Letters
The slowest way: you can spend a day on one reply. On Slowly, each letter spends hours or days on its way [3].
How to practice a language with native speakers, from quiet to loud
You can practice with a native speaker in eight ways, and they run from quiet to loud: a letter you answer days later at one end, a conversation in the same room at the other. This guide walks down that scale, shows which apps and websites offer each step, and helps you start where you feel comfortable. We make Speakblend, one of the apps here, so we mark it “our app” wherever it appears.
Written by Arif Ozgun, founder of Speakblend. We make Speakblend, so we link every fact about other apps to their own websites, help pages or store listings. Facts checked on 14 October 2026.
Eight ways to practice, from quiet to loud
Move down the scale. Each step lights up the apps that offer it.
Quieter
Louder
Pen-pal messages
Longer messages, written when you have time. Interpals [2], Conversation Exchange [18], and MyLanguageExchange by email [21].
Text chat
Quick written back-and-forth. HelloTalk [7], Speakblend, Speaky [5], Tandem [14], Interpals [2], MyLanguageExchange [21], and Conversation Exchange in a chat tool you choose [18].
Voice messages
Your own voice, recorded when you are ready. HelloTalk, with speech-to-text [8]; Speakblend, played at 0.5x to 2x; Tandem’s voice notes [14]; MyLanguageExchange’s audio messages [21].
Not stated: Speaky [5], Interpals [1] [2]. Letters only: Slowly [3].
Voice calls
A live conversation you hear, with no camera. HelloTalk [7], Speakblend (audio only), Tandem’s audio calls [14], MyLanguageExchange in the browser [21], and Conversation Exchange in a tool you choose [18].
Not stated: Speaky [5], Interpals [1] [2]. Letters only: Slowly [3].
Video calls
Faces, gestures and a live reply. HelloTalk [7]; Tandem, in the mobile app [14] [17]; MyLanguageExchange, in the browser [21]; Conversation Exchange, in a tool you choose [18].
Speakblend has voice calls only. Not stated: Speaky [5], Interpals [1] [2]. Letters only: Slowly [3].
Live groups
Several speakers at once, live. HelloTalk’s Voicerooms and Livestreams [7] and Tandem’s Parties, group audio spaces [15].
Speakblend has group text chats, but no live group audio.
In person
The same room. Conversation Exchange exists for meeting native speakers nearby [18]; Interpals connects you with travelers visiting your area [2].
First meetings belong in a public place (safety notes below).
- InterpalsPen pals first, travelers laterIn a tool you choose
- SlowlyThe quietest step: lettersIn a tool you choose
- SpeakyFree chat, at the quiet endIn a tool you choose
- HelloTalkChat to livestreams, with tools built inIn a tool you choose
- Speakblendour appChat to voice calls, with no cameraIn a tool you choose
- TandemChat to group audio, after a reviewIn a tool you choose
- Conversation ExchangeMeeting in person, or calls in a tool you pickIn a tool you choose
- MyLanguage
ExchangeVideo chat in the browser, with a planIn a tool you choose
The eight ways to practice, and which apps their own pages say offer each one (checked on 14 October 2026).
HelloTalk, Tandem and the other app names on this page are trademarks of their owners. Speakblend is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by any of them.
Speakblend facts: from the app, version 3.6 (October 2026).
How we placed each app on the scale
A step lights up for an app only when
- the app’s website, help pages or store listing describes that way of talking,
- or, for Speakblend, the app itself (version 3.6) has it.
A dark step means the app’s pages say nothing about it, not that the feature is missing. Speaky’s listing, for example, does not mention calls [5], so its call steps stay dark until we can confirm them.
Underlined steps belong to Conversation Exchange, which leaves chat and calls to a tool you and your partner pick [18].
Inside each part of the scale, apps are in alphabetical order; the order says nothing about quality. The same eight apps appear side by side in our comparison of language exchange apps, and sorted by the kind of practice you want in Which language exchange app should you use?.
All sources were read on 14 October 2026, and we read them again each quarter.
The quiet end: writing first
Interpals · Slowly · Speaky
Start here if speaking feels like too much for now. Writing is what these three are for; calls do not appear on any of their own pages that we read [1] [2] [3] [5].
Interpals
Pen pals first, travelers later
- Help when you're stuck
- Not stated on its site.
