Introduction
Language plays a very vital role in the world of networking. Platforms like Preply offer online tutoring in language subjects to learners all over the world to ease the process of networking. Preply also provides a flexible learning pathway in various subjects to facilitate the process of learning.
In this blog, we discuss Preply’s reviews, pricing, features, alternatives, and future plans to give you the right information to help you choose online tutoring services.
Preply Reviews and Testimonials
According to reviews on Trustpilot, Preply is rated 3.9 out of 5 and has received 15,276 reviews.
- Learners’ reviews mentioned that Preply’s customer care services are good and provide the required solutions. They also mentioned positively about the quality of tutors and flexibility of scheduling sessions as per their needs.
- However, learners also mentioned that Preply’s payments are not appropriate and learners are charged without their consent after taking initial sessions. Some also reported that the cost of the same classes starts to increase after a few sessions.
As per reviews on Glassdoor, Preply is rated 4.1 out of 5 and has received 220 reviews.
- Tutors mentioned that they are allowed to set their own rates. However, they raised concerns about high commission rates, inconsistent payment, and the need for self-marketing to attract students.
- Employees mentioned that they are happy with the work culture and flexible work options. However, few reviews mention that there is a lot of sales pressure and change in management.
Reviews on Indeed show that Preply is rated 3.6 out of 5 and has received 309 reviews.
- Tutor praised Preply for providing flexibility and work-from-home options. However, tutors raised concerns about unpaid free trials, the time zone of students affecting their sleep schedules, and the high commission rate.
On AmbitionBox, Preply is rated 4.3 out of 5 and has received 16 reviews and 46 salary reviews.
- Tutors mentioned that flexible work types and work-from-home options help them to balance work and life. However, they also highlighted issues like high commission rate, lack of technology improvement in the Preply classroom app, requiring more time investment at the beginning of a career, and high competition with low student reach.
There are no specific reviews on its website. However, certain facts that are mentioned below,
- Preply is rated 4.8 out of 5 on the App Store and has received 26K reviews.
- There are 2M learners worldwide on Preply, and almost 50M lessons have already been taken on Preply.
Is Preply legit?
Preply is a legitimate platform that has been operating since 2012 as an online tutoring company. This platform helps language learners find language tutors by acting as a digital connection between tutors and learners. However, they have received mixed reviews,
- Tutors mentioned that Preply provides a flexible work type and work-from-home options and allows them to set their own rates. However, they raised concerns about the high commission rate, lack of improvements in the Preply app, and Lack of student demand.
- Learners praised Preply for its good customer care support, quality of tutors, and flexibility in scheduling sessions. However, they mentioned concerns about payment issues.
- Employee reviews positively mentioned good work culture and pay scale. However, they raised concerns like poor management support and a lot of pressure due to frequent management changes.
Preply Pricing
Pricing range
There is no specific information about the pricing range as it varies based on the languages you choose. The tutors themselves set their fees. Hence, it is advisable for learners to make negotiations with tutors early to know the exact price.
What do students say about Preply Pricing?
Reviews on Trustpilot highlight that students are satisfied with Preply’s Pricing. However, they mentioned payment issues and unnecessary deductions from their account after cancellation of classes.
Hidden Costs
There are no hidden costs for students to get access to their services. However, there is a processing fee or platform fee for purchasing subscriptions.
Also, there is a hidden cost for tutors in the form of a commission fee. Preply charges commission fees in two ways;
- It charges a 100% commission fee for the first lesson with every new student.
- It charges 18% to 33% for subsequent lessons depending upon the number of lesson hours completed with students.
| Completed hours with students | Commission rate |
| 0 to 20 hours | 33% |
| 21 to 50 hours | 28% |
| 51 to 200 hours | 25% |
| 201 to 400 hours | 22% |
| 400+ hours | 18% |
How does Preply’s pricing work?
Preply pricing works on a subscription basis. Its subscription operates in a cycle of every 28 days. Students have to choose the number of classes they want to learn in the next 28 days, and they will be charged for 28 days before the start of lessons. The hourly rates per lesson are set by tutors.
Free trial
Preply does not provide any free trials. They provide trial lessons that are charged based on the hourly rate set by the tutor. However, they provide a 100% refund policy if students are not satisfied with trial lessons.
Refund Policy
Preply has a very stringent refund policy, and students have to request a refund by emailing support@preply.com. Refunds are issued if the tutor agrees to do so, and there is no obligation on tutors to provide refunds to students. Students can not receive a refund if they lose their user ID and password.
