Preply vs TeacherOn (2026): Which Platform Pays Tutors More?

Preply is better for tutors who want guaranteed access to a large international student base, but it charges a sliding commission of 18% to 33% per lesson, plus 100% of every new student's trial lesson. TeacherOn is better for tutors who want to keep their full quoted rate, since it does not deduct a percentage commission when payment happens directly between tutor and student. If your goal is maximizing take-home pay per lesson, choose TeacherOn; if your goal is a managed, marketing-light pipeline of paying students, choose Preply.

Platform Overview

Preply

Preply is a global online tutoring marketplace founded in Ukraine in 2012 by Kirill Bigai, Dmytro Voloshyn and Serge Lukianov, now headquartered in Boston, with operations spanning more than 180 countries. The platform originally focused on SAT/ACT tutoring before relaunching around English-language learning in 2013, and today covers languages plus a smaller range of academic and professional subjects. Preply reports a network of more than 40,000 tutors worldwide, matched to students through an algorithmic recommendation system, and has raised over $144 million in funding from investors including Horizon Capital and Owl Ventures (platform-published). Its revenue model is built on a tiered commission charged to tutors, supplemented by student subscriptions and an enterprise/corporate-training arm. Its primary user base is adult language learners worldwide, paired with tutors who treat the platform as a structured, marketing-light source of recurring international students.

TeacherOn

TeacherOn traces its roots to a predecessor project, TutorIndia, that began development in 2009, before formally operating as TeacherOn from 2013 under founder Arun Verma, headquartered in Ludhiana, India. It runs as a global tutor-discovery marketplace covering more than 18,000 subjects and reporting a presence across 100-plus countries (platform-published figures range from roughly 125 to 178 depending on the source page), with a strong base of students and tutors in India. Students post a tutoring requirement and qualifying tutors respond directly; Chegg vs Vedantu TeacherOn gates full contact details behind a completed profile to deter spam and protect tutor safety, a lesson it says it learned from an earlier, more open version of the platform. Payment can be arranged directly between student and tutor or, optionally, routed through the platform; TeacherOn's own marketing states it charges no commission on directly-paid lessons, though a company-data aggregator describes it as collecting commission specifically on in-platform payments and offering a paid personal-mentoring add-on for tutors (sources conflict on exact scope, so treat this as platform-published/reported by aggregators). Its primary user base is independent tutors and coaching providers across both academic and offline/in-person subjects, plus students seeking a wider, often more price-flexible pool of tutors.

Preply vs TeacherOn: Full Feature Comparison

The clearest divide is commission: Preply structurally takes a meaningful cut of every lesson, and all of the first, while TeacherOn's fee applies only if payment is routed through its own system, letting most direct-pay arrangements go commission-free. In exchange, Preply offers a much larger, ready-made global student funnel, while TeacherOn relies on tutors negotiating and converting their own leads.

Tutor Earnings: How Much Can You Make?

Preply's published commission table makes earnings math straightforward to calculate up front, while TeacherOn's earnings depend almost entirely on what a tutor negotiates directly with each student, since the platform itself doesn't dictate or publish a pay scale. On Preply, a tutor charging $10/hour keeps roughly $6.70 on a regular lesson before reaching 400 completed hours, rising toward $8.20 after that threshold (platform-published commission table). On TeacherOn, a tutor charging the same notional rate keeps effectively the full amount when paid directly. Figures below are platform-published where stated, or reported by tutors and reviewers elsewhere; actual income still depends on subject demand, hours taught and negotiation skill.

On paper, TeacherOn lets a tutor keep a larger share of each lesson, since most direct-pay arrangements aren't reduced by a percentage commission the way Preply's are. But Preply's large, ready-made pool of international students reduces the time a tutor spends marketing themselves, which can offset its commission for tutors who would otherwise struggle to find consistent demand. New tutors on Preply face the steepest math, losing a full lesson's pay to the platform on every new student's trial before settling into a 28-33% ongoing cut; experienced tutors reach 18% only after roughly 400 completed hours.

How to Get Your First Student: Step-by-Step Guide

On Preply — Step-by-Step

•   Apply with a complete profile, including a qualification summary and intro video. Insider tip: Preply's algorithm reportedly favors profiles with a recorded video over text-only listings.

  
  

•      Set your hourly rate factoring in the 33% starting commission. Insider tip: price slightly above your target take-home, since new tutors lose 100% of every trial lesson's pay.

  
  

•     Accept trial-lesson bookings as they arrive through the matching algorithm. Insider tip: spend most of the 60-minute trial assessing the student's level and proposing a study plan, since this is reportedly Preply's recommended structure.

•     Convert trial students into recurring, paid lesson bookings. Insider tip: students are encouraged to prepay for lesson packages, so a clear multi-week plan reportedly improves conversion.

•      Track your completed-hours counter toward the next commission tier. Insider tip: consistent weekly hours, rather than sporadic bursts, reportedly get you to the 200-hour and 400-hour breakpoints faster.

•    Set up a withdrawal method (Wise, Payoneer, PayPal or Skrill) before your first payout. Insider tip: compare each option's conversion fees, since this affects your real take-home more than the commission tier alone.

