Preply Review (2026): Is It Legit and Worth It?
Last verified: September 20, 2026. Prices, policies and ratings come from Preply’s help center and language pages, the US App Store listing and Trustpilot. Tutors set their own prices and Preply changes its terms, so confirm the details before you book.
Preply is an online tutoring marketplace where you book one-to-one lessons with human tutors, with more than 100,000 tutors teaching 90+ languages. It is a real, large service: Trustpilot shows 4.4 out of 5 from 25,367 reviews, and the US App Store rates the app 4.8 from about 44,000 ratings. It is worth it if you want a regular weekly tutor and are comfortable with a subscription that bills in 28-day cycles. The most common complaints are about billing rather than teaching, above all that lessons you have not scheduled expire when the subscription renews.
Quick verdict
| Preply | |
|---|---|
| Best for | A steady weekly routine with the same tutor |
| Not ideal for | An irregular schedule, or paying one lesson at a time |
| Tutors and languages | 100,000+ tutors, 90+ languages |
| How you pay | A trial lesson, then a subscription in 28-day cycles of at least four lessons |
| Typical price | Tutors set their own; averages of about $13 to $25 an hour on Preply’s language pages |
| Trustpilot | 4.4 from 25,367 reviews |
| App Store rating | 4.8 from about 44,000 ratings |
How Preply works
- Browse and choose a tutor. You sign up free and search tutors by language, then book a trial lesson. Preply’s trial lessons are 25 or 50 minutes, one per tutor.
- Subscribe to lessons with that tutor. According to Preply’s help center, a subscription is tied to one tutor and charges you every 28 days for a fixed number of lessons with them, with a minimum of four lessons per cycle. You are billed for lessons, not for access to the platform, and the cycle runs from the day of your first payment rather than on a calendar date.
- Manage the cycle. You can pause the subscription for up to 20 days once per cycle, or cancel at least one day before renewal. Lessons you have already booked are protected and will take place, but lessons you have not scheduled expire at renewal and do not carry over. You can also move your lessons to a different tutor.
Preply does not sell one-off lesson packs, which is the main structural difference from italki (see the comparison below).
Is Preply legit?
Yes, in the sense that it is an established marketplace with a documented process for vetting tutors and a large base of reviews. Based on Preply’s help center:
- Tutor applications are reviewed by Preply’s in-house Tutor Success team, who watch the tutor’s profile video and read the description before approving it, usually within about five business days.
- Identity checks are required: tutors submit a passport, government ID or residence permit to receive their earnings.
- Credentials are checked for English tutors: certificates are cross-referenced against an accepted list of qualifications that each require at least 120 hours of coursework.
- Ongoing monitoring tracks cancellation rates, student retention and ratings.
None of that guarantees a good match with every tutor, which is why the trial lesson matters. The legitimacy question people usually mean, whether you can get your money back when things go wrong, is where the complaints are.
How much does Preply cost?
Each tutor sets their own rate, so prices vary a lot. On Preply’s language pages, the average hourly rate in US dollars is about:
| Language | Lowest price shown | Average |
|---|---|---|
| Spanish | From $3 | About $17 |
| French | From $3 | About $21 |
| Italian | From $4 | About $23 |
| Japanese | From $4 | About $19 |
| Chinese | From $3 | About $13 |
| English | Not listed | About $25 (native tutors), about $23 (non-native tutors) |
Checkout adds a processing fee, and Preply does not state the amount in the help pages we reviewed. As a rough guide, one Spanish lesson a week at the $17 average is four lessons per 28-day cycle, or about $68 a cycle and roughly $880 a year, before fees. That is several times the cost of a language app, which is why many learners use tutors for speaking practice and an app for everything else.
Trial lessons and replacements
A trial lesson is your chance to test a tutor. If a completed trial lesson did not meet your expectations, for example the teaching style or communication did not feel right, Preply’s help center says you can request a free trial replacement: a 100% discount on a new trial with a different tutor. Each account can receive up to two free trial replacements in total.
Ratings and complaints
- Trustpilot: 4.4 out of 5 from 25,367 reviews, split 76% five-star, 7% four-star, 2% three-star, 2% two-star and 13% one-star. Preply replies to 88% of negative reviews there, typically within 48 hours.
- Apple App Store (US): 4.8 out of 5 from about 44,000 ratings.
