Online Tutoring Fees in 2026: What Platforms Take and What You Keep
Online tutoring fees on the big marketplaces take 18% to 33% of every lesson, and Preply keeps 100% of each new student's trial. Going independent costs a card-processing fee of about 3.5% on a $50 lesson, plus your software. On a $50 lesson you keep $33.50 to $41.00 on Preply, $37.50 on Wyzant and $35.00 on Outschool, against $48.25 with Stripe on your own booking site. TutorFluid gives you that site, with booking, payments and reminders, for $9.99/month after a 45-day free trial and 0% commission.
Updated November 3, 2026. Every fee below comes from the platform's own help or pricing page, checked that day.
Online tutoring fees by platform: what each route takes
| Route | What it takes from the tutor | Extra charged to the student | You keep from a $50 lesson | Source (checked Nov 3, 2026) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wyzant (good for finding US students) | 25% platform fee; 0% for students you refer | 9% service fee | $37.50 | Wyzant fee structure |
| Preply (good for language tutors who want a global audience) | 100% of each new student's trial lesson; then 33% falling to 18% as your total hours grow | Not published | $33.50 (new tutor) to $41.00 (400+ hrs) | Preply commission model |
| Outschool (good for group classes for kids) | 30% Teacher Fee per enrollment | A "Marketplace Fee" (amount not published) | $35.00 per learner | Outschool earnings policy |
| Superprof (good for local and online tutors who want a free listing) | 10% commission on lessons paid through Superprof; none if you take payment outside the platform | Not checked | $45.00 if paid through Superprof | Superprof: tutoring with Superprof |
| TutorFluid (good for independent tutors who want booking, payments and video in one site) | 0% commission; Solo is $9.99/month after a 45-day free trial | None (students pay no platform fee) | $48.25 with Stripe or $47.76 with PayPal, before the $9.99 plan | TutorFluid pricing |
TutorFluid take-home is after card processing: Stripe charges 2.9% + 30¢ per domestic card payment, and PayPal charges 3.49% + $0.49 for PayPal Checkout (both checked Nov 3, 2026). The $9.99 plan is not included here; the worked example below includes it. Marketplace rows don't include taxes or payout fees. Varsity Tutors: we couldn't find a tutor commission or pay rate on its own pages, so it isn't listed.
How each marketplace fee works
Wyzant
Wyzant keeps a flat 25% platform fee, so you get "75% of their posted hourly rate... minus any applicable taxes." Students you bring to Wyzant yourself pay you 100% of your rate. Students also pay a separate 9% service fee on top of your rate (Wyzant), so a $50 lesson costs them $54.50.
Preply
Preply charges 100% of every trial lesson with a new student. After that, commission starts at 33% and drops to 28% after 20 hours, down to 18% once you pass 400 total hours. Hours count across all students, and trials count too. Preply's own example: at $10/hour, a new tutor receives $6.70 and a 400+ hour tutor $8.20.
Outschool
Outschool takes a 30% Teacher Fee, so you receive 70% of the class price for each enrolled learner. Outschool pays out via PayPal in USD. Parents also pay a separate Marketplace Fee that doesn't come out of your share.
Going independent
On your own site you set the price, keep the student relationship and pay only processing. Stripe charges 2.9% + 30¢ per domestic card payment and has no monthly fee. PayPal charges 3.49% + $0.49 for PayPal Checkout and 2.99% + $0.49 for standard card payments. Cross-border payments cost more on both.
TutorFluid's $9.99 a month gets you a branded booking site where students book from your real availability and pay upfront. Confirmations, lesson links and email and SMS reminders go out automatically. It includes a built-in HD video room, and you can sell single lessons, packages or monthly plans.
Here's how TutorFluid compares with other no-commission tools (month-to-month prices from each vendor's pricing page, checked Nov 3, 2026):
| Tool | Monthly price | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| TutorFluid | $9.99/month after a 45-day free trial, 0% commission | Solo tutors who want a booking site where students pay upfront |
| TutorBird | $16.95 + $4.95 per additional tutor or staff member | Centers that want payroll and expense tracking |
| Teachworks | Starter $16.49 + $0.350 per student lesson | Centers with many teachers and moderate lesson volume |
| My Music Staff | $16.95 + $4.95 per additional teacher or staff member | Music studios |
For a full comparison, see TutorBird alternatives.
