Busuu
Depends
Confidence: High
Buy if you are a beginner-to-lower-intermediate learner who wants structured CEFR lessons plus native-speaker feedback.
New check
Comparison
Busuu vs italki
Busuu and italki both land on Depends.
italki
Depends
Confidence: Medium
Buy it if you're a self-motivated learner wanting cheap 1-on-1 conversation practice, especially in less-common languages.
| Compare | Busuu | italki |
|---|---|---|
| Verdict | Depends | Depends |
| Best for | Beginners to lower-intermediate (A2-B2) | Conversational practice with native speakers |
| Who it's not for | Advanced learners chasing C1+ fluency | Learners wanting structured, curriculum-driven courses |
| Privacy | Bug bounty and enterprise DPA in place; no platform breach found in sources, but many credentials appear in infostealer logs.10 | User forums discuss a past data breach; shows no public security page. |
| Support quality | No support evidence in sources reviewed | Repeated complaints about service and policies |
| Public sentiment | Reddit users praise Premium and native feedback but note the app plateaus around B2.⁴ | Long-term learners credit italki with real speaking progress; complaints center on refunds, expiring credits, and support. |
| Biggest gotcha | Free tier is restrictive; meaningful progress basically requires Premium | Community posts discuss a data breach; be careful what personal data you share |
Pick Busuu when
- Beginners to lower-intermediate (A2-B2)
- Learners wanting native-speaker feedback
- Grammar-focused, structured course fans
- Companies buying team language training
When Busuu is not a fit
- Advanced learners chasing C1+ fluency
- Free-only users - the free tier is too limited
- Anyone expecting an app alone to deliver fluency
- Casuals who prefer pure gamification - use Duolingo instead
Pick italki when
- Conversational practice with native speakers
- Rare or niche languages
- Budget learners
- Self-directed learners
When italki is not a fit
- Learners wanting structured, curriculum-driven courses
- Anyone expecting painless refunds or responsive support
- Casual dabblers . free apps cover that
- Unsupervised kids; italki itself advises parental oversight
Sources
- Busuu Review (Is This Language App Worth It?)guide2fluency.comreview
review
- Busuu Review 2026 (Is This Language App Effective?)testprepinsight.comreview
- Busuu Review - Reddit r/Busuureddit.comreview
review
- Busuu Reviews 2026 - G2g2.comreview
- Busuu, acquired by Chegg for €385 millioneu-startups.comnews
- Busuu Revenue and Usage Statisticsbusinessofapps.comnews
- Busuu - Business Model Exemplar (founded 2008)businessmodelzoo.comnews
- Busuu - Hudson Rock infostealer credential listinghudsonrock.comsecurity
- busuu Bug Bounty Programopenbugbounty.orgsecurity
- Busuu on ToS;DRtosdr.orgsecurity
- Busuu Premium Plans (official)busuu.comofficial
- Busuu Enterprise Security & Compliance (official)business.busuu.comofficial
- Is italki worth it? : r/languagelearningreddit.comreview