Last updated: June 2026. Written by Josh Hutcheson, OnlineCourseing editor. See our review methodology.
QUICK VERDICT
Bottom line: Preply is the best place to find affordable one-on-one lessons with a real human tutor in almost any language. The tutor pool is enormous, scheduling is flexible, and rates start lower than most competitors. The catches: you subscribe to a weekly package rather than buying single lessons, and your first lesson is paid (though refundable if the tutor is a poor fit). Our rating: 4.0 / 5.
- Best for: learners who want real conversation practice and correction from a live tutor, in any language
- Pricing: tutor-set rates (~$15–$30+/hour), bought as a weekly subscription package
- Skip if: you want a cheap self-study app (try Babbel) or strict pay-as-you-go with no package commitment
PREPLY AT A GLANCE
- 100,000+ tutors across 90+ languages and 120+ subjects. Source: preply.com.
- 4.8-star App Store rating, 6M+ downloads — one of the most-used tutoring apps. Source: preply.com.
- Lessons are 1-on-1 over video, with tutors filterable by price, rating, availability, and specialty.
What is Preply?
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Preply is an online tutoring marketplace. Rather than a fixed curriculum like an app, it connects you with individual tutors who teach one-on-one over video. You browse profiles, filter by language, price, availability, and accent, watch short intro videos, and book the tutor who fits. It covers 90-plus languages and a long list of other subjects, from math to music, but language learning is its core.
The pitch is simple: nothing builds speaking ability like talking to a real person who corrects you in real time. An app can teach you vocabulary and grammar; a tutor makes you use it. That is exactly the gap Preply fills, and it is why we often recommend pairing a tutor with a self-study tool rather than choosing one or the other.
How Preply works
After you tell Preply your language, goal, and budget, it surfaces matching tutors. Each profile shows the tutor’s hourly rate, student reviews, number of lessons taught, languages spoken, and a video introduction. You book a first lesson, meet over Preply’s built-in video classroom (no separate software), and the tutor tailors the sessions to you — conversation practice, exam prep, business vocabulary, whatever you need.
The experience lives or dies on the tutor, and the quality varies. The upside of a 100,000-strong pool is that you can almost always find someone excellent and affordable; the work is in filtering. Read recent reviews, watch the intro video, and do not be afraid to switch after the first lesson if the chemistry is off — the platform expects it.
Preply pricing — how it really works
Preply does not have one price — each tutor sets their own hourly rate. In US dollars, rates commonly run from around $15 an hour for widely-taught languages like Spanish up to $30 or more for rarer languages or in-demand specialists. You can filter by price, so a tight budget is workable.
| What you pay for | How it works |
|---|---|
| Tutor hourly rate | Set by each tutor; commonly ~$15–$30+/hour depending on language and demand |
| Subscription package | You commit to a set number of lessons per week (typically 1–5), billed on a recurring ~28-day cycle |
| Single lessons | Not available — Preply sells packages, not one-off lessons |
| First (trial) lesson | Paid at the tutor’s normal rate, but refundable or replaceable if the tutor is a poor fit |
The most important thing to understand — and the most common complaint — is the package commitment. Preply does not let you buy a single lesson; you subscribe to a number of lessons per week that renews automatically. That is fine if you intend to study regularly, but if you want strict pay-as-you-go, a competitor like italki is more flexible. Set a reminder before each renewal so you are never charged for lessons you will not use.
The trial lesson and “happiness guarantee”
Preply’s first lesson is sometimes called a “trial,” but be clear: it is paid at the tutor’s standard rate, not free. What protects you is the happiness guarantee — if that first lesson disappoints, Preply will either arrange a free replacement lesson with a different tutor or refund you. In practice that makes the first lesson low-risk: you are paying to test a tutor, and you get your money back or a do-over if it does not click.
Risk reversal: Not satisfied after your first lesson with a tutor? Preply’s happiness guarantee gives you a free replacement lesson with another tutor, or a refund. Use it — the platform expects students to shop around before settling in.
What we like
- The best thing for actually speaking. Live correction from a human is what self-study tools cannot give you.
