Wyzant vs Varsity Tutors vs Brighterly: Which Math Tutoring Service is Better? (2025)
reviewed by Jo-ann Caballes
Updated on October 15, 2025
When it comes to math tutoring services in the United States, Wyzant vs Varsity Tutors vs Brighterly is the choice for many parents. As a math tutor, I’m here to help you make an informed decision. In this article, I’ll explore Varsity Tutors vs Wyzant vs Brighterly, highlighting their pros and cons and comparing each alternative platform.
Key points
- Brighterly offers the best value for money when it comes to tutoring, thanks to its affordable pricing and highly qualified, thoroughly vetted tutors and their proven track record in improving kids’ grades.
- Wyzant is a good option if you have many subjects you want your child to receive support in and if you’d prefer to choose your own tutor.
- Varsity Tutors offers tutoring to people of all levels, from children throughout school to colleges, universities, and adulthood.
Wyzant vs Varsity Tutors vs Brighterly overview
Based on Trustpilot results, Brighterly appears as the most highly rated online math tutoring platform that offers personalized lessons, skills assessments and a free trial. In a comparison between Wyzant vs Varsity Tutors vs Brighterly tutor qualifications, Brighterly’s tutors tend to be the most highly qualified. At the same time, Wyzant vs Varsity Tutors offer a wider selection of subjects.
Wyzant vs Varsity Tutors vs Brighterly: Comparison
The main difference between Wyzant vs Varsity Tutors vs Brighterly is in the qualifications and experience of tutors, the level of support offered by tutors, and the personalization of lessons.
Wyzant |
Varsity Tutors |
Brighterly |
|
| Company type | Tutoring marketplace | Private and group tutoring | School-supplemental K-12 learning platform |
| Subjects offered | Many subjects, including English, math and science | Many subjects, including languages, literature and math | Math, reading, ELA |
| Mode of learning | Online one-to-one tutoring | Online private and group tutoring | Online private tutoring |
| Free trial | Possibly, at the tutor’s discretion | ❌ | ✅ A free demo lesson is available |
| Trustpilot rating | 1.8 | 4.3 | 4.4 |
| Diagnostic test | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ |
| Student progress tracking | Possibly, at the tutor’s discretion | Possibly, at the tutor’s discretion | ✅ via regular reports |
Wyzant vs Varsity Tutors vs Brighterly cost: Comparing options
| Pricing | Free offerings | |
Wyzant pricing |
From $10 to $1,000 per hour (average pricing around $60/hour) | No upfront free offerings |
Varsity Tutors cost |
From $50 to $100 per hour on average | Free tests, problems, and flashcards |
Brighterly cost |
From $17.3 per lesson | Demo lesson, diagnostic tests, reading and math worksheets |
On a closer look at which is better, Varsity Tutors or Wyzant or Brighterly, it’s evident that Brighterly is the most affordable platform among them. In addition to a lower price for a lesson, it offers a wide range of free resources. In contrast, Wyzant and Varsity Tutors’ average prices are 2-3 times higher, and the set of free features is either more limited (Varsity Tutors) or absent (Wyzant). Thus, it’s relevant to conclude that the cost composition makes Brighterly services of the highest value for money.
What is Brighterly school-supplemental K-12 learning platform?
The mission of Brighterly math and reading platform is to offer personalized 1:1 tutoring sessions as a school supplement for K-12 students. Being based on a foundation-first approach, it helps kids catch up and excel at math and reading based on the STEM-based adaptive curriculum.
Tutors tailor lessons to kids’ exact needs by first carrying out a diagnostic math test, which identifies their strengths and weaknesses. From this, they create a completely tailored curriculum that addresses their areas for improvement.
Brighterly uses a unique gamified model of learning to keep students engaged and continually learning. Kids can often perceive math and reading as boring, but they certainly don’t with Brighterly reading and math tutors!
How the Brighterly math and reading tutoring platform is different to Wyzant and Varsity?
Brighterly reading and math program differs from Wyzant and Varsity Tutors mainly in the quality of its tutors and in the level of personalization its education offers. Both Wyzant and Varsity Tutors operate more like tutor marketplaces than education providers. This means Brighterly differs from Varsity Tutors vs Wyzant in the level of its education personalization.
As well as high-quality tutoring that delivers measurable results, Brighterly offers a range of resources free of charge, including reading worksheets and math worksheets, practice test problems, and a knowledge base filled with informative articles on any math subject matter you could imagine, from the bottom up.
What does the Brighterly math and reading tutoring platform offer?
Thoroughly vetted tutors with top experience
To ensure all math and reading tutors have the right experience and qualifications to teach your kids, Brighterly’s application vetting process is rigorous and thorough. As well as verifying tutors’ background and qualifications, Brighterly conducts demo lessons where certified tutors will be faced with especially challenging situations to ensure they can handle difficult learners or those who are particularly struggling with math.
According to Brighterly reviews, Brighterly’s tutors receive continued excellent feedback from both students and parents. Wyzant and Varsity Tutors don’t undergo such thorough vetting, so their qualifications and experience may not be as relevant.
A fully personalized curriculum
The Brighterly reading and math program covers all the learning kids in elementary, middle, and high school need to know. Being STEM-based and fully aligned with US state standards, each curriculum in Brighterly’s grade-based online tutoring programs addresses the math and reading concepts kids learn at school yet adapts them to their learning needs, styles, and interests.
Note: To understand where kids need the most support, they can take Brighterly’s free diagnostic math test you can actually try for yourself for free!
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.
Being one of the most affordable math and reading tutoring services, Brighterly offers parents different subscription-based package options. The Brighterly cost varies as the cost above is considered for 3 classes/week.
What is Wyzant?
Wyzant operates as an online marketplace with a huge network of over 65,000 tutors offering their services in more than 300 subjects. You’ll need to select the most suitable tutor, rather than being matched with the most relevant tutor for your child.
Best for: curious students interested in a wide choice of subjects and tutors

