Is Preply Free? Full Cost Breakdown for Students and Tutors (2026)

If you’re wondering whether Preply is free, the short answer is: partially. Creating an account and browsing tutors costs nothing, but live lessons with tutors are paid.

In this guide, we’ll explain exactly how Preply pricing works, including trial lessons, subscriptions, tutor commissions, and free learning resources.

Is Preply Free for Students?

No, Preply is not completely free for students.

Students can:

• Create an account for free

• Browse tutor profiles

• Read reviews

• Compare lesson prices

• Access some free learning resources

However, if you want private online lessons, you must pay for them.

Tutors on Preply set their own hourly rates, which usually start around $5–$10 per hour and can exceed $40+ per hour for professional or specialized tutors.

You can browse tutors here.

Are Preply Trial Lessons Free?

No, trial lessons on Preply are usually paid.

When you book your first lesson with a tutor, you pay the tutor’s listed trial price. However, Preply offers a satisfaction guarantee:

• If you are unhappy with the first tutor

• You may be able to switch tutors and receive another trial lesson at no extra cost

Many users search online asking, “Are Preply trial lessons free?” because tutors themselves often do not get paid for those first lessons.

According to discussions on Reddit’s r/Preply, Preply takes 100% of the payment from initial trial lessons as part of its platform model.

How Does Preply Subscription Pricing Work?

After your trial lesson, Preply uses a recurring subscription system.

Students choose a plan based on how many lesson hours they want per week.

Typical subscription options include:

• 1 lesson per week

• 2 lessons per week

• 3+ lessons per week

The subscription renews automatically every 28 days.

Important details:

• Unused lesson hours may expire at the end of the billing cycle

• Payments renew automatically unless canceled

• Tutors can change their rates over time

Is Preply Free for Tutors?

Yes, joining Preply as a tutor is free.

Tutors can:

• Create profiles for free

• List teaching services

• Set their own lesson prices

However, Preply charges commissions on completed lessons.

• Trial lessons usually pay 0% to tutors

• Regular lesson commissions range from 18% to 33%

• The commission decreases as tutors teach more hours

This commission structure is one reason some teachers criticize the platform online.

Does Preply Offer Any Free Learning Resources?

Yes, Preply does provide some free educational content.

Examples include:

• Free English video courses

• Grammar lessons

• Business English guides

• Vocabulary resources

• Blog articles for language learners

These resources are free, but they do not include live tutoring sessions.

Preply Pros and Cons

Pros

• Huge selection of tutors

• Flexible scheduling

• Wide range of languages and subjects

• Affordable beginner tutors available

• Online learning from anywhere

Cons

• Lessons are not free

• Automatic subscription renewals

• Tutors lose trial lesson earnings

• Unused hours may expire

• Pricing varies significantly between tutors

Is Preply Worth It?

Preply can be worth it if you want:

• Personalized one-on-one lessons

• Flexible online tutoring

• Affordable language learning options

• Access to native-speaking tutors

However, students should carefully review:

• Tutor ratings

• Subscription terms

• Cancellation policies

• Hourly pricing

before committing to long-term lessons.

Final Verdict: Is Preply Free?

Preply is free to join but not free to use for tutoring.

If you only want free study materials, Preply offers some useful resources. But if you want live tutoring, you’ll need a paid subscription or lesson package.

Start exploring tutors here.