Verbling Review: What To Know Before Your First Online Class
Kelsey Wetherbee
Published on April 5, 2022
Easily find a teacher that fits your level, budget, and schedule
Verbling is a language learning platform that connects teachers with students. Each teacher sets their schedule, creates the lessons, and teaches them with their own style. There isn’t much consistency when it comes to pricing and lessons. However, Verbling is an easy way to connect with a native teacher that fits within your budget.
PROS
- The more popular languages have many teachers to choose from
- Lots of languages available
- Can search teachers by schedule, price, and level
CONS
- No continuity between teachers
- No additional practice material
Languages Available on App:
English, Spanish, Catalan, Italian, Arabic, French, Portuguese, Russian, Mandarin, Turkish, Romanian, German, Hindi, Japanese, Polish, Greek, Swedish, Bulgarian, Dutch, Indonesian, Korean, Irish Gaelic, Latvian, Punjabi, Persian, Serbian, Thai, Czech, Croatian, Urdu, Hebrew, Danish, Vietnamese, Albanian, Norwegian, Swahili, Latin, Finnish, Bengali, Ukrainian, Igbo, Icelandic, Cantonese, Azerbaijani, Armenian, Basque, Afrikaans, Slovak, Tamil, Hungarian, Pashto, Malay, Kurdish, Berber, Zulu, Malayalam, Galician, Georgian, Slovene, Tagalog, American Sign Language, Neapolitan, Estonian, Burmese, Twi, Amharic, Telugu, Marathi, Somali, Yoruba, Quechua, Nepali, Kinyarwanda, Sanskrit, Lithuanian, Xhosa, Assamese, Welsh, Sicilian, Uzbek, Wolof, Luganda, Hausa, Mongolian, Akkadian
Table of Contents
Verbling Overview Verbling Price & Subscriptions Verbling Review: Getting Started- Challenge 1: Beginning a New Language
- Challenge 2: Learning & Remembering New Words
- Challenge 3: Understanding & Speaking to Native Speakers
- Challenge 4: Making Language Learning a Routine
Verbling Overview
Verbling is a website and app that connects language teachers with students. It is only for taking live classes. Teachers create their own lessons and set their prices. You choose a teacher that you like and can take a free trial lesson. The teacher profiles are quite extensive so you can see their qualifications, ratings, and schedule. Verbling only hires teachers with previous teaching experience and/or certifications.
Verbling is good for all levels but is more beneficial for learners who already have a basic understanding of the language. Learning some basic vocabulary and phrases before you start can help save a lot of communication headaches. Each teacher specifies what level and age group (children or adults) they teach.
Each teacher also posts where they are from, so if you want to learn French from a Canadian, you can set that as one of your search criteria. However, there is little continuity. If you have to switch teachers or don’t consistently take lessons from the same teacher, you might have to repeat the content you’ve already learned.
Verbling Price & Subscriptions
The teachers on Verbling choose their own hourly rate so there is a wide range of prices. It depends on the language, but the majority of teachers charge around $20.00 to $30.00 per hour. Some teachers charge less than $10.00 per hour, while others charge close to $100.00 per hour.
Some factors that affect the price are the teacher’s qualifications, where they are located, and the demand for the language. Since there are tons of English teachers, the prices of the English classes are quite low compared to other languages where the teachers are more on-demand.
The prices on Verbling are similar to other platforms like italki and Preply. If you’re learning Spanish, you can check out a platform like Baselang that offers unlimited private lessons for one price. This can be cheaper than paying per class. And if you prefer more consistency in your learning, you can give Lingoda a try. It’s a little expensive, but you follow a structured curriculum to make sure you’re always improving. Another decent option is Live Lingua.
Verbling Free Trial
Most teachers on Verbling let you take a 30-minute trial class for free. This allows you to see if the teacher you chose is a good fit for you. If you take a second class with the same teacher, you pay the teacher’s set price for an hour-long lesson.
