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Rype Review: The Most Convenient Way to Learn a New Language


If learning a language has always been a bit of a struggle for you, perhaps it’s not you. It could very well be the environment. That’s where Rype comes in: literally, into your home and on your own time. 

Rype differs from a lot of programs by its intimacy and flexibility. It’s the newest way to learn a language. Rype brings the class into your own home, on your time without the distraction of other students or products (like CDs or videos.)

Rype Review

You might be used to sitting with a group or watching a CD created of lessons set up as a kind of “one size fits all” class. But with Rype, you can actually pick what you want to work on with the instructor. If you’re a newbie, they’ll start you with the basics. And if you have some language skills under your belt, your instructor will challenge you further.

And unlike other websites out there, Rype allows you to pay for membership packages rather than every single lesson.

I find that paying for a package where you meet an instructor is a lot more motivating. You’ll be much more inclined to use the program rather than shove your Rosetta Stone CD in a drawer and forget about it.

Rype Review: Rype compared to Rosetta Stone and italki

But the best part about Rype is that you’re not sacrificing flexibility and time over quality. Rype handpicks and tests each instructor for quality, looking not just at their resume, but at their personality and ability to be great instructors online.

One of the cool things about using Rype is the ability to access professional teachers that live all around the world. Not gonna lie, talking to a stranger from the other side of the world was a bit of a thrill!

You’re basically paying for a standard lesson and gaining a great teacher in addition to the package. And if you don’t like your coach, you could always schedule another one!

As of now, Rype currently offers Spanish and French. Be prepared to see more languages like English, Mandarin, German, and more as the company expands.

Rype Review; language and professors in funnel

How Does it Work?

First, you start your 14-day free trial to get a taste for it. During this time, you will have 3 free lessons with 3 different coaches so you can see which teacher vibes with you and if the program works.

Go to the website and schedule your lesson. When the date and time comes, connect to Skype or Google Hangouts and bring a notebook! That’s all you need (at least for your first lesson). The instructor will then call you from the username provided.

Since you are live, 1-on-1 with instructors, they will customize a lesson plan to suit your needs and goals.

Rype Review; skype with woman

During my free trial, I decided after 5 years of high school and college Spanish, I wanted to give French a try.

My instructor, Kike, told me he had been teaching French and English for a very long time. While he was from the South of France, he was currently in Columbia as a language teacher. He was clearly very experienced, worldly and incredibly friendly.

I told him I had absolutely no practice with French other than “bonjour.” After discussing my goals and proficiency, he taught me some of the basics, like “how are you” and “what is your name?”.

After our first 30 minutes, he assigned me a bit of homework: The ABCs. He sent me a list where I was to practice until our next lesson.And it was as easy as that! Instructors email you a few times so you don’t forget about your lesson and confirm time (especially with all these different time zones going on).

How Much Does it Cost?

The first fourteen days are free. So long as you put in the time to get the most of your fourteen days (within the 3 lessons and homework assigned), it’s a pretty good deal.

There are 3 different packages: Starter ($65), Daily ($115) and Unlimited ($195). For a little more, you can pay month-to-month instead of one single sum. Compared to school lessons or CDs, this is about standard or medium pricing.

The Pros

One of Rype’s greatest advantages is the ability to fit learning the language into your own schedule. I know that’s one of my biggest concerns when trying to learn a language.

Additionally, you get one-on-one treatment. Maybe you’re the smartest in the class. Or perhaps you needed more attention. Either way, you don’t need to worry about going your own speed as the instructor is yours and yours alone.

You can also trust Rype to provide you with the best of the best when it comes to instructors. Just ask them about their resume! They’ll tell you their extensive teaching background and they’re incredibly friendly, too.

The Cons

Due to it’s membership packages, you have to pay a large fee rather than just one class at a time. Though that payment method is much easier, it means spending a bit more. But as an investment in your education, remember that you get what you pay for!

It can also be a learning curve getting used to this online format. I’m the type of student who needs a book in her hand. I need physical touch and visual stimuli. You also need to make sure you have a good internet connection or else that could be its own distraction.

If Rype seems like something you would like to try, click here for your free trial!

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**Thank you to Rype for providing a free lesson. Links to Rype are affiliate links and I do receive a commission from this. So if you decide to sign up, you’re helping this blogger earn a little bit of money!

5 comments on “Rype Review: The Most Convenient Way to Learn a New Language”

  1. Do not try this company. They are completely shady. They organize their organization like a gym. They make money off people who don’t access their site but keep getting charged. I heard this directly from their customer service person Michelle.

    1. I completely agree with you Austin. Sean Kim and Rype App screwed me out of thousands of dollars despite cancelling and requesting a refund many, many times. After looking around online, it appears that this has happened to a lot of people. Help spread the message as far as possible to warn other people not to make the same mistake of signing up for Sean Kim’s “free” trial on Rype App.

  2. DO NOT USE Rype!
    Do not waste your time with the free trial or the over-hyped sales pitch. Compared to iTalki and Verbling, Rype is garbage in every respect.
    The interface is extremely limiting, there are very few teachers to choose from, there is no information available about the teachers, not even pictures large enough to see or mention of where the teachers are from and there is absolutely no customer service at all. There is a little fake chat pop-up in the corner where the owner/operator, Sean Kim pretends to ask you how you’re doing, but don’t bother responding or asking any questions – you will never get any response. Furthermore Sean Kim himself is not to be trusted. I cancelled, or at least tried to cancel my membership the day after the free trial ended. Apparently that was a few hours too late for Sean Kim, so he charged me $2,095 for an entire year! I emailed him many, many times (there is no phone number to call) begging him to reconsider since I never used his service for even 1 second beyond the free trial period, I did not intend to use it and could not afford it. I explained how his actions actually put me in a seriously bad financial situation as I was trying to pay for my wedding. No response. I submitted a dispute to my CC company, and of course Sean responded to the CC company with the fine print of his terms & conditions stating that the membership must be cancelled “before”, not “when” the free trial ends. So he wins on the fine print, but why screw me like that? I never did anything to hurt him. But that didn’t seem to matter to Sean Kim. Just because I was a few hours late in my cancellation request, he took $2,095 from me, refused to give it back, refused to respond to any emails and I had to cut out a big chunk of my already very modest wedding. The only thing Rype is better at than other similar sites is over-hyped self-promotion. Honestly, aside from Sean Kim being a heartless jerk with no sense of customer service or concern for his reputation, the site really does suck. iTalki and Verbling are both way better, iTalki in particular if you’re on a tight budget.

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