Is Superprof Online Tutoring Legit? What Tutors Really Keep

Our verdict: Superprof is a legitimate place to find tutoring students and teach them from home. Think of it as a paid directory, not a gig app that pays you. Superprof makes the introduction, and you handle almost everything after that.

Yes, lessons happen online (if the tutor offers it)

Superprof doesn’t force one format. According to Superprof’s own guide to how it works, each tutor decides whether to offer online lessons, in-person lessons or both, and students can filter for online lessons when they search. Superprof also says tutors offer group tutoring.

For the video part, you have two options:

• Superprof’s own video chat. Superprof describes it as an optional “safe and secure” video tool.
• Outside tools. Superprof says tutors can teach on Zoom, Skype or Google Meet instead.

That’s handy if you already have a setup you like. It also shows that Superprof stays out of the lesson itself, and the same thing happens with the money.

How the money moves (mostly around Superprof)

This is the biggest difference from most tutoring platforms. For a wider look at which platforms deserve your time, see our guide to online tutoring jobs and their red flags.

• Listing is free. A tutor profile costs nothing. There’s an optional paid “Premium” pass for tutors, but we found no details on its price or what it includes.
• You set your rate. Superprof says it takes no commission on tutors’ pricing.
• You and the student agree on payment. There are two routes: pay privately off the platform (cash, check or bank transfer), or pay online through Superprof’s booking system.
• There’s a 10% fee on the booking route. Superprof’s payments article says tutors can take payment through Venmo, Zelle, PayPal and similar apps to avoid Superprof’s 10% fee. Superprof’s own articles disagree about who actually pays that fee, so check it in your account before you quote a price.
• Free first lessons are common. Superprof says many tutors offer the first lesson free, so students will often expect one.

Wyzant works the opposite way: all payments must go through its platform, and paying a tutor directly is banned. On Superprof, private payment is built into how the platform works. You get more control, and nobody steps in if a student doesn’t pay.

What it really pays per hour

We found no official tutor earnings figures for Superprof, so here’s a worked example. Every number below is an assumption except the tax rate. Swap in your own.

Assumptions:

• You charge $40 an hour.
• A new student books 4 one-hour online lessons, and the first one is free.
• You spend 15 minutes prepping and messaging for each lesson.
• You spend 1 extra hour answering inquiries that never turn into bookings.

The maths:

• Paid lessons: 3 × $40 = $120
• Time spent: 4 hours teaching + 1 hour of prep (4 × 15 minutes) + 1 hour of dead-end inquiries = 6 hours
• Real hourly rate: $120 ÷ 6 = $20 an hour
• Set aside 15.3% as a rough self-employment tax cushion: about $16.94 an hour, before income tax.
• If the 10% booking fee comes off your side, that’s another $12 off the $120.

So a $40 headline rate can end up in the high teens per hour once you count the free lesson, the unpaid time and tax. Students who book for months improve the numbers, because the free lesson and the inquiry time get spread over more paid hours. Trial students who never come back make them worse.

Online lessons have one real advantage: no travel. If you teach in person, add your driving time to the 6 hours and the rate drops again.

Teaching from your phone

There’s an official Superprof app for iPhone and iPad. The App Store listing shows it’s free to download, needs iOS 15.1 or later and has in-app purchases. It lists messaging, lesson booking, secure payment and video lessons.

We couldn’t confirm whether a full lesson works well through Superprof’s video tool on a phone screen. Use your phone for messages and scheduling, and teach on a laptop or tablet, especially anything that needs a whiteboard or shared documents. We also couldn’t verify the details of an Android version.

The $49 pass your students pay

You don’t pay to list, but your students pay to reach you. According to Superprof’s student guide, US students need a Student Pass at $49 a month to contact tutors.

• It covers contacting tutors, viewing profiles, messaging and lesson requests. It doesn’t cover any lesson fees.
• Superprof says the subscription starts when a tutor replies to the student’s message.
• It renews automatically every month. Students can cancel in their account settings, but they have to do it before the next billing cycle.

Why tutors should care: some students will be annoyed that they’ve paid $49 before a single lesson, and you may get the blame. On the other hand, someone who has paid to message you is probably serious, so be clear about your price from the first reply.

AppCashout doesn’t recommend apps that charge you to join or to withdraw. For tutors, Superprof passes that test, because listing is free and the Premium pass is optional. If you’re a parent looking for a tutor, though, add $49 a month on top of the hourly rate.

Complaints worth knowing

The recurring complaint is about billing, not tutors:

• Many comments under Superprof’s own payments article say people were charged after they tried to cancel the Student Pass.
• Reviews on the App Store listing say the same thing: trouble cancelling, disputed charges and at least one report of a double charge.
• Refunds are unclear. We found no refund policy on Superprof’s blog, and we couldn’t confirm the “non-refundable” claims that show up on complaint sites.

These complaints come from students, not tutors. They still matter, because unhappy students are the people you’re trying to win over.

We also couldn’t confirm what gets a tutor profile removed or how disputes are handled. Read the terms in your account before you rely on Superprof for steady income.

Your data and scam risk

When payment happens off the platform, you share more than you would on a closed system:

• Your Venmo, Zelle or PayPal details, which can show your real name.
• Your phone number or email, if lessons move to Zoom or Google Meet.
• Your credentials: Superprof says tutors must upload verifiable credentials before their profile goes live.

The classic tutoring scam is overpayment. A “parent” sends a check for more than the agreed amount, asks you to send back the difference, and the check bounces weeks later. Never refund an “overpayment.” Payment apps you already use with real people are safer than checks from strangers.

Taxes are on you

You’re self-employed here. This is general information, not tax advice, so talk to a tax professional about your own situation.

• Self-employment tax is 15.3% (Social Security plus Medicare). You file Schedule SE once your net self-employment earnings reach $400.
• We couldn’t confirm whether Superprof sends 1099s to US tutors. Payment apps only have to issue a 1099-K above $20,000 and 200 transactions, so you may never get a form. Your income is still taxable.
• Keep a simple log of each lesson, each payment and the app it came through.

Better alternatives

If you want the platform to handle payment: Wyzant. Students pay your rate plus a 9% service fee, with no monthly pass. Under Wyzant’s fee structure you keep 75%, or 100% for students you refer yourself, paid by direct deposit on the 1st and 15th. On a $40 rate, that’s $30 an hour before your unpaid time. The tradeoffs: it’s US-only, tutors must be 18+ with an SSN, and phones can’t join lessons. Our full breakdown is in Is Wyzant Tutoring Online?

If you’d rather not market yourself: Platforms like Tutor.com and Varsity Tutors are legit but keep tutor pay vague. Read our reviews of Tutor.com and Varsity Tutors before you apply.

If you already have a network: Tutor neighbors, friends’ kids or former classmates and get paid directly. There’s no pass and no fee, but there’s also no protection and no new leads.

FAQ

Is Superprof free for tutors? Yes, listing is free. There’s an optional paid Premium pass, but we found no details on what it costs or includes.

Do students pay to use Superprof? Yes. US students pay $49 a month for a Student Pass to contact tutors. It renews automatically and doesn’t cover lesson fees.

Can you teach on Superprof from your phone? There’s an iPhone and iPad app with video lessons listed, but we couldn’t confirm that full lessons work well on a phone. Teach on a laptop or tablet.

Does Superprof send a 1099? We couldn’t confirm that it does. Track and report all your tutoring income yourself.

Use it if / Skip it if