Preply Key Features
Preply is above all focused on providing classes and educational support for people who live in remote areas. That said, the platform can work brilliantly for anyone who wants to learn more about a subject or skill.
Is Preply legit? We’d say yes. Preply’s long list of subjects and a vast community of tutors put the company in a class of its own. Check out the main features:
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Preply boasts over 47 000 registered tutors.
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They offer lessons on over 40 topics, including 27 languages. While many of the courses are about academic subjects and programming, they can also help you with hobbies like music.
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The search results on the site are incredibly accurate. Users can fill in a detailed form that includes everything from the location to the subject.
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Preply stands out far above the competition in its use of machine learning and algorithms to recommend the most suitable tutors for each user.
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The preferred platform for lessons is Skype.
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Unlike many of its competitors, the platform has tutors that can help you with conversational language as well as business terminology. We found more than one Preply language courses review that suggests this is especially useful for anyone that is learning a language to move abroad for work.
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Luckily, Preply has an easy-to-use function that allows you to schedule lessons with a tutor in your timezone when it suits you.
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Additionally, the platform has a specialized program called Preply Enterprise. This is a package that is tailored for corporate language training in businesses, teams, and organizations.
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Preply Enterprise gives users access to a dashboard that can help you keep an eye on your team’s progress.
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The organization has a manual process where they verify tutors by double-checking their identity.
Plans & Pricing
Let’s take a look at what you, as a potential student, should know.
Cost of lesson per hour | Tutors choose how much they want to charge. This price varies between $1 and $100 based on the individual’s experience, education, and so on. Our research shows that Preply tutoring usually costs around $50. |
Payment methods | Mastercard/Visa, or Paypal. |
Refund policy | You can get a 100% refund if you’re not satisfied with the lesson. |
Buying lessons | You then need to buy lessons in bulk. There are 5 hours, 10 hours, 15 hours, 20 hours plans. |
Discounts | Generally, there will be a discount on these packages, which scales as the number of hours go up. The 100% refund policy still applies. |
E-learning | It has a trial system, although most Preply customer reviews suggest that it isn’t ideal. |
If you have a student credit card or card with no interest or no annual fee you can pay with one of those, you’ll likely get some additional benefits out of it.
The pricing structure is quite different for Preply Enterprise, where the costs depend on a number of factors, including the number of students.
Preply Tutors also have more than one option to withdraw their money. They can choose PayPal, Payoneer, or Skrill. Unfortunately, the site charges a steep commission. When it comes to Preply fees, the company takes 100% of the payment for the first lesson. Thankfully, the commission charge does go down. After this, they take 33%. The rates continue to decrease the more hours you teach until it reaches 18%, according to numerous Preply tutors reviews.
Usability
As in any other of our reviews, our Preply review also has a section dedicated to usability. It is a critical aspect of any online platform, and Preply doesn’t disappoint on this count.
Their website might not be the most exciting, and the navigation system might not always be the clearest. But overall, it is quite pleasing to the eye, and generally very accessible. The design is minimalistic. What’s more, with the Preply dashboard in the Preply Enterprise plan, you can track the effectiveness of your team.
All in all, the best feature of the site is its extensive, yet easy-to-use search system.
The search parameters include the following:
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The subject the tutor teaches
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Price range per hour
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Country of origin
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The days and times they are available
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Whether they are a native speaker or not
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You can filter the tutor’s specialty. OnePreply English course review particularly praised this feature as it allows you to choose between options such as TEFL and CAE.
You can also access Preply Space on your mobile phone and tablet too. From here, you can use a host of functions such as file sharing, video calls, and messaging. If you have a kid using these services, you may want to make sure you’re not spending your money in vain.
Help & Support
Preply provides support via email but not via phone. Also, they have a comprehensive library of FAQs both for tutors and students, and at the bottom of any page, you can find a live chat. The team is available from 6 am to 11 pm on weekdays and between 8 am and 6 pm on weekends. The Preply.com customer service reviews we found praise the company for getting back to users in a matter of minutes.