Wise Panda
1 known investors
An online marketplace connecting language learners with native and professional tutors for one-on-one lessons across 150+ languages. Learners book lessons individually with no subscription required, choosing tutors by level and learning style.
Also known as italki
Investors Β· 1
Company profile
researched Aug 2026Wise Panda operates the italki online language-learning marketplace at wisepanda.com, connecting learners with community tutors and professional teachers for one-on-one lessons in more than 150 languages. Learners browse teacher profiles by language, level, teaching style and price, then book individual lessons rather than committing to a subscription or a fixed schedule. Lesson lengths range from 30, 45 and 60 minutes up to 90 minutes, and an "Instant Lesson" option lets a learner start a trial lesson immediately. Teachers set their own rates; advertised starting prices on the site range from about USD 5.00 to USD 37.50 per lesson.
Beyond private lessons, the platform offers group classes designed and led by teachers, a free language assessment tool for self-evaluating level, and a learner community where users share posts and receive feedback from other learners. Additional self-study material includes vocabulary sets, podcasts, articles, discussion prompts and quizzes for learners who prefer to study without a teacher. The site lists more than 20,000 teachers in total, with the largest pools in English (4,277), Spanish (2,338), Japanese (1,207), French (1,255), Chinese (1,007), Italian (812) and German (749).
Business model
A two-sided marketplace: teachers list their availability and set their own lesson prices, and learners pay per lesson on a pay-as-you-go basis with no subscription. The platform also runs group classes and free community and self-study tools that support learner acquisition and retention.
Revenue is tied to paid lesson transactions between learners and teachers, with lesson prices set by the teachers themselves (advertised starting rates from USD 5.00 upward) and paid per lesson rather than by subscription.
Traction
The site reports more than 20,000 teachers across 150+ languages and a community drawn from more than 190 countries. Individual teacher profiles show high cumulative lesson counts, including 7,657, 4,796, 4,540, 3,922, 2,943 and 1,365 lessons taught, each with a 5.0 rating. The free language assessments show large participation, led by English with 184,216 participants, followed by Spanish (29,514), French (18,424), German (18,130), Japanese (14,514), Chinese (12,884), Korean (11,016) and Italian (9,400).
βΈFull profile β market position, technology, go-to-market, geography
Market position
No subscription or fixed schedule, teacher-set pricing across a wide price range, breadth of coverage at 150+ languages and dialects with over 20,000 teachers, and a choice between credentialed professional teachers and community tutors, supplemented by group classes and free self-study and community tools.
Technology
A web platform for teacher discovery and filtering, lesson scheduling and booking of variable-length sessions (30-90 minutes), instant/trial lesson matching, group class delivery, and learning tools including vocabulary sets, podcasts, quizzes and an automated language level assessment.
Go-to-market
Direct-to-consumer through the italki website, with an open teacher-application process for both professional teachers and community tutors. Free entry points β a language level assessment, podcasts, articles, quizzes and a learner community β draw prospective learners toward paid one-on-one lessons and group classes.
Self-directed language learners who want live speaking practice with a native or professional teacher on a flexible schedule, including learners dissatisfied with app-only study, as well as language teachers and community tutors seeking students.
Geography
Operates online and globally, with teachers described as located around the world and a learner community spanning more than 190 countries.
Compiled by commissioned research from 1 cited public sources β announcements, filings, and press listed under research sources below.
Key figures
latest reportedCompany-reported or press-reported figures, each dated to when it was claimed β not independently audited.
βΈResearch sources Β· 1
primary sources listed
- Wise Pandawisepanda.com Β· web
1 public sources were cited for this profile; the first-party ones are listed here.
Frequently asked questions
- What does Wise Panda do?
- Online marketplace, operating as italki, where learners book one-on-one lessons with tutors across 150+ languages.
- Who are Wise Panda's investors?
- Wise Panda's investors include Protagonist.