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Trust me, I know the feeling. German podcasts are great, and you have been using books to learn German for ages. And yet, when it comes to real-time conversation, there’s not much that comes out of your mouth beyond Guten Tag.
In that case, there’s nothing better you can do to supercharge your progress than connecting with one of the millions of German tutors online.
That’s exactly what we’re going to be talking about today!
Why look for German tutors online
You may not have thought much of online German tutoring before, and that’s fair. If so, let me answer the question of why online tutoring is so helpful in the first place.
If there’s one constant rule in language learning, it’s that nothing – and I really mean nothing – beats face-to-face interaction with a native speaker. If that native speaker happens to be well-educated on the ins and outs of teaching their own language, that’s even better!
The only problem? Finding such people to interact with!
This can be especially dire in the case of languages like German. While the numbers look promising at first glance, with over 75 million native German speakers worldwide, the overwhelming majority of those reside in just three countries: Germany, Austria, and Switzerland.
If you live far away from that particular region of Central Europe, then finding a local German tutor to practice your speaking skills with can be like nach einer Nadel im Heuhaufen suchen!
That’s “looking for a needle in a haystack”, just in case.
And exactly that is where online German classes come in. Flexible, universal, and convenient, they allow you to bypass the significant life sacrifices (like moving to an entirely foreign country) that past language enthusiasts had to commit to on the path to fluency.
With online German lessons, you can take your learning entirely at your own pace, structuring it around your schedule irrespective of where you are on the globe. At the same time, you get the bonus of true interactivity with a real human being, just like taking lessons with a tutor in the old-fashioned way.
Without further ado, let’s take a look at the best websites to find German tutors online today!
1. Preply
Long one of the most popular websites for finding German teachers online, Preply is available worldwide and counts more than 1,000 professional German teachers among its faculty.
One thing that sets Preply apart from the pack: upon choosing your target language, you are greeted with a neat little questionnaire that quizzes you on your learning goals, experience, and needs.
Preply’s algorithm will try to “match” you with a German instructor that fits that profile right away.
This personalized approach also gives you the opportunity to study German in a particular register, with lessons tailored to your needs – such as “business German” for working professionals abroad, or Deutsch als Fremdsprache for teaching purposes.
What I like about Preply:
- Broad, diverse selection of German teachers easily comparable to that of Italki
- Quiz-based matching based on user preferences
- Uniquely designed for learners of every experience level and background
- Lessons can be easily fashioned to meet your exact requirements and goals
Pricing: You’ll find German tutors for as low as $20. Discounted rates are also available.
2. italki
Another huge player in the market for German tutors online, Italki is one of the largest remote teaching websites in the world with over 5 million users and counting.
The platform covers hundreds of languages, but as German is at the time of this writing one of the top five most popular choices among members, you should have no trouble finding a German tutor that meets your needs here.
Tutors on Italki are not required to be professional teachers, but the platform highly prioritizes those who are. Every tutor profile also includes testimonials, reviews, and a video-based personal introduction, so you get a feel for their personality and teaching style right away.
What’s especially convenient about Italki compared to some alternatives is that you are free to pay for each lesson separately.
This, coupled with the very liberal scheduling and filters offered by the site, means that the only limitations to how many hours of online German lessons you can attend are your and your tutor’s availability, time zone differences, and your learning goals.
What I like about Italki:
- Huge supply of teachers, from young native speakers to seasoned professional tutors (and lots in between)
- Fair, competitive prices
- Very flexible lesson scheduling system
Pricing: Average is around $10 for a trial session, with full lessons costing slightly more. Try it now.
3. Lingoda
Maybe you thrive in small group environments, but wouldn’t mind some time just between you and a tutor of your choice, too. Lingoda is made just for use cases like that.
The German language tutors on the platform offer a variety of Zoom-based lesson plans, and it’s usually possible to book both group and private sessions with the same instructor.
Every lesson is based on a prepared plan that you can usually download beforehand (or otherwise after the lesson is finished) in the form of a PDF or PowerPoint presentation.
The overall presentation is similar to what you’d expect from a university-level language course, though especially in the case of private lessons, you can of course expect a lot of individualization.
Prices are very reasonable for what Lingoda offers, and the staff is as experienced and enthusiastic as any I’ve seen elsewhere. So, for those looking for a “hybrid” teaching style, this might just be the best option to learn German online!
What I like about Lingoda:
- Unique mix of group sessions and private lessons
- Lots of flexibility in the choice of tutor, lesson structure, and more
- Easily accommodates students of varying levels of experience
Pricing: Monthly subscription starts at €10 per class for group sessions and €22.50 for private lessons. Sign up for a 7-day trial.
