italki - Reviews and experiences

Delivery late, CS helpful though

I almost didn't buy — thought teachers might be hit-or-miss, but they're solid, easy to chat with, relieved.

Was clicking around, site felt clunky; navigation slow, though checkout actually worked fine.

I hesitated signing back up because of fee changes; taught my first class last week — it was ok, a bit clunky.

I wasn't sure at first about online lessons, but the teachers were great and the platform's easy to use; scheduling fits me, though I wish evenings started earlier.

Worth trying — I've been using it for months and it helps, though it's not flawless. A coworker pointed me to it on Slack; tutors are solid, booking's easy, prices vary and scheduling can be messy.

Liked the classes overall, but bummed they were suddenly cancelled — hope it wasn't me; had worse cancellations at other places, so, yeah, and confused, a bit sad.

Solid choice — simple and reliable. I use it for short evening lessons squeezed between work and dinner; booking's fast and there are plenty of pros. Was actually surprised when one tutor fixed my pronunciation after just two sessions.

Was unsure at first — site felt messy and ordering flaked — but once support sent the lecture summary and fixed my enrolment I was genuinely relieved, not perfect but solid.

I signed up because I had to move to Toronto and my spoken English was rusty. The teacher listings felt a bit messy and I was sceptical about the UI, but after a couple of lessons, when I could hold a ten minute conversation without panicking, I was really sold.

clean and practical.

I almost bailed on signing up — the site looked messy and I worried I'd never find a good match. Glad I stuck with it. The tutors have been excellent, patient and practical, same high standard I've had elsewhere. My initial worries faded fast, though the interface still trips me up now and then, honestly.

the search was oddly simple and the booking/payment process just worked — no headaches. I’ve had consistent sessions and the teacher fits my pace, so I’m pretty happy, honestly.

Sat in on a few lessons and was surprised — she gets the balance between patience and humour, and grammar clicks when she explains it. My speaking improved quickly. Only gripe is the pace can be a bit gentle; mention your goals and ask for extra practice if you want faster progress.

screenshot everything, keep records, and ask for clarification before deleting stuff.

booking steps are less obvious, students keep sending screenshots, and I end up repeating instructions more than before. On the plus side, the AI correction feature actually caught recurring pronunciation slips better than I expected — that was a nice surprise. Still, overall it needs tweaks; keep the useful AI bits but please simplify the workflow so students don’t get frustrated and drift away.

I messaged about a missed class and got a real person within a day who sorted a makeup session and even helped me find a teacher who fit my schedule. I do notice they’re pushing more AI tools lately (some of my students mentioned that), and that’s a bit odd, but it hasn’t ruined anything for me. The teachers are still great, and the platform’s problem-solving is solid — refunds and reschedules were handled without drama. So yeah, I’m happy overall; it made a stressful move a lot less stressful. Small hiccups here and there, but the delivery and support really won me over.

“It’s great, but the interface drives me nuts.” Anyway, that morning the clutter was still there. The dashboard had so many promo tiles I had to scroll to find my next lesson. There was also an assistant widget pinned to the lower part of the screen that stayed visible even when minimized, which felt like somebody left a poster across the bottom of the page. Small thing, but annoying. The lesson ordering was the real headache. On desktop there was the main list and then a separate sidebar list with the correct order — two lists showing the same stuff but not the same way. On my phone the app would open to a random upcoming class and I’d have to tap into the Lessons tab to see things properly. It made me pause and check the dates more than once. Searching for teachers got clunky too. Clicking a tutor’s tile took me straight to a chat window instead of their full profile. If you shop online, imagine clicking a product and landing in the seller’s DMs instead of seeing specs and reviews. That’s what it felt like. I stopped looking for new tutors because it was tiring to go through that maze. Then I emailed support and, after a couple of back-and-forths, they walked me through a couple of steps and confirmed they were tracking the misordering bug. Not an instant miracle, but the next week the dashboard behaved better. The random top-of-page lesson was gone and my actual next lesson showed where it should. It wasn’t perfect — there are still promotional blocks and the assistant is a bit too prominent — but seeing the correct upcoming lesson at the top the morning of a class was a small relief. That was the moment I felt like, okay, this still works. The teachers themselves never changed; teachers are still great, lessons still start on time, and my favourite tutor didn’t raise their standards even though prices climbed after the commission change earlier this year. So I’m glad it wasn’t as broken as I feared. I’m not blind to the issues. I’d like a cleaner dashboard, fewer repeated lesson lists, and easier access to full tutor profiles. But after that one morning when the UI finally behaved and my lesson countdown made sense, I felt grateful. I’ll keep using it, and I’ve started telling that same friend that it’s usable again — cautiously, though.

I clicked in during my lunch break and immediately felt lost. The site looked different and not in a good way. The search for teachers is buried behind new panels. The calendar I used every week was gone for a while. At first I thought it was me. Then I noticed banners and AI push ads everywhere, telling me to subscribe to features that didn't work as advertised. That was frustrating. What really turned it around, though, was customer service. My first email got a canned reply, yes. I sent a follow-up and eventually reached a real person who actually checked my account and explained the rollout timeline. Delivery of the fix was slow, but it happened. I appreciate that — I really do. Compared to other platforms where updates broke things and never got fixed, this one at least responded in the end. The UI still needs work; it's overcomplicated and takes effort to navigate. Teachers I know mentioned fewer students, which is worrying. Pricing is okay for what I use, though some features feel prematurely pushed. Overall I'm relieved the calendar and search came back and that support didn't leave me hanging forever. Small hiccups remain. If they focus on simpler layouts and keep the real human replies coming, this could be a decent platform again. For now, I'm cautiously optimistic and slightly grateful it was salvageable.

decent tutors, actual human chats, not that robotic drill stuff. But lately the site feels like it got redesigned by someone who hates people (and logic). The thing that stuck with me most was the new interface — it’s cluttered, full of weird gamified bits and AI widgets that pop up like those annoying flies in the kitchen. Honestly, I lost track of which lesson I’d bought twice and had to message my tutor to confirm. Not ideal when you’ve got a deadline and nerves. Customer support? Hit-or-miss; once I got a polite answer in a day or two, other times it was radio silence or a canned reply that barely addressed anything. Price-wise it’s... fine, not terrible, but that subscription with the “extra features” felt like fluff — gave me a digital fish, literally, and some vague AI perks that didn’t help my pronunciation. Still, a big thumbs-up to a few of the teachers I stuck with — patient, useful corrections, a few laughs (which helped the nerves), so I’m grateful for that. If they’d just sort the site so you can find a teacher without a scavenger hunt, I’d be using it more. As it stands I’m keeping it for now because the core tutoring works for what I need, but I’m a bit wary — and I’ll push for a better browsing experience before recommending it to others. Small wins, mixed bag overall.