Ling and Preply are two popular language-learning platforms that help improve speaking skills, but they take completely different approaches. Ling focuses on self-paced structured lessons, while Preply offers live tutoring, which means each platform suits different types of learners.
So, in this detailed comparison of Ling vs Preply, we’ll explore the key features, target audiences, course structures, and pricing of both apps to help you easily choose the one that suits you best.
Ling Vs Preply: A Quick Comparison Of Features And Pricing
Before exploring each app in detail, let’s take a quick look at what Ling and Preply offer in terms of available languages, key features, lesson styles, and pricing.
| Features | Ling | Preply |
|---|---|---|
| Total languages offered | 70+ languages, including underserved ones | Offer around 80 languages |
| Lesson style | Structured lessons with gamified exercises and consistent progress tracking | Live 1-on-1 private lessons and language practice with qualified teachers |
| Speaking practice | Dedicated speaking exercises and practical dialogues | Real-time conversations with native tutors |
| Writing Practice | Finger-tracing exercises (available for specific languages) | Depend on the tutor’s course structure |
| Grammar and cultural explanations | Detailed grammar and culture notes | Completely depends on the tutor’s teaching style |
| Best for | Travelers, expats, heritage learners, and passionate language learners | Serious learners and learners learning languages for academic purposes |
| Free version | First two units are free + 7-day free trial | Some tutors offer free or discounted trial lessons |
| Pricing | Limited free version + paid subscription plans | Paid lessons |
Quick takeaway: Ling and Preply cater to different types of learners. Ling is ideal if you want a structured, self-paced, and well-guided language course, while Preply is better suited for those who prefer a traditional classroom-style experience with direct interaction from tutors.
What Is Ling, And Who Is It Best For?
Ling is an interactive language-learning app that offers a simple, structured way to learn new languages. It does so by offering:
- Short, interactive lessons that are easy to memorize
- Step-by-step guidance to avoid confusion
- Game-like exercises that make learning fun
- Real-life dialogues help you practice practical conversations
- Instant pronunciation feedback for accuracy
- Detailed grammar explanations help in easily understanding the complex grammar topics
- Progress trackers ensure steady progress.
This way, you can practice all the language skills simultaneously.
Another great thing about the Ling app is its equal focus on underserved and regional languages, such as Thai, Croatian, and Bosnian, which are not commonly available on larger language-learning platforms. This is one of the main reasons the Ling app has gained over 200,000 monthly active users and more than 10 million downloads globally.
So, Ling is the best choice for:
- Learners who want a structured, well-guided, and all-around language learning app
- Passionate learners who want to develop confident speaking skills
- Travelers who want to learn practical phrases to make navigation easier
- Expats relocating to a new country soon and want to master survival phrases quickly
- People who want to improve their communication skills and explore cultural insights to reconnect with their heritage.
What Is Preply, And Who Is It Best For?
Preply is an online language learning platform that connects users with experienced language tutors who offer live, one-to-one private classes. With Preply, you can choose your preferred tutor based on your learning pace and goals.
So, once you find the tutor, you get:
- Personalized learning experience
- Flexible scheduling based on personal availability
- Lessons adjusted to goals like travel, work, or exams
- Real-time feedback during conversations
So, Preply really works well for learners who are already familiar with the language but want to improve their speaking skills to engage in everyday conversations.
Is Ling Better Than Preply For Speaking And Real-Life Conversation Practice?
When it comes to real-life conversation practice, Ling is a better option than Preply because it offers dedicated speaking exercises and an interactive Dialog feature. This allows you to practice real-life phrases repeatedly without pressure, which can greatly help build confidence.
Still, let’s take a quick look at how Ling and Preply approach speaking practice so you can decide for yourself.
