In this Wyzant vs. Varsity Tutors face-off, we pit two of the biggest tutoring companies against each other to see which is the best. From tutor qualifications to price, subjects, guarantees, and other features, discover which is the best tutoring platform.
Wyzant vs. Varsity Tutors Overview
| Wyzant | Varsity Tutors | |
| Company type | Tutoring marketplace | Tutoring service |
| Cost of tutoring | $10–600/hr, average $35–65/hr | $73–95/hr |
| Minimum purchase | $10 | $1,140 |
| Tutor earnings | 75% of hourly rate, average $26–48/hr | $11–15/hr |
| Tutor qualifications | Varies: background check not required but visible on tutor profiles, education varies | Varies: background check required, minimum education high school graduates |
| Tutor match | Client chooses; can filter results by cost, ratings, etc. | Tutor matched by company based on questionnaire |
| Time to start tutoring | Varies, but can be same day | Typically 2–4 days, but “instant tutoring” also available |
| Online platform | Proprietary platform | Proprietary platform |
| Subjects tutored | Over 3000 subjects | 275 subjects |
| Guarantee | “Good Fit Guarantee” — if you’re not satisfied with your first lesson with a tutor, that session is free | “Tutor Satisfaction Guarantee” — if you’re unsatisfied with the tutor you’re working with, you can contact Varsity Tutors, explain the situation and get matched with a new tutor; the next session will be free |
| Lesson cancellation | Varies, 6–36 hours notice | 24 hours notice |
Not sure what kind of tutoring is the right fit?
Schedule a free consultation with an educational consultant at PrepMaven.
Wyzant vs. Varsity Tutors: Company Type
Wyzant and Varsity Tutors are two of the biggest tutoring companies, both with thousands of tutors.
One of the most significant differences between Wyzant and Varsity Tutors is that Wyzant is a tutoring marketplace whereas Varsity Tutors is a tutoring service.
| Wyzant | Varsity Tutors | |
| Company type | Tutoring marketplace | Tutoring service |
What do these terms mean?
A tutoring marketplace is a platform where clients can view and select independent tutors — like the modern version of a bulletin board with advertisements posted.
That means that Wyzant facilitates the connection between tutors and students, but it does not directly oversee the tutoring sessions. Wyzant does not take an active role in testing tutor qualifications, pairing students with tutors, scheduling, or quality control for tutoring sessions. They set a minimum price of $10/hour but beyond that, tutors are free to set their own rates.
From the client’s perspective, one advantage of a tutoring marketplace is that all of the tutors on the platform are competing with each other to get the most requests from clients. This can motivate tutors to create the best tutoring experience in order to get good reviews and return customers.
A tutoring service is more hands-on. As a tutoring service, Varsity Tutors has more direct control over the tutoring offered on its platform. Varsity Tutors controls the price of tutoring sessions and matches tutors with students — neither the students nor the tutors have the final say in this matching process.
One advantage of a tutoring service is that in theory it creates a more uniform experience for students. The company headquarters is always available should there be any problems, be it simple tech problems connecting to the online classroom or more significant complaints about a tutor.
Winner: neither, since it really depends on client preference.
Wyzant vs. Varsity Tutors: Cost of Tutoring
Wyzant and Varsity Tutors are also quite different when it comes to the cost of tutoring.
Because tutors are able to set their own prices on Wyzant, the rates for tutoring vary immensely. The minimum rate allowed by Wyzant is $10 per hour, and although there aren’t many tutors who set their rates quite that low, there are many tutors available from $20 per hour. The majority of tutors on Wyzant set their rate between $35 and $65 per hour. Of course, some highly-rated tutors might set higher rates, especially those teaching advanced subjects or holding impressive credentials, and it’s possible to see tutors with rates as high as $600 per hour.
The advantage is the range of choice: with Wyzant, students and families can choose the right balance between price and tutor qualifications. For families with a tighter budget, this can make Wyzant a great fit, the option to access tutoring at $20 per hour simply doesn’t exist on many other tutoring services.
Another advantage of Wyzant’s model is that prices are immediately transparent to clients.
On the other hand, pricing at Varsity Tutors is more consistent. The cost of tutoring with Varsity Tutors ranges from $73 to $95 per hour, depending on which package clients purchase:
- $1,140 for 12 tutoring hours ($95/hour)
- $1,920 for 24 tutoring hours ($80/hour)
- $2,700 for 36 tutoring hours ($75/hour)
- $3,504 for 48 tutoring hours ($73/hour)
Even though some tutors teaching through Varsity Tutor’s platform might have higher credentials than others, all tutoring sessions for a given subject area are charged the same rate.
