Learning Japanese, with the numbers actually checked.
Most comparison articles about Japanese tutors are quoting prices from 2023. We check every figure against the platform's own published rates before publishing, date-stamp it, and say plainly when something can't be verified.
Guides
Six platforms · verified pricing · 15 min readBest Japanese tutor online: six platforms compared on verified 2026 pricing
What a qualified Japanese tutor actually costs on Preply, italki, Cafetalk, JapaTalk, AmazingTalker and Coto — plus the switching costs nobody prices in.
No affiliate links · verified in Japanese · 8 min readIs Cafetalk legit? A Cafetalk review for Japanese learners
Who runs it, what Japanese law obliges them to disclose, and what lessons really cost — including the five-month point expiry that catches people out.
No affiliate links · verified in Japanese · 8 min readJapaTalk review: what ¥390 Japanese lessons actually get you
The cheapest live Japanese practice we've found — and the tax, fees and expiry rules that don't appear on the English pages.
Head-to-head · verified in Japanese · 9 min readJapaTalk vs italki: the fine print that decides which is cheaper
Both sell prepaid credit. One lot expires in two months, the other in twelve — and that clause moves more money than the headline rates do.
No affiliate links · verified in Japanese · 10 min readJapaTalk vs Cafetalk vs Coto Online: what it costs to try each
Three Japanese platforms, three point systems, and a tenfold gap in the minimum you must spend before you know whether you like it.
Head-to-head · policy detail · 6 min readPreply vs italki for Japanese: which structure suits you
The two market leaders differ less on price than on what happens when a tutor doesn't work out. A close read of both platforms' actual terms.
No affiliate links · 6 min readLearning hiragana and katakana in 10 days: a free study plan
Do this before you pay anyone. A day-by-day plan for both syllabaries using free tools, and the three mistakes that stretch it into three months.
How this site works
Every price comes from the platform's own rate page or help centre, not from other comparison articles — which is how stale figures spread across this entire niche. Each guide carries the month it was checked.
Where a platform prices in yen, the exchange rate is stated, because your effective cost moves with it. Where something couldn't be verified, it's listed at the bottom of the guide rather than quietly asserted.
Links to Preply and italki earn a commission. This never decides the recommendation: the cheapest platform in our main comparison has no affiliate programme at all, and it still gets recommended twice. See the full disclosure.