kaplan review
Updated September 30, 2026 · AcademyCue Editorial Team · Facts checked September 30, 2026
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Our verdict
Kaplan suits language learners who want live teaching rather than self-paced clips, often on a company seat. Entry starts at $59, lessons run one-to-one or in groups, and a certificate is part of the plan, with no free tier to sample first.
Key facts
- Best for
- Live language lessons with a certificate, paid personally or on a company seat.
- Price from
- $59 (Source, checked September 30, 2026)
- Free tier
- No (Source, checked September 30, 2026)
- Platform type
- Curated (Source, checked September 30, 2026)
- University partners
- 3,300 (Source, checked September 30, 2026)
- Team plan
- Yes (Source, checked September 30, 2026)
- Markets
- AU, SG, GB, US (Source, checked September 30, 2026)
- Legal entity
- Kaplan, Inc. (Source, checked September 30, 2026)
- Headquarters
- United States (Source, checked September 30, 2026)
- Founded
- 1938 (Source, checked September 30, 2026)
- Support channels
- Email, Phone (Source, checked September 30, 2026)
- Subjects
- Business, Science, Languages
- Official website
- kaplan.com
Language learning
- Price from
- $59 (Source, checked September 30, 2026)
- Free tier
- No (Source, checked September 30, 2026)
- Languages
- English, French, German (Source, checked September 30, 2026)
- Lesson length (minutes)
- 45 (Source, checked September 30, 2026)
- AI conversation practice
- Yes (Source, checked September 30, 2026)
- Certificate
- Yes (Source, checked September 30, 2026)
- Kids version
- Yes (Source, checked September 30, 2026)
- Markets
- AU, SG, GB, US (Source, checked September 30, 2026)
- Legal entity
- Kaplan, Inc. (Source, checked September 30, 2026)
- Headquarters
- United States (Source, checked September 30, 2026)
- Founded
- 1938 (Source, checked September 30, 2026)
- Support channels
- Email, Phone (Source, checked September 30, 2026)
- Learning method
- Live 1to1, Live group
Pros and cons
Pros
- Live teaching is the core of the offer, with live 1to1 and live group covering both one-to-one and group formats.
- AI conversation practice is available, so speaking drills can happen between booked sessions.
- A certificate is part of the plan, which matters for a reader who needs proof of completion.
- University partnerships reach 3,300, giving an institutional track record the alternatives here do not put a number to.
- A team plan is available, so a company can pay for several learners at once.
Cons
- The free tier is no, so there is no sampler lesson and the entry price is the first point of commitment.
- Support runs on email and phone only, with a phone line and email rather than a chat window or community space listed alongside them.
- The language range is English, French and German, so a learner chasing another language would need a different site.
- Sessions are fixed at 45 minutes, so a long block of study has to be split across several bookings.
Who it suits
- Learners who want a live teacher rather than self-paced video, in the live 1to1 and live group formats offered.
- Employers buying seats for staff, since a team plan is available.
- Parents placing a younger learner through the kids version.
Who should look elsewhere
- Buyers who want an open shelf of third-party courses: Kaplan keeps a curated catalogue while Hotmart runs as a marketplace, so new material arrives there at a different pace.
- Readers who prefer one flat payment for self-paced study to booked live slots: Piknik sits on a subscription model, and Academy for Health and Fitness does too.
What it does well
Kaplan's clearest strength here is buying power. A team plan is available, so a company can place several learners on one arrangement instead of handling separate sign-ups, and the institutional weight behind the brand runs to 3,300 university partnerships. Both of those points matter most to a training budget holder and least to someone buying a single course for themselves, which is worth keeping in mind at the checkout screen. The other side of the offer is thinner: the free tier is listed as no. There is no free library to browse, no sampler lesson, and no way to test a teacher's style before money changes hands, so a reader who wants a taste of the method has to look elsewhere for that first step. A reader whose employer is paying can move quickly across that gap. A reader paying personally is asked to commit earlier, and the 3,300 partnerships do not shorten the path.
