Is Preply profitable in 2026?

Preply became EBITDA-positive over the trailing year as of its January 21, 2026 Series D announcement, which closed $150M led by WestCap at a $1.2 billion valuation. Independent revenue figures still diverge widely, from roughly $25M to $235M depending on the source, so overall net profitability is unconfirmed.

Who owns Preply and is it publicly traded?

Preply Inc is privately held, founded in 2012 by Ukrainians Serge Lukianov, Kirill Bigai, and Dmytro Voloshyn, with Bigai as CEO. It is not publicly traded. It reached unicorn status on January 21, 2026 after a $150M Series D led by WestCap valued it at $1.2 billion.

Could AI replace Preply's tutors?

AI voice tools like ChatGPT and Duolingo Max already substitute for beginner and intermediate conversation drilling, the exact workflows Preply automated itself with Lesson Insights, Daily Exercises, and Scenario Practice, launched August 5, 2025. Preply's own vendor-commissioned study claims 96 to 97 percent of learners still value human interaction as of January 2026.

Who is Preply's biggest competitor?

italki is Preply's closest direct competitor, running an identical tutor-marketplace model with 30,000+ tutors across 150+ languages as of December 2025. italki tutors keep about $14.41 per hour versus Preply's roughly $6.43 for new tutors as of July 18, 2026, per Chalk Index.

Is it safe to become a tutor on Preply given pay and legal risks?

Preply tutors are independent contractors paying an 18 to 33 percent sliding commission, and new tutors retain about $6.43 per hour, the lowest among major peers as of July 18, 2026. Competitor Cambly settled a $393,000 tutor misclassification lawsuit in March 2026, a precedent that could apply to Preply's identical contractor model.

How much money has Preply raised and what is it worth?

Preply has raised roughly $299 to $320 million total since 2012, including a $150 million Series D led by WestCap that closed January 21, 2026, valuing the company at $1.2 billion and making it a unicorn.

Education companies · Ukraine

Preply

preply.com ↗

Online marketplace connecting language learners with human tutors in 180+ countries.

Losing its protection

Assessed 22 July 2026 · Evidence as of 22 July 2026

The structural protection is eroding.

On the recordSince 22 July 2026 · Checkable from throughout 2026 · Every call on the record Checkpoint: Preply's AI conversation features expand to non-English languages

The call

Preply is a profitable, well-funded marketplace whose low-end tutoring business faces real pressure from free AI conversation tools and better-paying rivals like italki.

Preply connects language learners with tutors across 180 countries and runs a profitable business, but faces a two-front squeeze. On one side, direct competitors like italki and Cambly run the exact same model and pay tutors nearly three times more, making it hard for Preply to keep experienced teachers. On the other side, AI voice tools from ChatGPT and Duolingo Max now offer beginner-level conversation practice for free, eating into the basic student segment that Preply depends on. The real question is whether Preply can grow enough among advanced learners and corporate clients to make up for the students and tutors it loses to cheaper or AI-powered alternatives.

Why

AI pressure: ChatGPT voice mode and Duolingo Max. Free AI conversation practice pulls beginner and intermediate learners away from paid human lessons on Preply. Could AI do the core job? Yes, likely.

Bigger players: italki. italki runs the same marketplace model but pays tutors more than double Preply's rate, pulling supply away. Could a giant copy it? Yes, easily.

What protects it. Existing liquidity of 100,000+ tutors across 90+ languages plus growing B2B enterprise contracts.

What would change this call

Preply's tutor count or average tutor payout drops while italki's tutor supply grows through 2026. Would show tutors migrating to italki's higher-payout marketplace, weakening Preply's supply moat.
Preply faces a worker-classification lawsuit or settlement similar to Cambly's $393K case by mid-2026. Would show the tutor-employment legal risk applies to Preply, not just Cambly.
Preply reports independently verified revenue above $150M or B2B enterprise share of GMV by end of 2026. Would show human-premium and enterprise segments are offsetting AI substitution at the low end.

