🧑🏫 AI tutors and tutoring · 🗣️ Language learning
VIPKid
By VIPKid (Chengdu Yudi Technology Co., Ltd.). Visit VIPKid
Desk research from the maker's own pages. Not yet tried by us. Checked 2026-10-24.
VIPKid is a Chinese online English school for children and teens, best known for one-on-one video lessons with North American teachers. After China banned tutoring by teachers based abroad in 2021, it stopped selling those classes to mainland children and shifted to AI 'dual-teacher' courses, bilingual culture classes, adult English and overseas editions. A child joins live or recorded lessons on camera, does interactive exercises and gets progress reports.
Our take: Mainly for Chinese families wanting structured English lessons; families outside China or wary of recorded video leaving the country should look at other options.
| Ages it suits | children and teens (the site gives no exact range) |
|---|---|
| What its terms say about age | Under the privacy policy, a child under 14 cannot create a VIPKid account without a guardian's consent, and data from children is processed only with guardian consent. (terms) |
| Price | Paid. Prices vary by course package and appear only on the order; not public. Free trial lesson offered (Oct 2026). |
| Works on | Web |
| Account | A parent's account |
| Ads | Not stated |
| In-app purchases | None |
| The AI in it | The AI 'dual-teacher' course pairs recorded lessons with an AI tutor connected to a large language model that answers questions in Chinese or English. |
What's good
- Native-speaker teachers in its overseas editions
- Free trial lesson
- Structured levels and reports
Watch for
- Class video recordings shared with affiliates and sent abroad
- Its flagship model was ended in China by regulation in 2021
- Prices hidden until you order
- Chinese-language site and terms
Data and privacy
Live classes need camera and microphone access. The policy says class video recordings are shared with affiliates and may be transferred to the United States, overseas teachers see the student in recordings, and cookies are used to tailor ads. Read the privacy policy.
Does it work?
The maker's own claims only (12 years and 1.3 million students; fewer than 5% of teacher applicants accepted). News coverage records that VIPKid stopped selling classes with overseas tutors to mainland children in August 2021 after the national ban.
Alternatives to VIPKid
Desk researchPaidNo ads
Babbel
Babbel · ages about 13+ (built for adults)
A solid choice for a motivated older teen; younger kids are not allowed and are better served by kids' apps.
Desk researchFree, with paid extrasNo ads
Buddy.ai
Buddy.ai · ages about 3-8
Engaging speaking practice for preschoolers learning English; privacy-minded parents should skip the recording consent or delete data regularly.
Desk researchFree, with paid extras
Busuu
Busuu Limited (owned by Chegg, Inc.) · ages 13+
A fair choice for a teen studying a language who wants speaking practice; younger kids need a different app.
Desk researchFree, with paid extrasNo ads
Cambly Kids
Cambly Inc. · ages about 4-15
Helpful for children learning English as a new language who need speaking practice; parents should sit in on early calls and read the recording terms.
Desk researchFree, with paid extras
Duolingo
Duolingo, Inc. · ages about 10+ (children under 13 get a restricted mode)
A fine free habit-builder for tweens and teens learning a language; younger kids are better served by Duolingo ABC or a kids' app.
Desk researchFreeNo ads
Google Translate Practice
Google · ages teens and adults; younger kids with a parent
Worth a try for teens learning Spanish or French who want speaking practice; younger kids and families wanting a full course should pick a dedicated app.
Where these facts come from
- https://www.vipkid.com/
- https://www.vipkid.com.cn/
- https://www.vipkid.com.cn/web/ai
- https://www.vipkid.com.cn/web/faq
- https://www.vipkid.com.cn/web/agreementprivacy
- https://www.sixthtone.com/news/1008215/chinese-tutoring-platforms-end-classes-with-foreign-based-teachers-
- Reviews on G2: https://www.g2.com/products/vipkid/reviews
Prices, terms and features change. Nobody paid to be listed, nothing here is an affiliate link, and Peabody never rates itself. Where we and the maker disagree, the maker's own pages are the ones to trust.