The Real Cost of Teaching on Preply in 2026
Preply's commission structure isn't complicated — but it is expensive. And the way it's designed means new tutors (the ones who can least afford it) pay the highest rates.
If you're already on Preply, thinking about joining, or trying to decide whether to go independent, this article gives you the exact numbers. No spin, no vague language — just the maths.
Preply's Commission Tiers
Preply uses a sliding commission scale based on total hours taught on the platform:
| Hours Taught | Commission Rate | Your Take on a $35 Lesson | Annual Loss (80 lessons/mo) | |-------------|----------------|---------------------------|----------------------------| | 0-49 hours | 33% | $23.45 | $11,088 | | 50-199 hours | 25% | $26.25 | $8,400 | | 200-399 hours | 22% | $27.30 | $7,392 | | 400+ hours | 18% | $28.70 | $6,048 |
Key point: These are per-lesson commissions. Every single lesson, including recurring sessions with long-term students you've been teaching for months, is subject to this commission.
What This Looks Like Over Time
Let's follow a tutor charging $35/hour who teaches 20 hours per week (roughly 80 lessons per month):
Months 1-2 (33% tier):
- Gross earnings: $2,800/month
- Preply's cut: $924/month
- Your take-home: $1,876/month
Months 3-4 (25% tier):
- Gross earnings: $2,800/month
- Preply's cut: $700/month
- Your take-home: $2,100/month
Months 5-6 (22% tier):
- Gross earnings: $2,800/month
- Preply's cut: $616/month
- Your take-home: $2,184/month
Month 7+ (18% tier):
- Gross earnings: $2,800/month
- Preply's cut: $504/month
- Your take-home: $2,296/month
Total commission paid in Year 1: Approximately $8,200 — and that's assuming you hit the lowest tier as fast as mathematically possible.
The Trial Lesson Policy: 100% Commission
This is the part that catches new tutors off guard.
Preply takes 100% of your first lesson with every new student. Not 33%. Not 50%. One hundred percent.
If a student pays $35 for a trial lesson, you receive $0.
Preply frames this as covering their "student acquisition cost" — they spent money on Google Ads and social media to bring that student to the platform, and your trial lesson is how they recoup that investment.
The Maths on Trial Lessons
If you get 4 new trial students per month (common for active Preply tutors):
- Revenue from trials: $140 (4 × $35)
- Your earnings from trials: $0
- Lost income per year from trials: $1,680
Add this to your regular commission, and a first-year tutor at $35/hour is paying $9,000-$10,000 to Preply annually.
When Trial Lessons Hurt Most
The trial policy disproportionately hurts tutors who:
- Teach specialised subjects (exam prep, business language) where the trial lesson is their best showcase
- Have high conversion rates — the better you are at converting trials, the more free lessons you give Preply
- Charge high hourly rates — a $60 trial lesson is $60 of free work, not $35
Hidden Costs You Don't See in the Commission Rate
Payment Processing Delays
Preply doesn't pay tutors immediately after a lesson. Here's the timeline:
- Student pays Preply → Preply holds the money
- Lesson completed → Preply starts a waiting period
- 5-day withdrawal window → You can request a payout
- Payment processing → 1-3 additional business days
From lesson to bank account: typically 7-10 days. If you're used to same-day or next-day payments (like Stripe provides), this delay means your cash flow is always a week behind your work.
Minimum Withdrawal Threshold
Preply requires a $30 minimum balance before you can withdraw. For part-time tutors doing a few lessons per week, this can mean waiting weeks to access your money.
Currency Conversion Fees
If you set prices in USD but your bank account is in GBP or EUR, you'll face currency conversion fees during withdrawal. Preply uses PayPal, Payoneer, or Skrill for payouts — each with their own conversion rates, which are typically 2-4% worse than the mid-market rate.
Additional cost on a $1,000 withdrawal for a UK-based tutor:
- PayPal conversion fee: ~$25-40
- Payoneer conversion fee: ~$20-30
This doesn't show up in the "commission rate" but it's money you're losing.
The Algorithm Tax
This isn't a financial cost, but it's real: Preply's search algorithm determines how many students see your profile. Factors include:
- Response time (you're penalised for slow replies)
- Acceptance rate (declining students hurts your ranking)
- Online availability (more "Priority Hours" = better visibility)
- Review ratings
- Lesson completion rate
If your ranking drops, your student flow drops. You end up optimising for the algorithm rather than for your teaching quality — and that's a cost measured in stress and autonomy.
Your Actual Hourly Rate After Commission
This is the number that matters. When someone asks "how much do you make on Preply?" — this is the honest answer.
| Listed Rate | Tier 1 (33%) | Tier 2 (25%) | Tier 3 (22%) | Tier 4 (18%) | |-------------|-------------|-------------|-------------|-------------| | $20/hr | $13.40 | $15.00 | $15.60 | $16.40 | | $30/hr | $20.10 | $22.50 | $23.40 | $24.60 | | $35/hr | $23.45 | $26.25 | $27.30 | $28.70 | | $40/hr | $26.80 | $30.00 | $31.20 | $32.80 | | $50/hr | $33.50 | $37.50 | $39.00 | $41.00 | | $60/hr | $40.20 | $45.00 | $46.80 | $49.20 |
A new tutor listing at $35/hour actually earns $23.45/hour. That's the reality.
And remember — this doesn't include trial lessons ($0/hour), payment processing delays, or currency conversion. The effective rate is even lower.
