HelloTalk: free language exchange with AI translation, and the daily limits
HelloTalk lets you practise a language with native speakers and translate messages with AI. It is free to start. Free members get 10 translations a day.
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What it is
HelloTalk is a language exchange app. You chat with native speakers of the language you are learning, and they practise your language in return. HelloTalk's features page lists AI translation across 260+ languages, plus voice translation, image text translation and grammar correction tools. Its App Store description lists Hindi among languages you can practise, not among the separate interface-language list. The iOS listing requires iOS 15 or later.
Is it free
Yes, to start. HelloTalk says you can learn languages on HelloTalk for free, and the App Store India page lists the app as Free with in-app purchases. The free plan has limits. HelloTalk says free members get 10 translations a day. VIP is the paid plan. Its benefits include no ads, unlimited translations, unlimited transliteration and voice to text, and contacting 25 new partners a day. The India iOS listing shows Monthly auto-renewal VIP at ₹899. It also lists VIP Membership at ₹5,500 without a term in the label, so do not treat that as an annual price. These are listed in-app products, not a verified checkout offer for your account; check the app's plan, renewal and cancellation terms before paying.
The terms say recurring subscriptions renew until cancelled before renewal. Cancelling does not automatically refund the current period; access normally continues to its end. Apple generally handles App Store refund requests, with applicable law and store policies governing exceptions.
Is it available in India
The App Store India page for HelloTalk exists and shows it as Free. HelloTalk also has an India language partners page. We did not check the Android listing.
How to try it
- Install HelloTalk and choose your native language and the language you want to learn.
- Find a partner and start a chat.
- Use the translation tool on a message when you are stuck. Free members get 10 a day.
Limits to know
- You are chatting with real strangers. The App Store page rates the app 13+. Do not share personal details, money or passwords.
- The App Store privacy label says identifiers may track you, with contact information linked to identity and other data including user content and location collected separately. These are developer disclosures, not an independent audit.
- HelloTalk's privacy policy says it and third-party AI providers may process input, interaction history and outputs. Its generative conversation section allows de-identified input/output for model training; withdrawal is by contacting support under section 7. This does not establish that every translation has the same processing path. Avoid private documents and other people's sensitive data.
- The policy says profile information such as current city can be public; review profile and location permissions. It warns chat partners can record or broadcast a conversation outside the app.
- Use the Report feature for inappropriate behaviour, as the developer advises. A store age rating is not a guarantee of safe interaction. The terms require parent or guardian approval for under-18 use. The privacy policy describes separate minor/adult interaction environments, but that is a provider claim, not a tested safety guarantee.
- The privacy policy also describes registration video verification in some cases, including voice/native-language checks, human-presence or liveness analysis and possible biometric information. It states up to 180 days for verification video/audio, subject to legal, safety and dispute exceptions. Refusing verification can prevent completion of that registration route. It says delivered chat messages are normally deleted from servers, but undelivered messages can be kept encrypted for up to 30 days; public profiles and Moments persist until account deletion, with other legal exceptions. Do not read that as a universal zero-retention promise.
- AI translation can get meaning wrong. Check important wording with your partner.
- The free translation limit covers chats, Moments and everywhere else in the app.
- The free translation allowance does not establish free access to every voice/image tool, tutor session or separate AI app. Check each tool's limits.
- We did not test it ourselves.
Frequently asked questions
Is HelloTalk free?
Yes, HelloTalk says you can learn on it for free. Free members get 10 translations a day, and VIP is the optional paid plan.
Sources: HelloTalk cost FAQ, VIP benefits, Translation limit, Features, App Store India, HelloTalk privacy policy, Subscription terms. Checked 10 October 2026.
Scoped recheck 24 October 2026: Official free/VIP/translation FAQs, features, India App Store, privacy and terms rechecked. Ten daily free translations and India monthly VIP Rs899 remain supported; Rs5500 product term unstated. Added under18 guardian approval and provider minor/adult-separation claim, registration video/voice/liveness verification and up-to180day retention exceptions, delivered/undelivered/public-content retention distinctions. Existing AI training/third-party and renewal caveats preserved. Official logo retained, no generated art. No install, identity video, stranger chat, subscription or functional language test.