On its own pages, Interpals covers both ends of the scale, writing and meeting; the voice steps in between are not stated there [1] [2].
- Ways to practice
- Pen-pal messages, chat, and meeting travelers in person [2].
- Start with
- A message to a pen pal or a language partner [2].
- Going louder
- Skip the middle and meet in person: Interpals points you to travelers passing through your area [2]. Voice messages and calls are not mentioned in its pages [1] [2].
- What to know
- If you want to hear each other before you meet, plan on a second app. Before any meeting, read the in-person notes in the safety section below.
Slowly sits at the very quiet end: the only way to talk its listing describes is letters [3].
- Ways to practice
- Letters; its listing describes no other way to talk [3].
- Start with
- A first letter; how far apart you live decides whether it arrives in hours or days [3].
- Going louder
- The listing describes no next step [3]. To hear your pen pal, add an app from the middle of the scale.
- What to know
- Slowly works without photos or real names [3], and its listing describes no voice features, so you get to know people only through their writing. Fast replies live further down the scale.
- Free and paid
- Letters are free and unlimited; Slowly Plus and coins cost extra [3].
Speaky sits at the quiet end because its listing says so little, not because it is quiet: chat is the one way to talk it describes [5].
- Start with
- A chat with a native speaker of the language you are learning [5].
- Going louder
- Not described. The listing mentions no calls [5].
- What to know
- Speaky gave us the least to go on: its website blocked our check, and the store listings [5] [6] say little about features.
- Runs on
- iPhone, Android, and the web at web.speaky.com [5].
The middle: chat to calls in one app
HelloTalk · Speakblend · Tandem
These three let you climb from text to voice messages to calls without changing apps. HelloTalk and Tandem keep going, to video calls and live groups [7] [14] [15]; Speakblend stops at voice calls.
HelloTalk
Chat to livestreams, with tools built in
HelloTalk reaches five of the eight steps, from text chat to livestreams, with learning tools inside the conversation [7]. HelloTalk and Speakblend are compared point by point elsewhere on this site.
- Ways to practice
- Text chat, voice messages, voice and video calls, and Voicerooms and Livestreams [7] [8].
- Start with
- A question posted to Moments, HelloTalk’s feed, for native speakers to answer [7], or a one-to-one text chat.
- Going louder
- Before you call, try voice messages: speech-to-text lets you check what you heard, and you can change the playback speed [8]. Calls, voice or video, start from the chat toolbar [9]. Voicerooms and Livestreams then put you in front of a group [7].
- What to know
- Past 10 translations a day you need VIP [11] [12]. Subtitles in voice calls are paid for with HT coins [10], and captions in Livestreams and Voicerooms are a VIP benefit [12].
- Runs on
- iPhone, Android and a web version [13].
Speakblendour app
Chat to voice calls, with no camera
- Help when you're stuck
- Translation for a message, a chat or your reply, in 130+ languages.
Speakblend is our app. It covers the middle of the scale and stops before the camera.
- Ways to practice
- Text chat (one to one or in groups), voice messages and audio-only voice calls.
- Start with
- A text chat with an ice-breaker prompt, or a feed post, translated automatically into 40 languages.
- Going louder
- Voice messages, played at 0.5x to 2x to slow a fast speaker down, then a voice call.
- What to know
- No video calls, no live group audio, no corrections or pronunciation tools, and no web version. On a free account, 1 chat a day can start without a match; beyond that, people you liked decide whether to chat. Out since September 2025, Speakblend has a smaller community than older apps. Profiles are not identity-verified.
- Free and paid
- Free; optional MAX by the week, month or year, or as passes bought with SBC coins.
- Runs on
- Android, and iPhone with iOS 15 or later.
Source: the app, version 3.6 (October 2026).
Tandem
Chat to group audio, after a review
Tandem reaches the same five steps as HelloTalk, after a review of your application [14]. Tandem and Speakblend have their own comparison.
- Ways to practice
- Messages and voice notes, audio and video calls [14], and Parties for group audio [15].
- Start with
- Text or a voice note [14], or a topic you share with the community “so you can have meaningful conversations about what interests you” [15].
- Going louder
- Audio and video calls in the mobile app [14] [17], then Parties to practice in a group [15].
- What to know
- Nothing starts until your application is approved, and a waitlist can come first in some countries [16]. Calls stay in the phone app; the web version has none [17].
