Lingoda Review: A Look at Its Courses, Pricing and Alternatives

Languages Available on Lingoda:

Spanish, French, German, General English, Business English

Related Language apps

Baselang

italki

Preply

Verbling

See more related apps

Lingoda Overview

I love reviewing language apps and other learning resources. There are a lot of them out there, and sometimes it can be hard to find the best ones. That’s what Langoly is all about – to help you find the best ways to learn a language quickly.

I’ve already reviewed online tutoring platforms like italki and Preply, and I wanted to take a closer look at Lingoda to see how it compares. So without further ado, let’s jump right in!

Lingoda is an online language school that started in 2013. Since then, over 80,000 students have taken language lessons through the platform.

I like that Lingoda only hires certified language teachers. All of the teachers have at least 2 years of experience teaching their native language. This means you’ll always have high-quality lessons and the teachers will be able to answer questions about grammar and other difficult topics.

Other platforms like italki and Preply don’t generally require any qualifications, so the quality of the lessons can be hit or miss.

Lingoda Price

The price of Lingoda ranges from $10.99 to $18.99 per class for group classes and $22.49 to $47.99 per class for private lessons. The cost depends on which language you study and how many classes you take each month. Overall, Lingoda’s prices are comparable to other online language schools, but a little higher than other tutoring sites like italki. This is because Lingoda only hires experienced and certified language teachers.

Lingoda Free Trial

If you’re interested in trying Lingoda, you can take advantage of the free 7-day trial. The Lingoda trial includes either 3 group classes or 1 private lesson. When you sign up, you’ll have full access to the Lingoda platform so you can see which lessons are available and what the schedule is. It’s definitely worth a try!

Lingoda Monthly Subscription Price

The most flexible way to take Lingoda classes is the monthly subscription, which costs between $79.99 and $1199.99 per month. When you choose this subscription, you can take between 5 and 40 classes each month. There’s no penalty for taking fewer classes, and you can buy more lessons if you want them. The table below shows the monthly subscription price for Lingoda group classes.

Lingoda Sprint Price

The Lingoda Sprint price ranges from $225 to $445 for the total cost of the promotion. If you complete the Sprint successfully, you get 50% of your money back. Although the cost may seem high, it’s affordable if you successfully complete the challenge and get your refund. The table below shows the total price of the Lingoda sprint for each language course.

If you follow the rules of the Lingoda Sprint and complete the challenge successfully, you can receive 50% cash back on the price you paid. To start each sprint, you need to pay a $59 down payment, which goes towards the fees mentioned above.

Lingoda Review: Main Features

Lingoda has a lot of the same features all online language schools have: private and group classes, a customized curriculum and practice activities, and certificates to show your levels. While it doesn’t have a lot of extra bells and whistles, it doesn’t really need them. The core features of Lingoda include everything you need to speak more fluently. Let’s take a look at exactly what Lingoda offers.

Lingoda Group Classes

If you’re looking for a traditional language school experience, Lingoda’s group classes are the way to go. Each class has a maximum of 5 students and they have a relaxed and social environment. They can be helpful because you’ll learn from the teacher as well as the other students.

My experience with Lingoda group classes was mostly positive. However, it’s important to note that sometimes other students can try to dominate the class. The teachers are usually good about letting everyone participate equally, so this isn’t a huge problem.

Lingoda Private Classes

For a more intensive learning environment, you can also choose to take private lessons with Lingoda. These offer flexibility because you can focus on exactly what you want to learn or you can follow the curriculum. They’re always one-on-one with a certified language teacher and your speaking skills will improve a lot quicker than in the group classes.

The only downside to the private classes is that they’re quite a bit more expensive than the group classes. That’s to be expected though. But if you want to improve your language skills quickly, private lessons are the way to go.

Lingoda Lesson Materials

All group classes follow Lingoda’s lesson plans and curriculum. Language teaching experts developed the curriculum to focus on the most important useful topics, and they did an excellent job. Also, as of September 2021, Lingoda has updated its lessons to include new content and encourage more interaction during lessons.

Each lesson has a slideshow presentation that the teacher guides you through, and it also has a very specific goal. I like that you can choose the order you want to complete lessons. You can either follow the structure Lingoda created or jump around and take the lessons that are most interesting to you.

