Superprof vs Preply: comparing the two private-tutoring platforms

Superprof vs Preply: two models with almost nothing in common

Superprof and Preply show up in the same search even though they sell different things. Superprof is a directory of tutors across every subject, in person or online, where the student pays to get the tutor's contact details; Preply is a global marketplace for online lessons, dominated by languages, where the platform collects the money and takes a cut. This comparison is for tutors looking for students and for families looking for a tutor.

The comparison in one table

Who Superprof fits

• You teach something that happens in person. Home tutoring, guitar, swimming, cooking: Preply has no answer for these, since every lesson runs in its virtual classroom.
• You want to own the client relationship. Once contact is made, Superprof steps aside. You set the rate, the rhythm and the payment method, and you can take a bank transfer, a CESU voucher or cash without a percentage going to the platform.
• Your families are in France and care about the tax credit. Home lessons qualify for the 50 % French tax credit when the tutor or the company is registered as a personal-services provider. An online lesson bought on Preply, invoiced by a foreign company, does not. Our guide to the tax certificate covers what the family should receive.
• You prefer a fixed cost to a commission. A few euros a month at most, whatever your revenue. In exchange, the student Pass filters demand: fewer enquiries reach you, and you have to answer fast to convert the ones that do. That is the subject of our article on turning a Superprof enquiry into a regular student.

Who Preply fits

• You teach a language to adults, anywhere. Demand is global and constant: time zones fill the slots the French market leaves empty, during the day and early in the morning.
• You do not want to prospect or chase late payments. Preply brings the student, charges upfront and pays you for the hours you taught. That is exactly what the commission funds.
• You are starting with no network. A profile and open slots are enough to get bookings, where building local word of mouth takes months.
• You accept that the cost grows with volume. At €25/hour and 15 hours a week, a 33 % commission is roughly €535 a month, and it only comes down after several hundred hours taught on the platform.

Frequently asked questions

Superprof or Preply to learn a language?

Preply, in most cases. The catalogue is built for it: 50+ languages, native speakers available at almost any hour, a trial lesson and a built-in virtual classroom. Superprof is the better pick in two cases: you want a tutor who comes to your home, or you are preparing a French exam (bac, competitive entrance) where a French tutor who knows the syllabus beats a native speaker.

Superprof or Preply, which one is cheaper?

For the student, it depends on volume. Preply's hourly rates are often lower, around €10 to €25 for languages, but everything is collected through the platform in prepaid 28-day bundles. Superprof adds a Pass of roughly €39 in the first month, then nothing: for a one-off lesson Superprof costs more, for a weekly year-long arrangement it is almost always cheaper. For the tutor, Superprof is cheaper in every scenario: a few euros a month against 18 to 33 % of revenue.

Can you teach in person on Preply?

No. Preply is fully online: lessons run in its virtual classroom, and nothing in the product handles an address, travel or mileage. For in-person work you need Superprof, another local directory, or word of mouth.

Can a tutor use both Superprof and Preply?

Yes, and many do: neither one requires exclusivity. Plenty of language tutors keep Preply to fill empty slots and Superprof for regular local students, who are more profitable because there is no commission. The hard part is not signing up, it is the follow-up: two calendars, two billing logics, two places to check who has paid.

What if you manage several tutors?

Superprof and Preply are acquisition tools for a single tutor. Neither runs a team: no overview of the lessons taught by five tutors, no student assignment, no tracking of what each tutor is owed at the end of the month. As soon as you coordinate several teachers, the platform stops at the introduction and everything else falls back on a spreadsheet, as our article on managing a team of tutors shows. That is the gap Kadrella fills: the whole team's schedule, the students, the invoices and the payments in one place, whichever platform brought the student in.

Sources

• Superprof, Student Pass subscription
• Superprof, Premium subscription
• Superprof, Give private lessons
• Preply Help Center, Preply commission model
• Personal services in France, official site