Comparison

italki vs Tutor Lily

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

italki

Connect with qualified native teachers for personalized language lessons. Learn Spanish, English, French, and over 150 other languages at your own pace and schedule. Practice conversation, master grammar, and immerse yourself in new cultures.

Highlights
  • Private tutoring with native teachers
  • Learn over 150 languages
  • Customizable lesson plans
  • Flexible class scheduling
  • Pay-as-you-go pricing
  • Video call tutoring
Features
Read full description

Start learning or keep improving your Spanish, English, French or any other language with private tutoring, thanks to qualified native teachers. With italki, enjoy an immersive learning experience with native teachers, and learn Spanish, French or any other language by sharing a real and human connection with your teacher. Do you want to learn a new language? Would you like to study English with a native teacher? You speak a bit of French and you’re not sure how to keep on learning? Language academies don’t fit your schedule? Download italki, register for free and learn Spanish, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean and more languages. Customize the way you learn languages; connect with native teachers according to your interests, work experience, etc. In italki you’ll find qualified language teachers to learn the language you like best (English, German, French, Spanish, Italian, Japanese, Korean…). Make the most of this opportunity to learn languages, practice your conversation skills, get to know new cultures and grow professionally. Aside from the italki’s community’s support, video call tutoring with native teachers is the best tool for you to learn a language. italki, the app to learn languages with tutoring More than 150 languages available with native teachers - Spanish - English - French - Japanese - Korean - German … and much more! ◉ Language classes where and when you want Do you want to make the most of your lunch break at work or your daily walk to learn Spanish? Choose the class duration (30, 45, 60 or 90 minutes) and adjust it to your schedule. Use italki Classroom, Skype, Zoom or another platform for your online language classes and start speaking the language you always wanted to learn, or practice the languages you want to get better at. ◉ Master the language skills you need the most italki's qualified teachers tailor their language classes to your current level (A1, A2, B1, B2, C1, C2). They will build every lesson based on your personal needs and weaknesses, to ensure you progress fast. Choose a course that fits your priorities: conversation, business, grammar, creative writing, exam preparation… You have lots of options available for each language! ◉ Pay as you go Forget about paying a lot without knowing if you’ll be able to attend all the classes. With italki, you pay per class. You can also buy credits to spend them little by little or buy a package and save on the final price. Educators set their own prices, from less than $10 for qualified teachers to less than $5 for tutors. You also have three classes for less than $5 each to try, so you can make sure it’s right for you! ◉ An immersive learning experience Learn and exchange with native teachers who will teach you everything you need to know about the language and its culture, and with whom you can create a real human connection, far beyond mechanical language learning. Whether you want to learn Spanish, English, Japanese or any other language, progress quickly with a total immersion. ◉ Connect with thousands of native teachers Find Spanish, English, French, Japanese, German, Italian and Korean teachers, and teachers of many more languages. Choose your teacher according to their interests, specialization, or even their accent: British or American English, to learn English and any other language you need. Some teachers use language-teaching materials in their tutoring classes, such as books, videos, cards, etc. ◉ Learning together with your friend Invite your friends to join italki to study a language, and earn $10 every time one of them spends their first $20. They will also earn $5 for adding you as their referrer. Study online, learn languages with native tutors in italki and expand your world. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

Tutor Lily

Engage in natural conversations to build real language fluency. This AI tutor remembers your progress and interests, adapting sessions to your goals and mistakes. Practice real-world scenarios and receive gentle corrections for effective learning.

Highlights
  • Natural conversation practice
  • Personalized learning based on goals
  • Real-time, gentle corrections
  • Smart vocabulary building
  • Adaptive difficulty levels
  • Practice real-world scenarios
  • Pronunciation coaching
Features
Read full description

