If you’ve ever searched “Preply alternative,” it’s probably because something felt… off.
Maybe it was the high commission, the unpaid first lesson, or just the sense that you’re growing their platform more than your own business.
TeachX takes the opposite approach:
it treats you like an entrepreneur, not just another profile in a directory.
Below is a clean breakdown you can paste straight into Notion.
Quick Snapshot: TeachX vs Preply
•Preply: Mainly 1-on-1 online lessons
•TeachX: 1-on-1, group classes, self-paced courses, workshops, memberships, and in-person teaching
•100% of the first lesson goes to Preply (you earn $0)
•Then up to ~33% commission per lesson, slowly dropping to ~18% after hundreds of hours
•Can effectively feel like ~5% with cashback and incentives
•Preply: Online-only, single main format (1:1 lessons)
•TeachX: Online + in-person, multiple products, recurring revenue options
•Preply: A profile in their marketplace, basic scheduling + classroom
•TeachX: Website-style pages, CRM, analytics, courses, memberships, events, marketing support
Who keeps more of the money?
Almost always: TeachX tutors.
1. What You Can Actually Sell
Imagine two versions of your teaching business:
•Version A: You only sell 1-on-1 online lessons, one student at a time, forever.
•Version B: You sell private lessons, group classes, workshops, courses, and memberships — all in one place.
That’s essentially Preply vs TeachX.
Preply: One Format, All the Time
On Preply, your main product is:
1 student + 1 tutor + 1 video call = lesson
They used to experiment with group classes, but that’s gone. There are no native:
If you’re happy doing only 1-on-1 online tutoring, Preply can be okay. But your income will always be tightly tied to your hours.
TeachX: A Whole Teaching Ecosystem
On TeachX, your “store” can include:
•1-on-1 lessons (online or in-person)
•Group classes (teach 5–10+ students at once and multiply your hourly rate)
•Self-paced courses (record once, sell many times)
•Workshops & events (online webinars and in-person sessions)
•Memberships / subscriptions (recurring revenue from a loyal community)
You can design your week like this:
•1-on-1 students during weekdays
•A group class every Saturday
•A course quietly selling in the background 24/7
On Preply, most of that simply isn’t possible.
On TeachX, it’s normal.
2. Online-Only vs Online and In-Person
Another huge difference: how (and where) you’re allowed to teach.
•Lessons are expected to happen through Preply’s online classroom.
•Moving students off-platform (or arranging in-person lessons) conflicts with how the platform is set up.
You’re basically living in one mode:
“Open laptop → video call → repeat.”
TeachX is built for both online and in-person teaching:
•Offer online lessons to students worldwide
•Run in-person lessons, workshops, or classes in your city
•Still manage bookings, schedules, and payments through the same platform
If your ideal teaching life includes Zoom lessons + real-world classes, TeachX makes that blend easy.
3. Commission: Who Actually Gets Paid Here?
Let’s talk about the part everyone feels but no one loves: platform fees.
Preply: The Expensive Convenience
Here’s how it typically works on Preply:
•First lesson with every new student:
•Preply keeps 100% of that payment
•Commission starts around 33%
•Slowly drops as you teach more total hours
•Best case (after a lot of teaching) is around 18%
•Regular lesson at 33%: $13.40 to you
That’s a big chunk gone from every single lesson.
TeachX: “We Earn When You Earn — But You Keep Most of It”
TeachX keeps it straightforward:
•Flat 15% commission on transactions
•With cashback and incentives, that can effectively feel closer to ~5%
Same $20 example on TeachX:
•With cashback/loyalty perks, you can effectively keep around $19
Scale that up to $1,000 in earnings:
•On Preply (as a newer tutor): roughly $670 after commission
•On TeachX: around $850–$950, depending on perks
Over a year, that difference is not “coffee money.”
It can be thousands.
4. What Your Day-to-Day Looks Like
Money aside, what does your everyday workflow feel like on each platform?
