Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

HelloTalk VS Medium

Compare HelloTalk VS Medium and see what are their differences

Note: These products don't have any matching categories. If you think this is a mistake, please edit the details of one of the products and suggest appropriate categories.

HelloTalk logo HelloTalk

HelloTalk is a great app for people who have started to learn a new language and want the chance to be able to practice the language with native speakers.

Medium logo Medium

Welcome to Medium, a place to read, write, and interact with the stories that matter most to you.
  • HelloTalk Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-06-23
  • Medium Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-07-08

HelloTalk

$ Details
-
Release Date
2012 January
Startup details
Country
China
State
Guangdong
City
Shenzhen
Founder(s)
Zackery Ngai
Employees
10 - 19

Medium

Website
medium.com
$ Details
Release Date
-
Startup details
Country
United States

HelloTalk features and specs

  • Language Exchange
    HelloTalk facilitates direct communication with native speakers of the language you want to learn, making the learning process more natural and effective.
  • Corrective Feedback
    The app allows users to correct each other's messages, providing real-time feedback and helping improve language accuracy.
  • Multimedia Messaging
    Supports text, voice, and video messages, offering a varied and engaging way to practice language skills.
  • Cultural Exchange
    Users can share cultural insights and learn about the customs and traditions of other countries, enriching their overall language learning experience.
  • Language Learning Tools
    Features built-in translation, pronunciation, and grammar correction tools to assist with language learning.

Possible disadvantages of HelloTalk

  • Privacy Concerns
    Sharing personal information with strangers can pose privacy risks; users need to be cautious about what they share.
  • Inconsistent Quality
    The quality of language exchange can vary significantly depending on the partners you connect with, sometimes leading to less effective learning experiences.
  • Ads and In-App Purchases
    The free version contains ads, and some features are locked behind a paywall, which can be frustrating for users who prefer a completely free experience.
  • Limited Formal Instruction
    The app is primarily designed for language exchange, so it might lack the structured, formal instruction that some learners may prefer or need.
  • Time Zone Differences
    Connecting with partners in different time zones can make it challenging to find mutually convenient times for conversation.

Medium features and specs

  • User-Friendly Interface
    Medium offers an easy-to-use interface that makes it simple for anyone to start writing and publishing content without any technical knowledge.
  • Built-in Audience
    The platform has a large and active user base, so new content has the potential to reach a wide audience quickly.
  • Publishing Tools
    Medium provides versatile publishing tools that support text, images, and various media formats, which helps in creating rich and engaging content.
  • SEO Benefits
    Articles posted on Medium tend to rank well in search engine results, thanks to the platform's high domain authority.
  • Community and Interaction
    Medium encourages reader engagement through comments, claps, and highlights, fostering a sense of community among writers and readers.

Possible disadvantages of Medium

  • Monetization
    While Medium has a Partner Program, it may not be as lucrative as other methods of monetization available on independent blogging platforms.
  • Control and Customization
    Medium offers limited customization options compared to dedicated blog platforms like WordPress, restricting how you can brand and personalize your blog.
  • Content Ownership
    By publishing on Medium, you agree to their terms and conditions, which may include giving up some control over how your content is used and distributed.
  • Paywall Issues
    Some articles are placed behind a paywall, which might limit the reach of your content if you want it to be freely accessible to everyone.
  • Dependency on Platform
    Relying solely on Medium means that any changes to the platform's policies or algorithms can directly impact your reach and engagement.

Analysis of HelloTalk

Overall verdict

  • HelloTalk is a useful tool for language learners who prefer conversational practice with native speakers. Its diverse community and interactive features make it a popular choice for those looking to improve their language skills naturally. However, as with any social platform, the quality of experience can vary depending on user engagement and the effort put into maintaining active conversations.

Why this product is good

  • HelloTalk is a language exchange app designed to connect users with native speakers around the world. It allows users to practice their target language through text, voice, and video chats. The app provides a wide range of features, including text correction, translation tools, and the ability to search for language partners based on interests and language level. Many users find it effective for improving language skills through real-world interactions and cultural exchange.

Recommended for

  • Language learners looking to practice their skills with native speakers.
  • Individuals interested in cultural exchange and making international friends.
  • People who prefer flexible, real-time learning experiences outside of traditional classroom settings.

