Head-to-head comparison
OBRI vs Preply (2026) — CRM vs Language Marketplace
Preply takes 18–33% commission. OBRI is the CRM language tutors use for their own students — no per-lesson cut, homework portal, free plan.
Best for: Language tutors with their own clients who want homework, scheduling, and zero marketplace commission.
In short
OBRI is the best Preply alternative for managing your own language students — it is a CRM, not a marketplace. Use Preply for leads; use OBRI to run the business.
OBRI
Free up to 3 students. Paid from $6.99/mo. No commissions.
Preply
Free to list. Commission 18–33% on lessons paid through Preply.
Why tutors switch from Preply to OBRI
- You have repeat students and Preply commission eats into your hourly rate.
- You need homework assignments between conversational lessons.
- You want lesson notes and progress history parents can read.
- You invoice students directly in your own currency.
The bottom line
Preply is a global tutoring marketplace with strong discovery, but it charges a significant commission — especially on first lessons — and the student belongs to the platform. It is a good way to start, not a good way to keep your margin.
OBRI is for the next stage: once you have students, you move them into your own system, set your own rate, and pay no commission. Use Preply to fill empty slots, but run your established students in OBRI where the lesson history, homework, and payments are yours.
How to switch from Preply in 4 steps
- 1Pick the Preply students you are allowed to continue with independently.
- 2Open a free OBRI account and add them as students.
- 3Recreate the recurring schedule and set your full off-platform rate.
- 4Track payments and homework in OBRI, using Preply only for new-student acquisition.
Who should choose what
Choose OBRI if
Established tutors who want to keep their full rate and own the student relationship without marketplace fees.
Stick with Preply if
Tutors who rely on Preply's marketplace to consistently find new international students.
Quick answers
- Is OBRI a Preply alternative?
- OBRI is the best Preply alternative for managing your own language students — it is a CRM, not a marketplace. Use Preply for leads; use OBRI to run the business.
- Can I use Preply and OBRI together?
- Yes. Many tutors keep Preply for new students and OBRI for operations, homework, and payment tracking across their full roster.
- Does OBRI work for online English tutors?
- Yes. See /use-cases/online-english-tutors for IELTS prep, homework workflows, and parent portals.
- Is OBRI a Preply competitor?
- Not directly. Preply finds students and takes a commission; OBRI manages students you already have, commission-free. They solve different problems and many tutors use both.
- Can I keep my Preply students in OBRI?
- Where the platform terms allow it, yes — add them as OBRI students and manage scheduling, homework, and payments off-platform.
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