5 Varsity Tutors Alternatives
reviewed by Jo-ann Caballes
Updated on October 27, 2025
Varsity Tutors is a platform offering private one-to-one tutoring for kids who are struggling in a range of different subjects. These include math, English, sciences, languages and more. As a practicing tutor at Brighterly, I’ll cover a Varsity Tutors review from my experience and explore some Varsity Tutors alternatives.
Key points
- Varsity Tutors is a legit study resource, but many alternatives offer similar or better services on the tutoring market.
- Among the key reasons to choose among Varsity Tutors alternatives, parents frequently mention payment-related problems and tutoring quality.
- Brighterly and Preply are the only platforms with the same or higher rating than Varsity. Based on the user reports, great tutors and personalized learning are the greatest advantages of these two platforms
- To make an informed decision, choose the tutoring platform based on the particular needs and learning habits of your child.
Exploring alternatives?
What are the reasons for considering Varsity Tutors alternatives?
Varsity Tutors platform competitors are worth checking due to the ambiguity of the services Varsity delivers.
In particular, Varsity Tutors classes are remarkable on the tutoring market for several reasons:
▶️ Tutoring services that include a human+AI combination. A teacher establishes personalized contact with students, while advanced context-aware AI tools provide scalable support for classes.
▶️ Instant 24/7 academic support on demand (compared to the best platforms for finding private tutors that usually have limited hours for live support).
However, the platform gets criticized for inconsistencies in tutoring quality, malfunctioning software, and problems processing billing and cancellation software.
Is Varsity Tutors legit?
Varsity Tutors is a legit platform for students looking to improve their skills in math, English, sciences, languages, and more. It’s owned by a company called Nerdy, which is an established learning provider, offering private one-to-one tutoring for kids who are struggling in a range of different subjects. Thus, the answer to the question “Is Varsity Tutors a scam?” is a definite No.
How much are Varsity Tutors?
Varsity Tutor pricing is around $50 to $100 per hour on average. However, as many customers have noted, it can be expensive for certain subjects. Another problem with the Varsity Tutors cost is that their website isn’t upfront about prices.
Reasons to choose Varsity Tutors alternatives
Payment-related bugs
Even though the platform itself is proud of technological enhancements on its website homepage, I’ve found a lot of Varsity Tutors reviews describing irritating software problems. Many parents on Trustpilot report being charged for several Varsity Tutors pricing packages automatically.
In my opinion, this is one of the key reasons you might want to consider alternatives to Varsity (although you can find the same problems in the Varsity Tutors vs Sylvan comparison, for example, so check carefully).
Tutoring quality
A great portion of Trustpilot reviews recommend considering Varsity Tutors competitors because their tutors don’t meet customer expectations. In addition to glitchy card charges, you may get a tutor who doesn’t have real value for money.
No refunds
Some customers on Trustpilot have also claimed that it can be difficult to claim refunds from Varsity Tutors. For example, this Varsity Tutors review recommends staying away from the platform if you’re searching for decent tutoring quality and real support.
What are the Varsity Tutors alternatives for learning?
Note: We’ll cover the pros and cons of each of these Varsity Tutors competitors so you can make the right choice for your child when choosing platforms for live online tutoring and classes.
Varsity Tutors alternative #1: Brighterly
Brighterly math and reading platform offers 1:1 tutoring services that are fully aligned with US state standards and built on a foundation-first approach.
Best for: Math learning for elementary and middle school students of all levels
To deliver top quality and avoid common mistakes that Varsity Tutors and its competitors make based on the parent reviews, Brighterly invests a lot in quality tutoring, learning personalization, and value for money.
Brighterly features
Expert reading and math tutors
Brighterly has assembled a tutoring team of certified math and reading teachers who passed a competitive selection process and several background checks. In addition, the platform ensures its tutoring specialists are ready to work with kids who have special needs and unique learning styles.
This way, tutors can create an effective and engaging learning environment that works for everyone.
Personalized learning plan
Online 1-on-1 tutoring from Brighterly offers an adaptive STEM-focused curriculum that is based on the US state standards and focused on improving your kid’s school grades by deepening their subject understanding. In particular, tutoring sessions include solving real-world problems and having hands-on experiments to illustrate test questions and make them more practical.
