I Took 50 Classes on Lingoda: My VERY Honest Lingoda Review

How Lingoda Works

Lingoda is a monthly subscription. You can choose either group or private classes.

Group classes or private lessons are available. Each class is 60 minutes long.

You can book classes at your convenience and track your progress through a pretty nice online interface.

You’ll choose your subscription based on the number of private or group classes you want to take each month.

There are 5, 12, 30, and 40 class packs available. You get charged every 4 weeks. 

How Many Classes Should I Take?

You’ll want to decide how frequently you want to take class based on your schedule and commitment to learning.

Want to learn some Spanish so you can order a meal while on vacation? I’d say, go with 5 or 12 classes a month.

Want to speak fluidly with your Uber driver in Spanish? You’ll want to pick up your pace and try at least 12 or more classes per month.

I wasted years dabbling in language apps like Duolingo before realizing: you can’t become fluent without speaking. That’s what changed everything for me with live classes.

📌 If you’ve been struggling to stay consistent, don’t waste another month. Lingoda makes language learning easy, structured, and engaging. The best part? You can try it risk-free and decide for yourself.

🎯 Don’t wait until “someday”—take the first step today! Claim your free trial now.

Lingoda Review: Pros and Cons

Cons of Lingoda

⏳ Strict Cancellation Policies

This was one of the biggest downsides for me. You have to cancel 72 hours in advance to avoid losing a class credit, which can be tough if your schedule changes unexpectedly.

That said, they do offer an “immediate cancel” feature, which gives you 30 minutes after booking to change your mind. That’s a helpful safety net if you realize right away that you need to reschedule.

🎲 Inconsistent Teaching Styles

With Lingoda, you get a different teacher almost every time, which means the teaching style can vary.

Some teachers are incredible—engaging, supportive, and clear in their explanations—while others might not be the best fit for your learning style. If you prefer consistency and building a rapport with one instructor, this might be a drawback.

🔄 Subscription Model Can Feel Overwhelming

Lingoda runs on a subscription basis, which means you’re charged every month even if you don’t use all your classes.

The good news? Unused classes roll over.

The challenge? If you fall behind, you can end up with a backlog of classes to take, which might feel like you’re always playing catch-up.

💡 Tip: If you want to stay accountable, consider joining the Lingoda Sprint, where you commit to a set number of classes—and even get part of your money back when you complete them!

👉 Want a structured, immersive language learning experience? Try Lingoda here!

My Experience with Lingoda

What was it like practicing Spanish with Lingoda? Overall, it was a mixed bag.

I didn’t always stick to a consistent schedule, which made progress slower than I would’ve liked. If you thrive on structure, I highly recommend setting a routine so you don’t fall into the “I’ll book when I have time” trap (because, spoiler alert: life gets in the way)!

Lingoda’s strict cancellation policy was also something I had to work around. If I needed to cancel last-minute, I’d lose my class credit, which was frustrating.

Eventually, I’d sign up only when I was 100% sure I could make it, which led to taking fewer classes than I had planned.

Following the Syllabus Makes a Difference

Another thing I learned the hard way? It’s best to follow the lesson sequence.

Lingoda offers flexibility in choosing classes, which is great, but I found that jumping around from Chapter 12 to Chapter 3 made it harder to build on what I had already learned.

If I could do it over again, I’d stick to the recommended order to make things more cohesive.

The Teacher Experience: Some Great, Some Less So

One of the most unique aspects of Lingoda is that you’ll work with different teachers in each lesson.

Some teachers were amazing—super engaging, clear, and patient—while others weren’t quite the right fit for my learning style. This is totally normal in any language program, but if you prefer working with the same teacher for consistency, it’s something to consider.

I also noticed that some teachers only covered specific topics, so I couldn’t always stick with an instructor I liked for multiple lessons.

This isn’t necessarily a bad thing—it exposes you to different accents and teaching methods—but it does mean you won’t develop the same student-teacher rapport as you might on other platforms like Preply.

Private vs. Group Classes: My Take

At first, I thought group classes would be a fun way to practice conversational skills. And they were! But after a while, I realized that group lessons meant less speaking time—sometimes, I’d only get to say a few lines in an hour-long class.

That’s when I switched to private lessons, and it made a huge difference. With one-on-one time, I got way more practice and feedback, which helped me improve faster.

If you’re deciding between group and private classes, think about how much speaking time you want.

Group classes are great for meeting people, but if you want to maximize your speaking practice, private lessons are the way to go.

Did I Feel Fluent After Finishing B1?

I completed 50 classes and earned my B1 certificate, which felt like a big accomplishment. But did I truly feel B1-level fluent?

Honestly… not really.

Lingoda’s certification is based on class completion, not a formal evaluation of fluency. So while I technically finished the coursework, there wasn’t a final test to prove my speaking ability.

If you want an official language certification, you might need to take an external exam (like the DELE for Spanish or Goethe-Zertifikat for German).

That said, I did improve my confidence in speaking, especially after pairing Lingoda lessons with real-world practice. If you’re actively using your target language outside of class—traveling, chatting with native speakers, or doing immersion experiences—it’ll complement what you learn on Lingoda.

Lingoda Alternatives

There are a few good alternatives to Lingoda, such as iTalki, Preply, and Babbel.

1. iTalki

iTalki connects students with language teachers from around the world for one-on-one lessons. You can choose from a wide range of languages and select a teacher based on their profile, reviews, and hourly rate.

iTalki offers both professional teachers and community tutors, catering to different learning styles and budgets.

2. Preply (My Favorite!)

Preply is an online platform that pairs learners with tutors for personalized, one-on-one lessons.

Preply’s ability to choose your tutor based on reviews and profiles makes it a convenient option for tailored language learning.

Personally, I’ve found Preply to be incredibly effective and user-friendly, making it my favorite alternative to Lingoda.

3. Babbel Live

With a Babbel Live group classes subscription, you can complete classes across four different languages: German, Spanish, French, and Italian.

With a Babbel Live private classes subscription, you can also take private 1:1 classes for German and Spanish.

Babbel’s lessons are designed by language experts and cover a variety of real-life topics to help you use your new language in everyday situations.

FAQs About Lingoda

🤩 Sign up for Lingoda Sprint and get 50% of your money back (when you complete all the classes)