Verbling Discount
There are no discounts available for Verbling. Because each teacher sets their own price, you can choose a teacher that has a price that fits your budget. While other popular language apps like Babbel, Pimsleur, and Rocket Languages offer special discounts throughout the year, Verbling doesn’t.
Verbling Review: Getting Started
It’s really easy to start on Verbling. All you have to do is enter and confirm your email address. Then you start looking for a teacher. You choose what language you want to learn and you can filter teachers based on certain criteria, like the languages they speak, their availability, and their price. There are many filters in place so you’re sure to find a teacher that is right for you.
While getting started is easy, learning a language comes with many challenges. Let’s look at some difficulties we face when learning a language, and if Verbling is helpful in those areas.
Challenge 1: Beginning a New Language
I’ll admit, this part was intimidating for me. I was really nervous when I signed up for my first Verbling lesson. I had a lot of questions, like: What if I can’t understand the teacher? What if my level is really bad and they laugh at me? Should I do my hair before my lesson? (The good news is, you don’t have to).
But my teacher made me feel comfortable from the very beginning. Even though my level of French is really low, we could have most of the class in French. She taught me some important phrases like “How do you say (word) in French”? We also used the chat box if I didn’t understand something.
After the lesson, I received feedback and a study plan. She summarized the lesson and made notes of what I did well and what I could improve on, as well as things to study before the next lesson. It’s very easy to book the same teacher again to continue learning. You can also message the teacher with any questions you have.
Challenge 2: Learning & Remembering New Words
You learn vocabulary during the lessons so it depends on how much your teacher wants to focus on it. There is also a vocabulary flashcard deck that you can make with new words from your lesson, or your teacher can make it for you. Because vocabulary is easy to learn on your own time, I prefer to use apps like Drops or Clozemaster so that I am using class time to practice other skills like speaking and grammar.
Challenge 3: Understanding & Speaking to Native Speakers
This is where Verbling excels! Using some language apps can be frustrating because they have automated voices or weird sentence structures. This is the case with apps like Duolingo and Memrise. But with Verbling, every time you take a lesson, you are listening to a native speaker. And since you can choose what country your teacher is from, you can pick up on the accent you want to learn.
Verbling also excels in the area of speaking. Most language apps don’t allow any real speaking and conversation, but taking classes makes you practice speaking. You can talk with your teacher about what your needs are, but I asked mine to focus on speaking since I haven’t really practiced this skill. There were times when I got stuck and couldn’t think of what to say, but my teacher helped me out and had lots of resources available.
Challenge 4: Making Language Learning a Routine
Verbling makes it easy to set up a routine and stick with your language learning. You can book a lesson in about three clicks. There are many features that make it easy to find a teacher that fits your schedule. You can save your favorite teachers to quickly find them again. There’s also a feature that lets you see what teachers are currently online so you can take at that moment. Teachers post their schedules way in advance so you can see when they are available.
I found it super helpful to schedule lessons because then I always made sure to be prepared for them. I struggle to stay motivated with apps that are more flexible and self-directed, like LingQ and Glossika. So taking private classes is definitely my preferred way of learning!
Verbling Review: Overall Learning Experience
I really enjoyed taking classes on Verbling. As a language teacher myself, I think there is no substitute for taking classes with an actual person. Don’t get me wrong, language apps are wonderful and I’m currently using several., But I know once I reach a certain level, I will want to turn to a real teacher to take my skills to the next level.
The Verbling platform and app are very straightforward so they’re easy to use to start learning. Finding a class is fast and simple too. There aren’t really any other features available so taking classes is the main priority. There is a Student’s Lounge where teachers post content, but you’re better off looking at the more established blogs of sites like Drops or FluentU. And of course, you can use apps with free content like Mondly and save your money for taking classes.
Verbling Review: Areas of Improvement
Verbling does what it’s meant to do very well. Its purpose is to be a platform to connect teachers and students. But, there are almost no additional materials to study with. Your teacher might recommend homework for you to do between lessons, but overall you are responsible for your outside study. In addition to taking classes, I would look into adding in another app such as Pimsleur or Rosetta Stone to study individually outside of class.