Combined with supportive tutoring, this approach fully personalizes learning plans for your child and makes them work for their academic performance and beyond.
Free worksheets and tests
If you’re in search of extra learning materials, you can anytime discover unique learning with the vast collection of Brighterly reading worksheets and math worksheets.
These materials are divided by specific topics and grades and usually become a part of teaching plans for Brighterly tutors. Thus, you can already use them to supplement your child’s homework or boost their understanding of problem areas.
Note: To evaluate a child’s strengths and weaknesses, it is essential to complete a comprehensive free diagnostic math test and reading test.
Pros and cons of Brighterly
| Pros of Brighterly | Cons of Brighterly |
| ✅ Tutoring tailored to your kid’s needs |
➖ No in-person connections |
| ✅ Online learning offers parents flexibility | ➖ Few options for adults |
| ✅ Learning that’s fun and valuable | |
| ✅ Brighterly is more affordable than Varsity Tutors |
How much does Brighterly cost?
- Learning Membership 1-month plan: From $20.7 per lesson.
- Learning Membership 3-month plan: From $20.2 per lesson.
- Learning Membership 6-month plan: From $19.4 per lesson.
- Learning Membership 12-month plan: From $17.3 per lesson.
*The Brighterly cost varies as the cost above is considered for 3 classes/week.
Why do users choose Brighterly?
While Varsity Tutors is great for a combination of human and AI, Brighterly is one of the online tutoring platforms that delivers human-first, top-notch service consistently. Rated 4.4 on Trustpilot, the Brighterly platform offers a highly engaging and supportive environment for children that is considerate of their learning needs and homework completion.
Varsity Tutors alternative #2: Tutor.com
Tutor.com is a service that focuses heavily on improving academic achievement. Being almost the earliest online tutoring platform around, it started with 100 tutors and reached over 4,000 thoroughly vetted tutors today.
Best for: students of all ages, from kindergarten to college-age learners
The service partners with schools, universities, and workplaces to offer personalized tutoring to students and workers from low-income backgrounds. However, if your child’s school or your workplace isn’t partnered with Tutor.com, you can still benefit from private tutoring.
Compared to Varsity Tutors, the platform offers a greater number of tutors and a wider selection of subjects to study.
Who is it for?
The ideal Tutor.com customer is a kid who is already skilled and successful at school and is curious about studying multiple subjects simultaneously with tutoring help.
Tutor.com top features
- Extensive data with real-time analytics on your kid’s performance
- 250+ subjects available for studying on the platform
- No-cost option for the U.S. military and their families
The pros and cons of Tutor.com
| Pros of Tutor.com | Cons of Tutor.com |
| ✅ Extensive vetting of tutors | ➖ High turnover of staff |
| ✅ Support for low-income families and flexible options | ➖ Lack of personalization |
| ✅ Dedicated test prep | ➖ Some issues with the software |
How much does Tutor.com cost?
Tutor.com’s pricing is based on how many hours students will use in a month. For just one hour a month, the price is $39.99. For three hours a month, the cost is $114.99 a month. For five hours a month, the cost is $179.99 a month. The price per hour goes down the more hours a month you choose.
Compared to the Varsity Tutors price, the Tutor.com pricing is more affordable. However, the high turnover and platform glitches are the price are likely to pay.
User reviews about Tutor.com
Tutor.com currently has a 1.9 rating on Trustpilot. Users complain that Tutor.com does not listen to feedback, scheduled sessions don’t go ahead, and that tutors primarily use chat functions instead of live video and audio sessions. This isn’t the best way for kids to learn, and platforms like Brighterly offer direct tutoring and engagement with tutors via video calls.
Varsity Tutors alternative #3: Khan Academy
Khan Academy is a free platform that offers a wealth of resources, including video lessons, exercises and quizzes on all areas of math, including algebra and statistics.
Best for: people who are seeking an education that is free for all
Khan Academy also offers free learning for other academic subjects, including music, ancient art, and history. Learners can also improve their life skills with courses like financial literacy, internet safety, and social and emotional learning.
