Last updated: August 2026. Written by Josh Hutcheson, OnlineCourseing editor. All prices below were pulled from Lingoda’s live pricing page on 4 August 2026.
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Lingoda costs $39.99–$242.99 per 4 weeks for group classes (5–40 classes, $5.99–$7.99 each) and $214.99–$845.99 for private classes ($20.99–$42.99 each) at August 2026 pricing. Lingoda cut its promotional depth at the August turn — discounts now run 5–15% off list, down from the 10–40% it ran through July, so the same plans cost noticeably more than they did a month ago. There’s a 7-day free trial, a 14-day money-back guarantee, and a Sprint challenge that refunds up to 50% if you attend every class for two months. Group classes are the best per-hour price for live teaching we’ve found on any major platform.
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How Lingoda pricing works
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Lingoda doesn’t sell single lessons. You subscribe to a plan that renews every 4 weeks (not calendar-monthly — that’s 13 billing cycles a year, worth knowing) and grants a bundle of class credits: 5, 12, 20 or 40. One credit books one 60-minute class, group or private depending on your plan. Unused credits roll over as long as the subscription stays active, and the per-class price is rounded to the nearest 50 cents.
Two levers set your real cost: bundle size (the 40-class plan cuts the per-class price nearly in half versus the 5-class plan) and promotions, which Lingoda runs more or less continuously — the discounts below (5–15% off list) were live when we checked in August 2026. Lingoda ran deeper 10–40% promotions through July, so treat promo depth as something that moves rather than a fixed rate.
Lingoda group class prices (August 2026)
Group classes put you with 3–5 students and a certified teacher. These are the live US prices for English; other languages vary by a few dollars.
| Classes per 4 weeks | Current price | List price | Per class |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | $39.99 | — | $7.99 |
| 12 | $85.99 | $6.99 | |
| 20 | $143.99 | $6.99 | |
| 40 | $242.99 | $5.99 |
The 20-class plan is the one Lingoda flags as most popular, but at August pricing it costs the same per class as the 12 — $6.99 either way. Stepping up from 12 to 20 buys you more classes, not a cheaper hour, which is a real change from July, when the 20 undercut the 12. The only genuine per-class discount now sits at the 40-class tier, $5.99 a class — and that one pays off only if you actually attend ten classes a week, since credits pile up (and get locked) if you fall behind.
One caveat on that last column: those are Lingoda’s own rounded per-class figures, and they flatter the plans slightly. Divide the real plan price by the class count and the 20-class plan is $7.20 a class, not $6.99; the 40-class plan is $6.07, not $5.99. Lingoda states that per-class prices are rounded to the nearest 50 cents, so judge a plan by its total, not its headline rate.
Annualized, that’s roughly $520 a year on the 5-class plan and about $3,159 on the 40-class plan at current promo rates (remember the 13 four-week cycles). For comparison, a single in-person evening course at a community college or Goethe-Institut typically costs $300–$700 for 8–10 weeks of once-a-week classes — Lingoda’s 12-class plan delivers a similar weekly cadence year-round for about $1,118, with far more schedule control.
Lingoda private class prices
| Classes per 4 weeks | Current price | List price | Per class |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | $214.99 | — | $42.99 |
| 12 | $379.99 | $31.49 | |
| 20 | $494.99 | $24.99 | |
| 40 | $845.99 | $20.99 |
Private pricing is where Lingoda stops being the obvious value pick. At $25–$43 a class on the smaller plans, you’re in the same range as a well-reviewed professional tutor on italki or Preply — who you’d keep lesson after lesson. Lingoda privates make sense mainly as an occasional supplement to a group plan (some learners mix one private per month into a group schedule for targeted feedback), not as the core subscription.
What the Sprint does to the math
The Lingoda Sprint is a 2-month challenge — 15 classes a month (Sprint) or 30 (Super Sprint) — that refunds up to 50% of what you paid if you attend every single class on time, or grants class credits of higher value instead. Sprint packages are priced per language at signup; treat the sticker as roughly comparable to the equivalent Flex classes, then halve it only if you’re confident you’ll hold perfect attendance for 60 days.
Read the eligibility line before planning around it: the Sprint is only open to learners who have never had an active Lingoda subscription, a miss caused by your own tech or schedule voids the cashback, and the refund lands 40–45 days after the challenge ends. Roughly half price for the most intense two months of study you’ll ever do — earned, not given.
The free trial (mind the day-8 charge)
Lingoda’s 7-day trial includes up to 3 group classes or 1 private class — enough to sample three different teachers before paying anything. You pick a paid plan at signup; Lingoda emails a reminder on day 6 and charges your card automatically on day 8. Cancel before the trial ends and you owe nothing. This auto-conversion generates more complaints than any other Lingoda policy, so set the calendar reminder the moment you register.
