How Do Online Tutors Make Money?

Online tutors make money through marketplace lessons, hourly tutoring jobs, sales of recorded lessons or worksheets, independently booked sessions, and direct student payments. Marketplace commissions run from 15% to 33% per lesson, and Preply also keeps 100% of each new student's first trial lesson, so many tutors add direct offers they price themselves.

What are the main ways online tutors earn money?

Online tutors earn through five channels: marketplace lessons, hourly employment, one-time sales of recorded lessons or worksheets, independently booked live sessions, and direct student payments. Marketplaces supply students but set the commission, employers set the hourly rate, and direct offers let the tutor set the price. Each channel differs in approval requirements, payment timing, and fees.

For the last row, FanBell is one option among several direct-payment tools: Paid Private Questions let a student pay a tutor-set price for a private written answer and Creator Services cover defined deliverables such as essay feedback or study plans, with payouts through Stripe and a 12% platform fee charged only when a student pays (pricing).

How much do online tutors actually make?

Online tutor pay spans a wide band set mostly by who controls the rate. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics puts median tutor pay at $43,350 a year, or $20.84 an hour. Cambly publishes a fixed $10.20 an hour for adult lessons, while Wyzant, where tutors set their own price, reports an average of $35 to $60 an hour.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports median pay for tutors of $43,350 per year, or $20.84 per hour, in its May 2025 wage data (bls.gov). That national occupational figure covers tutors generally, so it is broader than online-only work and should not be treated as a guaranteed freelance rate.

Cambly's own tutor page states that tutors earn $0.17 per minute, or $10.20 per hour, teaching adults on Cambly and $0.20 per minute, or $12.00 per hour, on Cambly Kids (cambly.com) — a platform-set rate that pays only for minutes actually spent talking.

Wyzant, where tutors set their own hourly rate, states that tutors on its platform cost $35 to $60 per hour on average across subjects (wyzant.com), roughly three to six times Cambly's published per-minute rate for the same hour of teaching.

Outschool's teacher earnings and payments policy sets its take rate at 30% of the parent's class price, meaning a teacher receives 70% of what a family pays for a class (support.outschool.com).

Actual earnings depend on several factors:

• Subject and academic level
• Tutor experience and credentials
• Number of paid teaching hours
• Preparation and follow-up time
• Marketplace commissions
• Cancellations and unpaid gaps between lessons
• Whether the tutor or a platform controls the price

A tutor’s posted rate is not always the amount received. Marketplace commissions reduce lesson revenue before payout, while direct offers let tutors set the customer-facing price but may still carry disclosed platform and payment fees.

How much commission do tutoring marketplaces take?

Published tutor commissions range from 15% to 33% per lesson. Wyzant charges a flat 25%, italki charges 15% to 21% depending on package size, Preply charges 18% to 33% depending on hours taught plus 100% of each new student's trial lesson, and Outschool takes 30% of the class price.

Wyzant's tutor payment policy states that all tutors agree to a flat 25% platform fee, so a tutor keeps 75% of the submitted hourly rate, and Wyzant charges students a separate 9% service fee (support.wyzant.com).

Preply takes 100% of the first trial lesson with each new student, then charges a commission that starts at 33% for new tutors and drops to 28% after 20 hours of teaching, continuing down toward 18% as hours accumulate (help.preply.com).

italki’s published commission table charges 21% on a single one-to-one lesson, stepping down to 19% on a 5-lesson package, 17% on a 10-lesson package, and 15% on its largest 15-lesson package, and separately charges 30% on group classes (support.italki.com).

On a $50 lesson price, the published commissions above leave a tutor $37.50 on Wyzant (25%), $33.50 on Preply at the 33% new-tutor rate, $39.50 on italki (21% single lesson), $35.00 on Outschool (30%), or $44.00 on FanBell (12%) — each figure before any separate withdrawal or payment-processor charge (calculated from the platform commission rates cited above).

Payment timing differs as much as the commission does. Wyzant disburses tutor payments by direct deposit on the 1st and 15th of each month, and direct deposits are free. Outschool's teacher earnings policy states that class payments are sent 7 to 8 days after the class start date (support.outschool.com). Preply confirms most lessons automatically about 15 minutes after the scheduled end time in the Preply Classroom, or 72 hours later for lessons held outside it, before the earnings become withdrawable.

Withdrawal minimums apply on top of commission. Preply sets a minimum withdrawal of $20 plus a $1 Payoneer fee and a $3,000 maximum per withdrawal, while italki sets a $30 minimum withdrawal and charges no italki withdrawal fee other than for express withdrawals, though the payment provider may charge its own — Payoneer bank transfer, for example, costs a $1.50 flat fee.

The tradeoff is reach versus control. A marketplace may introduce a tutor to students, but it controls its commission structure and transaction rules. Tutors who already have an audience can read how to monetize your followers directly for a broader explanation of direct payment offers.

What can online tutors sell directly to students?

Tutors can sell two things directly: scheduled teaching time and asynchronous deliverables such as recorded explanations, worksheets, essay feedback, custom study plans, and answers to single questions. A direct offer works best when it states exactly what the student receives, what falls outside the scope, the price, and the turnaround, so no live call is needed to agree terms.