•Set availability → students book 1-on-1 time
•Works fine for a simple private-lesson schedule
•Same 1-on-1 scheduling plus:
•Different time slots for different products
TeachX has to handle more complexity — and that’s good news if you want a business with more than one revenue stream.
•Built-in classroom (video, chat, whiteboard, etc.)
•Focused mainly on the live lesson experience
•Integrated online classroom (video, whiteboard, screen sharing)
•Certificates and resources for self-paced learning
For 1-on-1 calls, both get the job done.
TeachX just goes further because it supports more types of teaching.
5. Tools for Actually Growing a Business (Not Just Filling Slots)
Here’s the real philosophical difference:
•Preply: “We’re the marketplace; we’ll bring you students (for a price).”
•TeachX: “We’re your infrastructure; you build the business.”
On Preply, the engine is:
•Their marketplace algorithm
•Hope the algorithm blesses you
•Accept the commission in exchange for that visibility
•A public, SEO-friendly tutor page
•Individual SEO-ready pages for each course, class, event, or membership
•A zero-code website builder so your profile can look and feel like your own mini site
•Links you can share anywhere (social, email, WhatsApp, etc.)
You’re not just a listing. You’re building an actual online presence.
TeachX goes one step further:
•If you spend money to advertise your TeachX offerings
•TeachX can match your ad budget (up to a certain limit)
So your $50 in ads can behave more like $100 worth of reach.
Preply doesn’t encourage you to run ads for yourself; their whole model is built on their centralized marketplace.
Affiliate & Referral Perks
•Affiliate & referral tools
•The ability to earn commissions for bringing students or other educators to the platform
In some cases, this can offset your platform fees and bring you closer to “net-zero” fees over time.
Preply has minor referral things here and there, but nothing that meaningfully changes your commission situation long-term.
CRM, Analytics & “Real Business” Features
With TeachX, you’re not just teaching — you’re running a small operation with:
•CRM: manage leads, inquiries, and students all in one place
•Analytics: see which offerings perform best, revenue trends, conversion rates
•Parent portals: for younger learners
•Automated reminders: to cut down on no-shows
•Team features: if you ever decide to bring in more tutors and grow into a mini academy
That’s enough to function as a freelancer, but not to fully operate like a business.
This part is subtle, but huge long-term.
•You build a Preply profile under the Preply brand
•Students are essentially Preply’s customers
•If you ever leave, you can’t easily take “your” audience with you
You’re renting space in their mall. If your shop closes, all the foot traffic stays in the mall.
•Your content (courses, materials, etc.) remains yours
•Your pages look and feel more like your own site
•You can build long-term relationships with students under your own name
TeachX becomes the engine under the hood, not the face on the door.
You’re not just “a Preply tutor.”
You’re your own brand, powered by TeachX.
7. So… Which One Should You Pick?
It really depends on your goals.
When Preply Might Make Sense
Preply can be useful if you:
•Just want to test online tutoring
•Don’t want to think about marketing at all
•Sticking to 1-on-1 online lessons only
Some tutors use Preply as a stepping stone: they start there, gain confidence and reviews, then eventually move off to something where they keep more control and income.
When TeachX Is the Better Fit
TeachX is a better choice if you:
•See yourself as a business owner, not just a profile
•Want to keep 85–95% of what you earn
•Your own pages and brand
•Proper tools (CRM, analytics, marketing support)
•Room to scale beyond just “hours for money”
If your goal is to build an actual teaching business, not just fill a timetable, TeachX is the platform that matches that ambition.
Final Verdict: The Best Preply Alternative for Serious Tutors
•Preply has the bigger name right now.
•TeachX gives you the bigger upside.
•More ways to earn from the same expertise
•Flexibility to teach online and offline
•Real business tools and branding control
If you’re an ambitious tutor who wants to own your growth, not just rent space in someone else’s marketplace, TeachX is the stronger long-term home.
You can join for free, explore the features, and start building something that really belongs to you.
Because if you’re going to pour your time, energy, and creativity into teaching…
you might as well build your business, not just theirs.