4. Wyzant
Though not strictly a language-learning website, Wyzant is capable of connecting you with experienced private tutors in nearly any subject, including German.
Wyzant’s tutors tend to display a fair mix of backgrounds, from native speakers with little professional teaching experience to longtime professors of linguistics at notable German universities.
That also gives you a unique range of both hourly rates and teaching styles on the platform, which does not impose any sort of site-wide curriculum on the tutors it works with.
Using Wyzant’s built-in filtering and advanced search tools, it is also fairly easy to find German language tutors who specialize in specific subject areas.
One area where Wyzant is also exceptionally notable is in its offering of not just online, but also local tutors – at least for those of you residing in the United States!
That could be a really handy thing to keep in mind if you want to combine the convenience of computer-based lessons with the genuine face-to-face interaction of traditional teaching.
What I like about Wyzant:
- Fair prices and a huge selection of German language tutors online
- In-person tuition available as well for American users
- Convenient and detailed filter and search options
Pricing: Averages for German classes range from $35 per hour to $60 per hour. Find a tutor now.
5. Live Lingua
Find German tutors on Live Lingua
Aiming to make the process of finding German tutors online much easier and more streamlined than alternatives, Live Lingua is one of my favorite sites in terms of ease of use.
All tutors working at Live Lingua are vetted for a certain minimum of professional teaching experience and proper credentials. That sets a certain baseline in terms of quality of service, meaning potentially less wading through long lists of profiles and more time spent learning!
For German, you can study within a general scope (which still lets you set learning targets, hours, and the structure of your classes very freely with your tutor), or in “Exam prep” fashion. The latter is more intense, cramming more material into a shorter time frame and is especially valuable for those practicing for an important language milestone.
First-time trial lessons are also free on Live Lingua, which really encourages you to find your perfect fit. You can also find some tutors offering both one-on-one as well as group sessions.
What I like about Live Lingua:
- Smooth, streamlined user experience
- Only professional tutors with teaching credentials on the platform
- Extremely flexible lesson scheduling
- Private classes are free to try out
Pricing: Starts at $35 per hour, though buying more hours in bulk comes with extra savings. Sign up for a free trial now.
6. AmazingTalker
Find German tutors on AmazingTalker
The name says it all: AmazingTalker is here to supercharge your German speaking skills, and it aims to make the process as pain-free as possible.
Towards that end, AmazingTalker features a laidback, casual, and highly personal vibe. Their German tutor profiles are encouraged to be direct, open, and display a healthy dose of personality.
The presentation definitely works to make AmazingTalker stand out. I can’t think of another site offering online German classes that advertises itself with such a high number of emojis!
Further adding to the user experience is an AI-powered algorithm that aims to match you with your perfect German tutor after filling out a profile declaring your goals and needs. First-time trial lessons are also mostly free (though it depends on the tutor).
What I like about AmazingTalker:
- Unique style and presentation
- Youthful vibe and clean user experience
- Free trial lessons and AI-powered “matching” algorithm
Pricing: Average is about $20 for an hour-long German lesson, though deals and special offers are frequent.
7. Lingopie
Find German tutors on Lingopie
A relatively new player in the market, Lingopie is a platform that uses TV shows, movies, and other video content to teach languages.
Here, watching your favorite German show is not just a passive listening activity. Instead, you can learn new vocab and practice pronunciation by clicking on the dual subtitles, hearing the correct pronunciation, and recording your own voice.
But if you want further improvement in your German skills, finding a German tutor on Lingopie is recommended. You can book a 1-on-1 session with a German teacher who can address the technical stuff, or simply help you practice your speaking skills. With this more casual environment, you get to learn real-life vocab and become more conversational.
What I like about Lingopie:
- A variety of German tutors from all over the world
- Casual, non-linear structure
- Get coupon for a free month on Lingopie when you book a session with a tutor
Pricing: The Lingopie subscription itself starts from $5.99/month but tutors charge anywhere from $10 to $25. Find Lingopie promos here.
8. LanguaTalk
Find German tutors on LanguaTalk
Where some of the competition tries to fashion themselves in the style of a social media platform and yet others are increasingly personalizing the experience of learning German online, LanguaTalk is a rather no-nonsense website from the outset.
Just log in, insert your filters (location, availability, learning goals, your desired hourly rate, and an age range if you prefer), and you are immediately presented with a lengthy list of potential German language tutors. It’s that easy!
