Learn languages by chatting with native speakers on HelloTalk, the world's leading language exchange app. Practice English, Spanish, Japanese, Korean, French, Chinese and 260+ languages through real conversations with people around the world!
Written by the business, not verified by us.
Is HelloTalk legit?
HelloTalk (www.hellotalk.com) has a 1.6 out of 5 rating on OK.one, based on 33 user reviews collected here. It is listed under Education & Training and its reputation is poor. 79% of reviews are 1 star, a relatively high share; The business has replied to 52% of negative reviews; 17 of them were added in the last 12 months. Last updated 2026-10-24.
Too many men using this as a dating app and sending vulgar comments, however they don’t get banned. You WILL get banned if you mention anything about Taiwan as they class it as “political posting” but not any other country/region ?? They also don’t have enough options for which country / language you are from or speak which caused a lot of people to mistake me as a native English speaker from England as UK was the closest option. No option for Scottish/Welsh/Northern Irish and Scots (not Scottish Gàidhlig). Censors messages to & from people so you’re missing half the conversations also.
This is a Chinese app that can ban you just because you say something that goes against its regime policy . If you paid for the VIP, you won't get your money back.
I’ve been using HelloTalk for years, and unfortunately, the app has changed dramatically for the worse.
In the past, it was genuinely easy to connect with many people, especially if you paid for the regular VIP subscription. Your posts actually got visibility, conversations happened naturally, and the app felt focused on what it was supposed to be: language exchange.
Now, even as a paying subscriber, my posts seem to get very little visibility and it has become much harder to connect with people. On top of that, there is now an even more expensive subscription tier, while more and more features seem to be locked behind additional payments.
The app has also become cluttered with Voice Rooms, Live features, and countless additions that, in my opinion, add very little to the actual language-exchange experience. It increasingly feels like an overcrowded social media app rather than a platform designed to help people find language partners.
I don’t mind paying for a good service, but paying for VIP and still feeling restricted or pushed toward an even more expensive subscription is extremely disappointing.
HelloTalk used to be simple, effective, and genuinely useful. I really wish the developers would go back to focusing on what made the app great in the first place: helping people connect and actually talk to each other.
I was using this app since long time ago, it was focused on learning only, but two years ago it started focusing on earning through events and some games and gifts which are can be exchanged between users, my goal was always to have fun while making friends and practicing language, but lately I've been facing many problems and whenever I contact their support it takes hours to get a response then you get an automated script which won't help you fixing your problem, knowing that I'm paying for VIP features and i have spent thousands of dollars there, but their team keeps treating their users in an unprofessional way, and they took some gifts from my backpack in the app claiming that i won them in a wrong way while it was their fault because I always follow the instructions in any game or event there in the app, they could shut down the app and prevent the users from being a part of their fault, and now they are punishing me by stealing my gifts which are virtual and i paid for to get by real money, knowing that they caused a lot of mess and time wasting for me to keep monitoring and watching my account history, after that i was sure that they took my gifts for no reason, I don't recommend this app for anyone who is willing to learn or having fun , it's the worst experience ever!
There are ubiquitous VIPs, just take a breath of air and charge, Why are so many suspicious people staring at me and leaking customer privacy to be investigated...（
Absolute joke of an app. Don't bother wasting your time with this piece of crap. The 'people' on HT are obviously bots, scammers or just outright liars. Do not waste your time!
This app is seriously so good!
Not only have I been learning a new language, but I've also met so many amazing friends through it. Last month, I even met up with a friend from Japan in Tokyo!
Ginamit ko app na to para mag practice ng Japanese kasi may background naman na ako about Japan since mahilig ako manood ng anime. After mga ilang weeks, tambay na ako sa app na to HAHAHA dami ko na rin nakausap at naging kaibigan, di lang sa Japan, pati na rin sa America, China, Korea, Thailand, Vietnam, India, at marami pa lol. Nag-enjoy ako kasi instead na mag-aral mag-isa, mas naturally kong naa-adapt mga words and phrases from Japanese citizen mismo. Plus isa sa mga Japanese friends ko binisita ako sa Pinas HAHHAHA grabe
They just randomly deleted my account and locked my device without any previous notice, although I haven't been posting anything or interacting with any other users for a long time. I have contacted the support team, but they don't even want to tell me what exactly is going on. The worst customer support experience ever.
If you have made some real connections on the app, switch to other platforms asap.
Banned without reason, support went silent after one generic reply
Banned without any valid reason or explanation. I received no prior warning, no specific violation cited — just a vague notice saying my account was suspended due to 'reports.' When I emailed support asking for details, they gave me the same copy-pasted response with zero specifics. After I followed up multiple times, they simply stopped replying altogether.
This is not how a legitimate platform treats its users. If there was a genuine violation, I deserved to know what rule I broke. Silence is not customer support — it's negligence.
Avoid this app if you value account security and basic transparency.
It honestly just feels like social media for people who want to learn languages, which is kind of perfect!! You can match with people around your age, talk about things you actually care about, and get better without it even feeling like studying.
I’ve only been using it for less than a day and I’ve already learned more words than I ever did with other apps. Even the lessons are actually fun!! They’re immersive and based on real situations, so it feels useful instead of random!!
And this is coming from someone who literally hates studying and had been putting off this language for years :)
The recent five star reviews are very obviously written by HelloTalk staff themselves as damage control. Notice how they are all Chinese and don't actually leave any constructive feedback - just mindless praise?
I noticed the app has been getting a lot of criticism recently both from within the app itself and on various online forums like the unofficial HT subreddit etc.
There are various reasons for this such as:
-Banning users who criticise China or recognise Taiwan and Hong Kong as independent nations. Shilling for the CCP is fine tho!
