Field notes · 7 Sep 2026 · 6 min read

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Preply commission explained: the 33 to 18% sliding scale.

How Preply's commission actually works in 2026: It covers how the commission starts at 33% for new tutors and steps down to 18% as you complete more teaching hours, why trial lessons with new students pay Preply 100% (board figure, checked 16 Sep 2026), and practical ways to keep more of your rate.

The 30-second summary

Preply's commission is hour-based, not dollar-based: starts at 33% and drops through the mid-20s to 18% as you teach more (roughly 50, 200, and 400 hours; check Preply's policy). Separately, every trial with a new student pays Preply 100% (checked 16 Sep 2026) — you earn $0. At $25/hr: roughly $16.75/hr in your first tier, rising to $20.50/hr at 18% — before tax.

How the 33 to 18% sliding scale actually works

The mechanism is your cumulative completed teaching hours on the platform, not dollars per student. New tutors start at 33%; each hour threshold you cross lowers the commission (the exact step points are published in Preply's tutor terms and have changed before — treat them as approximate and confirm on Preply's current policy page). Trials are separate: a trial lesson with a new student is charged to the student but pays Preply 100%, so budget for unpaid trials while you build reviews.

The maths, example by example:

Example 1: A new tutor at $25/hr, first tier (33%)

Commission: 33% of $25 = $8.25. Teacher keeps $16.75/hr. Four regular lessons = $67. This is the tier every new tutor starts in — price knowing that the first stretch clears the least.

Example 2: The same tutor after crossing into the mid tiers (e.g. 60 completed hours, ~25%)

Commission: 25% of $25 = $6.25. Teacher keeps $18.75/hr. Eight regular lessons = $150.

Example 3: A veteran at the 18% floor (400+ completed hours)

Commission: 18% of $25 = $4.50. Teacher keeps $20.50/hr. Twelve regular lessons = $246. At the floor, Preply's cut matches its published minimum — this is the lowest commission Preply publishes.

Example 4: A trial lesson (100% commission)

A new student books a $25 trial. Commission: 100%. Teacher keeps $0. Trials are Preply's customer-acquisition engine — you front the cost, and the payoff comes when the student books regular lessons.

The pattern: the more hours you bank, the smaller Preply's cut. A tutor at the 18% floor keeps nearly a quarter more per hour than a new tutor.

Why trial lessons pay Preply 100%

Preply keeps 100% of trial-lesson revenue because the trial is the customer-acquisition cost: students try a teacher before committing to a regular schedule. That's Preply's stated model — what it means for you is that early conversions are unpaid work, and your real income starts when students subscribe to regular lessons.

The trade-off for teachers: you give up the trial lesson revenue ($15–30, board figure, checked 16 Sep 2026) in exchange for the chance to convert the student to a regular schedule. The maths, in practice (at a $25/hr set rate, first tier):

The trial "loss" is real, especially in your first tier. It pays off only through conversion and retention — which is why the strategies below focus on repeat students, not one-off lessons.

5 strategies to maximize what you take home on Preply

Strategy 1: Bank teaching hours to slide down the tiers

The commission drops as your completed hours grow — 33% at the start, stepping down to an 18% floor. A $25/hr tutor keeps $16.75/hr in the first tier and $20.50/hr at the floor for identical work. Early on, volume is the lever: consistency moves you down the scale faster than rate-chasing.

Strategy 2: Build long-term students, not one-off lessons

A teacher with 5 students who take 20+ lessons each earns more per working hour than one with 50 students who take 2 lessons each — fewer unpaid trials, fewer gaps to refill, and stable recurring hours. Long-term students are also more forgiving of rate increases.

Strategy 3: Raise your rate to $30+/hr

The commission percentage applies to whatever you set, so a higher set rate flows straight to what you keep. At the 18% floor, $30/hr keeps $24.60 vs $20.50 at $25 — a 20% raise in keep-pay for a 20% raise in price. The trade-off: some students won't book at $30.

Strategy 4: Focus on the repeat customer rate

A teacher with 70% repeat customers (students who book 2+ lessons) is rewarded with higher search placement + more trial lesson invitations. How to increase repeat rate: (1) Send a follow-up message after each lesson ("Thanks for today's lesson. Here are 3 things to practise before our next one..."), (2) At the end of each lesson, propose a specific next lesson date/time, (3) After 4-5 lessons, propose a weekly recurring schedule.

Strategy 5: Use the Preply subscription feature

Preply offers a "subscription" feature where students can book weekly recurring lessons at a slight discount. The teacher's benefit: predictable recurring income, higher repeat rate, higher search placement. The maths: 10 students on subscription × 4 lessons/month × $25/hr = $1,000/month recurring.

The maths: a first-tier teacher's realistic year

For a new tutor at $25/hr set rate, first tier (33%):

The same tutor after sliding to the 18% floor (roughly a year of consistent hours):

These are scenarios on advertised rates. Trials are unpaid, bookings fluctuate, and tiers depend on Preply's current published terms.

The maths: a $40K/year teacher's take-home

For a teacher who has scaled to 30 hours/week of premium students at $30/hr set rate, at the 18% floor:

That $36,900 is booked-hours arithmetic at the 18% floor if those 30 hours exist — not typical take-home and not a waiting-list wage we measured. New-student trials still pay $0.

Stay current

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