Varsity Tutors is well-known for being a little secretive about their prices. Potential clients need to schedule a call with their sales reps in order to get pricing info, which is frustrating to go through if it ends up being outside one’s budget in the end.
| Wyzant | Varsity Tutors | |
| Cost of tutoring | $10–600/hr, average $35–65/hr | $73–95/hr |
Winner: Wyzant. On average, tutoring on Wyzant is lower cost than Varsity Tutors.
Wyzant vs. Varsity Tutors: Minimum Purchase
Wyzant and Varsity Tutors have opposing approaches to minimum purchases.
On Wyzant, there is no minimum purchase. Families and students can simply pay for one session at a time, so the first payment is just the cost of the first tutoring session, which can be as low as $10.
On Varsity Tutors, clients must purchase packages of at least 12 hours at a time — so the minimum cost is $1,140 for 6 tutoring sessions (12 hours) at $95/hour.
| Wyzant | Varsity Tutors | |
| Cost of tutoring | $10–600/hr, average $35–65/hr | $73–95/hr |
| Minimum purchase | $10 | $1,140 |
Winner: Wyzant. The minimum purchase means that Wyzant is more flexible and accessible than Varsity Tutors.
Wyzant vs. Varsity Tutors: Tutor Earnings
As a student or family, why would you care about tutor earnings for Wyzant or Varsity Tutors?
Ultimately, tutoring companies that pay their tutors better are more able to attract the best teaching talent and tutors with the most impressive backgrounds.
Despite the fact that the cost of tutoring with Varsity Tutors ($73–95/hour) is significantly higher than the average cost of tutoring on Wyzant ($35–65/hour), tutors working for Varsity Tutors earn much less.
In fact, the tutors that you’re paying $95/hour to learn from are earning only $11–15/hour, depending on the subject.
On the other hand, tutors on Wyzant earn 75% of their rate. (Wyzant takes 25% as their commission for listing on the platform.) This means that tutors on average earn $26–48 per hour through Wyzant.
| Wyzant | Varsity Tutors | |
| Cost of tutoring | $10–600/hr, average $35–65/hr | $73–95/hr |
| Tutor earnings | 75% of hourly rate, average $26–48/hr | $11–15/hr |
The upshot of this for clients is that the best tutors are likely to leave Varsity Tutors eventually and migrate either to marketplace platforms like Wyzant or else more selective tutoring companies like PrepMaven [link], where they can earn a much fairer wage for their high-impact teaching.
Winner: Wyzant. Varsity Tutors pays their tutors only 15% of the lesson cost, while Wyzant allows tutors to keep 75% of the lesson cost — so Wyzant is more likely to have better teaching talent.
Wyzant vs. Varsity Tutors: Tutor Qualifications
Probably the single most important aspect in determining the outcome of tutoring is the individual tutor.
These days, there are many online tutoring platforms. If you pay attention, you’ll notice that tutor qualifications vary hugely.
On some platforms, tutors could be recent graduates of high school, while other platforms might offer tutors with Master’s or PhDs. Some tutors might have degrees from local colleges, while other tutors might have Ivy-League experience and degrees from Harvard or Princeton. And some platforms might hire tutors after a short questionnaire and let them start teaching immediately, while others might have a competitive interview process and rigorous tutor training.
In the end, it comes down to this question: who do you want teaching your student?
On Wyzant’s tutoring marketplace, tutor qualifications vary considerably but are clearly visible on the profile of each tutor. Some tutors available on Wyzant do have Ivy-League degrees, but these tend to have high rates, often hundreds of dollars per hour. Clients can also clearly see how many years of teaching experience each tutor has, and how many hours they’ve tutored on the Wyzant platform. Clients can choose the tutor that best fits their needs and price range.
There is no additional testing or certification process for subject area tutors listed on Wyzant.
With Varsity Tutors, all tutors have at least a high school diploma, and most have a college degree. A small handful of tutors might have Ivy-League degrees, but most tutors studied at local or less-competitive schools. Since clients cannot choose which tutor they work with, it’s up to luck what credentials the selected tutor will have.
Tutors with Varsity Tutors become “certified” in individual subject areas. However, this is a bit misleading, as in most cases certification requires simply passing a 10-question online quiz.
