If you're teaching on Preply, you already know about the commission. But have you actually calculated what it costs you over a year?
Let's do the math—and then talk about what tutors who leave the platform do differently.
How Preply's Commission Actually Works
Preply uses a sliding scale:
| Lessons with a student | Commission |
|---|---|
| 1-20 lessons | 33% |
| 21-50 lessons | 28% |
| 51-100 lessons | 25% |
| 101+ lessons | 22% |
Sounds like it gets better over time, right? Here's the catch: the counter resets for every new student.
So if you teach 15 different students, you're paying 33% on most of your income—forever.
A Year of Teaching on Preply: Real Numbers
Let's say you're a typical tutor:
- 25 lessons per week
- $20/hour rate
- Mix of new and returning students
Monthly gross: $2,000
After Preply's cut (averaging ~28%): $1,440
Annual loss to commission: $6,720
That's not a fee. That's a part-time salary you're handing over for... what exactly?
What You Get for That $6,720
- A profile on their marketplace
- Payment processing
- A booking system
That's the core value proposition.
No curriculum help. No teaching resources. No guaranteed students. You still do your own marketing through the platform, manage your own schedule, and handle student relationships yourself.
The platform uses that revenue to acquire new students—but you're still competing for them against thousands of other tutors.
What Tutors Actually Need (And What They Don't)
After talking to dozens of tutors who left platforms, the same problems come up:
They need:
- A way to track income across PayPal, Wise, and bank transfers
- Timezone conversion that actually works (students in 4-6 different zones)
- Simple invoicing
- A place to keep student notes and lesson history
- Payment reminders for students who forget
They don't need:
- A marketplace (they find students through word of mouth, social media, or their own outreach)
- Another 25-33% fee
- A platform controlling their student relationships
The Math on Going Independent
Here's what changes when you leave:
| Expense | Platform | Independent |
|---|---|---|
| Commission | $560/month | $0 |
| Payment processing (PayPal/Wise) | Included | ~$40/month |
| Scheduling tool | Included | $0-15/month |
| CRM/tracking | Included | $0-15/month |
| Zoom | Often included | $0-15/month |
Worst case independent cost: ~$85/month
Platform commission on $2,000: $560/month
Monthly savings: $475
Annual savings: $5,700
Even if you lose a few students in the transition, you come out ahead within 2-3 months.
The Actual Hard Part: Organization
The commission isn't the only reason tutors stay on platforms. The real reason is convenience.
When you go independent, suddenly you're managing:
- Students paying in USD, EUR, and GBP
- Timezone math for every booking
- Tracking who paid and who didn't
- Creating invoices manually
- Keeping notes in scattered Google Docs
Most tutors "solve" this with a messy spreadsheet that takes hours to maintain. Eventually, the admin work makes the platform commission feel worth it again.
This is the problem worth solving—not payment processing, not video calls. Organization.
What Actually Works
Tutors who successfully go independent usually:
- Keep using WhatsApp/email for student communication. Students don't want another app. They want to message you where they already are.
- Use Wise or PayPal for payments. The fees are 1-3%, not 33%. Students in different countries can pay in their currency.
- Pick one tool to track everything. This is where most tutors struggle. Spreadsheets don't scale past 10 students.
- Stay organized about payment follow-up. The #1 complaint from independent tutors is chasing payments. A simple system to track who owes what—and remind them—solves 90% of this.
- Keep a booking system that handles timezones. "Does 3pm work?" means nothing when you're in Manila and your student is in Chicago.
Making the Transition
You don't have to quit Preply cold turkey. Most tutors who leave successfully do it gradually:
- Start tracking your current income properly (even while on the platform)
- Ask long-term students if they'd continue with you independently
- Set up your payment methods (Wise is popular for international transfers)
- Move 2-3 students off-platform as a test
- Build from there through referrals
The platform's value is in finding your first students. Once you have relationships and a reputation, that value drops to nearly zero—but the commission stays the same.
Tools for Independent Tutors
What you actually need:
- Payment receiving: Wise, PayPal, or Payoneer (you probably have these already)
- Video calls: Zoom free tier, Google Meet, or Skype
- Scheduling: Google Calendar (free) or Calendly (free tier)
- Income tracking & student management: A dedicated tutor CRM or a very organized spreadsheet
The gap in the market is that last piece. Generic CRMs don't handle multi-currency. Spreadsheets become unmanageable. And most "tutor software" is built for tutoring agencies, not independent teachers—with pricing to match ($40+/month).
The Bottom Line
Preply and similar platforms make sense when you're starting out and need to find students. They don't make sense once you have a stable roster and you're handing over $500+/month for a booking calendar.
The math is simple: if you teach regularly, going independent pays for itself almost immediately. The hard part is staying organized—and that's a solvable problem.
Building an independent tutoring practice? SandGlass is a CRM designed specifically for solo tutors—with multi-currency tracking, timezone-aware scheduling, and payment tracking. No commission, no percentage fees. Get started free.