italki vs Pimsleur
Overview
italki is an online language learning community which connects students and teachers for live online lessons in 150+ languages. It’s highly user oriented: you choose your teacher, the type and number of lessons you take and whether to learn 1-1 or in group sessions. You pay as you go with no subscription and can connect with other learners and native speakers for free via the community.
Pimsleur is one of the most established names in language learning with 5+ decades of experience behind it. The scientifically backed Pimsleur Method helps you absorb new vocabulary and phrases and commit them to memory efficiently and fast. There’s a big emphasis on learning by listening and repeating. Games, quizzes and speech recognition technology add variety to what is a very systematic approach to learning a new language.
Pros
- Live tutoring from professional or community teachers to help you get fluent fast
- Connects you to native speakers - via the community and by selecting a native speaking teacher
- Flexible - learn what and when you want at your own pace and with no subscription
- 1-1 tuition enables you to personalize lessons 100% to your needs
- 150+ languages to choose from with lessons covering speaking, listening, reading and writing and tutors to cover all levels
- Free italki community to ask questions and receive feedback
- 1-1 or group lessons available
- Free resources to boost learning between lessons
- Scientifically proven “Pimsleur Method” structured to help you learn fast and retain information
- Speech recognition technology with feedback to hone pronunciation
- Flexible learning across all devices, with hands free for on the go learning
- Easy to use with fun review activities including match quizzes, voice coach, and speed rounds
- Strong focus on core vocabulary and structures in practical, real-life conversations
Cons
- Potential lack of consistency due to tutor availability
- May not suit absolute beginners, or those preferring a more structured approach
- Lack of curriculum
- Basic subscription is audio only
- Core lessons can seem monotonous and repetitive
- No placement test
- Not ideal for teaching grammar and writing
Best for
Best for: Anyone wanting to receive live, individual one to one tuition and connect with native speakers from over 180 countries. Whether this is to learn a new language or improve on your existing skills. Also, those not wanting to commit to a subscription. However, as there is a tendency to use the target language almost exclusively in lessons, it may not suit those who are shy or tentative about doing this - or those who are absolute beginners.
Best for: Beginners and those with limited knowledge of a language who want to get talking straight away. Especially suited to those who learn by listening who enjoy a structured approach to their learning. Also great for people who want to brush up on basic “survival skills” -- those key phrases you’ll need on vacation or travelling.
Price
From $10 per hour
From $14.99 per month
Number of users
5 million
n/a
Overall
Overall: italki is an adaptive, practical way to learn a new language or build on current skills. Live lessons get you reading, speaking, and writing in no time. Unlike many providers, italki connects you with native speakers and live teachers which allows you to get personalized real-time feedback. I found italki to be an effective platform for immersion in a new language but you do need to be prepared to dive right in and speak the target language from the off.
To providerOverall: A structured and efficient way to learn a new language that gets you speaking more intuitively and understanding quickly in a way that really sticks.
To providerSupported languages
The most popular are: English, Japanese, Spanish, Chinese (Cantonese, Hakka, Hokkien), French, Italian, German, Korean, Arabic (Egyptian, Gulf, Levantine, Maghrebi, Modern Standard), Hindi and Russian. But equally, a range of less widely spoken (or even fictional) languages are also on offer including Basque, Choctaw, Dothraki and Klingon.
Albanian, Arabic (Eastern, Egyptian, Modern Standard), Armenian (Eastern and Western), Chinese (Cantonese and Mandarin), Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dari Persian, Dutch, Farsi Persian, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Haitian Creole, Hebrew, Hindi, Hungarian, Icelandic, Indonesian, Irish, Italian, Japanese, Korean Lithuanian, Norwegian, Ojibwe, Pashto, Polish, Portuguese (Brazillian and European), Punjabi, Romanian, Russian, Spanish (Latin American and Spain-Castilan), Swahili, Swedish, Swiss German, Tagalog, Thai, Turkish, Twi, Ukrainian, Urdu, Vietnamese, English (ESL)
About
italki launched in 2006 as a social network for language exchange. It connected people around the world so they could learn from one another.
It expanded in 2008 to include a marketplace where learners could pay fees to teachers for live online individual or group lessons.
