In short
The clearest difference is the first lesson. Preply charges 100% commission on every trial lesson with a new student, so the tutor teaches it and is paid nothing. TutorBoost charges 50% on a trial, so the tutor keeps 50% of it. On regular lessons Preply's commission depends on hours taught: it starts at 33%, drops to 28% after 20 hours, and reaches its lowest tier of 18% only after 400 hours. TutorBoost charges 10% on Pro from the first lesson, with no decay tied to hours taught - much cheaper than Preply's opening rate, and only marginally cheaper than the 18% a tutor reaches after 400 hours. Students on TutorBoost also pay a small per-booking fee at checkout, which does not come out of the tutor's share.
Side by side
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Where these figures come from
Every claim about Preply on this page is taken from their own published material, quoted where they state it plainly, and dated. Nothing here is inferred from a third-party blog.
Preply takes 100% of the price of every trial lesson with a new student. The tutor is paid nothing for that lesson.
“The commission for every trial lesson with a new student is 100%.”
Preply commission on regular lessons ranges from 18% to 33%, and depends on the total number of lesson hours the tutor has taught on the platform.
“depends on the total number of lesson hours a tutor has taught on the platform”
A new Preply tutor starts at 33% commission, which falls to 28% after 20 hours taught.
“The rate starts at 33% for new tutors, but after 20 hours of teaching that goes down to 28%, and so on.”
The lowest commission tier Preply offers is 18%, reached after 400 hours taught. There is no tier below it.
Preply commission by completed hours: 0-20 hours 33%, 21-50 hours 28%, 51-200 hours 25%, 201-400 hours 22%, and 400+ hours 18%.
Preply Help Center - commission table published in the article · checked
What this comparison does not tell you
- Preply publishes its commission schedule as an image inside a help-centre article rather than as text, so it does not appear in search results and cannot be copied. The tiers above were read from that image on 11 August 2026. Several widely-cited third-party write-ups of this schedule are wrong, including some that publish a 20% tier that does not exist, so check the source rather than a summary.
- Their table lists both "201 to 400 hours" at 22% and "400+ hours" at 18%, so hour 400 falls in two bands at once. We read it in their favour and treat hour 400 as 18%.
- Commission is one part of the comparison and not the whole of it. Preply is a far larger marketplace with more students searching it; a lower commission on a lesson you do not get is worth nothing. TutorBoost is early, and honest about that.
- Our own rate is not uniformly better. At Preply's 18% floor the gap is roughly a point, which is not a reason to move. And a trial costs a TutorBoost tutor 50%, more than a normal lesson here, not less. The case rests on the first lesson being paid at all and on the rate never depending on hours taught, not on being cheaper everywhere.
- A competitor may change its pricing at any time. Every figure here is dated and is re-checked against the source; if you find one out of date, it is a bug, not a tactic.
Common questions
How much commission does Preply take from tutors?
Between 18% and 33% of each lesson, depending on how many hours the tutor has taught on the platform. New tutors start at 33%. The rate falls to 28% after 20 hours taught and reaches its lowest tier, 18%, after 400 hours. Separately, trial lessons with a new student are charged at 100% commission, so the tutor receives nothing for those.
Does Preply pay tutors for trial lessons?
No. Preply states that the commission for every trial lesson with a new student is 100%. The tutor teaches the lesson and the platform keeps the full amount the student paid.
What does TutorBoost charge?
10% on Pro, or 20% on the free plan. Neither changes with hours taught and does not decay with hours taught, so a Pro tutor keeps 90%. Trial lessons are the exception and are charged at 50%, so a tutor keeps 50% of a trial. That is a higher rate than a normal lesson, not a lower one. Students pay a small booking fee at checkout, which does not come out of the tutor's share.
Is TutorBoost cheaper than Preply for tutors?
It depends where a tutor is on Preply's schedule, and the honest answer is not the same everywhere. Against Preply's opening 33%, TutorBoost's 10% on Pro is far cheaper. Against the 18% floor a tutor reaches after 400 hours taught, it is only marginally cheaper. The dramatic difference is the first lesson: Preply takes 100% of a trial and TutorBoost takes 50%, so the tutor keeps 50% of something they would otherwise be paid nothing for.
How long does it take to reach Preply's lowest commission?
400 hours of taught lessons. At 20 taught hours a month that is about 20 months, and 18% is where the schedule stops - there is no tier below it, so roughly a fifth of every lesson continues to go to the platform indefinitely.