Best alternatives to First Tutors in the UK (2026)

First Tutors was a directory: you browsed tutors and contacted them, and the platform generally stayed out of the lesson itself. The seven platforms below split into two groups — those that introduce you to a tutor and then step back, and those that manage the lessons, payment and classroom on your behalf.

There is no single winner. The cheapest option for one lesson is rarely the cheapest across a term, and the right choice usually comes down to how much platform involvement you want.

When a platform returns a list of tutors, something decides the order. Some platforms rank on engagement — response speed, reviews and lessons taught — while others let tutors pay for higher placement. It is worth knowing which is which before you treat a top result as the best match.

• Tutorful

  Tutorful's terms describe ranking on profile data, student ratings and number of lessons taught. We did not find a paid-placement product on the pages reviewed.

• MyTutor

  MyTutor does not publish its ranking formula on the pages reviewed.

• Tutor Hunt

  Tutor Hunt's ranking method is not publicly documented on the pages reviewed.

• Superprof

  Superprof offers premium placement, so some tutors near the top may have paid for higher visibility.

• TutorDex

  TutorDex offers an optional Premium subscription that includes enhanced search ranking, and imported First Tutors reviews feed the search algorithm.

On TutorDex specifically, tutors can buy a Premium subscription that includes enhanced search ranking, and imported First Tutors reviews also feed the search algorithm. We state that here because it is true and because it affects what you see.

1. Work out the cost over a term, not a lesson. A per-lesson commission on a £30/hour tutor adds up quickly across twenty lessons, while a one-off introduction fee does not. The two models look closer per lesson than they are in aggregate.

2. Check what happens if it does not work out. Refund and guarantee rules belong in the terms of service, not only in help articles, because help articles change. Look up the actual clause for the platform you are considering.

3. Decide whether you want the platform to handle lessons. A lesson-handling platform (Tutorful, MyTutor) takes responsibility for the classroom, payment and disputes, and charges for that. A directory (Tutor Hunt, Superprof, TutorDex) introduces you to the tutor and leaves the rest to you and the tutor. Neither is universally better.

Model: managed marketplace. Lessons run in Tutorful's own Online Classroom, online lessons are recorded, and messages stay on-platform.

Pricing: online tuition from £20/hour. Tutorful says using it is free for tutors and that it does not take commission from tutor earnings; instead a student-paid service fee is added on top of the tutor's rate, and the percentage is not published. Payment is taken 24 hours after the lesson.

Checks: all tutors must hold an enhanced background check awarded within the last three years, plus two written references. There is a 100% satisfaction guarantee, capped at £100 with deadlines.

Watch out for: Tutorful's sign-up page currently states it is no longer accepting new tutors, so the pool is closed to new entrants for now.

Tutorful is the better fit if you want one platform to handle the classroom, payment and disputes, and you value recorded lessons.

Tutorful vs TutorDex, in full →

Model: managed marketplace, best known for GCSE and A-level academic subjects. You pay the platform, and it pays the tutor minus its fee. Lessons are recorded.

Pricing: tuition from £26/hour, pay-as-you-go, with no sign-up fees or subscriptions. MyTutor's terms cap the Platform Fee at a maximum of 49% of the amount paid; the per-transaction fee is £0.50 or 1.75% up to £2.50. The tutor pool is university-led: tutors must have studied at, or recently graduated from, partner universities.

Checks: MyTutor says it interviews every tutor, accepts about 1 in 8 applicants, and requires an enhanced DBS including Children's Barred List information renewed every three years.

MyTutor is the better fit if your child is preparing for a specific academic exam, you want recorded lessons, and you like the university-tutor model.

MyTutor vs TutorDex, in full →

Model: directory, operating since 2005. You browse profiles, contact tutors for free, and arrange lessons and payment directly. Online lessons use its interactive whiteboard.

Pricing: no introduction fee. Tutor Hunt's fee is embedded in each lesson payment, and the displayed tutor rate already includes it; the percentage is not publicly stated. Payment is taken 24 hours after the lesson.

Checks: all tutors must hold an Enhanced DBS including the children's barred list check, reviewed periodically; Tutor Hunt states it only accepts English and Scottish Enhanced DBS certificates, and there is a named Designated Safeguarding Officer.

Tutor Hunt is the better fit if you want a large directory with postcode search and in-person options, and you are comfortable making contact and arranging lessons yourself.

Tutor Hunt vs TutorDex, in full →

Model: global marketplace. Superprof works differently from the others: a monthly subscription unlocks contact with tutors, and lessons are paid directly to the tutor.

