- courses: 5 languages and Business English
- 6
- certified teachers
- 2,500
- live classes a year
- 1M
- learners
- 300K
About Lingoda
Lingoda is a Berlin online language school. Teachers run live 60-minute classes on Zoom, in groups of 3 to 5 students or one to one, around the clock. It teaches English, German, French, Spanish, Italian and Business English on the CEFR scale, up to C1 in English and German. For English, a group plan costs €54.99 to €304.99 every four weeks for 5 to 40 classes, and the first 7 days are free. The two-month Sprint returns 50% or 100% of the fee to students who attend every class.
Lingoda sells live online language classes. Students book 60-minute classes at any hour, and a different teacher usually leads each one. Classes run on Zoom, follow an in-house CEFR curriculum and come with downloadable materials, quizzes and app exercises.
The brothers Fabian and Felix Wunderlich registered the company in Berlin in November 2012 as Easy Languages and taught one-to-one German over Skype. In May 2013 it became Lingoda and added English and group classes. French and Spanish followed in 2016, Italian in 2024.
In April 2021 Summit Partners led a $68 million (€57 million) round. Dominic Rowell has been CEO since September 2022. Lingoda also sells training to companies and runs Match Doctors, which prepares international doctors for German medical exams.
History
- 2012 Fabian and Felix Wunderlich register Easy Languages ABC GmbH in Berlin in November and teach one-to-one German over Skype.
- 2013 The company takes the name Lingoda in May and adds English and small group classes.
- 2015 Rocket Internet SE appears as a shareholder in the register.
- 2016 Adds French and Spanish, first as private classes, then in groups.
- 2018 Enters the LinkedIn Top Startups list for Germany. Michael Shangkuan becomes CEO in August.
- 2020 The customer base grows about 200% in a year, according to the company.
- 2021 Raises $68 million (€57 million) in April, led by Summit Partners, and moves its headquarters to Berlin-Mitte.
- 2022 Michael Shangkuan leaves in May. Dominic Rowell becomes CEO in September.
- 2024 Enters TIME’s list of the world’s top edtech companies and adds Italian.
- 2025 Releases a new iOS app in January. Christoph D. Engel joins the managing directors in October.
- 2026 The October Sprint starts on 20 October. Lingoda counts €10.5 million paid back to Sprint winners.
Lingoda funding and investors
- 2013–2020 Early rounds about $15 million
Rocket Internet SECornelius Boersch
Source: TechCrunch and North Data - April 2021 Growth round $68 million (€57 million)
Lead: Summit Partners Cornelius Boersch (Mountain Partners)
Source: TechCrunch
Total as reported by Gründerszene in April 2021. Before that round Lingoda had raised about $15 million, according to TechCrunch. The valuation was not disclosed. Lingoda has not announced rounds after 2021.
Leadership
- DR Dominic Rowell CEO and managing director
- FW Felix Wunderlich Co-founder and managing director
- CDE Christoph D. Engel Managing director
- FW Fabian Wunderlich Co-founder
Dominic Rowell came from iQ Student Accommodation, where he was COO, and earlier worked at Vue International and Lonely Planet. Michael Shangkuan led Lingoda as CEO from August 2018 to May 2022. In 2021 TechCrunch named Fabian Wunderlich CFO and Felix Wunderlich head of sales.
Careers
lingoda.pinpointhq.com
1Tashkent 1Kochi - Teacher Management6
- B2B Health Operations5
- Finance & Legal1
Perks
- 30 vacation days
- Free Lingoda classes
- Remote work or the Berlin office
- Mental health programmes
- Pension fund
- Flexible working hours
How Lingoda teaches
- per class
- 60 min
- students in a group class
- 3–5
- class times
- 24/7
- Group or one-to-one classes
- Teacher rotation for different accents
- CEFR curriculum written in house
- Downloadable class materials
- Quiz after each class
- Lingobites and flashcards in the app
- AI class reports
- Free placement test
- Certificate for each level
- Pause up to 4 weeks per billing cycle
90% of students say they speak confidently after taking Lingoda classes. Sprint students gain up to 1.5 CEFR sub-levels in two months.
Lingoda languages: 6 to learn
Levels by language, CEFR scale
| Language | A1 | A2 | B1 | B2 | C1 | C2 | Up to |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| English | C1 | ||||||
| German | C1 | ||||||
| French | B2 | ||||||
| Spanish | B2 | ||||||
| Business English | B2 | ||||||
| Italian | A2 |
Highest CEFR level per course, from the site menu and the FAQ, 6 October 2026. All courses start at A1, and each level has about 50 classes. The Sprint page lists Business English only up to B1 and its FAQ says Italian is A1 only. A free placement test sets the starting level, and students get a Lingoda certificate for each level they finish.