Six ways to pay less
- Size up the bundle: 40-class group plans run $5.99/class versus $7.99 on the 5-class plan — a 25% saving per hour if you’ll actually use them. That gap was wider in July; August’s shallower promo depth has compressed it.
- Buy during a promo: discounts rotate near-continuously — 5–15% off list as of August 2026, down from 10–40% through July. Depth varies month to month, so if the current offer looks thin, waiting a cycle has historically surfaced a better one. Signing up through our links applies Lingoda’s current offer automatically.
- Do a Sprint first (new customers only): up to 50% back for perfect attendance — the single biggest discount Lingoda offers, and it’s only available before your first regular subscription.
- Student? Check UNiDAYS: Lingoda lists a student discount through the UNiDAYS program.
- Pause instead of cancelling: you can pause up to 4 weeks once per billing cycle for holidays, keeping credits accessible instead of buying again later.
- Match the plan to your real pace: a cheap per-class rate you don’t use is the most expensive option of all. Start at 12, move up.
Hidden costs and the fine print
| Policy | What it means for your wallet |
|---|---|
| 4-week billing | 13 renewals a year, not 12 — budget ~8% more than the “monthly” price suggests. |
| Trial auto-charge | Charged on day 8 automatically. Cancel before day 7 ends to pay nothing. |
| 3-day class cancellation | Cancel a booked class less than 3 days out and the credit is spent, attended or not. |
| Credit lockout | Unused credits become inaccessible when your subscription lapses (restored if you resubscribe). |
| 14-day money-back | Full refund window on new subscriptions, minus classes already taken. |
| Sprint attendance | One late join or missed class on your side voids the entire cashback. |
Lingoda cost vs the alternatives
| Platform | Model | Typical cost | Best when |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lingoda | Live group classes, CEFR curriculum | $5.99–$7.99/class (group) | You want structure + live teaching at the lowest hourly price |
| Preply | 1-on-1 tutor subscription | ~$15–$30+/hr | You want one consistent tutor — see Lingoda vs Preply |
| italki | Pay-per-lesson marketplace | ~$10–$40/lesson | You want flexibility or rare languages — see Lingoda vs italki |
| Babbel | Self-study app | From ~$9/month (annual) | Budget self-study — see Lingoda vs Babbel |
So is Lingoda worth the money?
On group plans, yes — nothing else in our language-platform coverage delivers a certified teacher, live conversation and a real curriculum for under $8 an hour, and at the 20–40 class tiers it undercuts every serious alternative. Private-only plans are a harder sell against marketplace tutors. The costs that actually hurt people here aren’t the sticker prices; they’re the mechanics — the day-8 trial charge, the 3-day cancellation window, credits idling on an oversized plan. Manage those and Lingoda is the cheapest way to be taught, rather than merely drilled, in a new language. For the full picture — teachers, certificates, what students say — read our complete Lingoda review.
Lingoda cost FAQ
How much does Lingoda cost per month?
Plans renew every 4 weeks. Group classes: $39.99 for 5 classes up to $242.99 for 40 classes at August 2026 promotional pricing (list price up to $284.99). Private classes: $214.99 to $845.99 per cycle. Prices vary slightly by language and currency.
How much is one Lingoda class?
On August 2026 pricing, a 60-minute group class works out to $5.99 to $7.99 depending on plan size, and a private class $20.99 to $42.99. The bigger the bundle, the cheaper each class gets — though the 12- and 20-class group plans now sit at the same rate.
Is Lingoda cheaper than a private tutor?
For group classes, dramatically: $5.99 to $7.99 per hour of live certified teaching versus roughly $10 to $40 an hour for marketplace tutors on italki or Preply. Lingoda’s private classes are comparable to a mid-priced marketplace tutor.
Does Lingoda have a free trial?
Yes. The 7-day free trial includes up to 3 group classes or 1 private class. Your card is charged automatically on day 8 unless you cancel, so set a reminder when you sign up.
How does Lingoda Sprint cashback affect the cost?
Complete every class of the 2-month Sprint (15 classes/month) or Super Sprint (30/month) on time and Lingoda refunds up to 50% of what you paid, or grants class credits of higher value. It is only open to learners who have never had an active Lingoda subscription, and the refund arrives roughly 40 to 45 days after the challenge ends.
Can I get a refund from Lingoda?
New subscriptions carry a 14-day money-back guarantee, minus the value of classes you already attended. After that, cancelling stops the next 4-week renewal rather than refunding the current one.