Verbling Languages
There are so many languages available on Verbling it’s incredible! There are 85 languages in total. Because each teacher makes their own lessons, the platform can accommodate many more languages than an app that provides set content. The most popular languages are: English, French, Spanish, Japanese, Mandarin Chinese, Italian, Portuguese, Russian, Arabic, German, Polish, and Korean.
Just because they are the most popular doesn’t make them any better or worse than the other languages. It just means that there are more teachers available, and because there is more competition, the prices might be cheaper.
Verbling includes languages that can’t really be found on many other apps too. There are languages such as Basque, American Sign Language, and Tamil. I was a little disappointed to see that they say they offer 85 languages, but some of the less-spoken languages don’t actually have any teachers available.
Verbling Alternatives and Competitors
Verbling is an excellent platform, but there are many options if you want to shop around. The platforms that are the most similar are italki and Preply. If you want something more structured, and you follow a set lesson plan then try Lingoda or Baselang. If you want a platform that combines in-person classes with additional material that you study on your own, both Babbel and Rosetta Stone now offer live classes. To practice pronunciation, Pimsleur or Glossika are the best alternatives.
Verbling vs italki
Verbling and italki are very similar. They both connect you to language teachers from around the world. Verbling is more selective in its hiring process and only accepts teachers with experience. Italki divides its teachers into two categories: teacher and tutor. A teacher has more qualifications and experience than a tutor, but taking classes with a tutor is less expensive. In general, the price of a lesson on italki is cheaper than on Verbling. The apps are so similar, but I prefer Verbling because the platform is easier to use. Learn more about italki in this review.
Verbling vs Lingoda
Lingoda is another platform that connects you with a teacher in private or group classes. There are only four languages available on Lingoda: English, German, Spanish, and French. Lingoda has a more structured course, and you book a class, but you can’t choose the teacher.
Lingoda is more expensive, especially for private classes. Overall, I prefer Verbling because it gives you more choices as far as teachers, topics, and price. You can read this Lingoda review to help decide which platform is better for you. Both also offer a free trial, so give them both a try!
Verbling vs Baselang
Baselang is similar to Verbling but only offers Spanish classes. The biggest difference is that Baselang is meant to be an intensive course, where you take multiple classes a day, whereas Verbling is more casual and you take one or two classes a week. Baselang offers unlimited classes for a flat monthly fee. The choice comes down to how many hours you can commit. If you want an immersive experience, Baselang is better. If you are practicing as a hobby, Verbling is better for the price. You can read more about it in this Baselang review.
Verbling vs Preply
Preply offers 1-on-1 classes, and will soon start group classes. Verbling has stricter hiring requirements for their teachers while Preply accepts teachers with no previous teaching experience. But, this means there are more teachers to choose from on Preply. In general, the prices are similar per hour. I prefer Verbling, but I will keep my eye out for the content and pricing of the new group classes on Preply. To learn more about how Preply works, you can check out this review.
Verbling Review FAQ
Yes. Verbling is a platform that connects language teachers with interested students. Each teacher has a detailed profile and shows their price so you can choose a teacher that works for your needs and budget.
Both platforms are very similar, allowing you to search for teachers based on criteria like price, ratings, and availability. Verbling is slightly better because the platform is easier to use and each teacher profile is more extensive so you can find the right teacher for you.
Verbling takes 15% of the rate that each teacher charges. Teachers set their own rates. If a teacher charges $20 for an hour-long lesson, Verbling will take $3.00 and the teacher will receive $17.
Verbling classes don’t have a set price. Each teacher sets their own price based on their experience, qualifications, and location. Students can search for a teacher based on price so you can find a teacher that works for your budget.
About This Verbling Review
This is an independent Verbling review, and the company has not sponsored this article. To write this review, I used the platform and took a lesson to thoroughly test its content and features. I also found additional information on the Verbling website to verify my findings.