Preply Alternatives
Preply’s lack of management support, technical problems in Preply classrooms, and presence of hidden costs make users search for alternatives. Preply’s alternatives are discussed below, along with their pros and cons.
Duolingo
Duolingo is the best-known online tutoring company in a wide range of languages.
Pros:
- Duolingo app is free to download and provides basic language learning for free.
- They also have an upgraded data tracker of learners’ progress.
- They provide offline learning features to learners to download lessons and learn anywhere and anytime.
Cons:
- A subscription is required for more advanced learning of language.
- Lack of live interaction for learners.
- Limited practice sessions to learn a language.
italki
italki is a digital platform that connects language learners with tutors.
Pros:
- They offer online tutoring in more than 150 languages.
- They allow tutors to set their own fees.
- They provide a private online classroom called italki classroom.
Cons:
- They have a high commission fee in the range of 21% to 30% based on the lesson package.
- The Payment policy using italki credits makes the process of refund difficult.
- Reviews on Glassdoor mentioned that italki has poor customer support.
AmazingTalker
AmazingTalker is an online tutoring platform that specializes in offering language subjects to learners.
Pros:
- They maintain quality in hiring tutors; their website mentions that they have a 3% tutor passing rate.
- Students are allowed to change to another tutor at no cost if they are dissatisfied with the lessons.
- The ‘Pay as you go’ system is provided as a payment process to learners.
Cons:
- Their reviews on Trustpilot revealed that they provide poor customer support and that there are frequent scammers on this platform.
- Their website is not user-friendly and lacks detailed information about their services.
- As per reviews on Glassdoor, AmazingTalker charges a high commission fee.
Lingoda
Lingoda is a digital platform that offers online tutoring in language subjects by matching language experts with learners.
Pros:
- They provide matches similar to native-level teachers.
- They provide unlimited access to AI-powered self-learning exercises.
- Classes are affordable, starting at $16 per class.
Cons:
- They offer just five language subjects in their online tutoring.
- Their website only has basic features and needs improvement to enhance user experience.
- Students are not allowed to choose tutors on their own.
My Engineering Buddy
My Engineering Buddy is an online tutoring company offering its services in more than 100 subjects to students all over the world.
Pros:
- They provide personalized one-to-one online tutoring sessions.
- They offer services on complex subjects like aerospace engineering, Calculus, Physics, etc.
- They have a well-defined refund policy and effective customer support.
Cons:
- There is still scope for expansion for language subjects offered by MEB.
- They do not provide in-person tutoring.
- Their reviews on Glassdoor mentioned that tutors sometimes face difficulty in navigating tutoring students from different time zones.
Verbalplanet
Verbalplanet is an e-learning website that provides online tutoring through Zoom or Teams to learners all over the world.
Pros:
- They offer personalized one-to-one online tutoring to students.
- They provide online tutoring in a wide range of languages, like Japanese, Danish, Italian, Greek, etc.
- They provide free trials and also discounts to students.
Cons:
- Their reviews on Glassdoor mention that they have a high commission fee of about 20%.
- Their website is not user-friendly, and specific pages like the refund policy, customer support policy, etc, are absent.
- High competition among tutors and low student reach.
How does Preply work?
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For Students
- The Signup process for students and parents:
The signup process on Preply is simple; all you need is your name, email address, and password. You can sign up by providing all the mentioned details on their sign-up page.
If you already have a Google account, Facebook account, or Apple ID, you can just continue by using one of these accounts to sign up.
- How do I connect with the tutors?
After the sign-up process, use Preply’s search filter and search for the type of language tutors you want to learn from. Go through the profiles of different tutors and decide on a tutor and book for a trial lesson. You can also chat with tutors about hourly rates and make further negotiations.
- Process for scheduling sessions:
After a paid trial lesson, if you are satisfied with the tutor’s lesson, then you can proceed with purchasing a subscription of 28 days by selecting the number of hours you want to learn for the next 28 days. You can plan your sessions according to you and schedule them by discussing them with the respective tutor.
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For Tutors
To become a tutor on Preply, you have to sign up on their website with an email address and password. Then you are asked to fill in basic information about yourself like name, photo, age, citizenship, education, etc. You are also asked to provide an introductory video of yourself.
After you apply, they review your application and approve it if they find that you qualify as a tutor. Then you can proceed with setting up your payment account and also getting verified to receive your earnings.
To learn more detailed procedures for becoming a tutor on Preply, check out their article here.
