Tutor Billing Software: Get Paid Before the Lesson (2026)
TutorFluid is tutor billing software built around getting paid before the lesson. Students book from your availability and pay upfront—per lesson, in a prepaid package, or on a Stripe monthly plan—for $9.99/month after a 45-day Solo trial, with 0% TutorFluid commission. Invoices remain available when a family needs them; they are not the only way to collect payment.
Pay first, then teach
Many tutors send an invoice after the lesson and wait. That works when every family pays on time. When they do not, you spend time chasing balances instead of teaching.
TutorFluid flips the default. On your branded booking page, students can pay at booking. Offer:
- Single sessions paid one at a time
- Packages of 5, 10 or 20 sessions bought upfront
- Monthly plans that Stripe renews automatically (PayPal purchases stay one-time)
You can still bill lessons by invoice when that fits a family. For TutorFluid Teams, students can also pay by invoice, including monthly invoices after lessons (Teams billing options).
Card processing fees are separate from the subscription. Stripe's published US rate for domestic cards is 2.9% + 30¢ per successful charge (Stripe pricing). TutorFluid does not take a cut of the lesson amount.
What to look for in tutor billing software
| Need | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Payment at booking | Reduces unpaid lessons before they start |
| Packages and monthly plans | Matches how many studios already bill |
| Invoice option | Covers families who need a bill after lessons |
| Clear software fee | Flat subscription vs per-lesson or percentage fees |
| Processor fees spelled out | Stripe/PayPal fees sit on top of any plan |
TutorFluid vs other billing approaches
| Tool | Starting month-to-month software price | How students pay | Packages / plans | TutorFluid commission / platform fee | Free trial |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TutorFluid Solo | $9.99/month | Pay at booking; Stripe or PayPal; invoice option | Packages; Stripe monthly plans | 0% | 45 days |
| TutorFluid Teams | $19.99 + $3.99/extra tutor | Pay at booking or by invoice | Packages; monthly plans | 0% | New teams: none |
| TutorBird | $16.95 + $4.95/extra tutor or staff | Online payments; automatic invoicing | Invoices & payments features | No TutorFluid-style 0% claim applies | 30 days |
| Teachworks Starter | $16.49 + $0.350 per student lesson | Stripe; packages | Packages | Usage-based lesson fee | 21 days |
| TutorCruncher Pay as you go | From $30 | Cards at 3.85%; offline 1% | Automatic payments & invoicing | Card / offline % on lessons | 2 weeks |
| Wave Starter | $0 for invoicing tools | Optional online payments add-on | Invoices / estimates | Processing fees if you accept cards | Free Starter |
Sources: TutorFluid pricing, TutorFluid how it works, TutorFluid for Teams, TutorBird pricing, Teachworks pricing, TutorCruncher pricing, Wave pricing and Stripe pricing.
Wave is free for creating invoices; it is not a tutoring booking site. TutorBird and Teachworks include broader center tools with higher or usage-based software fees. TutorCruncher adds percentage fees on card and offline lessons on top of its base plan.
Solo tutors: keep the software fee flat
After the Solo trial, TutorFluid is $9.99/month. Build without a card; add a TutorFluid billing card before students can book or buy packages. Adding that card does not restart the trial (pricing).
Set your rates, open availability and sell packages or monthly plans from one page. Sync Google Calendar or Outlook if you want bookings to stay out of busy times. Optional email and SMS reminders follow confirmed lessons.
If you only need to email invoices and already collect payment elsewhere, Wave's Starter invoicing tools can cover that job without a tutoring subscription. If you want booking and payment on the same page, TutorFluid Solo is the focused pick.
Small centers: one booking page, shared billing rules
TutorFluid Teams is $19.99/month including one active teaching tutor, plus $3.99 per additional active tutor. Admin-only staff and pending invitations are not billed. New Teams subscriptions collect a card at checkout and have no free trial.
Students book any available tutor or a favorite, pay at booking or by invoice, and receive lesson links and reminders. Teams can set prices by service and tutor and use packages or monthly plans on one branded site (Teams features).
Centers that need deep payroll suites, multi-branch room management or percentage-of-revenue agency tooling may still prefer TutorCruncher or Teachworks. TutorFluid is the booking-and-payment layer with a predictable monthly fee.
FAQ
Can I invoice students monthly?
Solo tutors can bill lessons by invoice. TutorFluid Teams also supports paying by invoice, including monthly invoices after lessons. Prefer packages or Stripe monthly plans when you want payment before the teaching period starts.
Do I need Stripe?
For card payments through TutorFluid, connect Stripe or PayPal. You can also mark lessons paid when families settle outside the platform. Processing fees belong to the processor, not TutorFluid.
What do Stripe fees add on a $60 lesson?
At Stripe's published US domestic card rate of 2.9% + 30¢, a $60 charge costs about $2.04 in processing. TutorFluid still takes 0% of that $60.
Is there free tutor billing software?
Wave's Starter plan includes free invoicing tools; online card acceptance is optional and adds processor fees. TutorFluid's Solo trial is free for 45 days, then $9.99/month if you keep the booking site live.
Start collecting before the lesson
Start your 45-day Solo trial, then pay $9.99/month. Running a team? See TutorFluid for Teams—new Teams subscriptions bill from signup.