Key Takeaways (TL;DR)
- Preply has the most students but takes up to 33% commission — your effective hourly rate may be lower than you think
- italki offers better commission rates (15%) but less marketing support
- Cambly pays a flat rate (~$12/hour) — simple but low-earning
- TutorLingua charges zero commission — you keep 100% of what students pay
- The best strategy for most tutors: use marketplaces for discovery, then transition students to direct booking or a zero-commission platform
- No single platform is perfect. Understanding the trade-offs helps you choose wisely.
Choosing a tutoring platform is one of the most consequential business decisions you'll make as a language tutor. The platform you're on determines your income, your workload, your visibility, and — to a surprising degree — your teaching experience.
The problem is that every platform's marketing makes them sound perfect. Commission structures are buried in fine print. "Average tutor earnings" figures are misleadingly inflated. Features that sound essential turn out to be irrelevant, and vice versa.
This guide compares the major platforms honestly — based on what tutors actually experience, not what marketing pages promise.
The Comparison Table
Here's the overview. We'll dig into each platform below.
| Platform | Commission | Min. Price Control | Student Volume | Languages | Key Feature | |----------|-----------|-------------------|----------------|-----------|-------------| | Preply | 18–33% | Limited | Very High | 50+ | Largest student base | | italki | 15% | Full | High | 150+ | Broadest language range | | Cambly | Flat rate (~$12/hr) | None | High | English only | No scheduling hassle | | Verbling | 15% | Full | Medium | 70+ | Clean interface | | Wyzant | 25% (first year) → 0% | Full | Medium | Multiple subjects | Transitions to 0% | | Superprof | Free listing; students pay fee | Full | Medium | Varied | No tutor commission | | TutorLingua | 0% | Full | Growing | 10+ | Zero commission + games |
Rates accurate as of March 2026. Platforms change terms regularly — always verify current rates.
Preply
The Good
Preply has the largest student base in the online tutoring world. They spend aggressively on Google Ads and SEO, which means a constant flow of new students searching for tutors. If you're just starting out, Preply can get you your first students faster than almost anywhere else.
The platform is polished — the booking system works, video calls are built in, and the student-facing experience is smooth. Preply also offers "Preply Space" for homework and resources, which some tutors find useful for between-lesson engagement.
The Bad
The commission structure is the elephant in the room. For your first student, Preply takes 100% of the first lesson as an "introduction fee." After that, commission ranges from 18% to 33%, depending on how the student found you.
Let's do the maths on what that means in practice:
If you set your rate at £25/hour and Preply takes 25% average commission, your effective rate is £18.75/hour. Over 20 hours per week, that's £125/week — or £6,500/year — going to Preply. We've written extensively about what your true hourly rate looks like after platform fees.
Preply also controls pricing more than other platforms. There's pressure to keep rates low to remain competitive in search results, and the algorithm favours tutors who respond instantly to messages — creating an "always on" dynamic that leads to burnout.
Best For
New tutors who need students quickly and are willing to accept lower margins as the cost of building experience and reviews.
Our Detailed Preply Analysis
For a deeper dive, read our Preply commission breakdown and tips for your first 100 hours on Preply.
italki
The Good
italki's 15% commission is significantly better than Preply's, and the platform gives you complete control over your pricing. You set your rate, and italki takes a flat percentage. No surprise fees, no sliding scales based on student source.
The language coverage is the broadest of any platform — over 150 languages, including minority and indigenous languages that other platforms ignore. If you teach something niche, italki is probably your best bet.
italki also has a strong community feel. Student reviews are prominent, and the platform's "Community" section (where learners post writing for correction) gives tutors a way to demonstrate expertise and attract students organically.
The Bad
italki's marketing reach is smaller than Preply's. You'll get fewer inbound student enquiries, and the platform does less to drive traffic to individual tutor profiles. More of the marketing burden falls on you.
The platform also distinguishes between "Professional Teachers" (with teaching credentials) and "Community Tutors" (without). Community Tutors face lower rate expectations and less prominent placement in search results.
Payment processing can be slow — earnings are held for a period before becoming withdrawable, and minimum withdrawal thresholds apply.
Best For
Experienced tutors who want better margins and full pricing control. Tutors teaching less common languages. Tutors who are willing to do some of their own marketing.
Cambly
The Good
Cambly eliminates the business side entirely. You don't set prices, manage bookings, or chase payments. You log on, and students appear. The flat rate (approximately $12/hour for standard lessons, slightly more for Cambly Kids) means predictable income with zero admin.
For tutors who want to teach casually — a side income without building a business — Cambly's simplicity is genuinely appealing.
The Bad
$12/hour is low. Full stop. For experienced, qualified tutors, Cambly's rate is well below market value. There's no way to increase it based on experience, specialisation, or demand.
Cambly is English-only, so it's irrelevant for tutors teaching other languages.
The teaching model is also different. Many Cambly sessions are unstructured conversation practice — students drop in for a chat. If you prefer structured lesson plans and long-term student relationships, Cambly's format may not satisfy.
Best For
Native English speakers looking for casual, low-commitment tutoring income. People who want to teach while travelling. Not suitable as a primary income source for serious tutors.
