Comparison

HelloTalk vs italki

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

Head to head
About

HelloTalk

Practice languages with native speakers through chat, voice, and live events. Connect with locals worldwide to improve fluency and cultural understanding. Features include translation tools, instant captions, and interactive Voicerooms.

Highlights
  • Practice with native speakers
  • Live video lessons
  • Interactive Voicerooms
  • Translation tools
  • Instant captions
  • Global community
  • Cultural insights
Features
Read full description

Practice languages with native speakers on HelloTalk! We recently introduced HelloTalk Live and Voiceroom - interactive language and culture events to help you master languages through the content you love! HelloTalk, the original language exchange app, connects you with native speakers to practice languages (English, Japanese, Korean, Spanish, French, Mandarin Chinese, Portuguese, German, Italian, Russian, Arabic, Turkish, Hindi, Indonesian, Thai, Vietnamese and 260+ more) for FREE! HelloTalk equips you with learning tools such as translation and instant captions so you can learn by chatting with native speakers. Learn languages from locals around the world through livestreams and Voicerooms. Connect with expert hosts to discuss interesting topics with language partners in the learning community! Why HelloTalk? ► Real language learning atmosphere Whether you're focused on a widely spoken language or a less common one, HelloTalk caters to your needs. The system smartly matches you based on your native language and proficiency, while allowing you to filter ideal language partners according to various criteria such as age, location, and gender. Plus, with built-in translation and transliteration tools, you can communicate confidently without any language barriers. ► A powerful tool for sharpening your language skills Acquiring new words through conversations with native speakers is more effective than rigid memorization. Whether you're a student preparing for exams like the CET, GRE, TOEFL, IELTS, planning to study abroad, or a professional seeking career advancement through language skills, HelloTalk offers native speakers who match your proficiency level for engaging interactions and valuable learning experiences. ► Immersive multi-person language chat rooms If you choose to learn Spanish, for example, every Voiceroom you enter on HelloTalk gathers Spanish learners and Spanish native speakers from around the world to discuss interesting topics. Here, only your voice needs to be heard, creating a comfortable, introvert-friendly atmosphere. Here, sharing mutual interests allows everyone to freely express themselves and share personal experiences, fostering both language intuition and authentic expression skills. It's incredibly addictive! ► Diverse global Livestreams HelloTalk features handpicked foreign language hosts who offer online video lessons, share language insights, and provide glimpses into their lives abroad. You can even join them on stage for one-on-one video conversations with fellow language learners. Whether you're grappling with pronunciation, speaking speed, or shyness, these hosts will assist you in refining your language skills and guiding the conversation. For rapid improvement in spoken language, there's no substitute for direct communication with native speakers! ► International Moments HelloTalk's Moments offers real-time posts covering learning, lifestyle, and cultural insights from around the world. It's your ticket to discovering fresh perspectives and gaining deeper insights into diverse cultural customs, all from the comfort of your home. Don't forget to engage with posts that catch your interest! What the world is saying about HelloTalk “One of the best apps to help you learn a new language.” - 9to5Mac "When you're ready to experiment with a foreign language, HelloTalk provides an excellent opportunity for interaction with other speakers." –PCMag START PRACTICING LANGUAGES RIGHT AWAY!!! Learn more about the HelloTalk app: - Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Hellotalk/ - Twitter: https://twitter.com/hellotalkapp Send any feedback to support@hellotalk.com - Privacy Policy: https://www.hellotalk.com/privacy-policy - Terms of Use: https://www.hellotalk.com/terms-of-service

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/

Screenshots

HelloTalk4 screens
italki4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: italki at 68% against HelloTalk's 36%. italki also leads on rating (4.8 vs 4.6). HelloTalk's advantage is chart position (#28 vs unranked) and ratings volume (44K vs 9.8K). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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. HelloTalk sells 12 in-app purchases, starting at $12.99 per month and italki sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month. 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. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 44K and 9.8K respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 36% of HelloTalk's written reviews are positive against 68% of italki's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

HelloTalk ships an update fortnightly, italki weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 1, 2026 and September 30, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 7 level
HelloTalk versus italki: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHelloTalkitalki
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (44K ratings)4.8 (9.8K ratings) — better
Positive reviews36.1% of reviews67.6% of reviews — better
Number of ratings44K — better9.8K
Update frequencyFortnightlyWeekly — better
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#28 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.0 — better15.1
Further details — not scored
Size753 MB306 MB
Age rating9+4+
DeveloperHELLOTALK FOREIGN LANGUAGE EXCHANGE LEARNING TALK CHAT APPitalki HK Limited

Customer experience

HelloTalk

All ratings43,831 ratings
Positive90.9%
Neutral2.7%
Negative6.4%
Written reviews2,556 reviews
Positive36.1%
Neutral11.9%
Negative52.0%

italki

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

User reviews

HelloTalk

From 44K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Great app for language learning
  • 👍 Helpful features like translation and correction
  • 💡 Ability to connect with native speakers
  • 🤝 Friendly and supportive community
  • 🌍 Exposure to different cultures

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frequent crashes and bugs
  • 💰 Overly aggressive monetization
  • 🔒 Concerns about privacy and censorship
  • 🚫 Difficulty changing account details
  • 🤖 Issues with bots and fake accounts

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

Bugs and requests

HelloTalk

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Disappearing messages and chat history
  • Inability to create new accounts on same device
  • Inconsistent app performance across platforms
  • Incorrect language detection and translation
  • Unexpected account suspensions or bans

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add dark mode option
  • Improve messaging and notification features
  • Allow more flexibility in language settings
  • Enhance moderation and reporting systems
  • Provide better customer support channels

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

In-app purchases

12 purchases

HelloTalk

Subscriptions5
  • Monthly auto-renewal VIP$12.991 Month
  • VIP Membership Monthly$12.991 Month
  • VIP Membership Yearly1 Year trial$79.991 Year
Show 2 more
  • VIP Membership$79.991 Year
  • VIP Membership Yearly3 Days trial$79.991 Year
One-time7
  • 8 HT Coins$0.29
  • 64 HT Coins$0.99
  • 324 HT Coins$4.99
Show 4 more
  • 649 HT Coins$9.99
  • Pro Membership (3 Months)$29.99
  • 3249 HT Coins$49.99
  • 10334 HT Coins$149.99
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

Questions

Is HelloTalk free?
HelloTalk is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is italki free?
italki is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, HelloTalk or italki?
italki is rated higher. HelloTalk averages 4.6 out of 5 from 44K ratings, while italki averages 4.8 from 9.8K ratings.
Do HelloTalk or italki have ads?
Both HelloTalk and italki show ads.
Which is updated more often, HelloTalk or italki?
HelloTalk ships an update fortnightly, and italki weekly. Most recently, HelloTalk was updated on October 1, 2026 and italki on September 30, 2026.

Other comparisons