Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jul 16, 2026

Italki

italki is an online language learning platform which connects language learners and teachers through video chat. The site allows students to find online teachers for 1-on-1 tutoring, and teachers to earn money as freelance tutors. italki is headquartered in Hong Kong, China.

Last revised
Jul 16, 2026
Read time
≈ 3 min
Length
785 w
Citations
28
Source
Wikipedia ↗
italki
Type of site
Language Learning
Available inArabic, Czech, Dutch, English, Esperanto, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Simplified Chinese, Spanish, Thai, Traditional Chinese, Turkish and Vietnamese1
Headquarters
Hong Kong
,
China
Country of originChina
Area servedWorldwide
Founder(s)Kevin Chen, Yongyue Jiang
CEOKevin Chen
IndustryLanguage learning,Online education, Professional certification
Services1-1 language lessons
URLitalki.com
CommercialYes
RegistrationRequired (free)
Launched2007 (2007)
Current statusActive
Native client(s) oniOS1 & Android2

italki (/ˈaɪtɔːki/) is an online language learning platform which connects language learners and teachers through video chat. The site allows students to find online teachers for 1-on-1 tutoring, and teachers to earn money as freelance tutors.3 italki is headquartered in Hong Kong, China.

One can choose online language lessons taught by a professional teacher, who provides structured learning plans, or a community tutor.4 Students may also use it as a platform for mutual language exchange.5

History

In 2007, Kevin Chen and Yongyue Jiang co-founded italki as an online language exchange community.67 At the start, the site was focused on building free features for the community.8910In 2009, the site launched its teacher marketplace, allowing teachers to earn money by providing online tutoring services.1112 Teachers on italki set their own price and time schedule.13

In 2012, italki raised angel funding from independent investors.1415 In 2016, italki raised $3 million from Hujiang, a Baidu-invested Chinese education company with over 100 million users.161718

As of July 2017, italki has more than 3 million users from more than 100 countries, and 5,000 teachers.192021 English is the most popular language being studied, followed by Spanish, French, Chinese, and Japanese. The site offers more than 100 languages for students and teachers to choose from2216 Its user interface supports 19 languages.1

Product and Services

One-on-one lessons

Italki offers one-on-one language lessons connecting learners with teachers via video. Teachers are either professional teachers with teaching credentials or community tutors for conversation practice.23

Group classes

Italki offers live online group classes in multiple languages, including English, Spanish, French, and Japanese. The classes cover topics such as conversation practice, exam preparation, and cultural themes.24

Italki Plus

Italki offers a paid subscription service known as italki Plus, which provides AI-generated study materials, automated lesson summaries, and practice exercises.25

See also

See also

References

References

  1. "italki: Learn languages online".
  2. "Italki: Learn languages with native speakers". Google Play.
  3. Chen, Connie. "italki is an online language-learning platform that connects you with fluent speakers and teachers at a very low cost — here's how it helped me practice and learn a new language faster". Business Insider. Retrieved 2023-12-21.
  4. "What is the difference between a Professional Teacher and a Community Tutor?". italki Help and Support. Archived from the original on 2019-04-16.
  5. "The strangers helping each other learn a new language - via WhatsApp".
  6. "italki.com Free Skype VoIP and IM Language Partner Community | Free Language". freelanguage.org. Retrieved 2023-12-21.
  7. "Redes Sociales Para Aprender Idiomas" [Social Networks For Language Learning] (in Spanish). El Pais. 6 February 2015. Archived from the original on 10 May 2020. Retrieved 28 September 2017.
  8. "Social networking sites take language learning out of classroom". South China Morning Post. 8 July 2008. Retrieved 2017-09-28.
  9. Miller, Tessa (2013-01-10). "How to Successfully Learn a New Language This Year". Lifehacker. Retrieved 2023-12-21.
  10. “Secrets of Learning a language - quickly,” Benny Lewis, BBC, http://www.bbc.com/capital/story/20150225-secrets-to-learning-a-language, March 3rd, 2015
  11. Ricketts, Camille (2009-03-25). "italki launches marketplace for language tutors". VentureBeat. Retrieved 2023-12-21.
  12. "Professores deixam salas de aulas para ensinar línguas online" [Teachers Leave Classrooms to Teach Languages Online] (in Portuguese). Diario de Noticias. 17 July 2017. Retrieved 28 September 2017.
  13. Lotich, Bob (January 26, 2014). "6 Legit Ways to Make Money From Home That You've Never Heard Of". HuffPost. Retrieved April 6, 2022.
  14. "Tech in Asia - Connecting Asia's startup ecosystem". www.techinasia.com. Retrieved 2023-12-21.
  15. "Pando: Democratizing career progression". www.pando.com. Retrieved 2023-12-21.
  16. Tung, Yon Heong. "Shanghai-based startup italki raises US$3M to help Chinese students find language tutors". e27. Retrieved 2023-12-21.
  17. "China: Hujiang invests $3m in ed-tech startup Italki". DealStreetAsia. Retrieved 2023-12-21.
  18. "China Minsheng Investment Joins $157M Series D Round In Hujiang.Com". China Money Network. 29 October 2015. Retrieved 6 April 2022.
  19. Muston, Samuel (9 May 2012). "The 10 best language products". The Independent. Retrieved 6 April 2022.
  20. "Piedmont Global Language Solution (PGLS)". PGLS. Retrieved 2023-12-21.
  21. 陆家嘴 (2017-07-13). "italki Kevin Chen：做语言学习的"淘宝"". finance.sina.com.cn. Retrieved 2023-12-21.
  22. Chen, Connie (7 December 2020). "italki is an online language-learning platform that connects you with fluent speakers and teachers at a very low cost — here's how it helped me practice and learn a new language faster". Business Insider. Retrieved 6 April 2022.
  23. "italki is an online language-learning platform that connects you with fluent speakers and teachers at a very low cost". Business Insider. 2020-12-07. Retrieved 2025-12-16.
  24. "Italki Review". FluentU. 2024-03-03. Retrieved 2025-09-18.
  25. "italki Plus". italki. Retrieved 2024-12-18.
External links