What Makes Ling Useful For Speaking Practice
Ling’s language courses generally focus on real-life conversation skills, so you can naturally start speaking your favorite language in a few weeks. In general, for structured speaking practice, Ling offers:
- Dedicated speaking exercises with every lesson that let you hear native speaker audios and practice imitating them
- Instant feedback on your pronunciation to ensure you pronounce every word correctly
- An interactive dialog feature that provides you with a private space to practice communicating in real-life situations without the fear of judgment.
Preply’s Approach To Speaking Practice
Preply focuses on live interaction rather than practice exercises, which helps learners develop real-life language skills. With Preply, you receive personalized feedback from experienced tutors, learn different speaking styles, and gradually improve your fluency over time.
However, since you practice speaking with a tutor, the conversations can sometimes feel less natural because they are often structured around the learner’s responses. So, Preply’s live lessons may not be the best fit for people who want to develop more natural, real-life communication skills.
Ling Vs Preply: Course Structure And Lesson Depth
Let’s now look at the course structure and lesson depth of the Ling app and Preply that significantly differentiate both the language apps:
Ling’s Course Structure
Ling offers structured, topic-based lessons divided into five progression levels: beginner, intermediate, advanced, upper-intermediate, and expert. Here’s a brief breakdown of what Ling’s language courses include to help you understand the depth of the lessons.
So, Ling offers:
- 200 lessons across 50 units for each language
- Separate game-like practice exercises for reading, writing, and speaking skills
- Grammar and cultural notes that provide detailed explanations and insights
- A Dialog feature, which includes 20 dialog topics across real-life scenarios
- A final exam to test your knowledge
Note: Grammar, cultural notes, and writing exercises are only available for some languages.
Preply’s Course Structure
Preply, on the other hand, does not offer a structured curriculum or fixed learning plan. This is because each tutor’s lesson structure depends entirely on their teaching style and the learner’s objectives. As a result, some tutors may provide highly organized lesson plans, while others may focus on more informal, conversation-based sessions.
In general, Preply allows you to set your learning goals and choose the right tutor from over 100,000 tutors based on your budget and preferences. Once you find your preferred tutor, you can begin one-on-one lessons, track your progress, and improve your target language skills through online classes.
Which App Offers More Languages And Better Cultural Context: Ling Vs Preply?
In the Ling vs Preply comparison, although Preply may offer more language tutors, Ling still has the advantage with its structured language courses that provide detailed cultural context. Let’s take a closer look at which app offers more languages and stronger cultural insights.
Ling offers more than 70 language courses, including niche or less commonly taught languages such as Khmer, Lao, Malayalam, Tamil, Thai, and Bosnian. It teaches these rare languages using the same guided, comprehensive curriculum designed for popular languages like Spanish and French, complete with detailed cultural notes and contextual examples in every lesson. For learners seeking dedicated cultural insights alongside language instruction, Ling is clearly the stronger option.
On the other hand, Preply supports around 80 languages, but the depth of the lessons and cultural explanations largely depends on each tutor’s teaching style. As a result, learners may not always find consistent cultural elements or enough qualified tutors for every language.
Ling Vs Preply Pricing: Are They Worth Paying For?
Yes, both the apps are worth paying for, but as they target different audiences and follow distinct pricing plans, the final decision depends on your preferences. So, let’s clearly break down the pricing plans of Ling and Preply.
Ling’s Subscription-Based Pricing Plans
Ling follows a subscription-based payment method and offers 3 different plans:
- Monthly: $16.99
- Quarterly: $64.99
- Annually: $89.99
It means that by choosing any of these plans, you can easily get:
- Complete access to all language courses
- Grammar notes and cultural insights
- A review feature to check how much you’ve achieved so far
- Extensive practice exercises for reading, writing, and speaking
The best part is that Ling also offers the first two units for free and a 7-day free trial on an annual subscription, which is a great way to test the app before committing. You can also read our detailed guide on ‘Why learn with Ling‘ for clarity.