Italki now has over 5m learners and 20k+ teachers from 180 countries who offer personal tuition in 150+ languages. You select the language you want to learn, the level you want to learn at and the teacher that best suits your needs. And you pay as you go for lessons so there are no fixed fees or rigid timeslots to commit to.
Pimsleur is named after American linguist, Dr Paul Pimsleur. After years of researching the most effective way to commit a new language to memory, Dr Pimsleur developed the Pimsleur method.
This method was first used by the Pimsleur company to produce reel to reel taped language courses which was then transferred to CD.
In the mid 2000s, Pimsleur began to offer digital learning courses before developing their app in 2018. You can also use Pimsleur on your lap or desktop.
There are now millions of users of Pimsleur products.
How it works
To get started you go to italki.com and simply click on ‘Start now’ and open a free account using your email address, Google, Facebook or Apple.
From that point on, you are in control of what and when you learn, as well as who you learn with.
After selecting the language you want to learn, you can choose your skill level, take a language placement test or work with a teacher to build a customized learning plan.
Teachers will be filtered to match your target language and skill level. Most offer a 30-minute trial at a reduced rate and hourly rates for each lesson. They set their own fees and sessions helping you find those best suited to your budget and schedule. And because you pay per lesson, there’s no fixed fees and you can choose how much time to commit.
The italki Classroom is similar to Zoom but is a built-in feature of the italki desktop and app versions. So, you don’t need to download any additional software. Some tutors also offer the option to use Zoom or Skype.
With the aim of immersing you in a language, italki tutors will speak to you mainly in the target language right from the get go.
You also have the option to record lessons and watch them back as often as you’d like, which is great for revision.
Pimsleur is a subscription service with a number of options to fit your budget and needs.
Each language contains a variety of levels ranging from 1 (beginner) to 5 (expert). Some languages only have 3 or 4. Each level contains 30 half hour lessons which should be taken daily.
Whatever language or level you’re on, Pimsleur teaches you using “The Pimsleur Method.” What is this? Well, Dr Paul Pimsleur’s years of research in the field of applied linguistics led him to conclude that effective language teaching course needed to combine the following key elements:
Graduated interval recall
Dr Pimsleur discovered that when words and phrases are presented at gradually increasing intervals, students’ memories improve each time. He then figured out the best spacing sequence to move new learning from short to long-term memory. This spaced repetition method is at the heart of all Pimsleur’s programs.
The principle of anticipation
Our brains are hard-wired to predict, or anticipate, correct responses. So, if you’re given a chance to predict an answer, it enters your memory even before the lesson presents it. If it’s correct and then reinforced, new connections are made in the brain.
Core Vocabulary
Learning a little at a time with a chance to internalize it speeds up the learning process. So, since you can communicate in any language with relatively few words and structures, Pimsleur focuses on this core. This, in turn, provides a framework to keep adding new words and phrases to.
Organic Learning
To help your brain pick up tone, rhythm and pronunciation, all new vocabulary and phrasing is introduced in a conversational context.
With all this in mind, Pimsleur lessons and review activities:
- Introduce you to core words and phrases at gradually decreasing intervals
Require you to participate by giving you time to recall and respond in a meaningful exchange
So though there is a strong focus on aural learning, you’re not listening passively. You are actively involved in what you’re listening to and required to respond, just as you would in real life situations.
What a lesson is like
Lessons on italki vary depending on the teacher you choose, lesson length, your skill level and your individual preferences.
Teachers will assess your current level if you’re new and help to develop a programme that suits you if you choose to commit. You can contact any teacher to clarify lesson content prior to purchasing.
Once you’ve chosen your teacher, you connect via italki’s own version of Zoom. This is built-in so you don’t need to download any software. The connection is stable and high quality so you can stay focussed on the lesson.
In a typical lesson you will:
- Converse directly with your tutor in the target language as much as possible (aiming for this to become 100% of the time)
- Speak, read and translate phrases from a worksheet, with real time feedback to help pronunciation
- Engage with interactive whiteboard content
- Pick up new vocabulary with picture clues and real life examples
Use the note function to write phrases
Each tutor and every lesson I took was conducted mostly in the target language. This was rather intimidating at first. But repetition, visual clues, use of worksheets, notes and the interactive whiteboard help to make things clear.
You can also review lesson content by re-entering the chat page and your teacher can share resources and set tasks to take learning beyond the classroom.