Lingoda Practice Materials

After you complete each lesson, Lingoda has practice materials to reinforce what you learned. They’re usually just quizzes to help you remember everything, so they’re not that helpful. But it’s still useful to complete them. I hope Lingoda continues to develop more activities to help students practice outside of lessons.

I personally think it’s a good idea to use apps like Babbel and Pimsleur to practice outside of class. You can also use an app like Drops to build your vocabulary quickly and use news words during your classes.

Lingoda Levels

The Lingoda curriculum followed the CEFR framework to create its levels. This is an advantage because each level has clearly defined goals. Businesses, universities, and other institutions around the world also recognize these levels. Lingoda offers the following levels for each language:

Lingoda Certificates

When you complete each level of a Lingoda course and attend at least 90% of your classes, you’ll receive a CEFR certificate from Lingoda. Lingoda is accredited by the German government, so most major institutions will recognize your certificate. This is something most other online schools can’t offer.

It’s a huge advantage for Lingoda over other platforms, and it makes Lingoda your best option if you want to enhance your resume or CV, get into study abroad programs, or include it in visa applications.

Lingoda Sprint Review

The Lingoda Sprint is a huge promotion offered by the company throughout the year. There are two ways you can participate: The Lingoda Sprint and the Lingoda Super Sprint. Both challenges are 2 months long. If you successfully take all of the required classes and don’t miss any, you can get up to 50% of your money back in cash or as a credit to continue learning on the platform. The Lingoda Sprint is an amazing opportunity to dive in and learn a new language quickly, but be sure to read the fine print. The table below shows how each challenge works.

There are a few rules that can disqualify you from getting your money back, so make sure you understand them before signing up. Lingoda also automatically enrolls you in a subscription after your Sprint ends. If you don’t want to continue taking (and paying for) classes after your Sprint, you’ll need to cancel your subscription.

To find out when the next Lingoda Sprint starts, you can check the website.

Lingoda Languages

Lingoda offers courses for the following languages: Spanish, French, German, General English, and Business English. Each course follows a similar format and structure, but there are some things you should know before signing up. Read more about each individual course below.

Lingoda Spanish Review

The Lingoda Spanish course covers levels A1 to B2 and has between 100 and 150 lessons in each level. Each class focuses on a different skill, like reading, communication, speaking, or grammar. The classes are organized and easy to follow, but it’s important to know that Lingoda teaches Spanish from Spain (Castellano), not Latin American Spanish. If that’s what you want to learn, it may be better to try a Lingoda alternative like italki.

You can also check out other Spanish learning apps to see more options.

Lingoda French Review

The Lingoda French course can take you from a complete beginner to a high intermediate speaker (A1 to B2). The lessons cover everything you need to know, from grammar to pronunciation. The Lingoda French curriculum is really well-rounded and detailed. Sometimes the pace of classes can be a little slow, but Lingoda actively updates the lessons to make them more engaging and interactive. Overall, it’s a solid choice if you want to become conversational in French quickly.

If you’re still not sure, these apps to learn French can also help you out.

Lingoda German Review

The Lingoda German course starts at the A1 level and progresses all the way through C1. Lingoda’s online German classes teach you to navigate daily life in German and also understand the more difficult aspects of the language, like grammar. Because Lingoda is a German company, the German course is a bit more in-depth than the other language courses. Lingoda’s German course is easily the best option if you want a structured and well-rounded curriculum taught by native German teachers.

These German learning apps can also be a great supplement to your Lingoda lessons.

Lingoda English Review

Lingoda offers both General English and Business English courses. General English covers A1 to C1 and Business English goes from A1 to B2. Both courses are excellent ways to study English online. The General English course also offers a recognized certificate at the end of each level, but this isn’t available for the Business English course. Unfortunately, Lingoda’s curriculum won’t prepare you for the IELTS exam (Coursera and Udemy have courses for that), but it’s perfect if your goal is to improve your conversational English.

Lingoda Review: Overall Learning Experience

Overall, learning a language with Lingoda is a positive experience. The teachers are helpful and professional and the curriculum helps you get results. The lessons can be a little bit repetitive sometimes, but their structure and content teach you to speak naturally. Plus, all teachers are native speakers.