Worked example: one month at $50 an hour
Example only. Assumptions: $50 per one-hour lesson, 15 lessons a week, 4 weeks (60 lessons, $3,000 billed). Every lesson is with an existing student (no trials), all students are domestic and pay by card, and nothing is refunded. Taxes are excluded.
| Route | Math | You keep per month |
|---|---|---|
| Wyzant | $3,000 × 75% | $2,250.00 |
| Preply, new tutor (33%) | $3,000 × 67% | $2,010.00 |
| Preply, 400+ hours (18%) | $3,000 × 82% | $2,460.00 |
| Outschool (1 learner per class) | $3,000 × 70% | $2,100.00 |
| Independent: TutorFluid Solo + Stripe | $3,000 − 60 × ($1.45 + $0.30) − $9.99 = $3,000 − $105.00 − $9.99 | $2,885.01 |
On these assumptions, going independent keeps $635 more a month than Wyzant and $875 more than a new Preply tutor. The trade-off is that a marketplace brings you students and you find your own when you go independent.
When the commission is worth it: a marketplace handles discovery, putting your profile in front of students who are already searching. It also handles billing and payouts, and Wyzant says its student fee pays for tutor vetting and a US-based support team. If you have no students yet, that can be worth 25% or more.
Many tutors do both: use a marketplace to get started, and book students you find yourself (referrals, your own site) through TutorFluid. Keep marketplace students on the marketplace; Wyzant, for example, requires those lessons to be paid through Wyzant.
Price for what you keep
Set your price from what you keep, not the rate you list. At $25 an hour you keep $16.75 as a new Preply tutor, $18.75 on Wyzant, and about $23.97 independently with Stripe. To find your listed rate, divide your target take-home by what the route lets you keep: 0.75 on Wyzant, 0.67 for a new Preply tutor, or about 0.965 with Stripe at $50. Then check the result against tutors in your subject, such as math tutoring rates and Spanish tutoring rates. For the full method, see rates for tutoring.
Who should pick what
- Just starting with no students: a marketplace can bring you your first bookings. Wyzant is good for US students; Preply is good for language tutors.
- Teaching group classes to kids: Outschool is good for that audience.
- Have regular students or referrals: TutorFluid. Students book your real availability and pay upfront, links and reminders go out automatically, and you keep everything but processing. It's $9.99/month after a 45-day free trial.
- Running a team: TutorFluid for Teams is $19.99/month with one tutor plus $3.99 per additional tutor, still with 0% commission.
Thinking about going independent? Start with how to run a tutoring business online and tutor scheduling software.
FAQ
What fees do online tutoring platforms charge tutors? Wyzant keeps 25%, Outschool 30%, Superprof 10% on lessons paid through it, and Preply 18% to 33% plus 100% of each trial lesson, per each platform's own help pages checked November 3, 2026.
Does Superprof take a commission? Only on lessons paid through Superprof: 10%. Superprof says it takes nothing if you're paid outside the platform.
Does Wyzant charge students too? Yes. Students pay a 9% service fee on top of the tutor's rate.
Why does Preply take the whole trial lesson? Preply says the 100% trial commission funds a free replacement for students who aren't satisfied with a trial.
What does it cost to take payments on my own? Stripe charges 2.9% + 30¢ per domestic card payment. PayPal Checkout charges 3.49% + $0.49. Neither charges a monthly fee for these standard rates.
Does TutorFluid take a commission? No. TutorFluid charges 0% commission. Solo is $9.99/month after a 45-day free trial, and Stripe or PayPal processing fees apply to online payments. You can also accept cash, Venmo or Zelle and mark lessons paid.
Can I use a marketplace and my own site at the same time? Check each marketplace's terms first. Wyzant, for example, requires lessons with students who found you on Wyzant to be paid through Wyzant (tutor payment policies).
How much should I charge for online tutoring? Work back from the take-home you want, using the steps above and our rates for tutoring guide.
Keep more of every lesson. See TutorFluid pricing or start free for 45 days.