Loading…
Buyer's Guide
Every tutoring tool claims to be free. Most aren't. Some charge monthly fees after a trial. Others take 25% of your earnings. Here's an honest breakdown of what each option really costs.
Before you sign up for anything, ask these three questions:
1
“Free trial” means you'll pay monthly once it ends. “Free to join” usually means a percentage cut.
2
No monthly fee doesn't mean no cost. Check for per-session fees, percentage cuts, and payment processing markups.
3
Some tools are cheap with 5 students but expensive at 20. Look for a pricing model that scales with you.
The Real Costs
What each tool actually costs when you read the fine print.
Claims: Free
Actual Cost
$0
Hidden Costs
None. No subscription, no per-booking fee, no card required.
Best for: Independent tutors who want scheduling and nothing to pay for it
Claims: Free
Actual Cost
1% of every invoice
Hidden Costs
No per-invoice or monthly cap. 1% adds up with no ceiling.
Best for: Tutoring centers wanting CRM + WhatsApp integration
Claims: Free
Actual Cost
$0
Hidden Costs
No booking page, no reminders, no availability. You're the software.
Best for: 1-2 students you already text about every session
Claims: "Free trial"
Actual Cost
$14.95/mo after trial
Hidden Costs
Trial ends, then you're locked in at $14.95/mo even during summer break.
Best for: Solo tutors wanting simple scheduling (if you're OK paying monthly)
Claims: "Free trial"
Actual Cost
$16.49/mo + $0.32/lesson
Hidden Costs
Per-lesson fee on top of monthly fee. Costs climb with every session.
Best for: Multi-tutor businesses (if you need lesson-level tracking)
Claims: "Free to join"
Actual Cost
25% of every session + 9% student fee
Hidden Costs
Students pay 9% on top of your rate. A $60 session costs them $65.40 and you keep $45.
Best for: New tutors who need to find students (marketplace)
At a Glance
What each tool costs a tutor doing 12 sessions per month at $60/hour ($720/month in revenue).
| Tool | Monthly Cost | % of Revenue | You Keep |
|---|---|---|---|
| TutorTab | $12.00 | 1.7% | $708.00 |
| Tutorbase | $7.20 | 1.0% | $712.80 |
| Google Calendar + Venmo | $0.00 | 0% | $720.00 |
| TutorBird | $14.95 | 2.1% | $705.05 |
| Teachworks | $20.33 | 2.8% | $699.67 |
| Wyzant | $180.00 | 25% | $540.00 |
Costs shown are what the tool charges the tutor. Google Calendar on its own has no software cost, but no booking page, availability, or reminders either.
Calculator
Enter your sessions and rate to see what each tool actually costs.
Enter your numbers to compare real monthly costs. TutorTab is free for tutors — a small service fee is added to parent invoices instead.
Monthly revenue: $720
TutorTab
$0.00
free for tutors
Tutorbase
$7.20
/month
TutorBird
$14.95
/month
Teachworks
$20.33
/month
Wyzant
$180.00
/month
Not all free is created equal. Here's how to tell them apart.
No monthly fee, no setup cost, and no cut of anything. TutorTab is in this category because it never touches money — there is nothing to take a percentage of. Tutorbase is close but charges tutors 1% of every invoice, with no cap.
Free for 14-30 days, then a monthly subscription kicks in. You pay whether you use the tool or not — even during summer break when you have zero sessions. TutorBird ($14.95/mo) and Teachworks ($16.49/mo + $0.32/lesson) use this model.
No upfront cost, but the platform takes a large cut of every session. Wyzant keeps 25% of your rate and charges students an additional 9% service fee. On a $60 session, you keep $45 and the student pays $65.40. The “free” part is the signup — not the usage.
No monthly fee, no trial clock, and nothing taken from what parents pay you — TutorTab never sees it. Other tools charge tutors even in the months they have no students.
TutorTab never takes a cut from your payout. The parent price stays at zero. Grow from 5 students to 50 — you still keep every dollar of your session rate.
No trial that expires, no cut of your rate, no card on file. TutorTab never handles money, so there is nothing for it to take a percentage of — which is why the price can stay at zero rather than drifting there.
Create a Google Calendar event with a parent as a guest, and TutorTab detects it and asks if it's a session. Confirm, and it gets full invoicing and reminders — no extra steps.
Pricing
No subscription, no per-booking fee, no card required to sign up.
$0
for everything below
How you get paid
However you already do — cash, bank transfer, or whatever you and the family have agreed. TutorTab handles the schedule and leaves the money between the two of you.
No monthly fees. No setup cost. Only pay when you get paid.
FAQ
Free booking page. Free calendar sync. Free reminders. No trial, no subscription, no card required.
Get Started Free