- Huge, affordable tutor pool. With 100,000+ tutors you can find a strong teacher in your budget for almost any language.
- Powerful filtering. Sort by price, rating, availability, accent, and specialty to match exactly what you need.
- Flexible scheduling. Book around your calendar and time zone; no fixed class times.
- Low-risk first lesson. The happiness guarantee takes the gamble out of trying a new tutor.
What we don’t
- No single lessons. The forced weekly package puts off anyone who wants strict pay-as-you-go.
- Quality varies by tutor. The pool is uneven; you have to vet profiles and reviews carefully.
- Customer support gets mixed reviews. Billing and dispute issues can be slow to resolve.
- Auto-renewing subscription. Easy to forget and get billed for another cycle.
How to choose a good Preply tutor
Because the tutor makes or breaks the experience, spend a few minutes vetting before you book. A quick checklist:
- Filter to your goal and budget first. Narrow by price, then by specialty — conversation, exam prep, business, or beginner basics — so you only compare relevant tutors.
- Read recent reviews, not just the star rating. Look for comments from students with your goal and level; a 5-star tutor for advanced speakers may not suit a beginner.
- Watch the intro video. Thirty seconds tells you about their accent, energy, and clarity — the things a rating can’t.
- Check lessons taught and response time. An experienced tutor who replies quickly is usually a safer bet than a cheaper unknown.
- Message before you commit. Send a short note about your goals; a good tutor’s reply tells you whether they’ll tailor lessons to you.
Preply vs italki vs Babbel: which should you pick?
These three cover the main ways to learn online, and the right answer depends on how you want to study:
- Preply — best tutor pool and filtering, but locks you into a weekly package. Choose it if you want a structured tutor relationship and will study regularly.
- italki — the other big tutoring marketplace, with more pay-as-you-go flexibility (buy lessons as you go rather than a forced weekly package). Choose it if you want to control your spending lesson by lesson.
- Babbel — not a tutor service at all, but a cheap self-study app. Choose it for daily structure and grammar on a budget — ideally alongside a tutor, not instead of one.
For most serious learners, the strongest setup is an app for daily foundations plus a Preply or italki tutor once or twice a week for real practice.
RECOMMENDED — PREPLY
Affordable 1-on-1 lessons with a real tutor, in 90+ languages
Filter tutors by price and rating, book a low-risk first lesson, and switch for free if it is not the right fit.
Affiliate partnership — we may earn a commission when you book via this link, at no extra cost to you. We only recommend tools we’d send a friend to.
Who should use Preply
Use Preply if your goal is to actually speak — you want regular, structured practice with a tutor who corrects you, you value a big pool to choose from, and you will study consistently enough to justify a weekly package. For exam prep, accent work, or business language, a good Preply tutor is hard to beat for the price.
Look elsewhere if you want a cheap, do-it-yourself app (Babbel), strict pay-as-you-go with no recurring commitment (italki is friendlier here), or you are not ready to study on a regular weekly schedule.
Frequently asked questions
Is Preply worth it?
If your goal is speaking, yes. One-on-one tutoring is the fastest route to conversational ability, and Preply delivers it affordably with a huge tutor pool. The main trade-off is the weekly package commitment, so it suits regular learners best.
How much does Preply cost?
Each tutor sets their own rate. In US dollars, lessons commonly run from about $15 an hour for widely-taught languages to $30 or more for rarer ones. You pay through a weekly subscription package rather than buying single lessons.
Is the Preply trial lesson free?
No. The first lesson is paid at the tutor’s normal rate, but it is protected by Preply’s happiness guarantee: if you are not satisfied, you get a free replacement lesson with another tutor or a refund.
Can I buy a single Preply lesson?
No. Preply only sells subscription packages of one to five lessons per week, billed on a recurring cycle. If you want true pay-as-you-go, italki is the more flexible option.
Preply or italki — which is better?
Both are excellent tutoring marketplaces. Preply has a slightly more polished platform and a huge pool but forces a weekly package; italki tends to be more flexible on paying lesson by lesson. If structure helps you stay consistent, Preply; if you want to control spending session by session, italki.
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