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Preply suits learners who want a regular tutor and personalised speaking practice. Choose by teaching fit and availability, then plan around the subscription renewal date.
A good fit for regular tutoringCompiled from 11 source pages consulted on 16 October 2026: Preply product and policy pages, customer posts on Trustpilot, and official Lingoda and Duolingo pages. We did not test it ourselves.
The four equally weighted editorial scores assess choice, personalisation, scheduling and trial matching; their mean rounds to 7.8. They express a judgement about the documented service, not measured learning gains or a statistical comparison of tutors.
What you're buying with Preply
Preply connects learners with individual online tutors. Its official product guide describes a route from choosing a tutor to taking lessons and continuing on a subscription, supported by Preply Classroom, Lesson Insights and Daily Exercises.
The appeal is the opportunity to work on your own speaking goals with a person. Treat the trial as a discussion about what you want to practise: explaining your work, holding a conversation on holiday, or preparing for a particular exam.
A useful question for a prospective tutor is how they would organise lessons around that goal. Ask for an example of a task and the feedback you would receive; a clear answer is more useful to your decision than a broad promise of fluency.
What the evidence says about Preply
The sources support different parts of the decision. Product pages explain what is offered, policy pages establish the booking rules, and individual customer posts show experiences rather than guarantees.
| Source | Finding relevant to your choice | Checked |
|---|---|---|
| Preply: How it works | Personalised tutoring with tools for practice between lessons. | 16 October 2026 |
| Preply English tutor directory | Individual prices, teaching specialities and availability help narrow the choice. | 16 October 2026 |
| Preply subscription guide | Recurring payment is attached to one tutor. | 16 October 2026 |
| Preply lesson-balance guide | Booking before renewal matters for retaining plan lessons. | 16 October 2026 |
| Preply cancellation guide | Stopping renewal and managing booked lessons are separate actions. | 16 October 2026 |
| Preply pause guide | A pause changes the next payment date rather than ending the plan. | 16 October 2026 |
| Preply trial-replacement guide | Eligible completed trials can be replaced before subscribing. | 16 October 2026 |
| Preply student-discount page | A university-email offer applies to the first subscription payment. | 16 October 2026 |
| Trustpilot customer posts | Samantha Broad praised Arabic lessons with Isra; TaraC described satisfaction with tutor choice. | 16 October 2026 |
| Lingoda English course page | A curriculum-led alternative with group or private classes. | 16 October 2026 |
| Duolingo official homepage | A self-study alternative built around short exercises. | 16 October 2026 |
On Trustpilot's Preply page, Samantha Broad's post dated 16 October 2026 describes enjoying Arabic study with her tutor. TaraC's post dated 1 October highlights a choice of tutors with different backgrounds and fees.
Those accounts support considering Preply for tutor-led practice, but they cannot predict your experience with another teacher. The page also contains posts from tutors, so its overall rating should not be read as a student-only measure of lesson quality.
Choose your tutor before your plan
The English tutor directory offers filters for price, availability and learning goals, with profiles describing teaching backgrounds. During the check, visible listings included US$25 and US$39 for a 50-minute lesson; these are examples from individual profiles, not a platform-wide tariff.
Use the same language, lesson duration and preferred time when comparing tutors. A low advertised rate is only useful if the tutor has suitable appointments and teaches what you need.
- For work: ask how the tutor would practise your actual tasks, such as explaining a project or answering interview questions.
- For an exam: ask about the particular exam and the type of feedback they provide on practice answers.
- For conversation: discuss how much correction you want and whether feedback happens during speaking or afterwards.
These are selection questions, not claims that every tutor offers each service. Bring a concrete goal to the trial and look for an equally concrete teaching proposal.
Understand the recurring lesson cost
Preply's subscription guide says plans renew every 28 days and start at four lessons per cycle. Each plan belongs to one tutor; studying with another tutor at the same time requires another subscription.
Budget using the total shown at checkout, rather than treating a tutor's lesson price as your entire payment. Compare the trial payment, initial subscription total and renewal amount separately, especially when an introductory offer is involved.
The 28-day cycle is not a calendar month, so record the actual renewal date. Preply also says a tutor's rate increase requires your acceptance; review any price-change request against your learning budget.
