Courses and tools · 对比
italki vs Preply for Chinese lessons
Pay as you go or subscribe. A teacher-set trial or a paid platform trial. The payment model decides more than the brand.
Preply’s trial page read October 20, 2026. italki’s commission page read September 27, 2026.
The trial is where italki and Preply behave most differently. Preply’s help page says trial lessons are paid lessons, last 25 or 50 minutes, and are limited to one per tutor per student. Italki’s commission page says it charges no commission on trial lessons, so no platform commission is deducted from the trial. Neither rule tells you the price on a specific Chinese teacher’s page.
The second difference is the payment model. Preply’s help page frames the trial as the step before a subscription. Italki is pay-as-you-go: you book lessons as you go. If you want a fixed weekly schedule, the subscription model can be a feature. If you want to sample several teachers without a recurring charge, the pay-as-you-go model is the feature.
The trial rules, side by side
| Question | italki | Preply |
|---|---|---|
| Is the trial free? | No platform promise of a free student trial. The commission on a trial lesson is 0%, so no platform commission is deducted. | No. The help page says trial lessons are paid lessons. |
| Who sets the trial price? | The teacher. The commission page describes the lesson type, not a fixed student price. | The tutor. The help page describes the trial length and booking flow, not a fixed price. |
| How long is it? | Check the duration offered on the current booking page. | 25 or 50 minutes, chosen when booking. |
| How many trials per teacher? | Check trial eligibility on the current booking page. | One trial lesson per student per tutor. |
| Cancellation | Check the current platform cancellation rule and the booking terms. | Cancel or reschedule up to 12 hours before the start. |
| What comes after | Buy credits and book lessons as you go. | The help page describes starting a subscription if you continue. |
The table is deliberately thin on italki’s trial length and price. The official page we read describes the commission, not the student price. A review that fills that gap with a number from a third-party blog would be guessing. Open the teacher’s page and read the number there.
What the teacher commission explains
The italki commission table we read on 27 September 2026 lists a trial and instant lesson at 0%, a single lesson at 21%, a five-lesson package at 19%, a ten-lesson package at 17%, a fifteen-lesson package at 15%, a twenty-lesson package at 15%, and a group class at 30%. The same page says it does not charge a commission fee for trial lessons.
The Preply teacher page we read on 27 September 2026 says the commission for a trial lesson with a new student is 100%, and the commission for subsequent lessons starts at 33% and decreases to 18% as the teacher works more hours on the platform. That is a teacher-side fact. It explains why a Preply trial can feel like a paid audition: the platform keeps the trial fee, and the teacher is teaching it to earn the later relationship.
Neither commission is the student’s price. The student pays the teacher’s listed rate, plus any platform fee or currency cost that the checkout shows. Compare the checkout total, not the commission table.
Which model fits which learner
Choose italki if you want to book lessons one at a time, sample several teachers, and keep the trial price with the teacher. It suits a learner who has a specific question, wants a few conversation sessions, or is not ready for a weekly subscription.
Choose Preply if you want a recurring schedule and a platform-managed trial replacement. It suits a learner who wants the structure of a subscription and is willing to pay for a trial lesson to audition a tutor. The replacement policy is the feature to read before booking.
Choose neither if you have not decided what the teacher should correct. A live lesson is expensive feedback. Bring one sentence you cannot say, or one recording you want diagnosed. "I want to improve my Chinese" is a request a teacher can fill an hour with, but it is not a decision.
What to ask before you book
Ask whether the teacher corrects tones syllable by syllable, and whether they will send a written correction after the lesson. Ask what happens if you need to reschedule. Ask whether the lesson includes materials or homework. Ask whether the teacher has taught your level and your goal before. The answers matter more than the platform’s commission table.
For the first lesson, bring two takes of the same sentence: the correct take and the same-tone trap from the tone sentence bank. Ask the teacher which take failed and which syllable gave it away. That turns the trial into a diagnosis instead of a conversation about your goals.
Compare the actual booking
Choose a teacher using a concrete task: the sentence you need corrected, the level you are studying, and the schedule you can keep. Compare the checkout total, cancellation conditions, and next payment before confirming. Platform commission percentages describe a teacher-side charge; they do not establish lesson quality or the student's price.
If you want to compare a specific teacher, open italki or Preply and read the trial terms on the teacher’s page. The platform pages explain the rules; the teacher’s page is where the price is.
Questions before booking a teacher
Is italki or Preply better for Chinese?
Choose italki if you want pay-as-you-go lessons and a trial whose price is set by the teacher. Choose Preply if you want a subscription and a platform-managed trial replacement. Both let the teacher set the lesson price, so the brand name is less useful than the individual teacher's page.
Is the Preply trial lesson free?
No. Preply's help page says trial lessons are paid lessons. The trial is 25 or 50 minutes, each tutor offers one trial per student, and you can cancel or reschedule up to 12 hours before it starts. You do not need a subscription to book the trial; you choose a subscription only if you continue.
Is the italki trial lesson free?
Italki's commission page says it does not charge a commission on trial lessons. That is a teacher-side rule, not a promise that the student pays nothing. The trial price and duration are set by the teacher. Check the teacher's page before booking.
Why does the commission matter to a student?
It explains who receives the trial fee. On italki no platform commission is deducted from the trial, because the rate is 0%. On Preply the platform keeps 100% of the trial lesson fee, and the teacher's commission on later lessons starts at 33% and decreases to 18%. A student should still compare the actual price on the teacher's page, not the commission.
Can I switch teachers after a trial?
Preply describes a replacement-trial route when a tutor is not a fit; check its current eligibility before requesting one. For another italki teacher, inspect that teacher's trial availability and booking terms.
Sources
- italki, “How does italki charge a commission?”, read 27 September 2026.
- Preply, “How to book a trial lesson”, read 20 October 2026.
- Preply, “Become a tutor”, read 27 September 2026.
The comparison uses the cited platform booking and payment rules. Confirm the current terms and checkout total for the specific teacher before paying.
Version 1. Recheck when either platform changes its trial, cancellation, or commission rules, or every six months.