The loud end, on the web: video and meeting in person
Conversation Exchange · MyLanguageExchange
Two websites that reach the loud end of the scale: meeting in person through Conversation Exchange [18], and video chat in the browser on MyLanguageExchange [21].
Conversation Exchange
Meeting in person, or calls in a tool you pick
Underlined: in a chat tool you and your partner choose.
- Help when you're stuck
- Not stated on its site.
Conversation Exchange goes furthest toward the loud end: it is built around “meeting up with natives in your area” [18].
- Ways to practice
- Meeting in person, pen-pal messages, and text, voice or video chat through software the two of you pick, ChitChat (its own) or Skype among them [18].
- Start with
- A pen-pal message through the site, which keeps your email address private [19].
- Going louder
- Pick a chat tool together for a voice or video call [18], then meet in person once you trust each other.
- What to know
- It lives on the web; a search of the US App Store found no app for it [20]. Calls happen in a separate tool, so you and your partner set that up first [18]. Expect some limits on messages until you pay for a membership [20].
- Free and paid
- Free, with two optional memberships; .edu email addresses get the Unlimited membership free [20].
- Runs on
- A website that works on desktop and mobile [20].
MyLanguage
Video chat in the browser, with a plan
- Help when you're stuck
- During voice and video chat: speech recognition, plus inline translation for 100+ languages by the site’s count [21].
MyLanguageExchange reaches video calls without an app: it runs in the browser and adds lesson plans to each exchange [21].
- Ways to practice
- Pen pals by email, text and audio messages, and live voice or video chat [21].
- Start with
- An email to a pen pal, or a text message [21].
- Going louder
- Open a voice or video chat straight from Chrome or Safari [21], with a lesson plan to keep the call on track [21].
- What to know
- Without Gold you mostly wait to be contacted: a free account can send a Hi and reply, but not open a conversation [22].
- Free and paid
- Free to join. Gold runs 1, 3 or 12 months at US$5.99, US$11.99 or US$23.99, and it never renews by itself [22].
- Runs on
- Any phone or computer with Chrome or Safari; nothing to download [21].
Pairing a quiet app with a loud one
None of the apps here lights up all eight steps, so two apps can do more than one. A writing app keeps you in touch between talks, and a calling app gives you the voice. For example: letters on Slowly [3] next to calls on HelloTalk [7] or Tandem [14]. Or pen pals on Interpals [2] next to video on MyLanguageExchange [21]. Speakblend can be the calling half too. Start both at once, or add the second when the first feels easy.
A native speaker is not a teacher
Talking with a native speaker shows you how the language is used day to day. Explaining why is a teacher’s job. italki, a tutor marketplace, promises “no subscription or rigid schedule” [23]: each lesson is paid on its own, at a rate the teacher chooses [23], booked on the web or in the iPhone app [23] [24]. It sits outside the scale because what it sells is lessons.
Where to start on the scale
Pick the line that fits you today. Once a step feels easy, try the next one.
- Speaking makes you freeze
- Record a voice message instead of calling: say a few sentences when you feel ready, then send. HelloTalk [8], Speakblend, Tandem [14] and MyLanguageExchange [21] have them.
- You write better than you speak
- Begin at the quiet end, with letters on Slowly [3] or pen pals on Interpals [2], Conversation Exchange [18] or MyLanguageExchange [21], then move to text chat.
- Native speakers talk too fast for you
- Use voice messages you can slow down: Speakblend plays them at 0.5x, and HelloTalk has adjustable playback speed and speech-to-text [8].
- You don’t want to be on camera
- Stop at voice calls. On Speakblend they are the only kind of call. HelloTalk [7] and Tandem [14] let you call without the camera as well.
There is no step you have to reach. Letters are a fine place to stay if they suit you.
Staying safe as it gets louder
Each step down the scale shows a little more of you: your words, then your voice, then your face, then you in person. Let what you share grow at the same pace.
- Letters and pen pals. A first name or a pen name is enough. On Slowly, nobody has a photo or a real name [3].
- Chat. Stay in the app while you get to know someone; if a partner pushes to move elsewhere fast, take it as a warning sign.
- Voice calls. You do not need a camera to practice speaking, and on Speakblend there is none: calls are audio only.
- Video calls. Check what is behind you before you switch the camera on.
- In person. Pick a busy coffee shop or library, let a friend know the time and place, and leave if anything feels off.
