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Carna vs italki
italki connects you with tutors by the hour; Carna puts practice on a path, with no booking.
Where Carna falls short, its column says so The italki column checked May 2026, and dated on this page Carna: eight skills scored from 0 to 100, on the CEFR scale from A1 to C2 Schools and teams run on Carna today; individuals join the early-access list
| Question | italki | Carna |
|---|---|---|
| Use italki when you want a specific human tutor's expertise and paying per hour suits you. | ||
| IELTS / TOEFL exam prep Carna: An IELTS band on a practice grading, not a course | Yes | Partly |
| Live human teachers | Yes | No |
| Use Carna when you want a structured A1 to C2 curriculum with eight skills scored, without booking and paying per session. | ||
| All eight skills | No | Yes |
| Full A1 to C2 curriculum | No | Yes |
See all 8 rows Checked May 2026
IN SHORT
italki and Carna, in short.
What is italki good for?
italki connects you with tutors by the hour, each with their own expertise, at a rate each tutor sets. A tutor can mark your writing and prepare you for an exam, which is why italki's column answers yes to both.
How is Carna different from italki?
Carna is practice without a tutor: eight skills scored from 0 to 100 on a path from A1 to C2, with nothing to book. On exams, Carna's answer is a partly: a practice grading reports an IELTS band, and there is no exam course. Some learners will want both: a tutor for the parts that need a person, Carna for the practice between lessons.
— SIDE BY SIDE
Feature by feature.
The same questions, asked of italki and of Carna.
| Feature | italki | Carna |
|---|---|---|
| What you learn | ||
| All eight skills | No | Yes |
| Full A1 to C2 curriculum | No | Yes |
| Real conversation practice | Yes | Yes . Live speaking practice with Mia, the AI tutor |
| Pronunciation feedback | Yes | Yes . Scored from your own voice, one of eight skills |
| Essay & writing evaluation | Yes | Yes . Writing scored by AI on four criteria |
| IELTS / TOEFL exam prep | Yes | Partly . An IELTS band on a practice grading, not a course |
| How you get it | ||
| Live human teachers | Yes | No |
| Free tier, no credit card | No | No . The app will open with a free plan |
Running in schools today
A record of every attempt.
A tutor marketplace gives you a person for an hour; Carna keeps the record. In Carna for Schools, which runs today, one student's report lists every course with its latest score, how many attempts it took and whether it came in late, and a teacher reads the same page.
One student's report in Carna for Schools, course by course: the latest score, the attempts it took and what came in late. Carna School London is a sample school; the names, courses, levels and scores are demo data.
FAQ
Common questions.
Straight answers about italki and Carna, including how this comparison was built and what the individual tutor cannot do yet.
Is Carna cheaper than italki?
On italki you pay per lesson at rates each tutor sets. There is no per-lesson figure on Carna's side: its app will open with a free plan and is in early access now, and its paid plans have no price yet; schools and teams book a demo.
Does Carna replace a human tutor on italki?
No, and it is not built to. Carna is built for scored practice on a levelled path; a tutor still does the parts that need a person, which is why the table gives italki the live-teacher and exam rows. Some learners will want both.
Does Carna give structure italki lacks?
Yes. italki is a marketplace of individual lessons. Carna provides a structured A1 to C2 path, so you always know what is next.
How did you check the italki column?
The italki column reflects the plans and features italki publishes, as we checked them in May 2026. Carna's column is held to the same standard as the italki column, so where it falls short, it says so. "Partly" means a feature exists with a limit, and the limit is named under the row. Products change quickly, so check italki.com for the latest.
EARLY ACCESS
Get in first.
The Carna app is in early access: no individual sign-up yet, and it will open with a free plan. Leave your name on the early-access list, free to join, and we write once, when your place opens.