If you’re wondering, “Is Wyzant legit?”, the answer is a definite yes. However, such a big database of tutors may make it hard to find a perfect tutor for you.
How does Wyzant work? Main features
- Online tutor marketplace
- Choose tutors based on experience and pricing
- View individual tutors’ ratings
Wyzant pros and cons according to user’s reviews
If you’re wondering, “Is Wyzant good?”, one of the best ways to find out is via Wyzant vs Varsity Tutors reviews from real customers. Wyzant reviews focus on a few key benefits and disadvantages:
Wyzant benefits |
Disadvantages of Wyzant |
| ✅ Over 300 subjects on offer for comprehensive learning | ❌ No automatic tutor matching, so it may take time to find the right fit |
| ✅ Ability to choose your own tutor based on your and your kid’s preferences | ❌ More experienced tutors are more expensive |
| ✅ Different pricing based on the tutor, offering affordable options | ❌ Tutors need to take time to get to know your kid, so learning could start slowly |
How much does Wyzant math lessons cost?
The Wyzant prices generally start from around $10, but averages around $60/hour and could get even expensive the more experience and qualifications your tutor has. Because Wyzant pricing is based on the tutor’s personal rates, which factor in their experience and qualifications, Wyzant tutoring cost for math lessons varies.
What is Varsity Tutors?
Varsity Tutors is the platform that offers multiple subjects for private and group tutoring, including sciences, math, foreign languages, and English. This way, they are suitable for kids of any age who need support in multiple areas.
Best for: education on different subjects for kids up to university level.

The Varsity Tutors program offers homework help outside of lessons and free resources that support children’s learning. The requirements that the platform imposes for tutors include an online way to apply, a video interview, and creating a specialist profile. Even though Varsity Tutors requirements include several stages, the process isn’t as rigorous as in some other alternatives like Brighterly.
Varsity Tutors how does it work? Main features
- Personalized learning plans based on students’ needs
- Many different subject areas for comprehensive learning
- Support outside of one-to-one lessons
Varsity Tutors reviews from parents: Pros and cons
There are a lot of Varsity Tutors reviews from parents that can give you insight into the values of the platform. Here are some Varsity Tutors pros and cons reviews that users continually highlight.
Varsity Tutors benefits |
Disadvantages of Varsity Tutors |
| ✅ Multiple Varsity Tutors subjects available for students who need support in more than just math | ❌ Varsity Tutors rates are expensive compared to other tutoring services |
| ✅ Group classes for social students, with class sizes capped at 9 | ❌ Popular tutors get booked very quickly, limiting their availability |
| ✅ All-in-one app tracks progress and offers all services in one place | ❌ Not ideal for long-term tutoring due to mixed availability of tutors |
How much does Varsity Tutors cost?
Varsity Tutors cost is considered one of the more expensive tutoring options for kids. For 4-hourly sessions a month, Varsity Tutors prices are around $329 a month. Meanwhile, prices for 8 hours a month amount to around $579 per month. Varsity Tutoring prices can vary based on the age and level of your child (or yourself, if you’re a college-age or adult learner) and the chosen subjects. The Varsity Tutors cost is higher than many of its alternatives.
Wyzant vs Varsity Tutors vs Brighterly Reddit & Trustpilot reviews
Brighterly reviews
In their majority, Brighterly reviews on Trustpilot focus on the quality, dedication, and passion of its tutors. Parents seem to love the tutoring quality and personalized approach the platform delivers.
Time and time again, individual tutors are highlighted for their excellent work in improving math grades and supporting children who are struggling with difficult concepts. No wonder the platform has a 4.4/5 overall score on the Trustpilot platform!
❗Here is just one Brighterly reading and math tutoring platform review of numerous positive feedback examples you can find on Trustpilot.