How long have you been telling yourself you'll learn English? Spanish? French? Let's make this the year it actually happens. Not from 400 owl reminders. Not from tapping pictures of fruits and animals. From real conversations — from your very first day. You'll be speaking with confidence in weeks, not years. Just 10 minutes a day with me. You speak or type. I match your level in real time. Use your target language, your native language, or a mix of both as you get more comfortable. MISTAKES ARE WELCOME It's actually how we learn. Make all your mistakes with me first. Then you won't have to make them with real people. When you slip up, I don't shame you. No red Xs. No buzzers. I give you real-time feedback on grammar, pronunciation, and word choice. I use a three-step method I call the Lily Method: I nudge, then I hint, and only then do I give you the answer. Learners fix their own mistakes 46% of the time with this method (Lyster & Ranta research). Other apps just feed you the correct answer — so you learn nothing. With me, you learn it because YOU found the answer. The biggest mistake you can make is being afraid to make one. Duolingo punishes you for mistakes — I reward you for making them. LET'S TALK ABOUT WHAT YOU LIKE Whatever you want to talk about — I'm like a friend who happens to speak 50+ languages. The movie you watched last weekend. Your day at work. The trip you're planning. Your favorite K-drama. The book you can't put down. The song stuck in your head. Personal conversations stick. Generic lessons don't. Pack me for the trip. I'll be your travel buddy who already speaks the language. Want to practice a specific moment — ordering at a Parisian café, checking into a Tokyo hotel, meeting your partner's parents? Just ask me to roleplay it. I REMEMBER YOU Other apps forget you the moment you close them. I don't. I remember the word you stumbled on last Tuesday. I remember your sister's wedding next month. I remember you work in marketing and your dog's name is Bean. Session 100 with me is smarter than session 1 — because I've been paying attention. You told me in onboarding you have a trip to Italy? Today let's talk about what you're packing. You mentioned you're nervous about a presentation? Walk me through it — I'll help you fix the rough spots. EARN STREAKS FOR REAL PRACTICE Streaks earned by real messages, not by tapping a button to keep a number alive. All the motivation. None of the guilt trips. No hearts. No leaderboards. No "you broke your streak!" notifications. 50+ LANGUAGES, NATIVE ACCENTS English, Spanish, French, German, Japanese, Korean, Chinese, Italian, Portuguese, Arabic, Russian, Hindi, Turkish, Dutch, Swedish, Polish, Thai, Vietnamese, Indonesian, Greek — and 40+ more. Each with native accent variants (British or American English, Latin American or European Spanish, etc.) — so you sound like you actually live there, not like a textbook. STOP STUDYING. START SPEAKING. Babbel scripts you. ChatGPT forgets you. A human tutor costs $30-60 an hour and needs scheduling. I'm available 24/7. I'm 50× cheaper than a private tutor. I remember every word you've ever said to me. And I'll never make you feel stupid for not knowing something — that's the whole reason you're here. Five minutes on your coffee break. Thirty on the train home. I fit your day, not the other way around. Open the app. Say hi. I'll take it from there. — Lily Privacy Policy: https://tutorlily.com/privacy License Agreement: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula

Screenshots

italki4 screens
Tutor Lily4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Tutor Lily at none against italki's shown. italki's advantage is ratings volume (9.8K vs 239) and review sentiment (68% vs 50%). On price, update cadence, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. italki sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month and Tutor Lily sells 15 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

italki holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: italki has 9.8K ratings behind it against 239, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 68% of italki's written reviews are positive against 50% of Tutor Lily's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

italki ships an update weekly, Tutor Lily fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and September 22, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
italki versus Tutor Lily: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameteritalkiTutor Lily
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (9.8K ratings) — better4.6 (239 ratings)
Positive reviews67.6% of reviews — better50.0% of reviews
Number of ratings9.8K — better239
Update frequencyWeekly — betterFortnightly
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.115.1
Further details — not scored
Size306 MB60 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developeritalki HK LimitedTutor Lily Inc.

Customer experience

italki

All ratings9,782 ratings
Positive96.0%
Neutral1.0%
Negative3.0%
Written reviews1,457 reviews
Positive67.6%
Neutral5.1%
Negative27.2%

Tutor Lily

All ratings239 ratings
Positive91.2%
Neutral4.2%
Negative4.6%
Written reviews34 reviews
Positive50.0%
Neutral11.8%
Negative38.2%

User reviews

italki

From 9.8K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Great platform to connect with native speakers
  • 🚀 Flexible scheduling and easy to use
  • 💰 Affordable lessons
  • 🎓 Helpful for improving language skills
  • 🤝 Positive learning experience with great teachers

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Buggy app with glitches and connectivity issues
  • 💳 Concerns about pricing changes and fees
  • 🕰️ Unreliable teachers who cancel or don't show up
  • 🤖 Poor customer service and lack of support
  • 📆 Difficulty with scheduling and calendar integration