All tutors with Varsity Tutors have passed a background check. This is not mandatory for tutors on Wyzant, but it’s possible to see on each tutor’s profile whether they’re taken a background check.
Past teaching experience is not required for tutors with either Wyzant or Varsity Tutors, but on Wyzant many tutors describe relevant past experience in their bios.
| Wyzant | Varsity Tutors | |
| Tutor qualifications | Varies: background check not required but visible on tutor profiles, education varies | Varies: background check required, minimum education high school graduates |
Winner: Wyzant, as it allows clients to view and select specific tutors, even though tutor quality is very uneven.
Families who are specifically looking to work with an Ivy-League or highly-credentialed tutor might consider a more selective tutoring service like PrepMaven ($66–349/hour) or Elite Ivy Tutors ($200–300/hour), which hire only the best Ivy-League tutors with extensive teaching experience and impressive credentials.
Schedule a free consultation with an educational consultant at PrepMaven
Wyzant vs. Varsity Tutors: Tutor Match
As explained above, Wyzant is a tutoring marketplace, while Varsity Tutors is a tutoring service.
This means that the way that students are matched with tutors is completely different with Wyzant and Varsity Tutors!
With Wyzant, families and students select the individual tutor that seems like the best fit in terms of qualifications, cost, and availability. Families and students contact the desired tutor through Wyzant’s platform and can message to discuss further details about the match. If both parties agree it’s a good fit, the first lesson can be scheduled immediately.
Wyzant gives clients complete control over the matching process, but it’s also a huge responsibility and can take a lot of time to read through the tutor profiles. It’s possible to filter tutors based on price, ratings, popularity, etc. There are over 65,000 tutors listed on Wyzant’s platform, so it can feel stressful!
With Varsity Tutors, their headquarters has complete control over matching students with tutors. Families and students answer a questionnaire about the student’s learning goals, personality, and schedule. Then Varsity Tutor’s central team sends this student profile out to all tutors for that subject area. Tutors can then respond to indicate interest, and from this pool of tutors Varsity will select the best match.
| Wyzant | Varsity Tutors | |
| Tutor match | Client chooses; can filter results by cost, ratings, etc. | Tutor matched by company based on questionnaire |
Winner: neither — it depends whether you want to do the work of selecting a tutor yourself or have one chosen for you.
Wyzant vs. Varsity Tutors: Time before Tutoring Starts
In a rush to set up tutoring sessions?
Because with Wyzant tutoring sessions are arranged directly between the tutor and the client, it could be possible to set up tutoring immediately. The average response time for a tutor is listed on their profile, so be aware of this number if you want to start ASAP.
With Varsity Tutors, typically it takes a few days to go through their student questionnaire and be paired with an appropriate tutor.
However, Varsity Tutors also has an option for “instant tutoring” that can be started in as little as seconds. Of course, with this option you don’t work with a consistent tutor, so it’s less effective for learning, but can be helpful if you need a little help ASAP.
| Wyzant | Varsity Tutors | |
| Time to start tutoring | Varies, but can be same day | Typically 2–4 days, but “instant tutoring” also available |
Winner: Wyzant tends to be faster for regular tutoring, but Varsity Tutors offers “instant tutoring” — so it’s a tie.
Wyzant vs. Varsity Tutors: Online Platform
These days, we’re all accustomed to learning and meeting online via Zoom or other platforms.
Both Wyzant and Varsity Tutors do offer in-person tutoring in locations across the US, but most of the tutoring happens online. Online tutoring has many advantages: it’s convenient, more widely available, and it allows students to work with tutors throughout the country, not just whomever happens to be local.
Both Wyzant and Varsity Tutors have built their own proprietary online tutoring platforms with live whiteboards and video. They’re both quite similar and pretty good!
| Wyzant | Varsity Tutors | |
| Online platform | Proprietary platform | Proprietary platform |
Winner: tie.
Wyzant vs. Varsity Tutors: Subjects Tutored
Both Wyzant and Varsity Tutors offer an extensive list of subjects. Wyzant lists 275 subjects covered by their tutors, while Varsity Tutors breaks their list into over 3000 subjects.
| Wyzant | Varsity Tutors | |
| Subjects tutored | Over 3000 subjects | 275 subjects |
Does that mean that Varsity Tutors offers more subjects than Wyzant? We chose a few obscure subjects to test this out:
| Wyzant | Varsity Tutors | |
| Finnish language | No | Yes |
| Inorganic chemistry | Not a subject category, but many tutors | Yes |
| Aerospace engineering | Not a subject category, but many tutors | Yes |
| Chinese history | Not a subject category, but many tutors | Yes (but tutors did not look qualified) |
Based on our tests, it seems that if you are looking for a tutor in a more obscure area, which tutoring platform will depend on the particular subject.