Analysis of Medium

Overall verdict

  • Medium can be considered a good platform for those who enjoy a wide array of content and appreciate quality writing on diverse subjects. However, the value of Medium depends on individual preferences and whether the topics and writing styles align with what the reader is looking for.

Why this product is good

  • Medium offers a diverse range of articles from both professional and amateur writers, providing readers with numerous perspectives on various topics. Its clean user interface and ease of use make it an appealing platform for both writers and readers. The platform also supports monetization for writers, allowing them to earn from their content.

Recommended for

    Medium is recommended for avid readers seeking a variety of topics ranging from personal development to technology. It's also ideal for writers looking to publish their work to a broad audience and potentially earn revenue through the platform's Partner Program.

HelloTalk videos

Reviewing HelloTalk: Meet language exchange partners and learn a language

More videos:

  • Review - ~Weekly Korean~ Episode 15: HelloTalk Review
  • Tutorial - How to Use HelloTalk to Talk to Native Speakers for Free!

Medium videos

Medium Review - with Tom Vasel

More videos:

  • Review - Starting a blog on Medium.com? Watch this FIRST.
  • Review - The Medium Review
  • Review - The Medium - Before You Buy
  • Review - I recommend: The Medium (Review)

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to HelloTalk and Medium)
Language Learning
100 100%
0% 0
Blogging
0 0%
100% 100
Education
100 100%
0% 0
Blogging Platform
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

Share your experience with using HelloTalk and Medium. For example, how are they different and which one is better?
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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare HelloTalk and Medium

HelloTalk Reviews

15 Language Learning Apps Compared - Personally Tested
Although HelloTalk is essentially a messaging app, it offers tools that promote learning through communication. For example, it allows you to translate messages, correct mistakes made by your language partner and use AI-powered grammar corrections. HelloTalk also offers learning materials in some languages, although most of these are paid.
Source: www.krioda.com
The 10 Best Duolingo Alternatives You NEED to Try
HelloTalk is a free app that allows you to chat with native speakers. You correct their sentences and they correct yours.
10 Best language learning apps 2022
Extra perk? With HelloTalk you can also exchange doodles. So if you really run out of vocab, you can unleash your inner artist.
Talk Like a Native with These 15 Italki Alternatives for Language Learning
HelloTalk provides voice, video and text chat. Not only that, but helpful tools such as translation aids, pronunciation, corrections and transliterations can help make the language exchange process less nerve-wracking.
Source: www.fluentu.com

Medium Reviews

19 Best WordPress Alternatives in 2025
Medium focuses on thoughtful content and community engagement. It offers a user-friendly interface, a large readership base, and various features for writers and readers.
Source: www.pixpa.com
25+ Medium Alternative Platforms for Publishing Articles
Medium is an online platform that was created in 2012 by Evan Williams. It is a place for people to share their thoughts and ideas on various topics. Medium has about 100 million monthly visitors, which makes it one of the most popular platforms for publishing articles.
Source: forgefusion.io
10 Best Medium Alternatives for Reading and Publishing
From thะต simplicity of Ghost to thะต vะตrsatility of Substack, thะตrะตโ€™s a homะต for ะตvะตryonะต seeking great Medium alternatives. Thะตsะต altะตrnativะตs offะตr a world of possibilitiะตs for rะตadะตrs and authors alikะต. Whะตthะตr youโ€™rะต in sะตarch of a uniquะต platform to sharะต your thoughts or want to read frะตsh contะตnt, thะตsะต platforms havะต somะตthing spะตcial to offะตr. All in all, we...
9 Best Medium Alternatives for Making Money With Your Writing in 2023
Substack and Medium differ primarily in their monetization methods. Medium pays creators based on reader engagement, while Substack enables writers to monetize directly through paid subscriptions to their newsletters. This business model allows Substack users to build a direct relationship with their readers via their email inboxes, whereas Medium interactions primarily...
How to Choose the Best Blogging Platform in 2021 (Compared)
Medium works much like a social networking site where you can create an account and start publishing your articles. After you sign up, youโ€™ll have a profile address like this: https://medium.com/@yourname. But you cannot use your own domain.