Set your budget in the currency displayed on your own account. The prices above are examples from the US-dollar directory view, not converted quotations for every country.
Preply's student-discount page advertises 15% off the first subscription payment for eligible university students with a valid university email address. Its instructions require signing up through the student page and buying the first lesson before subscribing; this is an introductory benefit, not a continuing reduction.
What to know before you subscribe
What works well
- Preply's directory makes individual tutor rates and specialities visible before selection.
- Its product guide describes personal goals and practice between lessons.
- The trial policy provides a route to another tutor if the completed trial is not a fit.
What to know before you buy
- The lesson-balance guide says to schedule plan lessons before renewal.
- The cancellation guide says to act at least 24 hours before the next charge.
- The trial policy says replacement eligibility ends once you subscribe with that tutor.
Preply's lesson-balance guidance distinguishes scheduled lessons from lessons still waiting to be booked. Unscheduled plan lessons expire at renewal; lessons booked before that deadline can take place afterwards.
Make booking part of your routine when the new balance arrives. Check your calendar before buying a larger plan, and do not assume unused plan lessons automatically accumulate indefinitely.
The cancellation guidance says there is no cancellation fee and that already scheduled lessons remain protected. Before cancelling, review the remaining balance and schedule any lessons you intend to take; stopping future payments is not the same as requesting a refund.
For a shorter interruption, the pause guide allows one pause per billing cycle of up to 20 days. Payment resumes automatically on the new renewal date, so use this option for a temporary scheduling change and cancellation when you want future charges to stop.
Use the trial to assess fit
The trial-replacement policy allows up to two free replacements per account when a completed trial does not meet expectations. The replacement is a new trial with a different tutor, rather than a cash balance.
This is a useful matching provision, which supports the trial-options score above. Check it before subscribing: Preply says replacement is no longer available after starting a subscription with that tutor, and tutor non-attendance follows a separate process.
After the trial, assess whether you understood the explanations, had room to speak and received a useful next step. Also confirm that the tutor can offer the recurring times you need; a successful introductory conversation is only part of a sustainable learning arrangement.
Who Preply suits best
Our assessment is that Preply is a good fit when you have a specific speaking goal and want to build an ongoing relationship with a tutor. The directory and trial process give you a way to choose for that purpose.
If your calendar changes constantly, decide how much recurring study you can realistically book before choosing a plan. If you prefer a shared class or independent exercises, compare the formats below rather than judging everything by a lesson price.
Other ways to learn a language
| Option | Published format | When to compare it |
|---|---|---|
| Lingoda | Its English page describes live small-group and private classes with a connected curriculum. | When you want a course sequence or classmates alongside teacher feedback. |
| Duolingo | Its homepage describes free learning through short, game-like exercises. | When you want independent practice in short sessions without arranging a tutor appointment. |
These are format comparisons, not claims that one produces faster results. Decide whether your immediate need is individual feedback, a class structure or a daily practice habit; that makes the shortlist more useful.
Preply questions before booking
How much does Preply cost?
The price depends on the tutor and lesson duration. Check the individual profile and the complete subscription total before paying; the directory examples above are not a universal price list.
Can I buy Preply lessons without subscribing?
You can start with a trial. For ongoing study, the subscription guide says standalone one-time lesson packs are not offered; choose a recurring plan appropriate to your schedule.
Do unused Preply lessons expire?
Unscheduled plan lessons expire at renewal, according to the lesson-balance guide. Booking them before renewal protects them even if their scheduled date is later; separately purchased extra lessons follow their own rules.
Can I cancel my Preply subscription?
Yes. The cancellation guide says to cancel at least 24 hours before the next billing date and confirms there is no cancellation fee; review remaining lessons as part of that process.
Is the Preply trial lesson free?
Do not assume the initial trial is free. Check its checkout price; the replacement policy concerns eligible trials with another tutor after an unsatisfactory completed trial.
Is Preply better than Duolingo?
They address different needs. Preply centres on live tutoring, while Duolingo's published format centres on short self-study exercises; choose according to the feedback and routine you want.
Bottom line
Preply is worth trying if regular, personal speaking practice matches your goal; confidence in that recommendation is moderate because this is published-evidence synthesis, not a lesson test. Choose the tutor carefully, book within the plan rules and check any eligible introductory offer against the price of continuing.
