Updated September 30, 2026 · AcademyCue Editorial Team
ErsteNachhilfe vs italki
ErsteNachhilfe vs italki: the differences
| Compare |  ErsteNachhilfe |  italki |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | €1.99 | $5 |
| Lesson price from | €10.50 | $5 |
| Languages | German, Arabic, Bulgarian, Chinese, Danish, English, Finnish, Flemish, French, Greek, Hebrew, Hindi, Italian, Japanese, Catalan, Korean, Croatian, Kurdish, Dutch, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Serbian, Swedish, Slovak, Spanish, Czech, Turkish, HungarianCovers more | English, Japanese, Spanish, Chinese, French, Italian, German, Portuguese, Korean, Arabic |
| Lesson length (minutes) | 45 | 30 to 90 |
| AI conversation practice | No | YesHas it |
| Kids version | No | YesHas it |
| Price per month | €4.99 | Not confirmed |
| Price per year | €23.88 | Not confirmed |
| Free trial length | Not confirmed | 30 days |
| Speech recognition | No | Not confirmed |
| Offline use | No | Not confirmed |
| Certificate | No | Not confirmed |
| Family subscription | No | Not confirmed |
| Markets | DE, AT | Not confirmed |
Same on both: Free tier (Yes).
We earn a commission when you sign up through links on this site. Partner status can affect where a brand appears in our rankings.
Key differences
- AI conversation practice: only italki.
- Kids version: only italki.
- Support channels: only ErsteNachhilfe offers Email, Phone.
- Founded is lower at ErsteNachhilfe: 2004 vs 2006.
- Languages: only ErsteNachhilfe offers Bulgarian, Danish, Finnish.
- Learning method: only italki offers Live group.
Our verdict on each
ErsteNachhilfe
ErsteNachhilfe suits families who want cheap live tutoring for school subjects in German-speaking markets. Its subscription fees run €1.99 to €4.99 for a top ranked 1 placement out of 28, and a free trial lesson lets you look before you pay for lessons.
italki
italki suits learners who want live tutor time rather than self study app drills, and its 30 day trial gives room to try teachers before paying. The trade-off sits in pricing: lessons start at $5, and regular sessions cost more than that entry figure.
Score breakdown
| Area | ErsteNachhilfe | italki |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | 9.7HigherSubscription fees run €1.99 to €4.99 and lesson prices start at €10.50, the lowest ranked on the list at 9 of 32. | 9.4Lessons start at $5, and that lesson price ranks 2 of 6 brands among tutor platforms. |
| Offer | 9.4HigherSubscription price sits at 1 of 28, with 26,303 tutors and a free trial lesson. | 9.1A free tier, a 30 day trial and the live formats in live 1to1 and live group cover most ways learners begin. |
| Trust | 8.8Tutors are screened, support runs on email, phone and help centre, and the operator Learn & Care 24 GmbH is named with an DE base. | 9.8HigherFounded in 2006 and run by italki HK Limited with its base in HK, italki has a long trading record. |
Where each is licensed and available
| Country | ErsteNachhilfe | italki |
|---|---|---|
| Headquarters | Germany | Hong Kong |
Which one suits you
Pick ErsteNachhilfe if cost, offer, and languages matter most.
Pick italki if ai conversation practice and kids version matter most.
Where these facts come from
ErsteNachhilfe
- erstenachhilfe.de: 19 facts, checked September 30, 2026
italki
- italki.com: 10 facts, checked September 30, 2026
- support.italki.com: 2 facts, checked September 30, 2026
- company.italki.com: 1 fact, checked September 30, 2026
How they place
| Ranking | ErsteNachhilfe | italki |
|---|---|---|
| Online language tutors and classes | 3 of 25 | 1 of 25 |
Every fact side by side
| Fact | ErsteNachhilfe | italki |
|---|---|---|
| Learning method | Live 1to1 | Live 1to1, Live groupCovers more |
| Legal entity | Learn & Care 24 GmbH | italki HK Limited |
| Headquarters | Germany | Hong Kong |
| Founded | 2004Lower | 2006 |
| Support channels | Email, Phone, Help centreCovers more | Help centre |
Where each stands against the rest
| Fact | ErsteNachhilfe | italki | Median |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price per month | €4.99lowest quarter | Not confirmed | €12.49 |
| Price per year | €23.88lowest quarter | Not confirmed | €91.20 |
| Free trial length | Not confirmed | 30 dayshighest quarter | 7 days |
| Lesson length (minutes) | 45highest quarter | 30 to 90at the median | 30 |
Median across 25 listed providers.