Positive reviews praise tutor quality, the selection of professional tutors, the flexibility of the platform and responsive support. Negative reviews focus on billing:
- Lessons that were paid for but not scheduled disappearing when the subscription renews.
- Difficulty getting refunds, and a lack of transparency about how they work.
- Auto-renewal without a clear warning.
- Tutor cancellations and scheduling constraints.
How to avoid billing surprises
- Book your lessons for the whole cycle straight away. Unscheduled lessons expire at renewal.
- Note your renewal date. Cycles run 28 days from your first payment, so the date drifts against the calendar.
- Use the pause option if you know you will be away, up to 20 days once per cycle.
- Cancel at least a day before renewal if you want to stop.
- Check the checkout total. The processing fee is added at checkout.
Preply vs italki
| Preply | italki | |
|---|---|---|
| Model | Subscription in 28-day cycles, at least four lessons | Pay per lesson, no subscription |
| Tutors | 100,000+ | 30,000+ teachers |
| Languages | 90+ | 150+ |
| Trial | One trial lesson per tutor (25 or 50 minutes) | Up to three discounted trial lessons, usually 30 minutes, with different teachers |
| Best for | A fixed weekly slot with one tutor | A flexible schedule, or trying several teachers |
Choose Preply if a weekly commitment helps you show up. Choose italki if your schedule changes or you want to sample several teachers before committing.
Who should choose Preply
Choose Preply if you want a dedicated tutor on a regular schedule, you are learning a major language with plenty of tutors, and you are happy to manage a subscription cycle. Look elsewhere if you want to pay lesson by lesson, or if you mainly need free or low-cost practice. Compare tutors with apps and AI tools in our best language learning apps guide and in AI vs human language tutors. If you would rather join scheduled small-group classes than book one-to-one lessons, see our Lingoda review.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Preply legit?
Yes. Preply is an established tutoring marketplace with more than 100,000 tutors, 4.4 out of 5 on Trustpilot from 25,367 reviews and 4.8 on the US App Store. It verifies tutor identity and reviews applications. The main complaints are about billing and refunds, not about whether tutors exist.
Is Preply worth it?
It is worth it if you want a regular weekly tutor and will schedule every lesson in each cycle. It costs far more than a language app, with averages of about $13 to $25 an hour depending on language. If your schedule is unpredictable, italki’s pay-per-lesson model may suit you better.
How much does Preply cost?
Tutors set their own prices. Preply’s language pages show averages of about $17 an hour for Spanish, $21 for French, $23 for Italian, $19 for Japanese and $13 for Chinese, with some tutors from $3 or $4. Checkout adds a processing fee, so the total is slightly higher.
How does the Preply subscription work?
After a trial lesson you subscribe to lessons with one tutor. Every 28 days you are charged for a fixed number of lessons, with a minimum of four. Booked lessons are protected, but lessons you have not scheduled expire at renewal. You can pause for up to 20 days once per cycle or cancel a day before renewal.
Can you get a refund from Preply?
Preply’s help center describes free trial replacements: if a completed trial lesson did not meet your expectations, you can get a 100% discount on a new trial with a different tutor, up to two per account. Many Trustpilot reviewers say broader refunds are hard to get, so read the terms before you subscribe.
Are Preply tutors qualified?
Preply reviews tutor applications, verifies identity and, for English tutors, cross-checks certificates against accepted qualifications requiring at least 120 hours of coursework. Preply also has a separate Professional Tutor designation, and quality varies by tutor, so read the profile and use the trial lesson to check the fit.
What is the difference between Preply and italki?
Preply uses a subscription in 28-day cycles of at least four lessons with one tutor, while italki lets you pay per lesson with no subscription. italki lists 150+ languages and 30,000+ teachers, and Preply lists 90+ languages and 100,000+ tutors. Preply suits a fixed routine, italki a flexible one.
How long is a Preply trial lesson?
Preply’s trial lessons are 25 or 50 minutes, and you can take one trial per tutor. If a completed trial lesson did not suit you, you can request a free replacement trial with a different tutor, up to two per account.
Sources and how this was researched
This review compares information published by Preply and by third-party rating sites as of September 20, 2026. It does not claim first-hand use of the service. Figures were taken from:
- Preply Help Center: How does my Preply subscription work?, How to request a free trial lesson replacement, Register to teach on Preply, Evaluation of tutors and Identity verification guidelines
- Preply’s language pages, such as its Spanish tutors page
- Preply on Trustpilot
- italki: italki’s pricing guide