Video, blogs and resources
Products
- Lingoda Flex A plan of 5 to 40 live classes every four weeks, in groups of 3 to 5 students or one to one. Classes last 60 minutes and run 24/7 on Zoom. See prices
- Lingoda Sprint A two-month challenge of 30 or 60 group classes. Students who attend every class get 50% or 100% of the fee back in cash or class credits. Sprint prices
- Lingoda app Book classes, track progress and practise between classes with Lingobites, flashcards and a vocabulary trainer, on iPhone and Android. Get the app
- Lingoda for Business Language training for employees with private, group and closed group classes, HR reports and credits that pass between employees. business.lingoda.com
- Match Doctors Courses for international doctors who need the German medical language and knowledge exams. The courses qualify for Bildungsgutschein funding. match-doctors.com
How much is Lingoda?
- Group, 5 classes €11.00/class €54.99, every 4 weeks
- Group, 12 classes €9.17/class €109.99, every 4 weeks
- Popular Group, 20 classes €8.50/class €169.99, every 4 weeks
- Lowest price per class Group, 40 classes €7.62/class €304.99, every 4 weeks
- Private, 5 classes €27.00/class €134.99, every 4 weeks
- Private, 12 classes €20.83/class €249.99, every 4 weeks
- Private, 20 classes €18.00/class €359.99, every 4 weeks
- Private, 40 classes €16.25/class €649.99, every 4 weeks
- Sprint, 30 classes €10.33/class €310, for 2 months, 50% back
- Super Sprint, 60 classes €9.17/class €550, for 2 months, 100% back
Is Lingoda free?
7-day free trial with 3 group classes or 1 private class. There is no free plan.
Prices on lingoda.com/en/pricing for English courses in euros on 6 October 2026. Plans renew every four weeks, and the price per class is the full price divided by the number of classes. Other languages cost more: 12 German group classes cost €159.99. In US dollars, 12 English group classes cost $129.99. New students get 15% off the first payment on all plans except the smallest.
How to cancel Lingoda
Terms- Lingoda account ↗
- Log in and open My Profile
- Use the cancel button for your subscription
- Cancel before the 4-week cycle ends to stop the next payment
- Termination form ↗
- Open Terminate Contracts Here in the site footer
- Fill in the form
- Lingoda confirms by email
- Email or post ↗
- Write to contact@lingoda.com
- Or send a letter to Bergmannstraße 102–103, 10961 Berlin
- The terms accept cancellation in text form
- The free trial must be cancelled within 7 days, or it turns into a paid plan. Lingoda sends a reminder one day before.
- A class booked in a monthly plan can be cancelled up to 72 hours before it starts, or within 30 minutes of booking. Later, the credit is lost.
- Credits stay valid for one year and work only while a subscription is active. They are never paid out in money.
- A plan can be paused once per billing cycle, for up to 4 weeks.
Refund rules
- Withdrawal
- 14 days to withdraw. Lingoda refunds the payment minus the classes already taken.
- Monthly plan
- Runs for four weeks and renews automatically. Cancel at any time before the end of the cycle.
- Sprint
- The fee is refunded only after cancelling within 14 days of sign-up. After two months the Sprint rolls into a monthly plan of 12 or 20 classes, and you can cancel it during the second month.
- Sprint cashback
- Only full group classes count, one a day at most. Any missed class removes the reward unless Lingoda caused it. Payment comes within 45 days of the end.
- Changes to terms
- Lingoda announces changes 6 weeks ahead, and you can object or cancel until they apply.
From the Lingoda terms, FAQ, pricing page and the October 2026 Sprint rules, checked on 6 October 2026.
Lingoda for Business
business.lingoda.com- 01The same 5 languages and Business English, from A1 to C1.
- 02Private, group and closed group classes for one company’s team.
- 03Reports on attendance and progress for HR, and a personal success manager.
- 04Credits can move to another employee, and credit validity is set per contract.
- 05More than 2,000 companies use it, according to Lingoda.
Prices on request, through the consultation form on business.lingoda.com.
Apps and ratings
- WebBooking and the study area at learn.lingoda.com
- ZoomAll classes run on Zoom, Lingoda provides the licence
- iPhone and iPad4.8 on the App Store, US
- Android3.8 on Google Play, 50K+ downloads
App details, App Store US
- Current version
- 1.0.60, released 6 October 2026
- First release on iOS
- 17 January 2025
- Requires
- iOS 17 or later
- Size
- 176.3 MB
- Age rating
- 4+ on the App Store, Everyone on Google Play
- App Store categories
- Education, Lifestyle
- Downloads
- 50K+ on Google Play
- Seller
- Lingoda GmbH
Is Lingoda worth it?