Immersion is the best way to learn a language. While some apps like Rosetta Stone and FluentU can simulate immersion, they’re no substitute for practicing with native speakers.

In terms of its price, I think Lingoda is worth it. If your goal is to reach a conversational level, you’ll only need a few months with Lingoda to achieve that. The fact that Lingoda only hires experienced and qualified teachers makes it stand out from other online language schools.

Apps like Mondly and Busuu are excellent options if you want a cheaper way to study a language. If you’re on the fence about taking lessons, using these apps can help you start learning without paying for lessons with a live tutor.

If you want to go ahead and try a few lessons to see if it’s a good fit for you, you can take advantage of Lingoda’s 7-day free trial.

Lingoda Review: Areas of Improvement

Lingoda is one of the best language schools online, but there are still some ways it could improve.

My main complaint was the slow pace of the lessons and the repetitiveness of the material. Sometimes the lessons are slow and they repeat the material too many times. Repeating is a necessary evil in language learning, but sometimes it can be demotivating. But Lingoda has been updating its curriculum and is releasing new lessons, which is a huge improvement.

The other area where Lingoda can improve is the extra activities it offers outside of class. You can take quizzes after each class to test what you remember, but I’d like to see other practice activities. This isn’t really a problem, just something I think would add more value to a Lingoda subscription.

Lingoda Review: Alternatives & Competitors

There are a lot of online language schools, and that means there are a lot of competitors and alternatives to Lingoda. However, most of them can’t match the quality or convenience of Lingoda’s lessons. The most popular Lingoda competitors are italki, Baselang, and Preply. There are also language apps that can be solid alternatives to Lingoda for a much cheaper price, like Pimsleur and Babbel.

Lingoda vs italki

Lingoda is a formal online language school and italki is a platform that connects language tutors and students. Because of this, Lingoda offers a structured curriculum and a consistent experience no matter which teacher you have. italki, on the other hand, lets tutors create their own lesson plans, so the quality between tutors can vary greatly.

Lingoda only offers 4 languages while italki offers over 150 different languages. Pricewise, rates tend to be cheaper on italki (although quality can also be lower). All in all, Lingoda is a better option if you’re learning Spanish, French, German, or English. You can read more about it in this italki review.

Lingoda vs Baselang

Lingoda and Baselang are both high-quality language schools, but there are some key differences. Baselang only offers Spanish while Lingoda offers 4 languages. Both offer structured lessons, but Baselang’s lessons can take you to a higher level than Lingoda’s lessons.

In addition, Baselang offers unlimited Spanish lessons for $149 per month, while Lingoda charges higher prices for more lessons. If you’re learning Spanish, Baselang is the better option. If you’re interested, read more about Baselang in this review.

Lingoda vs Preply

Preply is a platform that connects tutors and students around the world. Like italki, the quality of tutors varies a lot. Lingoda offers a much more consistent experience and maintains high standards. Both Lingoda and Preply offer trial lessons though, so it’s worth checking out each company to see which one works best for you. You can also read more in this Preply review.

Lingoda vs Pimsleur

Lingoda gives you the opportunity to take live lessons with professional language tutors. Pimsleur, on the other hand, is a language-learning app that guides you through a structured course without tutors. Both options will help you improve your communication skills, but practicing with a native speaker is always better than an app.

However, if you’re on a budget, studying with Pimsleur is a lot cheaper than Lingoda. Pimsleur also offers a free trial, so it’s worth checking out! Or you can read more about it in this Pimsleur review.

Lingoda vs Babbel

Babbel is a popular language app that has full courses for multiple languages. While Babbel does offer some live lessons, their main focus are the courses on the apps, whereas Lingoda specializes in live lessons with qualified tutors. Between the two, Lingoda will help you speak more naturally in less time. However, Babbel is quite a bit cheaper than Lingoda and can still help you become conversational. Because it’s an app, Babbel is also more flexible because you don’t have to book lessons in advance. You can read more about Babbel in this review.

Frequently Asked Questions

About This Lingoda Review

This is a completely independent Lingoda review. Lingoda did not sponsor this review and I am not an employee of the company. To write this review, I created an account with Lingoda and took several Spanish lessons to get an idea of the quality and overall experience. I also read other Lingoda reviews on major websites like Trustpilot and Google to see what other language learners experienced.