-The constant sexual harassment of female users, of with the developers encourage by ignoring reports and refusing to ban users. I have experienced this many times.
-Promoting sexualised content and selfies with revealing poses and clothing while simultaneously saying "dating is not allowed". You can even pay money to access the "selfies" tab. I thought this was a language learning app? LOL
-Aggressively pushing you to buy expensive and worthless addons and in app items
-Limiting your visibility if unless you pay for a "VIP membership"
-Intrusive spam advertising crammed into every corner
-Developers are obviously trying to plagiarise Instagram and Duolingo. Even the emoji and reward art style is similar to Duo.
-Making an "influencer program" to pay people to shill for them.
Reply from HelloTalk2026-04-17
We sincerely apologize for any negative experience you've had. Please be assured that all in-app reports are processed strictly in accordance with our Community Guidelines. We maintain a rigorous enforcement protocol for violations: Warning → Suspension → Account Removal.
Regarding visibility, all standard account exposure follows our regular algorithms. If you believe your account's reach has been restricted, we encourage you to submit a detailed feedback report within the app. This will allow our audit team to review your case and provide further assistance.
Not for language learning, it’s just another dating app in disguiseI
I downloaded this app specifically to practice my language skills and find serious conversation partners. I made it very clear in my profile description: language exchange only, no flirting. Unfortunately, the reality is a nightmare. Instead of language enthusiasts, the app is flooded with 'crazy goblins' who ignore your boundaries, ask personal questions, and demand photos immediately. There seems to be zero moderation of the user base.
The service markets itself in the App Store as 'Language Learning,' but in practice, it’s a poorly moderated dating site. If you are a woman looking for language exchange, don't waste your time. I deleted the app almost immediately because I’m not looking for a partner.
The developers should be honest and change their category to 'Dating' instead of misleading people who actually want to study.
Reply from HelloTalk2026-04-17
We are truly sorry to hear about your experience. HelloTalk is strictly a language learning community, and we have a zero-tolerance policy toward dating or any form of harassment.
If you encounter users who ignore your boundaries, please report them immediately by tapping the '...' icon on their profile and selecting 'Report.' Our moderation team investigates every report and takes firm action, including permanent bans for those who misuse the platform. We are committed to maintaining a safe study environment and hope you will give us another chance once these improvements are felt.
I paid the VIP membership £40 and within one month they banned my account with no reason. Please don't waste your money.
Reply from HelloTalk2026-04-17
We sincerely apologize for the frustration caused by your account ban. We would like to investigate this further for you. Please reach out to us at [email protected] with a screenshot of the prompt message when you fail to sign in (including your HelloTalk ID) as well as this review.
Our support team will review your case to verify the circumstances. We appreciate your patience and understanding.
Taiwan is a county. You can’t say these things even if it is in non controversial way because it is “too political” >>> post censored.
BUT… like other poster says.. Chinese users always posting statements about how China is number one. People, language, food, history, culture… vastly superior to every country. Propaganda machine!!! Why is that allowed? It’s unfair. Even post military parade photos and anti-Japanese WW2 content. That is very political, no??
Yes, we know the answer cuz you can’t select Taiwan as a nationality on the app - only “Chinese” (I wonder why hahaha) and you will get censored and your device banned so u can’t reinstall it.
CCP censorship. Can’t mention Taiwan at all, even if it is a completely innocent comment such as you went on holiday there. Post will be removed along with your account.
Chinese users can post politically charged, racist, xenophobic, anti-western nationalist content as much as they like with zero consequences. However, say anything even remotely bad about glorious China and you’ll get permabanned lol.
WARNING: VIP is a scam. Young girls sell nude content on this app. Men send unsolicited nudes and harass women constantly. No age verification (so children are exposed to all the above). The moderators are unfair and can close your VIP account for no reason.
Reply from HelloTalk2026-04-17
We take your concerns extremely seriously and sincerely apologize for this experience. Please be assured that HelloTalk maintains a strict age-segregation policy: users under 18 are only permitted to interact with other minors to ensure a safe environment.
Furthermore, we have a zero-tolerance policy regarding the sale of explicit content or any form of harassment. We urge you to use the in-app reporting tool immediately if you encounter such behavior; our moderation team will intervene and take decisive action. Regarding your VIP account, we would like to investigate this further. Please contact us at [email protected] with your HelloTalk ID and details of the issue so we can verify your account status and assist you properly.
Probably the worst customer service and rules in the world!
The app it self is brilliant for making friends on and to learn a new language. But they do let so many creeps, bullies, fakes and scammers on this app. I had came across so many when I was on the app. So please be careful when using it! They really should add a verified profile feature on the app. The customer service and their silly automatic system detect rules. For making a new account is a total joke! If you delete your account for any reason and make a new one over a period of time. You will get banned for using the app. Even if your old account was deleted and long gone! You will be banned and so will your device! It’s very silly. Really is a silly rule by a very silly company. They won’t even unbanned you for it. 🙄.. I have read where if you haven’t used the app for quite some time. Your account hasn’t been active. They will banned you for that too and your device! 🫤
Reply from HelloTalk2026-04-17
We sincerely apologize for the frustration regarding account registration. To help us resolve this, please email [email protected] with a screenshot of the registration error (including your HelloTalk ID), and a copy of this review.
Our strict device-binding rules are designed to prevent scammers and 'creeps' from returning once banned, though we understand this can sometimes affect genuine users. Regarding your suggestion for a Verified Profile feature, we have shared this with our product team for future consideration. In the meantime, please continue to report any misconduct directly in-app so our moderation team can intervene immediately.
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