Comparison

Cambly vs italki

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

Head to head
About

Cambly

Engage in real conversations with native English speakers to improve your language skills. This app offers immersive lessons tailored to your goals, suitable for any proficiency level, anytime and anywhere.

Highlights
  • Live conversations with native speakers
  • Immersive learning experience
  • Personalized lessons
  • Anytime, anywhere access
  • Suitable for all levels
Features
Read full description

Learn English through real conversations with native speakers. Anytime, anywhere, any level.  Cambly’s active, immersive lessons help you develop skills and confidence for real life—because that's where it matters. Every conversation is led by your goals, and supported by tutors here to help you grow. Every word, every lesson is a step closer to doing your dreams.

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

Cambly4 screens
italki4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Cambly at none against italki's 4. Cambly also leads on ads (none vs shown). italki's advantage is rating (4.8 vs 4.5). On price, review sentiment, ratings volume and update cadence 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. Cambly asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

italki holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 9.3K and 9.7K respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 64% of Cambly's written reviews are positive against 68% of italki's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Cambly ships an update every 10 days, italki weekly. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Cambly versus italki: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCamblyitalki
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (9.3K ratings)4.8 (9.7K ratings) — better
Positive reviews63.5% of reviews67.6% of reviews — better
Number of ratings9.3K9.7K — better
Update frequencyEvery 10 daysWeekly — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationAd-supported — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS14.0 — better15.1
Further details — not scored
Size213 MB306 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperCambly, Inc.italki HK Limited

Customer experience

Cambly

All ratings9,324 ratings
Positive86.9%
Neutral4.4%
Negative8.7%
Written reviews910 reviews
Positive63.5%
Neutral5.7%
Negative30.8%

italki

All ratings9,737 ratings
Positive96.0%
Neutral1.0%
Negative3.0%
Written reviews1,457 reviews
Positive67.6%
Neutral5.1%
Negative27.2%

User reviews

Cambly

From 9.3K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🌟 Helpful for improving English speaking skills
  • 👍 Friendly and patient tutors
  • 🌍 Opportunity to practice with native speakers
  • 📽️ Recorded lessons for review
  • 🕰️ Flexible scheduling

Room to improve

  • 🤖 Inconsistent or unreliable tutors
  • 💰 Expensive subscription fees
  • 🔌 Connection issues and dropped calls
  • 🗓️ Difficulty cancelling or managing subscription
  • 🤷‍♀️ Lack of customer support responsiveness

italki

From 9.7K 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

Cambly

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Automatic subscription renewals without consent
  • Lesson time deductions for connection issues
  • Inability to access account/lessons after cancellation

Requested features

5 requests
  • Accent/dialect filters for tutors
  • Improved tutor search and scheduling options
  • In-app messaging and feedback system
  • Tutor-focused app version
  • Refund/credit options for missed/cancelled lessons

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

None

Cambly

No 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

Questions

Is Cambly free?
Cambly is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is italki free?
italki is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Cambly or italki?
italki is rated higher. Cambly averages 4.5 out of 5 from 9.3K ratings, while italki averages 4.8 from 9.7K ratings.
Do Cambly or italki have ads?
italki shows ads; Cambly does not.
Which is updated more often, Cambly or italki?
Cambly ships an update every 10 days, and italki weekly. Most recently, Cambly was updated on September 25, 2026 and italki on September 24, 2026.

Other comparisons