On TeacherOn — Step-by-Step

•     Create a detailed tutor profile with at least 100 words describing your teaching methodology. Insider tip: TeacherOn's own data shows under half of tutors complete this step, so a thorough profile reportedly stands out immediately.

•    Verify your identity, certifications and address as requested. Insider tip: completed verification badges are reported to build trust faster with students browsing profiles.

•      List your subjects, online/offline availability and starting rate. Insider tip: offering both online and in-person options reportedly widens your visible reach in local searches.

•   Respond to student requirement posts or wait for direct enquiries. Insider tip: TeacherOn states it aims to connect students with a tutor within 24 hours, so quick replies matter.

•   Negotiate your rate and lesson structure directly with each student. Insider tip: agreeing on payment method and schedule upfront is reported to reduce later disputes, since most payments happen outside the platform.

•   Collect reviews after your first few sessions to strengthen your profile. Insider tip: detailed, methodology-rich profiles combined with reviews are reportedly more indexable in search engines, bringing in organic enquiries over time.

Student Experience: Finding a Tutor, Safety & Payment

On Preply

•       Search & matching: an algorithm recommends tutors based on stated goals and proficiency, alongside manual browse/filter options (platform-published).

•       Tutor quality signals: visible review counts, completed-hours badges and intro videos help students compare tutors before booking (platform-published).

•       Payment: the platform processes payment and offers package-style prepayment for ongoing lessons, alongside a structured first-lesson trial policy (platform-published).

•       Safety: a Trustpilot-tracked review base (over 15,000 reviews, around 3.9/5) shows generally positive learner sentiment, though some reviews cite billing/subscription transparency complaints (reported by users).

On TeacherOn

•       Search & matching: students typically post a specific requirement and qualifying tutors respond directly, rather than browsing an algorithmic feed (platform-published).

•       Tutor quality signals: ID, certification and address-proof verification badges, plus ratings and reviews, help students assess tutor credibility (platform-published).

•       Payment: students can pay tutors directly or use TeacherOn's optional in-platform payment option; pricing is negotiable (platform-published).

•       Safety: TeacherOn states it gates full contact details behind a completed profile specifically to reduce spam and protect tutors, after encountering open-contact problems on an earlier version of the platform (platform-published).

Preply's structured, algorithm-led matching suits students who want a fast, guided start with a vetted-feeling international tutor pool, while TeacherOn's negotiation-led, profile-driven model suits students who want more control over price and the option of in-person lessons.

Which Platform Should YOU Choose?

The right platform depends on who you are and what you need. Use this table to find your match.

Honest Pros and Cons

Preply — Pros & Cons

PROS:

•       Large, established global student base, reducing the need for self-marketing.

•       Tutors set their own hourly rate.

•       Structured commission table is transparent and published upfront.

•       Multiple withdrawal options (Wise, Payoneer, PayPal, Skrill).

•       Free training webinars and a Tutors Academy for professional development (platform-published).

CONS:

•       100% commission on every new student's trial lesson.

•       High starting commission (33%) that only meaningfully drops after hundreds of teaching hours.

•       Some reviews cite unclear billing/subscription charges to students (reported by users).

•       Heavy competition from a large global tutor pool in popular languages.

TeacherOn — Pros & Cons

PROS:

•       Effectively zero commission on most direct-pay arrangements.

•       Supports both online and offline/in-person tutoring.

•       Very wide subject coverage (18,000+ listed subjects).

•       Detailed, methodology-rich profiles support organic SEO visibility.

•       Rates are fully negotiable between tutor and student.

CONS:

•       Less platform-mediated payment protection when payment happens outside the system.

•       Smaller, less internationally recognized brand than Preply.

•       Limited or no dedicated mobile app, unlike most major competitors.

•       No algorithmic matching; tutors must actively respond to and convert leads themselves.

Final Verdict: Preply or TeacherOn?

If neither Preply's steep commission nor TeacherOn's self-marketing burden appeals to you, FindMyGuru offers a compelling middle ground — and for Indian tutors and students in particular, it may be the strongest option of the three.

FindMyGuru operates as a zero-commission discovery platform purpose-built for the Indian tutoring market, covering everything from academic subjects and competitive exam coaching (JEE, NEET, UPSC) to skills like yoga, music, dance, and coding. Unlike Preply, it does not take a cut from your lesson earnings. Unlike TeacherOn, it invests in SEO-optimised tutor profiles and location-specific visibility — meaning tutors in cities like Hyderabad, Bangalore, Mumbai, Delhi, and Pune appear in local search results without spending on ads.

For students, FindMyGuru provides verified tutor profiles with ratings, reviews, and subject-specific filters, alongside the flexibility to choose between online and in-person sessions. There is no forced algorithm dictating matches — students browse directly and connect with the tutor that fits their budget and learning style.

For tutors, the platform is free to join, supports a wide subject range, and is actively growing its student base across India's major cities and online.

The bottom line on all three: Preply buys you reach at a commission cost. TeacherOn gives you margin but leaves marketing to you. FindMyGuru is built for India-first tutors who want local visibility, zero commission, and a platform that handles the discoverability work without taking a share of what you earn.

Preply vs TeacherOn (2026): Which Platform Pays Tutors More?:Infographic