Preply

What is Preply?

Preply is an online marketplace that connects learners with individual tutors for live, one-to-one lessons, most commonly for language learning. Instead of working through pre-recorded video courses, you book real-time sessions with a tutor over video call, and the lesson adapts to your level, your mistakes and your specific goals as you go. The platform was founded by Ukrainians and has strong roots in Ukraine, and it has grown into an international marketplace with tutors covering many languages and, to a lesser extent, other academic subjects.

Key features

• Live one-to-one lessons. Real-time video sessions with a tutor, not pre-recorded content.
• Large tutor marketplace. Browse and filter tutors by language, price, availability, specialty and native language.
• Trial lessons. Try a tutor for a single lesson before committing to a longer package.
• Flexible scheduling. Book lessons around your own availability rather than a fixed course timetable.
• Progress tracking. Review past lessons and materials shared by your tutor between sessions.
• Messaging with tutors. Ask questions or arrange details directly before and between lessons.

How to get started

1. Sign up at preply.com and choose the language or subject you want to learn.
2. Filter tutors by price, availability, native language and specialty.
3. Book a trial lesson with one or two tutors that look like a good fit.
4. Choose the tutor you learn best with and set up a regular lesson schedule.
5. Keep sessions consistent, and use messaging between lessons to review material or ask questions.

Who Preply is for

Preply suits learners who want live feedback and real conversation practice rather than working through videos alone, which matters especially for spoken language skills that are hard to build without another person to respond to. It also fits people with a specific goal and deadline, such as preparing for a work interview, an exam or a trip, where a tutor can focus lessons directly on that need. Learners on a tight budget who mainly want to absorb material at their own pace are usually better served by a self-paced course platform instead.

Tips for getting more from lessons

• Use trial lessons deliberately. Try a couple of different tutors before committing to a package, since teaching style matters more than credentials alone.
• Prepare specific goals for each lesson, rather than showing up with nothing planned; a tutor can tailor a session much better around “I need to practise a job interview” than around “let’s just talk.”
• Practise writing between lessons. A tool like the word counter helps when a tutor sets a writing exercise with a target length.
• If you’re learning or teaching Ukrainian, the Ukrainian transliteration tool is useful for converting names and text between Cyrillic and Latin script during lessons or materials.
• Keep a consistent schedule. Regular shorter lessons tend to build language skills faster than occasional long ones.

Preply vs alternatives

Coursera and Udemy both offer structured, pre-recorded courses, including language courses, at a lower cost per hour of content, but neither gives you a real person responding to your specific mistakes in real time. That live, adaptive feedback is Preply’s main advantage, and it’s the reason many learners pair a self-paced course for grammar and vocabulary with live tutoring sessions for actual conversation practice.

Is Preply worth it?

For skills that genuinely benefit from live interaction, most obviously spoken language ability, Preply offers something pre-recorded courses can’t: a tutor who hears your mistakes and adjusts on the spot. It costs more per hour than a course subscription, so it makes the most sense for learners with a specific goal or a preference for structured accountability from a real person, rather than as a cheap way to absorb general material. Trying a couple of trial lessons is a low-risk way to see whether the format and a particular tutor’s style actually work for you before booking a longer commitment.

Compare more learning platforms in the deals catalog.