While it may lack the flash or special features of some of the competition, LanguaTalk works exceptionally smoothly and its teachers are all professional, experienced individuals.
Every tutor profile comes with its own, individual video introduction which lends each of them a little character and makes deciding on a course easier.
What I like about LanguaTalk:
- Simplistic and basic – but in a good way!
- Fair rates and great availability of experienced online German teachers
- Personalized introductory videos for every profile
Pricing: Tutors set their own rates. Average single German lesson starts at $15-20 per hour. Book a FREE class here!
9. Tutor.com
Find German tutors on Tutor.com
More of an all-around online tutoring website, Tutor.com does not have many features specifically catering to the language-learning market segment.
But that’s okay, as the overall quality of service is downright excellent – which is no wonder considering that Tutor.com is run by The Princeton Review.
Every tutor profile on the site goes through a rigorous qualification process, ensuring only top-grade teachers and professors count among Tutor.com’s ranks.
The site itself has a pretty no-frills look, and that also extends to its attitude on curriculums – for the most part, tutors work out lesson plans and strategies “behind the scenes” with their students based on their individual needs.
What do I like about Tutor.com:
- Excellent supply of German tutors online
- Probably the most professional, experienced profiles out of all platforms
- Great value and very easy-to-use platform
Price: Monthly subscription starts at $39 for one hour of lessons per month.
10. Verbling
Find German tutors on Verbling
For convenience, flexibility, and value for money, there are few services that can match Verbling. In terms of UI, it’s the polar opposite of the somewhat barebones Tutor.com.
Through Verbling’s neat web-based interface, you can take care of basically all relevant matters of scheduling, planning, paying for, and preparing for your lessons – all in the same browser tab, and all without even needing to pay for a subscription first to make use of these features.
There are a dizzying number of filters available, in addition to the option of selecting from pre-made lesson plans (tutors can also create their own for your specific needs if none of Verbling’s options match your needs).
This way, you can construct your ideal notion of an online German class first, piece by piece, and let the site’s algorithm do the rest in finding a suitable tutor for you.
What I like about Verbling:
- An impressive degree of personalization
- Unified, web-based platform with excellent course management
- Extremely easy to set up and get going
Pricing: Trial lessons are usually free, and one regular hour of German online classes runs $25-35 on average.
11. VerbalPlanet
Find German tutors on VerbalPlanet
Charting a similar course to Verbling and Live Lingua, VerbalPlanet arms you with an array of powerful tools to help you find the best online German tutors for your needs.
Online one-on-one lessons operate via Zoom, Skype, or Microsoft Teams, giving you a fair bit of flexibility. Speaking of which, Verbal Planet sorts German tutors for you based on their location and automatically compensates for time zone differences, displaying all data adjusted for your local time.
That’s something that surprisingly many competitors won’t offer, making Verbal Planet one of the most polished and intuitive sites today!
What I like about VerbalPlanet:
- Great layout and nearly perfect user experience
- Excellent scheduling system and hassle-free tutor selection
- Personal, highly detailed tutor profiles with lots of testimonials
Pricing: Average for a one-hour German lesson online is $30-40. Free or discounted trials available depending on the tutor.
12. MyLingoTrip
Find German tutors on MyLingoTrip
In a sea of similar websites offering online German classes, MyLingoTrip distinguishes itself in two major ways.
First off, it runs on a certified curriculum based on the European CEFR framework of language proficiency. That way, quantifying your current knowledge and setting your own language-learning goals is made much easier, not to mention more transferable between different teachers.
The second thing that makes MyLingoTrip different is that it offers not just the ability to book private, individual lessons like on other sites, but also two-on-one German classes online with a partner!
Some might not care for this feature, but it’s a great money-saver and hugely simplifies scheduling for couples or friends who want to learn German together.
What I like about MyLingoTrip:
- Single and couples-based German lessons are possible
- High standards for tutors at fair prices
- CEFR-based universal curriculum
Pricing: Starts at €13 per hour for single-person online German classes and €21 per hour for couples. Rates adjust based on language level and selected course intensity.
Conclusion
And that’s a wrap! I hope that today’s roundup of top-rated websites helped you a little in finding the best way for you to learn German online with a personal tutor.
Arranging for (and financing) private lessons may take more work than most language-learning apps, but it does in turn provide you with a much higher degree of personalization and develops your speaking skills much further.
In that sense, taking online German lessons might just prove to be one of the best investments in your language learning that you could make!
I hope that you found this guide helpful overall and I happily invite you to take a look at some of our other German learning resources over here at Learning Languages From Home.
Happy learning!