FAQs:
- Can tutors set up their own fees, or is it fixed by Preply?
Preply allows tutors to set their own fees. However, they charge a commission fee of 18-33% of the tutor’s earnings based on the number of hours completed with students.
- How much can a tutor expect to earn on Preply on an hourly basis?
The Average hourly rate for a tutor on Preply is $18.30, and the hourly rate of a tutor is usually between $10 to $38.90. However, some tutors charge more than $50. Hence, the hourly rate depends on the subject and the tutor’s experience.
- How many hours of work can a tutor get per month on Preply?
Tutors can get hours of work based on their experience in tutoring with their effective profile. Preply does not provide assurance on the number of hours of work for tutors.
- Is it easy for a tutor to get students on Preply?
No, reviews on AmbitionBox mention that the initial phase of getting students requires a huge time investment due to high competition and low reach of students.
- Tips for tutors to get more students on Preply:
To get more students on Preply, improve your profile by adding your experience and testimonials from your past students. Also, make a detailed introductory video by providing information about yourself and the services you provide to students to make their learning process easy.
- What do tutors like about Preply?
According to reviews on Indeed, tutors like Preply for its flexible work type, work-from-home option, and freedom to set fees on their own.
- What do tutors not like about Preply?
As per reviews on AmbitionBox, the reasons why tutors do not like Preply are high commission rates, high time investment in the initial phase to get students, high competition, and concern with the Preply classroom app.
Preply: Company Information
Founding Year and Background
According to Wikipedia, Preply was founded in 2012 by Ukrainian entrepreneurs Kiril Bigai, Serge Lukyanov, and Dmytro Voloshyn, and the website was launched in November 2013.
Preply has had a remarkable journey starting from 2012, growing at a remarkable rate with 3,000 tutors in 58 countries to till 2023 by extending a round of $70M. To know more about their journey, check out here.
Founders details
According to Wikipedia, Preply’s founders are Kirill Bigai, Dmytro Voloshyn, and Serge Lukianov. These three Ukrainian citizens, who shared the same vision about education, founded Preply in 2012.
Mission and Vision
There is no mention of its mission and vision on Preply’s website. However, with their about us page, we can summarize that their mission and vision are to provide learners with life-changing experiences by helping them to find the best tutors, personalized journeys, and the motivation that helps them learn and keep learning.
Scale of Operation
According to Wikipedia, Preply’s headquarters is in Brooklin, United States. Preply has a digital presence all over the world. Hence, learners all over the world can access its services.
Types of Services Offered
Preply offers online tutoring in various languages and quizzes related to the same for practice. They also provide information related to education and usage of their website on their blog.
Subjects offered
Preply offers a wide range of language subjects like English, Spanish, French, Japanese, Italian, German, etc.
Unique features
The unique features of Preply that make it stand out from other language online tutoring companies are ;
- They provide a wide range of languages like English, German, Spanish, Japanese, etc.
- Tutors are allowed to set their own fees.
- They provide Preply Classrooms for a better classroom experience.
- Students are allowed to plan their sessions according to their convenience.
- Their services are accessible to students all over the world.
USP of Preply
- Preply claims that it provides effective payment methods. However, their reviews on Trustpilot mentioned that learners are facing issues with payments, and their money is auto-deducted from their accounts without their consent.
- Preply’s customer support service is loved by many users. And the many reviews on Trustpilot praised it for the same.
- Preply has its own Preply Classroom to provide a private digital space for learning. As per its reviews on AmbitionBox, users experience glitches and problems while using Preply Classroom.
Drawbacks of Preply
- Preply has a high commission fee in the range of 18% to 33% from the earnings of tutors based on the number of hours of lessons completed with students.
- They have a very stringent refund policy that makes it difficult for learners to receive refunds.
- They do not provide free trials to students.
- There is no “pay as you go” system, and a subscription is required to access their services.
