MyTutor vs Tutorful: which is the better fit for your child?

MyTutor states one-to-one tuition starts from £26/hr, with pay-as-you-go, no sign-up fees and no subscriptions. Its pricing page also shows budget bands of £25+, £45+ and £65+.

Tutorful support says sessions generally cost £20–£45 per hour and that the visible hourly rate on a tutor profile is the price the family pays, including service fees.

Tutorful has the lower published general range in the sources checked, but the real price depends on the tutor, subject, level and availability.

MyTutor’s own wording is: “Meet tutors for free before you book” — MyTutor. Parents can arrange a free 15-minute meeting and message more than one tutor.

Tutorful has a marketplace search, message, booking and payment flow, plus a first-lesson guarantee with terms-based limits.

MyTutor is stronger if you want a clear pre-booking meeting before paying for the first lesson.

Built around MyTutor’s online lesson space, with video chat, messaging and an interactive whiteboard.

Supports online lessons through Tutorful’s Online Classroom, while the terms also allow for both online and in-person lessons.

Both can support online tuition. MyTutor appears more explicitly online-first in the pages checked.

Parents can filter by subject, level, price, availability and gender, and can use a free matching service if they do not want to browse alone.

Parents can search, message and book tutors through a broad marketplace with many subjects, ages and learning needs.

Both involve parent choice. MyTutor has the clearer free-meeting step; Tutorful has especially broad navigation and policy detail.

MyTutor says tutors are personally interviewed and that “just 1 in 8 applicants make the cut” — MyTutor. A clear current background-check standard was not found in the pages checked.

Tutorful says new tutors must upload photo ID, secure two references, complete a profile and pass manual review. The terms say “all tutors must have provided a background check” — Tutorful terms.

Tutorful publishes the clearer background-check framework in the sources checked. That is not the same as proving one platform is safer overall.

The pages checked support meeting tutors before booking and the ability to skip or cancel, but did not provide a clear formal guarantee page.

Tutorful has a documented 100% Satisfaction Guarantee, with a 48-hour notification requirement, replacement-lesson process and goodwill-payment caps in the terms.

Tutorful has the more detailed published guarantee framework; MyTutor’s strength is the free pre-booking meeting.

The pages checked did not give a clear formal cancellation-window or refund-rule source, so those terms remain unclear from the public MyTutor pages used here.

Tutorful terms give detailed rules: more than 24 hours’ notice can cancel without charge; less than 24 hours may allow a 50% or 100% tutor charge; less than 6 hours may involve a £5 handling fee in some cases; refund complaints should usually be raised within 96 hours.

Tutorful is stronger for published cancellation and refund clarity in the sources checked.

MyTutor has an SEN trained tutors filter. The pages checked did not explain the training standard behind that label.

Tutorful has visible Additional needs pathways, including SEN, autism, dyslexia and dyscalculia.

Both have useful signals. Neither should be described as clinical, therapeutic or specialist SEND provision from the evidence checked.

Starts from £26/hr, with pay-as-you-go and no sign-up fees or subscriptions in the pricing page checked.

Generally £20–£45/hr according to Tutorful support, with the visible profile price described as the price the family pays including service fees.

Tutorful has the lower published general starting range in the sources checked, but do not assume it is always cheaper for a specific subject or tutor.

Yes. MyTutor supports a free 15-minute meeting before booking.

The published flow focuses on search, messaging, booking and post-lesson payment. Its first-lesson protection sits in the guarantee policy rather than a free pre-booking meeting.

MyTutor is clearer if your main concern is checking rapport before committing to a paid lesson.

The pricing page supports pay-as-you-go. A formal payment-timing comparison was not found in the pages checked.

Tutorful support says payment is normally taken 24 hours after the lesson; the terms say the student authorises the charge 24 hours after the scheduled end time.

Tutorful has more explicit published payment-timing detail in the sources checked.

Filter by subject, level, price, availability and gender, or use MyTutor’s free matching service.

