Preply Review: Learn a language with a Real Tutor ( + get 70% off your first lessons )
One of the best , simplest and most important hacks for travel is learning some key phrases of the language of the country you are visiting. It sets you apart from so many travellers, earns the respect of locals and brings you a bit more in contact with the culture plus, it might even save you a bit of money, especially when you’re in a touristy zone. Before we travel, both me and Sabrina use language apps which can be a lot of fun for picking up handy vocabulary, there is the gamification element and the repeated endorphin inducing drills. Still we both freeze the moment someone tries to have an actual conversation with us in the language.
Since we are frequent visitors to Athens, over the last few years, Sabrina had been learning Greek diligently via Duolingo but the apps have their limitations and she had started looking for a Greek language tutor in Berlin. Then someone mentioned Preply and we were curious to learn more. The promise of one-to-one lessons and talking to a real person really appealed to her. Here is a review of how her first lesson went, her experience of using Preply, what it costs and whether Preply is worth the investment.
Full disclosure: Preply invited us to review their service but all the views expressed here are entirely our own.
Is Preply perfect for you?
Preply is perfect for you if you want to actually speak a language, not just pick up vocabulary. It suits slow travellers and nomads, anyone who is planning a longer stay somewhere and wants to start a conversation with locals.
You may want to skip Preply if you just need some basic conversational skills, few tourist phrases and want something completely free or cheap plus prefer studying alone at your own pace.
What Is Preply?
Preply is an online platform that matches you with one-to-one language tutors. It covers more than 90 languages. You pick a tutor, book a slot and then meet them on a video call inside the platform. Easy peasy lemon squeezy. There is no fixed course. The lessons shapes itself around what you want to learn. So if you want to practice grammar, pronounciations, vocabulary or key phrases for travel, you choose and are in control.
How It Works
You can browse tutors by language, price, availability and reviews. Preply has also a good choice of languages that include less mainstream European and global languages like Serbian, Armenian and even Bengali! Every tutor has a profile and a short intro video, so you can hear them before you book.
Book a trial lesson
You also have a chance to try before you commit and have a trial lesson with the tutor and see if their style works for you.
Keep going if you are happy
After the trial, lessons run on a subscription that renews every four weeks. This gives you consistency which helps you get into the flow of learning a language. Plus, you can choose how many lessons you want per week, giving you a lot of flexibility.
Sabrina’s impressions of Preply
Sabrina has done just the one lesson so far so it is early days but here are some of her early impressions.
–On her tutor, Kiki
“Her English was great. She was very patient and encouraging, and she made the lesson enjoyable. Starting a new language as an adult can be awkward, especially when it is done via a laptop and not face to face but Kiki was very patient, pleasant and easy to converse with.”
In her first lesson which lasted 50 minutes, after a few questions to gauge her level of Greek language, Kiki focussed on running Sabrina through the alphabet, letting her practice her pronunciation and giving her some chance to practice some basic phrases.
–Chatting to a real tutor one to one
“It was great. You have someone human to talk to instead of doing it yourself plus the one-to-one format pushes you to be prepared for the next lesson.”
–The Canvas: A Digital Chalkboard
The feature that Sabrina liked most was the Canvas. It works like a classroom chalkboard. You see notes appear in real time as the lesson goes on so you don’t have to scramble to write everything down while trying to listen. The notes build as you talk.
–The Interface
We also really love Preply’s interface: user-friendly and intuitive. No faff browsing the site for tutors, then joining the call and first lesson, no tech headaches.
What It Costs
Kiki charges €22 an hour. Prices vary a lot by tutor, language and experience, so you can go cheaper or pricier.
For one-to-one tuition with a native speaker, fitted around your own schedule, we felt that this represents good value, especially compared with a language school, where you’d share the teacher with a room full of people.
Flexibility
Booking slots are very flexible. For slow travellers moving between time zones it is perfect and you can learn from wherever you are. Plus, when you choose a language you can also specify the purpose, whether it is for an exam preparation, business language or paperwork language: so basically every kind of language level you need. Sabrina chose conversational language because she did not need to pass any language test, do exams or work in a office.
Few things to remember
It’s a subscription: After the trial, you’re committing to regular lessons. Great for consistency. Less great if you want to dip in and out.
It costs more than an app : Free apps are free. Preply isn’t. You’re paying for a human, and that’s the value.
Your tutor makes or breaks it: Sabrina had a wonderful tutor in Kiki. Use the intro videos and the trial lesson properly before you commit.
It is early days: One lesson is all we have to go with at the moment but we will update this review as Sabrina keeps going.
Who Is Preply Best For?
Slow travellers and long stayers who want to connect with a place beyond ordering coffee, Digital nomads and People who learn by speaking rather than by tapping through exercises plus couples
Get 70% off Preply with my discount code!
Use my code KASH70OFF to get 70% off your first Preply lessons
Note, this offer is valid from 2nd October 2026 till 31st March 2027 and only applies to new trail users.
Full disclosure: We were keen to try Preply and then we got a lovely invitation from the team to test, experience and share our review and this review is entirely our own views and experience