What learners like
- Live classes make students speak from the first lesson.Karin Fritz, Trustpilot, September 2026
- Different teachers bring different accents, which trains the ear.Aya, Trustpilot, September 2026
- 86% of Trustpilot reviews give 4 or 5 stars.Trustpilot, 5,882 reviews
- Sprint winners get 50% or 100% of the fee back.Lingoda Sprint rules, October 2026
What learners criticise
- A class cancelled less than 72 hours ahead costs the credit, and reviewers ask for a longer window.Nishalini, Trustpilot, October 2026
- Paid credits expire after 12 months, and pauses are short.Joao Carlos Alves, Trustpilot, September 2026
- Some teachers give feedback only as checkboxes after class.Fresh Bite, Trustpilot, September 2026
- One missed Sprint class removes the cashback, whatever the reason.Lingoda Sprint rules, October 2026
What learners write in reviews, not our rating. For English, a group plan costs €54.99 to €304.99 every four weeks, and the first 7 days are free.
Lingoda reviews
- Great learning!
“For me it’s perfect because it’s a live lesson you are forced to speak from the beginning.”
Karin Fritz · 9 September 2026 · App Store - Perfect online platform
“I like that I have different instructors to choose from and that with each comes a different tonal quality and cadence of French speaking.”
Aya · 20 September 2026 · App Store - It’s kinda of a schema to take your…
“And after 12 Months the lessons payed start to expire!”
Joao Carlos Alves · 10 September 2026 · App Store
Latest news
Contacts and company data
- Generalcontact@lingoda.com
- Phone+49 30 31196704
- Cancel a contractTermination form
- Business enquiriesbusiness.lingoda.com
- PressPress page
- Careerslingoda.pinpointhq.com
- Legal entity
- Lingoda GmbH, Bergmannstraße 102–103, 10961 Berlin, Germany
- Company register
- HRB 145836 B, Amtsgericht Berlin-Charlottenburg
- VAT ID
- DE285644105
- Registered
- 14 November 2012, as Easy Languages ABC GmbH
- Managing directors
- Felix Wunderlich, Dominic Rowell, Christoph Engel
- Abroad
- UK establishment FC039820, French SIREN 922188487
Lingoda vs Babbel, Busuu and others
| Lingoda |  Babbel |  Busuu |  Duolingo |  Rosetta Stone |  Memrise | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Founded | 2012 | 2007 | 2008 | 2011 | 1992 | 2010 |
| Headquarters | Berlin | Berlin | London | Pittsburgh | Arlington, Virginia | London |
| Languages | 5 + Business English | 14 | 14 | 42 | 25 | 32 official courses |
| Live classes with teachers | Yes, every class is live | Yes, Babbel Live | Business accounts only | No | — | — |
| Free access | — | First lesson of each course | All courses, Premium paid | Yes, most features with ads | — | Yes |
| Plan for companies | Yes, B2B programmes | Babbel for Business | Busuu for Business | Schools only, closing in 2027 | — | — |
| App Store rating, US | 4.8 (177) | 4.7 (755K) | 4.7 (101K) | 4.7 (5.5M) | 4.8 (238K) | 4.8 (217K) |
“—” means the public sources we checked do not say. Facts from Wikipedia and the companies’ websites, App Store ratings on 5 October 2026. Duolingo and Rosetta Stone are US companies outside the European catalogue.
Alternatives to Lingoda
- Babbel🇩🇪 Germany A self-study app with lessons of about 15 minutes, plus Babbel Live classes, also from Berlin. →
- Busuu🇬🇧 United Kingdom Free courses with corrections from native speakers. Live lessons only for companies. →
- DuolingoUnited States Most features free with ads, courses in 42 languages, no live teachers. ↗
-
Speexx🇩🇪 Germany Language and communication training for employees, from Munich. → - Memrise🇬🇧 United Kingdom Vocabulary and speaking practice in an app, from London. →
How we built this profile
- Sources. Facts come from the company’s own website, press room, imprint and careers page, from Wikipedia, the App Store, Google Play and Trustpilot. Every source is listed on the page.
- Checks. Kinescope checked every number on 6 October 2026. Prices, ratings and job counts change, and we refresh them with each update.
- Our words. Descriptions are written by the Kinescope team. Quotes from reviews are marked with the author and source, and we do not rate the company ourselves.
- Corrections. The company can send new facts or corrections, and we update the profile.
Other language learning companies
- Babbel🇩🇪 Germany
- Busuu🇬🇧 United Kingdom
- Memrise🇬🇧 United Kingdom
-
Lingvist🇪🇪 Estonia - L Lingumi🇬🇧 United Kingdom
- e eTutor🇵🇱 Poland
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