Pricing: in the UK a Student Pass costs £39/month and renews until cancelled. The lesson fee is separate, at the tutor's own rate. Tutors keep 100% when they collect payment directly, or Superprof applies a 10% processing fee if payments are routed through the platform.

Checks: Superprof allows anyone with subject knowledge to teach; credentials are optional and reviewed by its admin team, and no DBS requirement is publicly documented on the pages reviewed.

Watch out for: the Student Pass keeps billing until cancelled, separate from lesson fees. Watch the renewal carefully.

Superprof is the better fit if you want the widest choice of subjects and tutors, including niche or unusual requests, and you are prepared to vet each tutor yourself.

Superprof vs TutorDex, in full →

Model: premium managed matching. The Profs searches its network and matches a student to a specialist tutor, largely for academic and admissions support.

Pricing: school tutoring from £60/hour plus a one-off £70 registration fee, rising by level — undergraduate from £75/hour, postgraduate from £90/hour, professional from £105/hour and specialist tutoring from £120/hour. Block bookings carry discounts (5% for 10 hours, 10% for 20 hours).

Checks: The Profs says only 3% of tutor applicants make it onto its network, and positions itself as a premium, high-credential service.

The Profs is the better fit if budget is less of a constraint and you want a managed, high-credential shortlist, particularly for admissions or advanced academic support. It is not a budget replacement for a broad directory.

Model: online one-to-one tutoring for ages 4 to 19, covering A-level, GCSE, IGCSE, IB, 11+ and KS3.

Pricing: sessions from £29, in tiers of £20–£30 for newer tutors, £30–£40 for proven tutors and £40+ for top tutors. You can pay per session or pay in full for a bulk discount; sessions are pay-as-you-go rather than an upfront package.

Checks and trial: Edumentors says its tutors are hand-picked and vetted from leading UK universities, and offers a free trial session with every tutor before you commit.

Edumentors is the better fit if you want an online one-to-one option with a risk-free trial and pay-as-you-go sessions.

Model: directory-style platform, built after the First Tutors closure. You pay a one-off finder's fee to unlock a tutor's contact details, then arrange lessons and payment directly with the tutor. There is no commission on lessons.

Pricing: a scaled finder's fee of £9.99–£39.99 per introduction, which varies with the tutor's hourly rate. Tutors can also choose an optional Premium subscription that includes enhanced search ranking; imported First Tutors reviews feed the search algorithm too.

Checks: TutorDex collects proof of identity, proof of address and two references for registered tutors, reviewed by its compliance team. Private tuition is not generally a regulated activity, so a DBS check is not a legal requirement and TutorDex does not claim that every tutor holds one; families verify the specific tutor. If a tutor does not meet your requirements, TutorDex will connect you to another free of charge.

First Tutors history: TutorDex is the only platform that accepts a full import of a First Tutors account — published and unpublished reviews, former students, references, old tuition requests and response times.

TutorDex is the better fit if you want a fixed one-off cost, the freedom to deal with the tutor directly, and a way to carry your First Tutors history across. It is not the right fit if you want one platform to host the video lessons and process payment with the platform as referee on disputes — Tutorful and MyTutor are better fits for that.

How to import your First Tutors reviews →

A check is not the whole safeguarding picture. Platforms may mention interviews, identity checks, references, DBS checks and on-platform messaging; these help you compare services, but they do not remove the need to assess the specific tutor and lesson setup.

DBS wording also needs care across the UK. GOV.UK describes DBS checks for England and Wales, while Scotland uses Disclosure Scotland/PVG and Northern Ireland uses AccessNI, so UK-wide copy should not imply that one label works identically everywhere.

On additional needs, the clearest parent-facing signal among these platforms is Tutorful's additional-needs categories and SEN-experience filter, but a filter is shortlisting help, not a promise that a particular tutor will suit every child. For any learner with SEND or additional needs, ask the individual tutor how they adapt explanations, pace, homework, breaks, reading load and feedback.

For context, the Education Endowment Foundation estimates that one-to-one tuition has an average impact of around five additional months' progress — but the benefit depends on targeted, regular sessions rather than the platform brand.

Former First Tutors tutors have two routes to recover what they built:

• 1. Download your data from the First Tutors Privacy Center

  First Tutors provides a self-service Privacy Center. Tick both "Reviews about me" and "My full account data", confirm by email, and download the ZIP and password.

• 2. Import it into TutorDex

  TutorDex accepts a full import of a First Tutors account and carries your reviews, students, references and old requests across. Verifiable imported reviews feed the search algorithm, so you do not start from zero. See the import walkthrough.

If your data export does not cover everything, ICO guidance says organisations should normally respond to a data-access request within one month. The First Tutors closure guide includes a data request email template.