Preply’s Lesson-Based Pricing Plans
Preply follows a slightly different pricing model, as you pay per lesson, and tutors’ pricing varies depending on:
- Tutors teaching experience
- Demanded language
- Language proficiency
- Course type
- Lesson’s duration
For instance:
- Prices start from $10
- A 25-minute lesson costs around $16
- A 50-minute lesson costs around $27
So, taking two to three lessons per week can become quite expensive over time. However, Preply also offers paid trial lessons and up to two free tutor replacements to help users find the right fit.
Quick Takeaway: If you want access to multiple languages with a single subscription, Ling is the better choice. However, if you prefer personalized tutoring and one-on-one instruction, Preply may be worth the higher cost.
Ling Vs Preply: Pros And Cons
Now that we’ve explored both these apps in detail, let’s quickly look at their pros and cons to find out what differentiates them:
| Pros/ Cons | Ling | Preply |
|---|---|---|
| Pros | – Focus on real-life conversation skills – Offer structured lessons – Detailed grammar and cultural explanations – Finger-tracing writing practice exercises – Offers complete language courses for even less-spoken languages – Budget-friendly, long-term language learning solution – It’s best for all-rounder learning, which also helps improve pronunciation by giving constructive feedback | – 1-on-1 live classes with experienced teachers – Flexibility to choose the tutor of your choice based on availability and budget – Consistent practice because of fixed scheduling – Classroom-style detailed guidance – Speaking practice with expert teachers – You can set your learning goals for finding a tutor accordingly – It’s good for learners who prefer live tutoring or scheduled classes to stay consistent |
| Cons | – Grammar explanations and writing exercises are currently only available for some languages – Requires self-consistency and practice for real progress | – Can be a little expensive – The depth and style totally depend on the tutor – No regular, quick practice sessions – Requires scheduling – Less structured than other language apps |
Which App Should You Choose Based On Your Learning Goal?
Here’s a quick breakdown of what each app offers the best to help you decide if it meets your learning goals:
Choose Ling if you:
- Prefer learning at your own pace
- Are an absolute beginner who wants to start from scratch
- Specifically want structured, topic-based lessons
- Enjoy gamified learning paired with dedicated speaking practice exercises, which research shows are essential for language learning.
- Want to learn less commonly taught languages
And Preply is an ideal option if you:
- Enjoy learning with private tutors
- Want personalized lessons and direct feedback from teachers
- Are preparing for a language exam
- Struggle with consistency and regular practice
The key takeaway is that Ling is an all-in-one solution that combines structured daily practice with conversational skill development, whereas Preply offers a tutoring-based approach that depends on your learning goals and budget.
FAQs Related To Ling Vs Preply App Comparison
Which App Is The Most Budget-Friendly: Ling Or Preply?
Ling’s subscription plans are fixed, so it’s the safest language-learning option compared to Preply. It’s because Preply’s prices vary by tutor, which can get expensive over time.
Is The Ling App Best For Absolute Beginners?
Yes, Ling offers dedicated beginner-friendly lessons, game-like exercises, clear grammar explanations, and detailed guidance, which makes it one of the best language learning apps for absolute beginners.
Is Ling Better Than Preply For Real-Life Speaking Practice?
Yes. For real-life speaking practice, Ling is better than Preply because Ling lets you practice anytime, without pressure, through native-speaker audio and real-life dialogues. In comparison, Preply offers live tutoring, so you only practice with native teachers.
How Do Ling Vs Preply Compare?
Ling and Preply cater to different types of learners. Ling is ideal if you want a structured, self-paced, and well-guided language course. Preply is better suited for those who prefer a traditional classroom-style experience with direct interaction from tutors.
Final Verdict: Which App Is The Best Option In 2026?
In this detailed Ling vs Preply comparison, we’ve come to the conclusion that choosing the right language app ultimately depends on your learning style and goals.
So, if your goal is to find an all-rounder language app that helps you build vocabulary, practice writing, and achieve conversational fluency through listening and gamified exercises, then Ling is the best choice for you.
Why not try it yourself? Download the Ling app now, embark on your language learning journey, and start making structured progress right away!
