Superprof alternatives for teachers: who pays what, how packs pay out, and what to compare
This page is written by a platform that would like you to teach on it, so read it with that in mind. Every Superprof figure below comes from Superprof’s own Terms & Conditions, and the section on what we are worse at is the one to read most closely.
The short version: Superprof is free to list on and mostly charges the student, not you. It works like a directory: the student pays to reach you, and the two of you can settle the lesson price privately. A booking platform works the other way round. Which suits you depends on whether you want a directory or a place where lessons are booked and paid.
What Superprof charges tutors
Superprof’s terms (the US site, “version dated 28 September 2023”) say that publishing an ad is free for tutors. A tutor can buy the Premium subscription, $99 a year, for higher visibility. It renews automatically, and stopping the renewal needs 5 business days’ notice before the next charge.
Students and tutors can pay for lessons through Superprof or privately. Through Superprof, 10% is taken from the tutor’s hourly rate; with Premium, that commission is waived and the tutor keeps 100%.
What the student pays first
To message tutors, a student pays a Student Pass of $49 a month, which the terms say is not connected with any tutor’s rates, and which renews every 30 days until the student cancels it. Once a tutor accepts and contact details are exchanged, the pass is not refunded.
Our reading: for a student, the first month with you costs your price plus $49 paid to Superprof. That matters most for a student who only wants a few lessons.
Lesson packs: half after the first lesson
Packs are 5 or 10 hours. The student is charged in full when the pack is accepted. The tutor receives 50% once the first lesson is completed and the other 50% when all the hours are used; Ambassador tutors receive 100% after the first lesson. Every hour must be planned and completed through the platform, and if a pack is not finished, the tutor refunds the remaining hours outside the platform.
Four things to compare
1. Who pays to make contact. On Superprof the student does, every month. Elsewhere, the student pays only for lessons.
2. Where the money moves. Paying privately avoids a commission, but chasing payment, refunds and no-shows are then yours to handle.
3. When you are paid for a package. Half on the first lesson and half at the end is one model; check how any platform pays for a series and what happens if it is not finished.
4. Whether the platform has students. A free listing with nobody searching is nothing. Ask any platform, including us, what it can honestly say about students in your language.
The full table for Preply, Wyzant and KoloLingo is on the fee comparison. On other platforms too? See Preply alternatives, italki alternatives, Cambly alternatives and AmazingTalker alternatives.
What KoloLingo offers, and what we are worse at
Lessons are booked and paid on the platform before they happen; students pay no subscription to reach you. You set your own prices and lesson lengths, from 15 to 240 minutes, and packages of 2 to 50 lessons with a validity you choose. 15% commission after payment processing fees, and 5% after those fees on students you bring yourself, fixed at booking. Your tier never changes your rate, and the first lesson pays like any other. You are paid to your own Stripe account or in USDT or USDC on Polygon.
We have just launched. We cannot promise you students yet.
We are online only. If you teach in person, we are not a replacement for that.
Payouts are done by hand while the platform is new, one request at a time, so ours are not automatic.
Questions teachers ask
- How much does Superprof charge tutors?
- Its Terms & Conditions (US site, version dated 28 September 2023, read on 9 November 2026) say listing is free. If a lesson is paid through Superprof, 10% is taken from the tutor's hourly rate, unless the tutor has the Premium subscription ($99 a year), which waives it. Lessons can also be paid privately, off the platform.
- What do students pay Superprof?
- A Student Pass of $49 a month to message tutors, renewed every 30 days until cancelled. The terms say it is not connected with a tutor's rates, so the student pays it on top of your price.
- How are Superprof lesson packs paid out?
- Packs are 5 or 10 hours. The student is charged the full amount; the tutor receives 50% after the first lesson is completed and 50% when all the hours are used (Ambassador tutors get 100% after the first lesson). If a pack is not completed, the tutor must refund the remaining hours outside the platform.
- What does KoloLingo charge?
- 15% commission after payment processing fees, and 5% after those fees on students you bring yourself. Students pay no subscription to reach you, and your tier never changes your rate. We have just launched, so we cannot promise you students yet.
Every Superprof figure on this page was read in Superprof’s own terms on 9 November 2026. Found something out of date? Tell us and we will correct it where you can see the correction.