How much commission does Preply take?

According to Preply's help centre, Preply keeps 100% of the payment for each trial lesson with a new student. For the lessons after that, it charges between 18% and 33% of your hourly rate, depending on how many hours you have taught on the platform in total. New tutors start at 33%.

Do I get paid for the Preply trial lesson?

No. Preply's help centre says the commission for every trial lesson with a new student is 100%. Preply says this lets it offer students a free replacement if they are not satisfied with the trial.

How does the Preply commission go down?

It depends on the total number of hours you have taught on Preply, including trial lessons, not on hours per student. Preply's example: it starts at 33% and goes down to 28% after 20 hours; a tutor with 400+ completed hours keeps $8.20 of a $10 lesson.

Is there a tutoring site with no commission?

Yes. On WantATutor the profile is free and there is no commission: students contact you directly and pay you directly, so you keep your whole rate. The trade-off is that WantATutor does not process payments, and it is a new site (opened in November 2026), so student traffic is still small.

Can I use Preply and WantATutor at the same time?

Yes. A WantATutor profile is free and does not require you to leave another platform. Before moving a student you met on any platform elsewhere, read that platform's terms of use.

Guide for tutors

Preply commission explained for tutors

Updated November 12, 2026 · WantATutor

Short answer

Preply keeps 100% of every trial lesson with a new student, then 18% to 33% of your hourly rate on later lessons. New tutors start at 33%, which drops to 28% after 20 teaching hours and keeps falling as your total hours grow. On a $10 lesson that is $6.70 for a new tutor and $8.20 after 400+ hours, by Preply's own examples. On WantATutor there is no commission: students pay you directly.

The figures on this page come only from Preply's own help centre article “Preply commission model”, read on November 12, 2026. Preply can change its terms, so check the article before you decide.

What Preply charges

Signing up and hosting a profile: free. Commission is charged only when you start getting bookings.
Trial lesson with each new student: 100% commission, so you are not paid for it.
Every lesson after that: 18% to 33% of your hourly rate, based on the total hours you have taught on Preply (trial lessons count).
Starting rate: 33% for new tutors, 28% after 20 hours, then lower as your hours grow.

What you keep per lesson

Preply's own examples for a $10 hourly rate:

New tutor (33% commission): you receive $6.70 per lesson, except trial lessons.
Tutor with 400+ completed hours: you receive $8.20 per lesson.

The trial lesson matters more than it looks. If you take five trial lessons to win two regular students, those five hours are unpaid. Preply recommends treating the trial as a chance to understand the student's level and goals and to agree on a plan.

What the commission pays for

Preply says most of its commission goes into bringing students to the platform. It also provides its own video classroom, lesson materials for English tutors, training webinars and customer support, and it handles payments. For many new tutors, steady demand is worth the commission, especially at the start.

How a no-commission profile compares

On WantATutor the profile is free and there is no commission or subscription. Students find your profile or post a request, message you directly and pay you directly, so the rate on your profile is what you receive. There is no unpaid trial lesson; if you want to offer a free or shorter first lesson, that is your choice.

The honest trade-offs:

No payment handling. You agree on the fee and payment method with the student yourself.
A new site. WantATutor opened in November 2026, so student traffic is still small. Use it alongside a platform like Preply, not instead of it.
You bring your own tools. Lessons run on a video tool you and the student agree on.

Which one fits you?

If you need a steady stream of students right now and are happy to give up the trial lesson and a share of each hour, a large platform makes sense. If you already have some students, get referrals, or want to keep your full rate on new students, a free no-commission profile is worth adding. Many tutors do both.

Next steps: create a free WantATutor profile, compare Cambly's fixed per-minute pay, read how to get tutoring students or see tutoring jobs by country.

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