Unlike many of these Varsity Tutors platform competitors, Khan Academy is a free platform offering math education to everyone. However, this one of the best Varsity Tutors alternatives does not offer live tutoring.
Who is it for?
According to Khan Academy reviews, this platform is a perfect choice for people seeking a diverse range of learning options for free in the comfort of their homes.
Khan Academy top features
- Free video materials for multiple subjects
- Personalized dashboards for every learner
- Unique disciplines like Intro to CS – Python, Finance and Capital markets, and Ancient Art.
The pros and cons of Khan Academy
| Pros of Khan Academy | Cons of Khan Academy |
| ✅ Free education for all | ➖ No live lessons |
| ✅ Kids can learn at their own pace | ➖ Lack of personalization |
| ✅ Learning dashboard to track progress |
How much does Khan Academy cost?
Khan Academy is the only option on this list that is totally free. There are no costs associated with Khan Academy.
User reviews on Khan Academy
Despite being a highly informative educational source available for free, Khan Academy has only a 3.4 rating on Trustpilot. While almost half of users praise its website for great resources, the other half gets disappointed with the difficulties while passing the challenges. This way, the presence of a private tutor on platforms like Varsity Tutors, Tutor.com, and Brighterly helps to cover these problems timely.
Varsity Tutors alternative #4: Preply
Preply is a Varsity Tutors competitor that focuses mainly on language tutoring. Students can learn over 20 languages through Preply, including Spanish, Chinese and Hindi. Preply also offers math tutors, but this service is smaller than its language tutoring services.
Best for: language learners who seek an online tutoring service
With Preply, you or your teen will meet a tutor according to your needs. Then, you’ll begin lessons with them and reinforce your learning by speaking, reading, writing, and repeating your chosen language.
Preply also has specific offerings for businesses that need employees to learn new languages for corporate purposes.
Compared to Varsity online tutoring and its alternatives, the platform isn’t aimed at school kids. It instead focuses on high school, college, and adult learners. The only offering for younger kids is English lessons via private tutoring.
Who is it for?
Preply is designed for kids who have a high interest in learning multiple languages with a tutor.
Preply top features
- 90+ languages available on the platform
- Personalized learning plans for language learners
- Flexible scheduling options
The pros and cons of Preply
| Pros of Preply | Cons of Preply |
| ✅ Dedicated options for adults and businesses | ➖ Potential issues around refunds |
| ✅ Try before you buy | ➖ Some issues with canceled lessons |
| ✅ Lessons available 24/7 |
How much does Preply cost?
Preply isn’t upfront about its exact costs. For its school-age private English tutoring, parents can expect to pay anything between $15 and $50 an hour. Preply’s own website also quotes between $20 and $80 per hour for private language tutoring.
User reviews about Preply
Preply has 4.3 on Trustpilot, which is one of the highest ratings in this overview. Parents are happy with the platform’s convenience, learning flexibility, and tutoring quality. However, the fact that Preply concentrates on languages only is its weakness compared to other Varsity Tutors alternatives, which offer several learning disciplines at once.
Varsity Tutors alternative #5: Wyzant
Wyzant offers a network of tutors across a range of subjects. Operating in a similar way to an online marketplace, it’s a little different from other Varsity Tutors competitors.
Best for: parents looking for private tutors
With tutors available in over 300 subjects, parents and kids can choose from a wealth of options. You or your kid can choose the tutor you feel is the most suitable, and their prices will vary based on their experience and offering.
You can search Wyzant’s database to find local or online tutors, but in the context of Varsity Tutors vs Wyzant comparison, your kid won’t be matched to a suitable tutor.
Who is it for?
Wyzant will work for you if you’re a high schooler interested in personalized tutoring focused on test prep.
Wyzant top features
- 300+ subjects available for learning
- Rigorous tutor selection process and filtering
- Secure payment methods
The pros and cons of Wyzant
| Pros of Wyzant | Cons of Wyzant |
| ✅ Choosing your preferred tutor | ➖ Tutor trial and error |
| ✅ Flexible pricing | ➖ The best tutors may be more expensive |
| ✅ Many subjects on offer | ➖ It takes time to get to know your kid |
How much does Wyzant cost?