Who runs it
The provider is Kaplan, Inc., a company founded in 1938 and headquartered in the United States. That combination matters for a reader weighing risk, because a long operating history and a named corporate entity sit behind the course being booked rather than an individual tutor's storefront. Age on its own proves little, and it says nothing about whether a certificate is recognised where a reader needs it to be, which is a separate question to put to the company before paying. What the company facts do settle is the route to help. Support runs through email and phone, so a question about lessons, billing, or a course move can go straight to a person on a phone line or by email, and that is firmer footing than waiting on a shared inbox. Readers who want a regulated awarding body named on the plan should confirm that separately before the first invoice.
How kaplan compares
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to start with Kaplan?+
Entry pricing starts at $59. Lessons are the unit of purchase, running 45 minutes in live 1to1 and live group formats, so the real cost depends on how many live sessions a week a learner books rather than on a single annual figure. Compare that per-session spend against a subscription platform before signing up.
Is there a free tier or a free trial?+
The free tier here is listed as no, which removes the usual free sampler. Across the platforms in this comparison, free trials are common at 90.9%, so a reader who prefers to test first should look for a name in that group rather than assume every provider offers one.
Which subjects and languages does Kaplan cover?+
The subject list reads business, science and languages, and the languages covered are English, French and German. Language study is the clearer of the two, with English, French and German at the centre of the offer, while business and science sit in the wider subject list. A reader chasing business or science material should check how deep each area goes before booking.
Do I get a certificate at the end of a course?+
A certificate is part of the offer. Whether it carries a separate charge is worth confirming at signup, because across comparable platforms the median certificate fee is €0 and the upper end reaches €15.49. A reader who needs the certificate for an employer or a visa application should settle that before the first payment.
How long are the lessons, and are they live?+
Lessons run 45 minutes and are live, in live 1to1 and live group formats, so a learner can take one-to-one sessions with a teacher or share a class with others. A fixed length means an hour of speaking practice fits into a booked slot rather than being worked through at the learner's own speed.
Can my company buy Kaplan for a team?+
A team plan is available, which is the clearest route for a company paying for several learners. The platforms where a team plan is standard account for 99.3% of this group, so an employer with a specific question about seat management and billing should raise it before the first invoice.
Is there a course for children?+
A kids version exists, so a parent can place a younger learner inside the same programme rather than searching for a separate site. Kids options are common on 66.7% of platforms in this comparison, so the feature is not unusual; what matters is whether a live booked session suits a child who cannot stay for the full length.
Where does Kaplan operate, and how do I get help?+
The platform runs in Australia, SG and GB, and the company behind it is headquartered in the United States. Availability and support hours follow the market a reader buys in, so checking the local market first is worth doing before checkout. Support comes through email and phone, which means a phone line and email rather than a self-service desk alone.
Can I practise conversation without a live teacher?+
AI conversation practice is available, which fills the gap between booked sessions and lets a learner speak without waiting for a teacher. The offer also rests on 3,300 university partnerships. A learner preparing for a specific exam or interview format would still use the live one-to-one format in live 1to1 and live group, since feedback on a particular paper is better handled by a person.
Sources
- kaplan.com checked September 30, 2026
Backs: Founded, Markets, Subjects, Team plan
“Our Mission Since 1938”
- kaplan.com/about checked September 30, 2026
Backs: Legal entity, Platform type, University partners
“Kaplan, Inc. has been part of Graham Holdings”
- kaplan.com/contact-us checked September 30, 2026
Backs: Support channels
“contact us via phone and email”
- kaplan.com/terms-of-use checked September 30, 2026
Backs: Headquarters
“Kaplan Inc. 1515 W Cypress Creek Road, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33309”
- kaplaninternational.com checked September 30, 2026
Backs: Kids version
“Junior Language Camps (Ages 8-17)”
- kaplaninternational.com/about-kaplan checked September 30, 2026
Backs: Languages
“We offer English, French and German courses”
- kaplaninternational.com/learn-english-online checked September 30, 2026
Backs: AI conversation practice, Certificate, Free tier, Learning method, Price from
“AI-powered speaking practice available anytime”
- kaplaninternational.com/terms-and-conditions checked September 30, 2026
Backs: Lesson length (minutes)
“All English lessons are 45 minutes in duration”
Compiled from 8 source pages, checked September 30, 2026. We did not open an account.
Not confirmed yet: Money-back period.
Related by the facts
kaplan
Live language lessons with a certificate, paid personally or on a company seat.