Preply vs italki: Which Language Platform Is Better?
Two of the biggest language tutoring marketplaces, compared on price, structure, tutor choice, and who each one suits best.
Preply and italki are the two best-known language-learning marketplaces. They look similar — both connect you with independent tutors for 1-on-1 video lessons — but they work quite differently.
How they are similar
Both offer huge tutor pools across many languages, let tutors set their own rates, take a commission, and run lessons in their own classroom or a video tool. Both also offer a trial lesson to test a tutor.
The key difference: structure vs flexibility
- Preply pushes you toward a recurring weekly subscription with a set number of hours, which is great for building a study habit but less flexible.
- italki is strictly pay-as-you-go: you buy credits and book lessons whenever you like, with no commitment.
Price
italki tends to be cheaper, partly thanks to its Community Tutors (native speakers without formal certification) who focus on conversation. Preply’s commission starts higher (33% on early lessons, and 100% of the trial), which can push tutor prices up.
Tutor choice and languages
italki advertises 150+ languages and 30,000+ teachers; Preply spans 90+ languages plus academic subjects and reports 100,000+ tutors. Both are large enough that you will find someone in your language.
Which should you pick?
- Choose Preply if you want structure, progress tracking, and a steady weekly plan.
- Choose italki if you want maximum flexibility, lower prices, and casual conversation practice.
See the full side-by-side on our Preply vs italki comparison page.