Regarding Wyzant pricing, you can expect to pay from $10 to $1,000 per hour for Wyzant tutors, with an average pricing around $60/hour. Prices will vary based on each tutor and often depend on their experience. Still, even the most affordable Wyzant prices can be costly compared to other Varsity Tutors alternatives.
User reviews about Wyzant
Wyzant has a rating of 1.8 on Trustpilot. Users report issues before even working with Wyzant, including a difficult website and a lack of human customer support. Some customers complained about the vetting of tutors, with many deemed unreliable, canceling or wasting time in their tutoring sessions and still charging customers.
Varsity Tutors alternatives Reddit & Trustpilot reviews
Compared to Varsity Tutors, parents report that their kids’ confidence and math abilities are greatly improved thanks to Brighterly’s tutoring. You can find several reviews on Reddit and Trustpilot that recognize the tutoring quality on the platform.
Brighterly has the highest Trustpilot rating among all Varsity Tutors alternatives I’ve mentioned here, and the efforts of certain tutors are the main reason for that.
In contrast, even though you won’t find many reviews on Trustpilot for Tutor.com, most things you see will be very negative. There are many complaints from tutors regarding payment and the selection process, and parents feel that tutors are underpaid during sessions.
In this Reddit thread, users also report software glitches, which add even more inconveniences to the learning process.
Compared to other platforms, Khan Academy reviews on Trustpilot are more balanced. It is reportedly a great study source, but may not be the best option for beginners choosing complicated subjects.
Also, the testing process can be too rigorous for some students struggling with a new subject (Trustpilot).
Preply reviews are mostly positive and report great tutoring quality and learning plan. Also, according to Trustpilot, the platform itself is pleasant to use and convenient for studying.
The only problem is that the Preply platform concentrates on languages and cannot help kids much with other subjects at school.
Regarding Wyzant reviews, there are many complaints about them on Trustpilot. Parents are unhappy with the tutoring quality, platform glitches, and fraudulent charges from their cards. Regarding the latter, reviewers complain that Wyzant applies shady tactics and cannot be fully trusted.
At the same time, it’s not fair to consider Wyzant a scam. Several parents on Trustpilot find its services helpful, mentioning excellent tutoring, a personalized approach, and overall satisfaction with studying math.
All in all, the overview of Trustpilot and Reddit comments on Varsity Tutors alternatives shows that you can trust the Brighterly and Preply services and be careful with Wyzant and Tutor.com. Khan Academy has a neutral 3.4 Trustpilot rating, so you can enjoy its free classes yet consider its limitations and possible drawbacks.
Compared to these platforms, Varsity Tutors has a slightly lower Trustpilot rating than Brighterly, yet the same Trustpilot score as Preply.
Conclusion
Varsity Tutors platform offers a decent service of linking children with expert teachers in math, English, and other fields. Although their services are decent, there are a lot of businesses that offer tutoring of a similar or even higher quality, each with its own pros and cons. So when you start with Varsity online tutoring, keep in mind that it is just one of many options for tutoring you or your child, depending on your needs.
Here, I covered the best alternatives to Varsity Tutors, which featured some of the largest online tutoring service platforms.
- Brighterly provides highly qualified and trusted math tutors to help kids with the basics and even the trickiest math concepts.
- Tutor.com is a great option for those from lower-income households if their school or business is partnered with the platform.
- Khan Academy is a fantastic option for those who may not be able to afford one-on-one tutoring right now.
- Preply is a dedicated language tutoring platform that also has math courses. It’s also the only option on this list with a specific business-focused solution.
- Wyzant offers tutors across hundreds of subjects, giving you and your kid the flexibility to choose your own tutor.
So, all in all, it’s up to you to decide if to consider any of these websites like Varsity Tutors for your child’s tutoring.
Among the best platforms for finding private tutors that feature personalized lessons, teacher support and exciting gamified learning, Brighterly is the clear choice. Try this Varsity tutors alternative yourself – book free lesson and reap benefits!
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