Comparison with My Engineering Buddy
| Sl no | Features | Preply | My Engineering Buddy |
| 1 | Sign-up process | The sign-up process requires an email address and password. | No sign-up process is required; users can avail of services through WhatsApp. |
| 2 | Types of services | They offer online tutoring and quizzes for practice. | They offer services like online tutoring, homework help, and test preparation services. |
| 3 | Subjects offered | They provide online tutoring only in language subjects like English, French, Spanish, etc. | They provide a wide range of subjects like mechanical engineering, physics, biology, and even some languages like English, Spanish, etc. |
| 4 | Rating | They are rated 4.1 out of 5 on Glassdoor. | They are rated 4.7 out of 5 on Glassdoor. |
| 5 | Subscription | A subscription is required to get access to their services. | No subscription is required to get access to their services. |
| 6 | Refund policy | They have a stringent refund policy that is more tutor-centric. | They have a well-defined refund policy benefiting students in case of dissatisfaction with their services. |
| 7 | Customer support | They have effective customer support. | They have a responsive and effective student helpline on WhatsApp. |
| 8 | Management support | As per reviews on Glassdoor, employees mentioned that they face pressure due to a lack of management support. | Reviews on Glassdoor praise MEB for its effective management support. |
Testimonials of My Engineering Buddy on Glassdoor, Trustpilot, AmbitionBox, Reviews io, Indeed, and ResellerRatings:
- Student reviews mentioned that they are happy with the quality of the tutors and services offered by MEB.
- Tutors’ reviews highlighted that freelance work, a work-from-home option, and a decent pay scale help them to have a work-life balance.
- Employee reviews mentioned that they feel at ease working with MEB due to its effective payments to employees and friendly management support.
Why should I consider My Engineering Buddy for complex subjects and homework help?
Students should consider MEB for complex subjects and homework help for the following reasons:
- They provide quality tutors experienced in their field and subjects.
- They have effective customer and management support in case of any queries related to their services.
- They have well-defined refund policies in case of dissatisfaction faced by students with the lessons they have received.
- They provide online tutoring on a wide range of complex subjects like Calculus, Physics, Statistics, Marine engineering, Aerospace engineering, etc.
Customer Support and Policies
- How responsive is Preply’s customer support?
According to reviews on Trustpilot, users mentioned that Preply has effective customer support with instant catch-up and understanding of the issues faced by users.
- What are Preply’s refund policies or guarantees?
The refund policy or guarantees offered by Preply are very stringent. Tutors are not obliged to provide refunds, and Preply offers refunds in rare cases only if tutors agree to do so.
- What are the areas where My Engineering provides better support?
By providing effective customer support with a well-defined refund policy, My Engineering Buddy provides better support than Preply.
Global Reach and Localization
- Is Preply’s platform tailored for specific regions or global use?
Preply’s platform is tailored for global use, and their services are catered to learners all over the world.
- Does it cater to non-English speaking users or offer multilingual support?
There is no specific information about whether they provide multilingual support or not. Hence, learners have to explore tutors on Preply’s website who are well-versed in the language used by learners for communication.
- How does My Engineering Buddy compare to Preply in terms of global accessibility?
My Engineering Buddy caters its services to students all over the world. It provides a smooth process to access its services with just a WhatsApp contact without any need for registration with an email address, password, etc.
Preply’s Future Plans
There is no mention of Preply’s future plans on its website. They haven’t mentioned prioritizing improvements of their platform through AI and machine learning to stay competitive in the future.
FAQs about Preply
- How does Preply compare to My Engineering Buddy?
My Engineering Buddy and Preply both provide online tutoring services to students. Preply provides online tutoring in language subjects, whereas MEB provides online tutoring in various subjects like languages, physics, biology, aerospace engineering, etc.
- Does Preply really pay?
Yes, Preply pays tutors after deducting commission fees of about 18% to 33% based on the number of lessons completed with students.
- Is Preply worth it as a tutor?
Yes. However, it requires an investment of time in the initial period to get students on Preply.
- Which country is Preply from?
Preply is from Ukraine. It was founded in 2012 by Ukrainian entrepreneurs Kiril Bigai, Serge Lukyanov, and Dmytro Voloshyn.
- Is it safe to pay on Preply?
Yes, it is safe to pay on Preply as it takes care of your credentials, like payment details and personal information, in a secure manner.
- Can I have two tutors on Preply?
Yes, you can have two tutors on Preply by buying two separate subscriptions.
- Is Preply a free app?
Yes, it is a free app to download. However, to get access to online tutoring services, one has to purchase a subscription.
- Where are most Preply students from?
According to Preply’s End of Year 2022 report, most students are from the US and Britain.
Conclusion
Preply is one of the well-known platforms that provides online tutoring services in a wide range of languages with effective customer support. However, they lack effectiveness due to high commission fees, lack of management support, stringent refund policy, and tutoring sessions on other complex subjects.
Hence, My Engineering Buddy would be a better alternative as they provide online tutoring on complex subjects, well-defined refund policies, and effective customer and management support.