Key numbers

Raised $150M Series D at $1.2B valuation (2026-01-21)
New tutors keep $6.43/hour after fees (2026-07-18)
italki tutors keep $14.41/hour after fees (2026-07-18)

Named risks

Worker misclassification lawsuit exposure mirroring Cambly's $393K settlement, opt-out deadline 2026-05-04. Severity: high
AI voice tools substituting for beginner/intermediate tutoring, eroding low-end demand. Severity: high
Revenue estimates diverge from $25M to $235M across sources, undermining traction confidence. Severity: medium
Lowest tutor take-home pay among peers risks supply migration to italki or Wyzant. Severity: medium
Consumer complaints over expiring credits and refund practices flagged to BBB, April 2026. Severity: low

Rivals, as read in July 2026

Rival	Direction	Evidence
italki	gaining on	30,000+ tutors, pays tutors $14.41/hr vs Preply's $6.43/hr as of 2026-07-18
Cambly	contesting	identical contractor model faces same misclassification exposure after Cambly's $393K settlement, 2026-03
Duolingo	contesting	dominant self-paced app but structurally avoids entering human-tutor marketplace
Lingoda	contesting	runs structured group-class variant of same marketplace tutoring model

Questions people ask

Is Preply profitable in 2026?: Preply became EBITDA-positive over the trailing year as of its January 21, 2026 Series D announcement, which closed $150M led by WestCap at a $1.2 billion valuation. Independent revenue figures still diverge widely, from roughly $25M to $235M depending on the source, so overall net profitability is unconfirmed.
Who owns Preply and is it publicly traded?: Preply Inc is privately held, founded in 2012 by Ukrainians Serge Lukianov, Kirill Bigai, and Dmytro Voloshyn, with Bigai as CEO. It is not publicly traded. It reached unicorn status on January 21, 2026 after a $150M Series D led by WestCap valued it at $1.2 billion.
Could AI replace Preply's tutors?: AI voice tools like ChatGPT and Duolingo Max already substitute for beginner and intermediate conversation drilling, the exact workflows Preply automated itself with Lesson Insights, Daily Exercises, and Scenario Practice, launched August 5, 2025. Preply's own vendor-commissioned study claims 96 to 97 percent of learners still value human interaction as of January 2026.
Who is Preply's biggest competitor?: italki is Preply's closest direct competitor, running an identical tutor-marketplace model with 30,000+ tutors across 150+ languages as of December 2025. italki tutors keep about $14.41 per hour versus Preply's roughly $6.43 for new tutors as of July 18, 2026, per Chalk Index.
Is it safe to become a tutor on Preply given pay and legal risks?: Preply tutors are independent contractors paying an 18 to 33 percent sliding commission, and new tutors retain about $6.43 per hour, the lowest among major peers as of July 18, 2026. Competitor Cambly settled a $393,000 tutor misclassification lawsuit in March 2026, a precedent that could apply to Preply's identical contractor model.
How much money has Preply raised and what is it worth?: Preply has raised roughly $299 to $320 million total since 2012, including a $150 million Series D led by WestCap that closed January 21, 2026, valuing the company at $1.2 billion and making it a unicorn.

Timeline

2026-07-21Publicized OpenAI partnership; ChatGPT Enterprise staff usage rose from 60% to 95%
2026-05Completed first employee tender offer for early liquidity
2026-03Rival Cambly settled $393K tutor misclassification class action, industry precedent
2026-01-21Closed $150M Series D led by WestCap at $1.2B valuation, reached unicorn status
2025-10-29Appointed Charlie Wickers, former Rover CFO, as Preply CFO
2025-08-28Announced NYC office, new branding, two C-suite additions
2025-08-05Launched AI features: Lesson Insights, Daily Exercises, Scenario Practice
2022-03-01Raised $49.5M Series C at approximately $395M valuation
2012-11Preply platform launched

Revision history

22 July 2026

First assessed. Losing its protection. The text above is fixed as of this date and is not edited afterwards.

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