Introduction

Using a free language exchange program is a great way to learn a new language because you get to teach someone else a language you understand while they help you with the language you want to learn. These free conversation exchange websites work by connecting you with someone over a text, audio, and/or video service to facilitate communication. Usually, you’ll simply contact someone over a text chat or email first, and then you can both decide the best way to continue talking. 

Best language exchange websites

1. Conversation Exchange

Conversation Exchange makes it really easy to find someone to help you learn a language. You can look specifically for a pen pal that you can practice reading and write with, a partner that is willing to talk with you over voice or video chat, and/or for someone you can physically meet up with. An advanced search tool lets you describe your perfect language partner. You can choose what language they speak, what language they’re learning (what you’re proficient in), their skill level, country, town, time zone, type of exchange, age, gender, and name. You can sort the search results by the last login date to find a language partner that’s actively using the website. Details about the type of exchange each user is willing to participate in are shown in each profile.

2. Papora

It’s easy to navigate around and search for uses, plus you can do more than just message people. There’s a writing section where you can post text and have other users comment on how accurate it is. They can be single sentences or multiple paragraphs, and someone who knows the language can explain where you went wrong. The Groups section of the website is simply a forum where you can post a question or request and have other users publicly answer you. It may be easier to find a language exchange partner through the forum than simply waiting on someone to message you through the search tool.

3. The Mixxer

The Mixxer works by having you build a simple user account defining the languages you speak and the ones you want to learn. You can also specify if you have a Skype account that you want to share with the public. Once logged on to the website, you can search for users who can help you learn the language you’re interested in, message or call them on Skype, and send them private messages through The Mixxer. You can even see when a user was last logged in to The Mixxer, which helps you sift through inactive accounts, as well as view a list of all the currently logged-in users, with a link to each profile.

4. Speaky

Speaky is remarkably easy to use. A fully integrated, clean, and very intuitive chat program is available, which you can use to chat with people you add as friends. You can also speak over audio and video with the built-in calling feature. Speaky has a translator that’s always accessible at the bottom of the page that you can use to translate any text to your primary language, or vice versa, for quick help when chatting with someone using a different language.  

5. LingoGlobe

There are over 6,000 registered users at LingoGlobe, and making a new account is as easy as choosing the languages and skill level you know, as well as the ones you want to learn. You can also define how you’d like your communication with others to be done, such as through email, voice/phone calls, video chat, text chat, and/or face to face. One thing that sets LingoGlobe apart from nearly all other language exchange sites is that users can’t bombard you with messages until you’ve both agreed on an exchange. And proposing a language exchange is as simple as clicking one button.