Pros and cons
ErsteNachhilfe
Pros
- Subscription fees run €1.99 to €4.99, which ranks 1 out of 28 on the site list.
- Lesson prices start at €10.50 and the median is €22.50, ranked 2 out of 8.
- A free trial lesson and a free tier mean you can look at tutors before paying for lessons.
Cons
- Tutor vetting rests on screened alone, so the screening step is the whole of the process applied here.
- There is no family subscription, so each learner needs their own membership.
- Lesson prices start higher than Schülerhilfe at €8.76, which lists a lower starting price.
italki
Pros
- A free tier and a 30 day trial let you test the platform before paying, and the trial length ranks 1 of 21 brands.
- Lessons start at $5, and that entry lesson price ranks 2 of 6 brands among tutor platforms.
- Tutors cover English, Japanese and Spanish, so most learners find a teacher for the language they are studying.
Cons
- Support runs on help centre only, so an urgent booking problem waits in a queue rather than reaching a person on the phone.
- The $5 entry price is above ErsteNachhilfe's €1.99 start and SpanishPod101's $4, so it is not the cheapest opening offer here.
- The $5 figure is a floor: the middle lesson price across the brands we price sits at €44.31, so regular sessions cost more than the headline number.
Who each suits
ErsteNachhilfe
Who it suits
- Parents in DE and AT who want one to one help with maths, English, other languages, science, coding or school subjects
- Learners who like trying a tutor first, since the trial lesson is free and a free tier is available
- Families watching the entry cost, with subscription fees of €1.99 to €4.99
Who should look elsewhere
- Families wanting a family subscription, since there is none
- Learners wanting background checked tutors
- Shoppers who want the lowest starting lesson price, where Schülerhilfe lists €8.76
italki
Who it suits
- Learners who want live speaking practice with a tutor instead of self study drills.
- Learners working on English, Japanese and Spanish, who prefer teacher feedback to app exercises.
- People starting small, since lessons begin at $5 and a free tier is available to try the platform first.
Who should look elsewhere
- Shoppers chasing the lowest entry price, since SpanishPod101 and FrenchPod101 list $4 and $4 to start.
- Learners who want help on the phone or in live chat, because support runs on help centre only.
- Anyone budgeting on a single flat monthly fee, since italki prices each lesson from $5 instead.
Current offers
ErsteNachhilfe
Current offer
First period offer
Professional tutoring from 4.50 EUR per hour: from 4.50 EUR per hour
Professional tutoring on site or online; no end date stated
Source, checked September 30, 2026
Country by country
| Country | ErsteNachhilfe | italki |
|---|---|---|
| Austria | Yes | No |
| Germany | Yes | No |
Questions about each
ErsteNachhilfe
How much does ErsteNachhilfe cost?+
Subscription fees run €1.99 to €4.99, which is the membership families pay for access to tutors. Lessons are priced separately by each tutor: prices start at €10.50 and the median is €22.50. A session lasts 45 minutes.
Is there a free trial lesson?+
Yes, the trial lesson is free, so you can sit a session before committing to lessons. There is also a free tier, which lets you look around the tutor list. Neither costs you a lesson fee.
italki
How much does a lesson cost on italki?+
italki bills per lesson rather than by subscription. Entry pricing starts at $5, and the cheapest single lesson on the platform is listed at $5. Because each tutor sets their own rate, a first session at $5 is a floor rather than a typical bill.
Is there a free trial, and how long does it last?+
Yes. italki offers a free tier, so you can look through teachers and the platform before paying, and its trial runs 30 days. That trial length ranks 1 of 21 brands in our comparison, which is longer than most tutor and app trials.