Examples include:

• A recorded explanation of a specific algebra problem
• A worksheet or practice-question pack
• Written feedback on an essay or problem set
• A custom study plan based on an exam date
• A private answer to a subject question
• A scheduled one-to-one video session
• A voluntary tip after a helpful lesson
• Support for teaching materials or professional certification

Selling recorded lessons and worksheets has its own published economics. Teachers Pay Teachers pays Basic Sellers 55% of each sale plus a $0.30 transaction fee per resource, and Premium Sellers 80% plus a $0.15 fee in exchange for a $59.95 annual membership (help.teacherspayteachers.com).

Udemy's instructor revenue share pays instructors 97% of revenue when a student buys through the instructor's own coupon or referral link, and 37% when Udemy drives the sale with no instructor promotion (support.udemy.com) — the clearest illustration that who brings the student determines the split.

Selling a worksheet or recording from a tutor's own storefront costs less again: Gumroad charges 10% plus $0.50 per transaction on sales made through its own site (gumroad.com), and card processing through Stripe adds 2.9% plus 30¢ per successful charge in the United States.

On FanBell, a tutor can use Paid Private Questions for a private written response, Creator Services for a defined deliverable such as essay feedback or a study plan, Tips for voluntary student support, and Project Support to fund a stated goal.

Offers and fulfillment are managed through the tutor’s page, with payouts handled through Stripe and FanBell’s 12% platform fee applying only when a student pays (how it works).

Wyzant's tutor payment policy states that tutors set their own hourly rate and may change it at any time (support.wyzant.com), and the same principle applies off-marketplace: a tutor pricing a private question, essay review, or study plan sets the customer-facing number and keeps 88% of it on FanBell's 12% fee.

For asynchronous work, how much to charge for tutoring explains pricing by subject and level. The comparison of async creator services vs. live calls can help tutors decide whether a written or recorded deliverable is more practical than a scheduled session.

Do online tutors need certification or a large following?

No universal certificate is required to tutor online, and no platform reviewed here sets a follower minimum. Each marketplace writes its own bar: some list tutors without a background check, others reserve a badge for holders of an accredited teaching certificate. Legal licensing rules, where they exist, depend on jurisdiction, subject, and student age.

Wyzant states that because its tutors are independent, it does not require them to purchase or provide a background check in order to be listed on Wyzant; Wyzant instead lets a student order a background check on a tutor for $15.99.

Preply awards its "Professional Tutor" status only to tutors holding a government-accredited or government-endorsed teaching certificate, or a degree relevant to the subject taught, verified during application, and Preply requires every applicant to be at least 18 years old.

FanBell has no follower minimum and no monthly fee, so a tutor can publish a priced offer without first building a large social audience — while remaining responsible for accurately presenting qualifications and following applicable laws, tax obligations, minor-safety requirements, and school or employer policies.

Tutors starting without an established audience can use referrals, educational content, local communities, or existing students to share their offer. Before publishing a first rate, read how to price services without undervaluing your time. FanBell for academic tutors also explains how its offer types map to one-to-one teaching.

Frequently asked questions

Is a tutoring marketplace or a direct link better for making money?

They solve different problems, and the cost gap is the deciding factor. Wyzant charges tutors a flat 25% platform fee per lesson plus a separate 9% student service fee (support.wyzant.com), and Preply takes 100% of a new student's first trial lesson before applying a commission of 18% to 33% (help.preply.com) — the price of being discovered by students a tutor did not already have.

A direct link is more suitable for students who already know the tutor and want a clearly priced question, review, study plan, or other deliverable. Tutors should not move marketplace-sourced students or transactions off a platform when doing so would violate that marketplace’s terms.

How much should a tutor charge for a private question or study plan?

The price should account for subject difficulty, academic level, preparation, communication, revisions, and the total time required—not just the time spent writing the final response. How much to charge for tutoring provides a framework for setting rates by subject and level.

Can a tutor use a marketplace and accept direct payments at the same time?

A tutor can operate separate income channels, subject to each marketplace’s terms and any school, agency, or employer policies. For example, marketplace lessons can remain on the marketplace while independently acquired students use a direct offer for a defined service. Tutors should keep records for payments, expenses, refunds, and taxes across every channel.

Is a teaching license required to accept paid questions from students?

Accepting payment through FanBell does not by itself determine whether a teaching license or other credential is legally required. Requirements can vary by country, state, subject, professional title, and student age. Tutors should also consider taxes, safeguarding and parental-consent rules for minors, academic-integrity standards, and any applicable school or employer policies.

How can online tutors get started?

Start with one specific offer that solves a recurring student problem — a private question, an essay review, a worksheet, or a custom study plan — and define the deliverable, scope, price, and turnaround before sharing the link. A single clearly priced offer is easier to explain than a general invitation to book a lesson, and it needs no marketplace approval.

FanBell gives you one free link where students pay you directly for a specific interaction — no follower minimum, no monthly fee, and a 12% platform fee only when a student actually pays. Create your free FanBell page and pick your first offer today.