That said, most tutoring on both platforms is focused on basic skills in reading, writing, math, and test prep (SAT, ACT, PSAT, and other important standardized tests).
Wyzant has tutors with specializations working with ADHD, autism spectrum disorder (ASD), Braille, dyslexia, hard of hearing students, and sign language. Varsity Tutors will also attempt to pair students with particular needs with the tutors who are best able to help.
Winner: tie — if you need tutoring in a more niche subject, check which platform can connect you with individual expert tutors.
Wyzant vs. Varsity Tutors: Guarantee
If you book a session with a tutor on Wyzant and aren’t satisfied, Wyzant will refund the cost of that session. Since tutoring on Wyzant is pay-as-you-go, that means you’re then free to continue with a different tutor on Wyzant or switch to a different tutoring company entirely.
If you’re not satisfied with your tutor via Varsity Tutors, they’ll pair you with a new tutor and give you a free tutoring session (up to two hours of tutoring). There’s no way to back out of the rest of your tutoring package, however — and with a minimum package of $1,140 for 12 hours of tutoring, that’s some serious commitment!
| Wyzant | Varsity Tutors | |
| Guarantee | “Good Fit Guarantee” — if you’re not satisfied with your first lesson with a tutor, that session is free | Tutor Satisfaction Guarantee — if you’re unsatisfied with the tutor you’re working with, you can contact Varsity Tutors, explain the situation and get matched with a new tutor; the next session will be free |
Winner: Wyzant — if you try a first session and you’re not satisfied, you can get all of your money back, but this isn’t possible with Varsity Tutors.
Wyzant vs. Varsity Tutors: Lesson Cancellation
Both Wyzant and Varsity Tutors have cancellation policies to make sure that tutors aren’t left hanging by students.
With Varsity Tutors there is a standard requirement for at least 24 hours’ notice in order to cancel a scheduled session. (It’s always possible to message your tutor directly and see if you can cancel or change within the 24 hours without charge, but that is at the tutor’s discretion.)
Tutors on Wyzant’s marketplace can set their own notice period for lesson cancellations; these range between 6 and 36 hours.
| Wyzant | Varsity Tutors | |
| Lesson cancellation | Varies, 6–36 hours notice | 24 hours notice |
Winner: tie.
Wyzant vs. Varsity Tutors: Overall Winner
Overall, we prefer Wyzant over Varsity Tutors.
Wyzant’s marketplace platform gives students and families the ability to choose the tutor who is the best fit for their specific needs. Wyzant has a wider range of prices, with budget-friendly tutors teaching for around $20 per hour or tutors with stronger credentials and experience charging rates from $50 to $500 per hour.
Although it might not seem important, Wyzant’s model for tutor pay is also a key differentiating factor, since Varsity Tutors’ surprisingly low pay for tutors ($11-15/hour when clients pay $73–95/hour) means that their platform can’t attract the best tutors.
While Varsity Tutors markets themselves as a “high-end” tutoring platform, we’re ultimately not convinced. Only a handful of their thousands of tutors have Ivy-League degrees or substantial teaching experience — most of their tutors don’t come from top-tier universities and don’t have relevant professional experience.
Wyzant’s tutoring marketplace does come with some downsides, however. It definitely takes more work to research different tutor bios and select the best fit. There’s no vetting process for the tutors on Wyzant, so the quality of tutoring has a certain element of luck.
If students and families are looking for a more hands-on tutoring company with carefully selected Ivy-League tutors with prior teaching experience and specific training, we recommend working with a more selective tutoring service like PrepMaven ($66–349/hour) or Elite Ivy Tutors ($200–300/hour), where all of the tutors are Ivy-League and have impressive backgrounds.
Schedule a free consultation with an educational consultant at PrepMaven
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Emily
Emily graduated summa cum laude from Princeton University and holds an MA from the University of Notre Dame. She was a National Merit Scholar and has won numerous academic prizes and fellowships. A veteran of the publishing industry, she has helped professors at Harvard, Yale, and Princeton revise their books and articles. Over the last decade, Emily has successfully mentored hundreds of students in all aspects of the college admissions process, including the SAT, ACT, and college application essay.
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