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Medium seems to be a lot more popular than HelloTalk. While we know about 3092 links to Medium, we've tracked only 5 mentions of HelloTalk. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

HelloTalk mentions (5)

  • Looking for Chinese friends to practice Mandarin
    Have you tried finding someone on Hello Talk, Tandem , or Lingbe? I was able to connect with nearly 10 different Chinese friends in my first using HelloTalk, which was really nice. Source: almost 4 years ago
  • Why even use a language exchange then ๐Ÿ™„
    Found this screenshot of a HelloTalk moment on twitter. Seriously though, why would you even do language exchange if you don't want to be corrected?? Source: over 4 years ago
  • Need resources
    Step 7: Practice what you've learnt with real Japanese people by using websites & apps like iTalki and HelloTalk. Source: over 4 years ago
  • LPT: Make friends that live overseas, online or otherwise, especially if you are an American, they will give you a new perspective on day-to-day life that could help you understand and improve your own condition at home. (Healthcare, quality of living, vacation time, social rights, etc)
    Great places to find international friends are language exchange apps, like HelloTalk. Source: almost 5 years ago
  • Italian - English language exchange
    If you don't find anyone here, check out italki.com or hellotalk.com for language exchange opportunities. Source: almost 5 years ago

Medium mentions (3092)

  • My security camera shipped a GitHub admin token in its login page
    Quantenna used 1.1.1.1 for RPC to their wifi chip in their SDK by default. Should not have been exposed to global routing but of course people screwed that up. https://medium.com/@mrtcve/atts-misuse-of-cloudflare-dns-ip-1-1-1-1-e64901e41a09. - Source: Hacker News / 2 days ago
  • Jane Street: Incremental
    It depends on how you define the observable pattern. The fundamental components here are laziness and weak connections between graph nodes. Node values are getting materialized only when you observe them, and the system is flexible for live structural changes. Usually, you don't need to materialize the entire graph when you need to observe just some nodes. Additionally, you can halt computations at any point in... - Source: Hacker News / 5 days ago
  • AI Mania Is Eviscerating Global Decision-Making
    Supposedly 70% of software projects failed even before AI. So are AI projects better or worse than that? Also like people have asked about the 70% failure rate, how do you define failure/success. https://medium.com/@trienpont/why-do-over-70-of-software-projects-fail-deb4f48f18e6. - Source: Hacker News / 7 days ago
  • Gpu.ai $1k Grand Prize Buildathon August 22nd 2026: Build on Free Cloud GPUs
    Hey guys! GPU.ai is hosting a buildathon with free cloud GPUs on August 22nd 2026 -- register at gpu.ai/buildathon -- all projects will be open-sourced. Learn more: https://medium.com/@john_64490/gpu-ai-1-000-grand-prize-buildathon-on-august-22nd-2026-build-ai-apps-on-free-cloud-gpus-fe27ece9783c?sharedUserId=john_64490. - Source: Hacker News / 8 days ago
  • I built a privacy-first crypto portfolio tracker after the Ledger breach
    Back in the day I used the now-defunct site coin.fyi or coinexplorers.com to track my portfolio. When they disappeared, I looked at the alternatives โ€” and none of them adapted to my necessities. The main one: a private, encrypted portfolio management platform in the style of ProtonMail. One where the service provider itself cannot see what I hold. So I decided to create my own.... - Source: Hacker News / 9 days ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing HelloTalk and Medium, you can also consider the following products

Duolingo - Duolingo is a free language learning app for iOS, Windows and Android devices. The app makes learning a new language fun by breaking learning into small lessons where you can earn points and move up through the levels. Read more about Duolingo.

Ghost - Ghost is a fully open source, adaptable platform for building and running a modern online publication. We power blogs, magazines and journalists from Zappos to Sky News.

Busuu - Join the global language learning community, take language courses to practice reading, writing, listening and speaking and learn a new language. Learn English with busuu's .

WordPress - WordPress is web software you can use to create a beautiful website or blog. We like to say that WordPress is both free and priceless at the same time.

Memrise - Learn a new language with games, humorous chatbots and over 30,000 native speaker videos.

DEV.to - Where software engineers connect, build their resumes, and grow.