Preply Review
Our Preply review explains tutor profiles, trial-lesson commission, ongoing fees, withdrawals, and how preparation time affects your true teaching income.
Research checked October 30, 2026 · SideHustleLab
Preply: a quick look before you join
This Preply review looks at tutoring as a repeat-service business. Setting an attractive hourly rate is only one part of it. The important questions are whether students return, how much preparation each lesson needs, and what remains after the platform's commission.
Preply review at a glance
- Work type
- Online tutoring
- Best for
- Patient tutors who can turn trial lessons into ongoing learning
- Payment timing
- Confirmed lessons, then withdrawal
- Costs to consider
- Trial: 100%; later lessons: 18%–33%
What is Preply?
Preply is an online tutoring marketplace where tutors create profiles and choose their rates and availability. Its tutor page describes an application with a photo, description, and introduction video. Approval and a visible profile do not mean your calendar will immediately fill. You still need an offer that a learner understands and a lesson experience worth returning to. (Preply tutor applications and profile setup)
How it works
Build a profile around the students you can genuinely help: their level, goals, and the kind of lessons you can deliver. Set availability you can keep consistently. Prepare a clear first lesson and a realistic learning plan. A specific offer, such as conversation practice for a defined learner group, is easier to evaluate than a promise to teach everyone everything.
The quick review: advantages and tradeoffs
What works in its favor
- Control over your listed rate and availability
- A marketplace for reaching potential students
- Repeat lessons can support a continuing service
What to weigh carefully
- No tutor earnings from a student's first trial lesson
- Commission reduces the displayed hourly price
- Preparation and student acquisition take unpaid time
How Preply pays
Preply adds lesson earnings to the tutor's balance after confirmation, then the tutor withdraws using an available method. Its help page lists Wise, Payoneer, PayPal, and Skrill. Lesson confirmation and the provider's transfer time are separate stages, so teaching today does not guarantee money in your bank today. (Preply lesson earnings and withdrawals)
Fees and costs to consider
Preply's published commission is 100% of a new student's first trial lesson. Subsequent lessons carry an 18%–33% commission, depending on completed teaching hours. Profile registration is free. Those terms make repeat lessons important: a busy calendar containing many new trials can produce less income than the booking totals suggest. (Preply commission model)
How the earnings add up
Using the published starting 33% commission, a hypothetical $20 regular lesson leaves $13.40 before withdrawal costs and taxes. If it takes an hour to teach plus 20 minutes to prepare and follow up, the effective return is about $10.05 per working hour. This is an illustration, not a typical-income claim, and trial lessons use different economics.
Is Preply a good fit for you?
Preply suits someone who enjoys teaching and can provide a consistent learning experience. It is less appealing if you want payment for every introductory interaction or do not want to plan lessons. Consider how you would explain progress to a student after a month, not only how you would attract the first booking.
SHL take: judge Preply by retained students and net income per working hour. It can be a useful teaching channel, but price your service around the actual commission and preparation load rather than copying another tutor's headline rate.
Before you apply or sign up
- Create a focused tutor profile and introduction video.
- Review the commission schedule before choosing a rate.
- Check your withdrawal method and plan for preparation time.
Practical tip: Build your pricing around regular lessons, preparation time, and the cost of unpaid trials.
Preply review: common questions
Do tutors get paid for trial lessons?
Preply takes a 100% commission on a new student's first trial lesson, so it does not add tutor earnings.
Can I choose my teaching rate?
Yes. Preply lets tutors set their listed rate; your actual earnings are after applicable commission.
Is withdrawing the same as getting paid instantly?
No. Funds first need to reach your Preply balance, and transfer timing depends on the chosen provider.
Sources and review approach
This is a research-based editorial assessment of official information, not a claim of personal account testing or verified earnings. Eligibility, fees, openings, and payment terms can change. Check the provider’s current terms before committing time or money.
- Preply tutor applications and profile setup
- Preply commission model
- Preply lesson earnings and withdrawals
Sources checked October 30, 2026. Editorial conclusions reflect the tradeoffs described above; no numerical rating or guaranteed earnings are assigned.