italki Review

Thursday, March 27th

2025 Russian Lesson Reviews

italki

• Pricing from $5 to $50 per hour
• Trial lesson usually available at half-price
• Tutoring and video-call lessons
• Highly qualified tutors and teachers
• 30- to 90-minute sessions
• Synchronous meetings
• 4.6-star average rating

Looking for a Russian tutor to support your language lessons? Need someone fluent to talk you through some of the more complex aspects of the Russian language? italki is a cost-effective platform designed to connect students with language tutors online. Unlike platforms offering pre-made lesson content, italki operates as a marketplace where students can connect with Russian tutors to assist them. The educators on italki are fluent speakers, often native to Russia, and offer a variety of tutoring topics as well as flexible availability.

Tutors offer different levels and lesson material

When you first start browsing italki, you can choose between "instant" lessons or scheduling one within the next 72 hours. To choose your tutor, you can preview them through an introduction video. For example, one highly recommended tutor, Alexandr introduces himself in Russian, and his lesson details are also totally in Russian, so he would be ideal for a more advanced student. However, a beginner student might prefer a teacher like Eveginya, who introduces herself in Russian and then explains her lesson style in English, and offers "general” Russian lessons as well as the use of flashcards, image files, documents, quizzes, and more. She outlines her generalized teaching plan and encourages students to reach out to her to learn more. On the other hand, unlike other sites where videos show a preview of the actual lesson content, these intro videos from teachers typically do not show any specific exercises or interactions with students, as these aspects are tailored by the tutor during your scheduled sessions.

Not a course on its own

With italki, sessions take place solely through video conferencing tools such as Skype or FaceTime, requiring you to schedule regular meetings with your tutor. This synchronous approach means there's slightly less flexibility compared to other programs that let you learn any time of the day. Since italki is a platform that connects students with skilled language tutors rather than offering direct educational services, it can be harder to find one tutor who will guide you from beginner all the way to complete fluency. There are some fairly impressive tutors out there, but ideally, italki will be used alongside your other Russian learning materials and courses.

Prices depend on individual tutors

At italki, the cost of Russian lessons varies based on your chosen tutor and the session's duration. Trial lessons typically range from $5 to $29 per hour, while full lessons can cost between $5 to $50. Session lengths vary from 30 to 90 minutes, and prices adjust accordingly depending on the session's length or topic. For example, one Russian tutor offers general tutoring for $13 per 30 minutes, $19.50 for 45 minutes, and $26 per hour. To help you pick out the right tutor, you can check student ratings for each one. Many of the Russian tutors we checked out had received a perfect 5-star average from their students.

Requires comfort with self-guided learning

italki functions as a tutoring service rather than a structured language-learning program, meaning there are no pre-established lesson plans or goals to achieve (unless you choose a tutor who offers them). Your progress will depend on the individual tutor you select, and you may need to use external lesson materials to organize your journey towards fluency. While certain tutors may offer specialized lessons such as "test prep" or specific levels of Russian like "Russian A1-B2", you'll have to actively search for these options on italki. This method is more self-guided compared to other platforms we've reviewed.

Pay with credits for refunds

The refund policy at italki is a little confusing. Based on our research, we discovered that to receive a refund from italki, you must first purchase "credits" through its platform rather than making direct payments with a card or alternative method. If you've utilized credits, you can have them reimbursed to your account. Now, you can pay directly with a credit card, but there isn't a distinct refund policy if you pay this way. Fortunately, there are no penalties for cancellation, regardless of whether it's initiated by you or your tutor. However, we encountered difficulty in finding detailed information about payment procedures, which may be a downside for many students.

Impressive ratings across the board

In general, the feedback for italki is overwhelmingly positive. Trustpilot rated italki with an impressive average score of 4.6 out of 5 stars. Students praise italki for its excellent roster of high-quality teachers as well as its affordability. Similarly, when examining the reviews for Russian tutors on italki's website, nearly the entire first page of tutors received flawless 5-star ratings from their students.

italki needs supplementals to teach a full course

italki is well-regarded for its top-notch tutoring services. However, it has one drawback that lowered the ratings for our review: it isn't a language course. Relying solely on italki for Russian language learning will usually require some kind of outside study to gain full fluency, potentially adding extra costs to your student budget. So, while italki is highly recommended for its tutoring quality, it receives a good rating in our review for actual Russian lessons.