often means you make progress much faster than following a generic app curriculum. You can also request special topics (business vocabulary, writing correction, exam preparation like IELTS/DELE, or even lessons on cultural aspects). Because you have the tutor’s full attention, every minute is spent on your improvement. If you’re struggling with something, you can get instant explanations and practice, rather than being stuck. Essentially, italki allows you to build your own curriculum with an expert’s guidance, which is incredibly efficient for learning.
• Flexible Scheduling & Global Access: italki is used by tutors across different time zones, so you can usually find lesson times that fit your schedule, even on short notice. You book lessons through italki’s calendar system. Many tutors offer trial lessons (typically 30 minutes at a lower price) so you can test if they’re a good match. You’re not tied to one tutor either – you might try a few different ones until you find someone whose teaching style you love. Also, italki lessons typically happen via Skype, Zoom, or italki’s classroom – meaning you just need a stable internet connection. You can take classes from the comfort of your home, which saves travel time and allows you to spend more time learning. The ease of hopping on a video call for a lesson means you can increase your lesson frequency (some ambitious learners do daily lessons) – this immersion and regular speaking practice can lead to rapid improvement in fluency.
• Community Features (Free Practice): Beyond paid lessons, italki offers free community features that can supplement your learning. There’s a notebook section where you can write texts in your target language and native speakers on italki might correct them (similar to Busuu’s concept). There are also language exchange finders and discussion forums to ask questions. While not as structured as other apps, these features give you extra ways to get feedback and answers quickly from a global community of learners and teachers.
  
  

Pricing: As mentioned, there’s no fixed pricing – it’s set by tutors. To give a sense: many tutors have rates between $10 and $30 per hour, depending on the language and their qualifications. Less commonly taught languages or highly experienced teachers might charge more (e.g., a Japanese teacher with 20 years of experience might be $40/hr). But also, you can find community tutors in languages like Spanish or English for $5-$10/hr. italki allows you to filter tutors by price, so you can easily find someone within your budget. Payment is typically in italki credits (1 credit = $1) which you purchase, and then spend on lessons. There’s no subscription – you pay per lesson or buy a package of lessons from a tutor (packages sometimes come at a slight discount). One recent development: italki is piloting an “italki Classes” feature which is more like small group classes for a fixed subscription, but the core of italki remains one-on-one tutoring. Considering that a private lesson in person often costs much more, italki’s pricing is very reasonable. You get 100% of the tutor’s attention, which can easily make one hour on italki as beneficial as several hours of self-study – a worthy investment if fast progress is your goal.

Why Choose italki: If you want accelerated learning through personalized instruction, italki is arguably the best route. It’s particularly useful once you have some basics and need to practice speaking and interacting in the language – there’s no substitute for real conversation with feedback. For example, if you’ve been using apps and can form sentences, a few lessons on italki can suddenly clarify your doubts and correct any pronunciation issues, boosting your confidence dramatically. Learners who use italki often report quick improvements in fluency and listening comprehension, because you’re effectively immersed with a native speaker during lessons. It’s also an amazing resource for advanced or specialized learning: preparing for a language exam or refining business communication can be done much faster with a tutor who provides expert guidance rather than studying alone. Additionally, for languages with fewer self-study resources (say Thai or Finnish), having a native tutor from day one can set you on the right track and prevent bad habits. The ability to ask questions and get instant answers can save you days of confusion that you might have had learning solo. In short, italki offers maximum flexibility and personalization, making it one of the fastest ways to reach your specific language goals, as long as you’re willing to actively engage and invest in lessons. Many polyglots swear by italki as a key tool in reaching fluency efficiently.