The True Cost of Tutoring Platforms: What 33% Commission Really Means

The Hidden Tax on Tutors

Every major tutoring platform takes a cut of your earnings. But when you're focused on teaching, it's easy to overlook just how much that "small percentage" adds up to.

Let's do the math that platforms hope you never do.

Platform Fee Breakdown (2025)

Real Numbers: What You're Losing

Let's say you're a language tutor charging $35/hour on Preply:

Scenario: 15 hours/week teaching

• Weekly gross: $525
• Preply's cut (at 25%): $131.25
• You keep: $393.75

Over a year, that's $6,825 going to Preply.

Now let's look at a busier tutor doing 25 hours/week at $40/hour:

• Weekly gross: $1,000
• Preply's cut: $250-330
• Annual platform fees: $13,000-17,000

That's a used car. A vacation. A year of rent in many cities.

What About Trial Lessons?

Here's where it gets really painful. On Preply, your first lesson with each new student is heavily discounted, and Preply keeps 100% of the trial payment.

So when a student pays $15 for a trial lesson, you get $0. You worked for free, and Preply pocketed the cash.

If you do 4 trial lessons per month (a modest estimate for active tutors), that's another $720/year of unpaid work.

The "But They Bring Me Students" Argument

Platform defenders argue: "Yes, they take a cut, but they bring you students!"

Let's examine this:

1. You do the actual marketing - Your profile, your intro video, your reviews

2. You do the teaching - Obviously

3. You handle student retention - Your relationship skills keep them coming back

4. Platforms just provide the marketplace - And charge you 25-33% forever for it

It's like paying a realtor 25% of your rent every month forever, instead of just when they helped you find the apartment.

The Alternative: Own Your Marketing

What if you spent a fraction of those platform fees on your own marketing?

Example budget:

• $150/month on Facebook/Instagram ads
• $15/month on TutorBoost Pro (optional)

Annual cost: $1,800-1,980

Compare that to $6,000-17,000 in platform fees.

The math is clear. Even if your own marketing is half as efficient as platform matching, you still come out way ahead.

What You Could Do With the Money

Let's say you save $8,000/year by going independent. That's:

• 🎓 A professional certification course
• 💻 New teaching equipment (tablet, camera, lighting)
• ✈️ Two international vacations
• 💰 8 months of maxed-out IRA contributions
• 🏠 First/last month rent on a nicer apartment

Or just more financial security. More freedom. More options.

The Real Cost Isn't Just Money

Beyond the financial hit, platforms cost you:

• Control - They set the rules, you follow them
• Relationships - Students are "theirs," not yours
• Pricing power - Platform dynamics push rates down
• Data - You don't know how students found you
• Flexibility - Platform TOS limits what you can offer

When you go independent, you get all of this back.

Making the Switch

Going independent doesn't mean starting from zero. Here's the path:

1. Keep your platform income while building independently

2. Set up your own booking and payment (free tools exist)

3. Start running your own ads or use a service like TutorBoost

4. Gradually transition students who want to follow you

5. Phase out platform teaching as independent income grows

The transition can take 3-6 months, but the payoff is permanent.

Conclusion

Tutoring platforms served a purpose when online tutoring was new. They built trust and made matching easy.

But in 2025, with abundant free tools and affordable ad platforms, the 25-33% tax no longer makes sense.

You deserve to keep what you earn.

*Ready to stop paying the platform tax? TutorBoost helps you run professional ads and pay no commission on lessons. [Start free →](/onboarding)*