To me, the positive feedback is especially convincing once it comes from parents whose kids have unique learning styles. In this regard, as a tutoring service specializing in education for everyone, including children with special needs, Brighterly receives praise on Trustpilot for the way its tutors offer support to neurodivergent children. This can be rarely found among Wyzant and Varsity Tutors alternatives.

Last but not least, the Brighterly approach is reportedly effective in the classroom. Many parents highlight how much their kids’ grades have improved in their Brighterly math and reading tutoring platform review. Also, some Trustpilot reviewers notice that kids start genuinely admiring and revealing more interest in the subjects that they practice with 1:1 Brighterly tutors!

Wyzant tutoring reviews
In contrast to Brighterly, you won’t see many positive Wyzant reviews on Trustpilot, as it has only a 1.8/5 score. However, there is no reason to doubt is Wyzant tutoring legit: it may have problems, but it’s not a scam.
Key Wyzant complaints refer to the quality of the tutors on the platform and payment issues caused by strange glitches, seemingly shady practices or problems with third-party services. Frequently, negative parent reviews on Trustpilot mention that money-related problems are connected with tutoring performance/no-shows, cancellation policy, or automatic recharges.

Although not frequent, positive Wyzant tutors reviews on Trustpilot highlight the platform as a good option for those older than grade 12. They praise tutors for their attitudes and commitment to student learning, as well as the tutor profiles and how they make it easy to choose a tutor.

Overall, parents on Trustpilot report that there are multiple areas for improvement for Wyzant in terms of the tutoring selection process, platform glitches, and overall tutoring performance.

Reviews of Varsity Tutors
In recent years, the number of positive Varsity Tutors reviews from parents has significantly increased on Trustpilot. Previously, reviews on this platform were mixed, but now more and more customers acknowledge the personalized service offered by the company.
Positive Trustpilot reviews on Varsity Tutors mostly mention good tutors and the overall effectiveness of the sessions. For example, this Trustpilot Varsity Tutors pros review reports academic progress made by both children, thanks to the tutoring sessions.

However, you can at times meet negative reviews on Varsity that are marked as positive on Trustpilot. Keep it in mind while making your decision on either Brighterly or Varsity Tutors as Wyzant alternatives.

Note: After publishing, the parent left a review update stating that Varsity Tutors helped to resolve the issue with money but the tutoring quality still remains a problem.
On Reddit, the platform glitches, especially after the introduction of AI features, is frequently annoying users. The system may act strangely, throwing students around different classrooms and crashing whiteboards.

And unfortunately, given that most support functions are now taken by AI on Varsity Tutors, you won’t find much assistance on such issues. This is another frequent Reddit complaint about them.

Conclusion: Wyzant vs Varsity Tutors vs Brighterly – which math tutoring program is best for your child?
Here, I’ve highlighted the Wyzant vs Varsity Tutors vs Brighterly benefits so you can make an informed decision. Each of these tutoring platforms offers unique benefits and has distinct pros and cons. Below, we’ve covered which platform is right away for you based on your and your child’s specific needs.
- If you care about learning at any age, including college-level and adulthood, then try Varsity Tutors.
- If you have more than one subject your child needs tutoring in, then try Wyzant.
- If you want highly qualified tutors who deliver tangible improvements in your kid’s grades, the best choice is the Brighterly math tutoring platform.
Overall, I recommend starting from Brighterly. First, they have many more free options to test the waters. Secondly, their prices are more affordable compared to Wyzant vs Varsity Tutors. And finally, based on Trustpilot reviews, you’ll have higher chances to meet a decent tutor who will help your kid fall in love with math and reading.
So, don’t hesitate to book free lesson!
It’s easy to start and have a tremendous impact on your child’s academic future.
Comparing other platforms
Choosing the right academic tutoring platform for your child is an important decision that you want to get right the first time. That’s why here are many more tutoring platforms beyond Wyzant vs Varsity Tutors vs Brighterly. Check out some of other comparison articles below:


