Comparison

HelloTalk vs LingChat

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

LingChat

Practice speaking over 60 languages with AI characters or real people. Get instant feedback, grammar help, and translation tools to build confidence and fluency in a safe, fun environment.

Highlights
  • Practice with AI characters
  • Connect with real language partners
  • Instant grammar feedback
  • Tap to translate messages
  • Native-like reply suggestions
  • Real-time word lookup
Features
Read full description

LingChat: Talk Your Way to Fluency—With AI or Real People! You’ve been learning a language for a while, but when it comes to speaking, you freeze up. Sound familiar? LingChat is here to break that barrier! The secret to fluency is simple: speaking, speaking, and more speaking—because practice makes perfect. Now, you can practice anytime, anywhere—with smart AI characters or real language partners from around the world! * Speak Freely with AI & Real People LingChat gives you a safe, fun, and effective way to practice over 60 languages. Chat with quirky, friendly AI who never judge—or join our growing language exchange community to connect with fellow learners and native speakers. It’s real conversation, made easy. * Smart AI Characters That Keep It Fun LingChat’s AI isn’t just smart—it’s your personal speaking coach. Get instant feedback, grammar tips, and confidence-building practice. Want to practice a business meeting, a date, or a debate with a robot? You got it. The AI adapts to you—so your learning feels natural and real. * Connect with Real People, Just Like You Whether you’re a beginner or fluent speaker, sometimes you just want to talk to a real person. Now you can join global chat rooms, find speaking partners, or join group discussions to sharpen your skills through authentic human interaction. * Smart Tools That Make Conversations Easier LingChat is more than just chatting—it’s smart learning on the go: • Tap to Translate – Instantly understand your partner’s messages, or translate your own into their language. • Native-Like Replies – Polish your sentences to sound natural and fluent with our one-tap message optimizer. • Real-Time Grammar Help – Get instant corrections and suggestions to improve your writing as you go. • Instant Word Lookup – Tap any word in the chat to see its meaning and save it to your vocabulary list. • Smart Reply Hints – Stuck on what to say? LingChat suggests natural responses to keep the conversation flowing. • Cross-Language Messaging – Type in your native language and let LingChat translate it for your partner—or vice versa. These powerful tools help you communicate clearly, learn faster, and stay confident—whether you’re chatting with AI or a new friend. * Perfect for Everyone • Language Learners – Build confidence by actually speaking • Students – Prep for TOEIC, IELTS, TOEFL with real-time chat • Professionals – Practice real-world business scenarios • Travelers – Learn essential phrases for real-life adventures • Shy Speakers – Speak without fear—AI or human, it’s safe here! * Languages Supported English, Spanish, Japanese, Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Korean, German, Portuguese, French, Italian, Russian, Hindi, Bengali, Turkish, Polish, Ukrainian, Dutch, Thai, Indonesian, Greek, Swedish, Hungarian, Vietnamese, Finnish, Danish, Bulgarian, Norwegian, Slovak, Croatian, Lithuanian, Slovenian, Irish, Kazakh, Serbian, Azerbaijani, Swahili, Amharic, Uzbek, Albanian, Filipino, Malay, Armenian, Khmer, Romanian, Bosnian, Czech, Georgian, Lao, Icelandic, Mongolian, Nepali, Estonian, etc. Join LingChat today and start speaking your way to fluency—with your AI BFF or a real conversation partner. Fluency starts with a chat! Terms of Services for Lingchat: https://www.lingchat.pro/terms.html Privacy Policy for Lingchat: https://www.lingchat.pro/privacy.html

Screenshots

HelloTalk4 screens
LingChat4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: LingChat at none against HelloTalk's shown. LingChat also leads on review sentiment (65% vs 36%). HelloTalk's advantage is ratings volume (44K vs 238) and chart position (#28 vs unranked). On price, rating, update cadence 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 LingChat sells 20 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.6 for HelloTalk against 4.5 for LingChat. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: HelloTalk has 44K ratings behind it against 238, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 36% of HelloTalk's written reviews are positive against 65% of LingChat's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

HelloTalk ships an update fortnightly, LingChat every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on September 26, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 7 level
HelloTalk versus LingChat: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHelloTalkLingChat
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (44K ratings) — better4.5 (238 ratings)
Positive reviews36.1% of reviews64.7% of reviews — better
Number of ratings44K — better238
Update frequencyFortnightlyEvery 10 days — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#28 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.015.0
Further details — not scored
Size753 MB97 MB
Age rating9+12+
DeveloperHELLOTALK FOREIGN LANGUAGE EXCHANGE LEARNING TALK CHAT APPShutter Technology Co., Ltd.

Customer experience

HelloTalk

All ratings43,831 ratings
Positive90.9%
Neutral2.7%
Negative6.4%
Written reviews2,553 reviews
Positive36.1%
Neutral11.9%
Negative52.0%

LingChat

All ratings238 ratings
Positive85.3%
Neutral7.6%
Negative7.1%
Written reviews51 reviews
Positive64.7%
Neutral15.7%
Negative19.6%

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

LingChat

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

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
20 purchases

LingChat

Subscriptions20
  • LingChat Pro Monthly Discount$9.991 Month
  • Premium Monthly$15.991 Month
  • Premium Monthly Pro Plan$19.991 Month
Show 17 more
  • Monthly Plan Pro7 Days trial$19.991 Month
  • Monthly Plan Pro Special Offer7 Days trial$19.991 Month
  • Premium Monthly Standard$20.001 Month
  • Monthly Plan Pro+7 Days trial$29.991 Month
  • 3-month Plan Pro3 Months trial$35.003 Months
  • Premium Annual Standard$49.901 Year
  • Premium 3-Month Pro Plan$49.993 Months
  • Premium Annual Discount$69.991 Year
  • 3-month Plan Pro+7 Days trial$79.993 Months
  • Premium Annual7 Days trial$99.991 Year
  • Premium Annual Plan Pro$99.991 Year
  • Annual Plan Limited-Time Offer1 Year trial$99.991 Year
  • Annual Plan Pro Special Offer1 Year trial$99.991 Year
  • Annual Plan Pro7 Days trial$99.991 Year
  • 6-month Plan Pro7 Days trial$129.996 Months
  • Annual Plan Pro+7 Days trial$189.991 Year
  • 6-month Plan Pro+7 Days trial$189.996 Months

Questions

Is HelloTalk free?
HelloTalk is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is LingChat free?
LingChat is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, HelloTalk or LingChat?
HelloTalk is rated higher. HelloTalk averages 4.6 out of 5 from 44K ratings, while LingChat averages 4.5 from 238 ratings.
Do HelloTalk or LingChat have ads?
HelloTalk shows ads; LingChat does not.
Which is updated more often, HelloTalk or LingChat?
HelloTalk ships an update fortnightly, and LingChat every 10 days. Most recently, HelloTalk was updated on September 26, 2026 and LingChat on September 24, 2026.

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