Commission Comparison: Preply vs. Other Platforms
| Platform | Commission | Trial/Intro Policy | Payment Speed | Min. Withdrawal | |----------|------------|-------------------|---------------|-----------------| | Preply | 18-33% | 100% first lesson | 5+ days | $30 | | iTalki | 15% flat | No trial fee | 2-3 days | $30 | | Verbling | 15% flat | No special policy | Weekly | $20 | | Cambly | Fixed rate (~$10.20/hr) | N/A (platform sets rate) | Weekly | $20 | | Wyzant | 25% flat | No trial fee | Weekly | $25 | | Superprof | €0-29/month subscription | No commission per lesson | Direct payment | None | | TutorLingua | 0% | No trial fee | 2-3 days (Stripe) | None |
At 0% commission, a tutor charging $35/hour keeps $35/hour. The difference between $23.45 (Preply tier 1) and $35 (direct booking) is $11.55/hour — or $924/month at 80 lessons.
When Preply Commission Is Worth It
Let's be fair: Preply does provide genuine value in specific situations.
Worth the commission:
- You're brand new with zero students and no online presence. Preply's student traffic gives you a starting point.
- You teach a rare language where organic discovery is difficult. Preply's search function surfaces niche tutors.
- You want to test tutoring before committing to it as a career. Low stakes, instant access to students.
Not worth the commission:
- You have 10+ regular students and a full schedule. You're paying $500+/month for platform access you don't need.
- You get referrals or organic traffic. Students finding you through Instagram, Google, or word of mouth don't need a marketplace.
- You've been on Preply for 2+ years. You've proven your skills. You don't need a platform to validate you anymore.
The Break-Even Calculation
Here's how to know if Preply's commission is worth it for your specific situation:
Question: How many new students per month does Preply bring you that you couldn't find independently?
If the answer is more than 2-3 and they become long-term students, Preply might be worth it as a student acquisition channel.
If Preply is just maintaining students you'd keep anyway, you're paying 18-33% for a booking system — and there are better booking systems that cost $0-$20/month.
The Numbers
Cost of Preply at 18% tier: $504/month (on 80 lessons at $35)
Cost of running your own booking:
- TutorLingua: $0 commission + Stripe processing (~2.9% + $0.30) = ~$85/month
- Saving: $419/month or $5,028/year
That's the real question: is Preply's student discovery worth $419/month to you?
How to Transition Off Preply (Without Losing Students)
If you've decided Preply's commission isn't worth it, here's the gradual approach:
Step 1: Build your independent infrastructure (Week 1) Set up a direct booking page — TutorLingua, Cal.com, or Calendly. Get Stripe or PayPal ready for direct payments.
Step 2: Get your new students independently (Months 1-2) Any new student enquiry that comes through social media, referrals, or your website → send to your direct booking page.
Step 3: Transition existing students gradually (Months 2-4) Don't violate Preply's ToS by soliciting students off the platform. Instead, for students who find you independently (outside Preply's ecosystem), offer them direct booking. Over time, as Preply students naturally churn, they'll be replaced by direct students.
Step 4: Reduce your Preply hours (Month 4+) As your direct student base grows, reduce your Preply availability. Keep a minimal presence if you want new student flow, or remove yourself entirely.
Bottom Line
Preply's commission is one of the highest in the tutoring industry: 18-33% on regular lessons and 100% on trial lessons. A tutor earning $35/hour takes home as little as $23.45 — and that's before payment delays and currency conversion.
For new tutors with zero students, Preply is a legitimate starting point. For established tutors with a full schedule, it's an expensive booking system that costs $5,000-$10,000 per year.
The question isn't "is Preply good?" — it's "is Preply's value greater than its cost for your specific situation?"
For most tutors beyond the first six months, the answer is no.
Ready to keep 100% of your tutoring income? Get started with TutorLingua →
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about this topic
Preply uses a tiered commission system in 2026: new tutors pay 33% commission, decreasing to 25% after 50 hours taught, 22% after 200 hours, and 18% after 400+ hours. Additionally, your first trial lesson with each new student pays $0 to the tutor — Preply keeps 100%.
Yes. Preply takes 100% of the introductory/trial lesson fee with each new student. If a student pays $35 for a trial lesson, you receive $0 from that lesson. This applies to every new student-tutor pairing, regardless of your commission tier.
The lowest tier is 18% commission, which requires 400+ hours of teaching on the platform. At 20 hours per week, reaching this tier takes approximately 5 months. Even at the lowest tier, you still pay the 100% trial lesson fee for every new student.
iTalki charges a flat 15% commission on all lessons regardless of hours taught. Preply charges 18-33% depending on your tier, plus 100% on trial lessons. For tutors teaching fewer than 400 hours, iTalki is cheaper. For high-volume tutors at Preply's 18% tier, the difference is smaller — but Preply's trial lesson policy still makes it more expensive overall.
A tutor charging $35/hour who teaches 80 lessons per month loses approximately $504-$924 per month to Preply commission (depending on tier), plus $0 for every trial lesson. Over a year, a mid-tier tutor (25% commission) loses roughly $8,400 to platform fees — that's nearly three months of income.
You cannot reduce or avoid commission while teaching on Preply — it's deducted automatically from every lesson payment. The only way to avoid commission entirely is to use a commission-free alternative like TutorLingua for direct bookings, or to move students off the platform (which violates Preply's terms of service).