Search and message tutors in a broad marketplace with subject, age and additional-needs navigation.

Shortlist two or three tutors and compare teaching approach, not just star ratings.

Free 15-minute pre-booking meetings are the clearest fit-check feature in the MyTutor pages checked.

Parents can message and book, with first-lesson protection available through Tutorful’s guarantee policy.

Use the first conversation to test whether the tutor can explain your child’s exact difficulty simply.

MyTutor describes its own online lesson space with video chat, messaging and an interactive whiteboard.

Tutorful has an Online Classroom and support pages for online lessons, while its terms also allow for in-person lessons.

Ask whether the tutor will use a whiteboard, shared notes, homework review or exam questions during the session.

MyTutor says tutors are personally interviewed and that “just 1 in 8 applicants make the cut” — MyTutor.

Tutorful says new tutors must complete a profile and pass a manual profile review.

MyTutor has a stronger published selectivity message.

A clear current background-check or DBS standard was not found in the MyTutor pages checked. That should not be read as proof that checks do not happen.

Tutorful support says tutors must upload photo ID and secure two references. Its terms say “all tutors must have provided a background check” — Tutorful terms, usually from DBS, Disclosure Scotland or Access Northern Ireland within 3 years.

Tutorful publishes the clearer background-check framework in the sources checked.

Profiles can show tutor background, experience, availability and reviews from parents and students.

Tutorful says it rates tutors using factors such as response speed, bookings, repeat clients, reviews, profile quality, background-check status and professionalism.

These signals can help you shortlist, but they are not independent proof that a tutor is right for your child.

Yes: a free 15-minute meeting before booking is supported by the pages checked.

Tutorful’s fit protection is mainly through its guarantee after the first lesson, with conditions.

Choose MyTutor if pre-booking rapport is your priority; choose Tutorful if you prefer a documented first-lesson guarantee framework.

A clear current headline guarantee page was not found in the MyTutor pages checked.

Tutorful has a 100% Satisfaction Guarantee. The terms say the student must notify Tutorful within 48 hours of the first lesson, then book and pay for a replacement lesson. The goodwill payment is capped at £100 and at the lower of the initial and replacement lesson cost.

Do not treat Tutorful’s guarantee as an unconditional refund. The timing and cap matter.

A formal cancellation-window source was not found in the MyTutor pages checked.

Tutorful terms say students can cancel without charge with more than 24 hours’ notice.

Tutorful is clearer on this point in the public terms checked.

Do not assume a cancellation charge or no charge from the MyTutor pages checked.

If cancellation is less than 24 hours before the lesson, the tutor can choose to charge 50% or 100% of the lesson fee. If cancellation is less than 6 hours before the lesson and the tutor chooses to charge 50% or nothing, Tutorful may still apply a £5 handling fee in certain cases.

Late-cancellation rules are financially important if your child’s timetable changes often.

No equivalent formal timing was found in the MyTutor pages checked.

Tutorful terms say refund complaints should generally be raised within 96 hours of the scheduled lesson finish.

If a Tutorful lesson does not take place as expected, act quickly rather than waiting several days.

A platform where families search, compare, message and book tutors, often with platform rules around payment, reviews and tutor profiles.

You still need to compare the individual tutor, not just the brand.

A provider-hosted online lesson area. MyTutor describes video chat, messaging and an interactive whiteboard; Tutorful describes its Online Classroom.

The tools affect how easy it is to review homework, explain concepts and practise exam questions.

Tutorful terms describe a required check that may come from DBS, Disclosure Scotland or Access Northern Ireland and must usually have been awarded within 3 years.

It is a useful published-policy signal, but it does not by itself guarantee teaching quality or personal fit.

A provider policy intended to help if the first tutor is not a fit. Tutorful’s version has timing, replacement-lesson and cap conditions.

The small print matters; it should not be treated as an unconditional refund.

Provider-visible filters or pathways for learners with special educational needs or additional needs.

Useful for shortlisting, but you still need to ask about the tutor’s specific experience and adjustments.