Tutor Lily

From 239 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Great for language practice
  • 👍 AI is personable and engaging
  • 👍 Provides corrections and explanations
  • 👍 Wide range of language options
  • 👍 Natural sounding AI voice

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Buggy and glitches
  • 🐛 Freezes often
  • 🐛 Hands-free mode is glitchy
  • 🐛 Incorrect translations at times
  • 🐛 Robotic and artificial voices

Bugs and requests

italki

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • App crashes and freezes
  • Inaccurate teacher availability information
  • Issues with login and account management
  • Problems with video/audio quality during lessons
  • Syncing and integration problems with other platforms

Requested features

5 requests
  • Improved calendar and scheduling functionality
  • Better notification system for lessons
  • Ability to search for and connect with language partners
  • More transparency around teacher availability and cancellations
  • Streamlined payment and refund process

Tutor Lily

Reported bugs

27 issues
  • App settings change and can't contact support
  • Recent update removed roleplay/topics
  • App is buggy
  • Makes users answer same questions each time
  • App locked behind paywall without notice
Show 22 more
  • Had to give payment info for free trial
  • Stopped working after paying for pro
  • No way to restore purchases
  • Automatic recording function is very poor
  • Correct statements understood and written incorrectly
  • App has loading dots without allowing use
  • Hands-free mode isn't useful
  • Translations are incorrect at times
  • Speak option only works best with built-in phone voice to text
  • Cancelled subscription but still got charged
  • No customer support reply
  • Voices are very robotic
  • Questions asked are very artificial
  • Hands-free mode is glitchy and poor
  • Message disappears/gets deleted when clicking to see mistakes
  • Freezes on 'evaluating sentence…'
  • Loading dots forever
  • Resetting conversation is only fix
  • Doesn't change input language to German for voice
  • Fails to record first response or delay in submitting
  • Doesn't know how to use formal 'You'
  • No sound on iPhone 13

Requested features

18 requests
  • Option to watch ads for more messages
  • Ability to see pre-corrected version of messages
  • Add Icelandic language
  • Improve hands-free mode
  • More natural sounding voices
Show 13 more
  • Fix slow audio for German and French
  • Provide more phrases for repetition
  • Better support for absolute beginners
  • Allow users to restore purchases
  • Improve automatic recording function
  • Fix formal 'You' usage
  • Fix delay in recording submissions
  • Allow viewing of original message before correction
  • Offer a cheaper alternative
  • Fix sound issues on iPhone 13
  • Improve input language switching
  • Make it easier to use while driving
  • Increase chat limit or offer unlimited option

In-app purchases

4 purchases

italki

Subscriptions4
  • italki Plus - 1 Month$5.991 Month
  • Plus Monthly Plan with Trial1 Month trial$5.991 Month
  • italki Plus - 1 Year$59.991 Year
Show 1 more
  • Plus Yearly Plan with Trial1 Month trial$59.991 Year
15 purchases

Tutor Lily

Subscriptions15
  • Weekly PRO $1$0.997 Days
  • Weekly PRO Membership$4.997 Days
  • Monthly PRO Membership$9.991 Month
Show 12 more
  • Monthly PRO Membership$11.991 Month
  • Monthly PRO Membership$19.991 Month
  • Monthly PRO Membership$29.991 Month
  • Annual PRO Discount3 Days trial$29.991 Year
  • Annual PRO Discount3 Days trial$49.991 Year
  • 6-Month PRO Membership$56.996 Months
  • Annual PRO Membership3 Days trial$69.991 Year
  • Annual PRO Discount3 Days trial$71.991 Year
  • Annual PRO Membership$83.991 Year
  • Annual PRO Membership3 Days trial$83.991 Year
  • Annual PRO Membership3 Days trial$89.991 Year
  • Annual PRO Membership7 Days trial$169.991 Year

Questions

Is italki free?
italki is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Tutor Lily free?
Tutor Lily is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, italki or Tutor Lily?
italki is rated higher. italki averages 4.8 out of 5 from 9.8K ratings, while Tutor Lily averages 4.6 from 239 ratings.
Do italki or Tutor Lily have ads?
italki shows ads; Tutor Lily does not.
Which is updated more often, italki or Tutor Lily?
italki ships an update weekly, and Tutor Lily fortnightly. Most recently, italki was updated on September 25, 2026 and Tutor Lily on September 22, 2026.

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