Verbling
The Good
Verbling offers a clean, well-designed platform with 15% commission — matching italki's rate. The user interface is arguably the best in the industry, both for tutors and students. The built-in video classroom is solid, and scheduling tools are intuitive.
Verbling also has a "Group Classes" feature that lets you teach multiple students simultaneously — a revenue multiplier that most platforms don't offer natively.
The Bad
Verbling's student base is smaller than Preply's or italki's. The platform has struggled to grow its user base in recent years, and some tutors report declining enquiries.
Customer support can be slow, and the platform has made controversial policy changes in the past without adequate tutor consultation.
Best For
Tutors who value a polished teaching experience and want to offer group classes alongside private lessons. Works best when combined with other student sources.
Wyzant
The Good
Wyzant has a unique commission model: 25% for the first year with each student, then the rate drops to 0%. This means that long-term student relationships eventually become commission-free — a strong incentive for retention.
The platform covers all subjects, not just languages, which means the student base is larger (though less language-focused). Wyzant is strongest in the US market.
The Bad
That 25% first-year commission is steep, and it resets for each new student. If you have high student turnover, you're perpetually paying 25%.
Wyzant is primarily US-focused. If you're based elsewhere, the student pool is significantly smaller.
Best For
US-based tutors who can retain students for 12+ months. The commission model rewards loyalty and long-term relationships.
Superprof
The Good
Superprof doesn't charge tutors any commission. Instead, students pay a subscription fee to access tutor contact information. Once connected, all payment happens directly between tutor and student.
This model means you keep 100% of your lesson fees. Superprof is essentially a directory service rather than a managed marketplace.
The Bad
The student experience is clunky. Students pay a subscription just to message tutors, and many find this off-putting. The platform doesn't handle payments, scheduling, or video calls — you manage all of that yourself.
Student volume depends heavily on your location. In France (Superprof's home market), it's excellent. In other countries, it's thin.
Best For
Tutors in France or French-speaking markets. Tutors who already have their own booking and payment systems and just need a discovery channel.
TutorLingua
The Good
Full transparency: this is our platform. We built it because we believe tutors shouldn't have to give away a third of their income for the privilege of being found by students.
TutorLingua charges zero commission. You set your rate, students pay it, and you keep all of it. The platform also provides something unique: students arrive pre-engaged. They've been playing daily language games, building vocabulary, and demonstrating commitment to learning before they ever search for a tutor.
This matters because your conversion rate from trial to regular student is significantly higher when the student has already invested time in learning. They're not tyre-kickers — they're people who've been practising daily and are ready for human instruction.
The platform includes a tutor profile, booking system, and student matching — everything you need without the commission burden.
The Bad
TutorLingua is newer than Preply or italki. The student base is smaller (though growing rapidly). If you need a high volume of inbound enquiries immediately, the larger platforms will deliver that faster.
Language coverage is currently more focused than italki — we support major European languages with plans to expand.
Best For
Tutors who want to keep 100% of their earnings. Tutors who value engaged, committed students over sheer volume. Independent tutors who are building a sustainable business rather than chasing marketplace rankings.
The Smart Multi-Platform Strategy
Here's what successful tutors actually do — they don't pick one platform and hope for the best. They use a combination:
Phase 1: Discovery (Months 1–6)
Join Preply or italki for the student traffic. Accept the commission as a customer acquisition cost. Build your teaching skills, collect reviews, and develop your niche.
Phase 2: Transition (Months 6–12)
Set up profiles on zero-commission platforms like TutorLingua. Build a simple website. Start converting marketplace students to direct bookings (most platforms technically prohibit this, but many tutors do it ethically by directing new students to their own channels).
Phase 3: Independence (Year 2+)
By now, referrals, your website, social media, and zero-commission platforms should generate enough students that you can reduce or eliminate marketplace dependency. Your effective hourly rate jumps significantly.
This isn't hypothetical. We've spoken to tutors who've saved over £12,000 per year by transitioning from commission-heavy platforms to direct booking.
How to Evaluate Any Platform
Before joining any platform, ask these questions:
- What's my actual take-home rate? Calculate commission on your target price. Use our true hourly rate calculator.
- How do students find me? Does the platform invest in marketing, or am I responsible for driving my own traffic?
- Do I control my pricing? Can I set and change my rates freely?
- Can I build relationships? Does the platform help or hinder long-term student relationships?
- What happens if the platform changes terms? Preply has changed its commission structure multiple times. Do you have a backup plan?
No platform is permanent. The tutors who thrive are the ones who build their own brand alongside whatever platforms they use.
The Bottom Line
Every platform involves trade-offs. High commission platforms give you students. Low commission platforms give you margins. Zero-commission platforms give you both, but with a smaller (for now) student base.
The worst position is total dependence on a single platform that takes a large cut of your earnings. The best position is a diversified student pipeline where most of your income comes commission-free.
Start where the students are. But build towards where the money is.
Ready to keep 100% of your lesson fees? Create your free tutor profile on TutorLingua and connect with students who are already practising daily with our language games. Zero commission. No hidden fees. Just you and your students.