Level 1 lessons all begin with listening to a conversation. Pimsleur then deconstructs this conversation and teaches you to say the elements out loud.
To help make it easier for you to fully grasp new words, Pimsleur breaks them down syllable by syllable. Interestingly, it starts with the last syllable and works backwards when teaching a new word.
Words and phrases are spoken frequently and slowly. This means you’ll be able to fully grasp what to say and how to say it.
However, as the course progresses, the repetition speeds up; you’ll be surprised at how quickly you won't need the time or repetitions you did at first!
In Pimsleur German 1, I learned and increased my German vocabulary and conversation skills by:
Listening to dialogues
Repeating words and phrases aloud
Using the Voice coach voice recognition software to correct my pronunciation
Using flashcards to revise new vocabulary
Completing quick match quizzes and speed rounds
Reviewing learnt words or expressions until I was confident using them
During my week completing the course, I noticed a considerable improvement in both my pronunciation and understanding of German. In fact, I could sometimes predict the meanings of conversations even before Pimsleur began to break them down.
Who is it good for?
The italki learning style would suit anyone who:
- Feels they’d benefit from 1-1 teaching
- Is keen to spend time practicing conversation in their language of choice
- Is unable to commit to rigid programmes and fixed time slots
Already has some foundational skills and is looking to advance
While italki is designed for students of all skill levels, you will be expected to converse in your chosen language. So, coming to italki with some basic knowledge to build upon is ideal.
Right away, italki has you speaking and listening in your chosen language. This means you get real-life experience talking to a professional teacher and/or a native speaker!
The Pimsleur method would suit anyone who’s:
- Looking to learn a new language from scratch
- Keen to start talking straight away and hold a conversation in 30 days
- Has some grasp of a language and wants to improve
- Learns best through a structured repetitive method
- Wants to improve their listening skills
- Wants to learn flexibly across all devices
Features
- Personalized 1-1 live tuition
- Direct contact with native speakers
- Immersion
- Flexible pay as you go learning
- Desktop- or device-based to best suit your needs
- italki Challenge
- 50+ languages
- Hands free learning
- Speech recognition with feedback
- Review quizzes, flashcards and speed rounds
- Cultural differences reflected in course material
- Mobile and web based
- Gamification
- Science backed methodology
Is it worth it?
In short, it depends on your preference.
If you’ve tried out some other providers like DuoLingo and found the content hard to translate into everyday life, italki is an excellent resource for building your speaking and listening skills.
Also, if you have a busy/unpredictable lifestyle and find that you can’t commit to fixed days, italki makes the scheduling process easy and convenient for you by letting you choose your time slot.
Although I don’t have extensive speaking skills in my chosen language, I found that after only a couple of hours I had so much more confidence speaking Italian aloud than I ever did from using previous sites. That being said, as someone with zero knowledge of Welsh I felt very overwhelmed at first - though I did make progress by the end of the lesson.
While being thrown in at the deep end and conversing almost solely in your chosen language is intimidating, it is arguably the best way to progress and advance those foundational skills.
With trial lessons starting at as little as $5, with no commitment needed, you have very little to lose and a whole lot to gain. If you’re looking for adaptive learning that suits your needs and helps you to become fluent fast, italki is one of the best e-learning options out there.
So, why not browse the teachers and give it a go?
Yes, as long as you are clear about what Pimsleur is good for, and how it works.
You need to take on board that Pimsleur is highly structured and systematic, and that it’s this approach that makes it work. But it may not be to everyone’s taste.
Also, if you’re an analytical learner or a grammar nerd, Pimsleur is unlikely to suit your style.
But if you’re a beginner, or want to brush up your conversational skills for travel purposes, Pimsleur is definitely worth considering. Especially if you learn best by listening, don’t have time in your day to ‘sit and click’ and want to learn hands free and on the move.
The Pimsleur method cements new vocabulary and phrases into your memory in a way that helps you speak almost intuitively without thinking, and the Voice Coach (voice recognition and feedback system) develops great pronunciation.
Pimsluer’s emphasis on recall and repetition will have your conversational and listening skills up to a great standard in no time!
A seven day free trial will give you more than enough time to decide if the Pimsleur Method is right for you. If not, you just cancel within that time and no payment will be taken.
So what have you got to lose?