- At any step. Block and report anyone who asks for money, photos or a meeting you did not want.
Speakblend’s settings for each step are explained on our safety page.
Frequently asked questions
How can I practice speaking with native speakers if I’m nervous?
Move down the scale one step at a time. Write first, in letters or chat. Then send voice messages, which give you time to prepare, and then a voice call with no camera. HelloTalk [7] and Tandem [14] have voice calls, and on Speakblend voice calls are the only kind. Video calls and live groups can wait until you are ready.
How do I start a conversation with a native speaker?
Say which language you are learning and offer help with yours, then ask something only a native speaker can answer, such as how they would say a phrase. Some apps help with the first message: Speakblend has ice-breaker prompts, and HelloTalk’s Moments feed is a place to ask native speakers a question in public [7].
Can I practice with native speakers in person?
Yes, through two of the sites here: Conversation Exchange, for natives who live near you [18], and Interpals, for travelers passing through [2]. For a first meeting, keep it short and in a busy place, and talk by message first so you know who to expect.
Which apps have group conversations with native speakers?
Two of the apps here have live group audio. On HelloTalk, Voicerooms and Livestreams let you practice “speaking and listening with people around the world” [7]; on Tandem, Parties are audio spaces for groups [15]. On Speakblend, groups are text only; it has no live group audio.
Should I practice with a native speaker or a tutor?
Both, if you can. A tutor plans what you learn and explains your mistakes; a native speaker gives you real conversation. A sensible mix is a lesson now and then, booked on a marketplace such as italki [23], with exchange practice in between.
Sources
Sources for each step and entry, opened on 14 October 2026; short quotes are credited where they appear. Speakblend facts: from the app, version 3.6 (October 2026). Is something out of date or wrong? Write to [email protected] and we will check it and correct the page.
Interpals
- 1Interpals home page, interpals.net
- 2Interpals on the App Store (US), apps.apple.com/us/app/id1220469418
Slowly
- 3Slowly on the App Store (US), apps.apple.com/us/app/id1199811908
- 4Slowly on Google Play: platform only, play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.slowlyapp
Speaky
- 5Speaky on the App Store (US), apps.apple.com/us/app/id1118877445
- 6Speaky on Google Play, play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=appli.speaky.com
HelloTalk
- 7HelloTalk home page, hellotalk.com/en
- 8HelloTalk, “Chat & Messaging” feature page, hellotalk.com/en/features/chat
- 9HelloTalk FAQ, “How do I start a voice call or video call with someone?”, hellotalk.com/en/faq/hellotalk-basics/255
- 10HelloTalk FAQ, “How can I turn on subtitles during voice calls?”, hellotalk.com/en/faq/hellotalk-basics/511
- 11HelloTalk FAQ, “Why can I only use translation 10 times a day?”, hellotalk.com/en/faq/hellotalk-basics/265
- 12HelloTalk FAQ, “What are the benefits of VIP membership?”, hellotalk.com/en/faq/vip-and-subscriptions/231
- 13HelloTalk Download page, hellotalk.com/en/download
Tandem
- 14Tandem home page, tandem.net
- 15Tandem on the App Store (US), apps.apple.com/us/app/id959001619
- 16Tandem FAQ, tandem.net/pages/faq
- 17Tandem Web, tandem.net/pages/tandem-web
Conversation Exchange
- 18Conversation Exchange home page, conversationexchange.com
- 19Conversation Exchange FAQ, conversationexchange.com/sep_files/FAQ.php?lg=en
- 20Conversation Exchange membership page, conversationexchange.com/members/membership.php?lg=en
MyLanguageExchange
- 21MyLanguageExchange home page, mylanguageexchange.com
- 22MyLanguageExchange member FAQ, mylanguageexchange.com/FAQMembers.asp
italki
- 23italki home page, italki.com/en
- 24italki on the App Store (US), apps.apple.com/us/app/id1140000003
Speakblend
Speakblend: from the app, version 3.6 (October 2026); first release date from Speakblend on the App Store (US), apps.apple.com/us/app/id6743330612.
Update log
15 October 2026: first version (facts checked 14 October 2026). We used store listings for Speaky and Slowly; speaky.com and slowly.app blocked our check.
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HelloTalk, Tandem and the other app names on this page are trademarks of their owners. Speakblend is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by any of them.