A parent’s guide · October 2026

Varsity Tutors alternatives.
Without the membership.

Varsity Tutors works well for many families. If the monthly plan, the price, or the tutor match is not right for yours, here is what else is out there, and how to switch cleanly.

Start with the short answer

By the Sophie team A guide for parents

The same desk. A different kind of help.

A note from us. We make Sophie, our own tutor for AP Calculus. None of the companies in this guide pay us. Prices come from their own pages where they publish them.

See our sources

The short answer

You do not need a plan
to get good help.

Most alternatives let you pay per lesson or per pack. A few are free.

Choose your own tutor: Wyzant. You read profiles, see each price, and pay per lesson.
Help on demand: Tutor.com and The Princeton Review, from $39.99 a month. See the options
Before you cancel: Ask about the last charge and your unused hours. A short checklist

Why families switch.

Varsity Tutors scores 4.3 on Trustpilot, from more than 13,000 reviews. Many parents are happy. The families who leave tend to mention the same few things:

The membership. Most families pay monthly for a set number of hours. PrepMaven reports about $269 to $299 a month for 4 hours of tutoring plus group classes, on a six or twelve month plan.
Hours that go unused. If your teen does not use every hour, PrepMaven reports they are not refunded.
Charges and cancelling. Some Trustpilot reviews describe charges they did not expect, or trouble cancelling.
The tutor match. Varsity Tutors picks the tutor. Some families tried more than one before it fit.

For the full picture, read our Varsity Tutors review.

Before you switch.

The alternatives.

Wyzant

You choose. Wyzant is a marketplace where you read tutor profiles and reviews, see each tutor’s price, and pay after each lesson, with no subscription. Wyzant says AP tutors cost $35 to $60 an hour on average, plus a 9% service fee. If the first hour with a new tutor is not a good fit, Wyzant refunds it. Read our guide to Wyzant and its alternatives before you pick.

Tutor.com and The Princeton Review

One company now. On demand tutoring connects your teen to a human tutor in a minute or two, at any hour, and lists AP Calculus AB and BC. Monthly plans start at $39.99 for one hour and can be cancelled at any time. Or buy 10 hours for $349.99, to use within six months. A dedicated tutor on a schedule starts at $80 an hour.

Many libraries, school districts and employers give families Tutor.com for free. Ask before you pay.

Khan Academy and Khanmigo

Khan Academy’s AP Calculus AB and BC courses are free. Its AI helper, Khanmigo, costs $4 a month and works by typed chat. See how Khanmigo compares with Sophie.

Free help nearby

Your library. Many public libraries offer free live online tutoring, such as Brainfuse HelpNow, with a library card.
Your school. Many high schools run peer tutoring through Mu Alpha Theta, the math honor society. The teacher is often the best first stop.

Membership or pay as you go.

Pick how much help your teen needs. These are estimates from published or reported prices. Your price may differ.

Hours of help a weekFor how long

Estimated cost of 36 hours of math help
Option	Per hour	36 hours
Varsity Tutors	$67 to $100Membership or hourly, as reported. Ask for your quote.	$2,412 to $3,600
Wyzant	$38 to $65Average AP rate, with the 9% fee.	$1,368 to $2,340
The Princeton Review, on demand	$29 to $40Published plans, by the hour.	$1,044 to $1,440
Khan Academy and library tutoring	FreeWhere your library offers it.	Free
Sophie	$8 to $10Our own tutor. Published prices, packs of hours.	$288 to $360

A Varsity Tutors membership also includes group classes. Khanmigo is not in the table because it is priced by the month: $4.

How to choose.

Which Varsity Tutors alternative fits which need
If you want	Try
To choose the tutor and see the price	Wyzant
Help tonight, from a person	Tutor.com or The Princeton Review on demand
No cost at all	Khan Academy, library tutoring, the teacher
Help in many subjects	Wyzant, or Varsity Tutors on a plan that fits
AP Calculus help on paper, out loud, any time	Sophie

A note about Sophie · Our own product

For AP Calculus, no plan to manage.

Sophie supports your child through AP Calculus AB and BC, from this week’s homework to the exam in May. You buy a pack of hours once, and they do not expire.

Your child explains their thinking out loud. A phone on a stand lets Sophie see the work on paper, and she follows each step as they write. She asks a question or gives a small hint. Your child does the math, so the understanding is theirs.

Varsity Tutors and Sophie compared
Feature	Varsity Tutors	Sophie
Tutor	A person	An online tutor, not a person
Price	$70 to $100Reported per hour. Ask for your quote.	$8 to $10Per hour. Published on our site.
How you pay	Monthly membership	Buy a pack once. No subscription. Hours do not expire.
Booking	Booked sessions	Whenever your child needs help
Subjects	3,000+	AP Calculus AB and BC only

Sophie is a live online tutor, not a person. She focuses on AP Calculus AB and BC. If your child needs another subject, or you would prefer a human tutor, one of the options above may be a better fit.

See Sophie's prices Start with this week's homework

For parents

Questions parents ask.

What are the best alternatives to Varsity Tutors?

Wyzant if you want to choose a tutor and pay per lesson. Tutor.com and The Princeton Review if you want a human tutor on demand. Khan Academy and library tutoring if you need free help. Sophie, our own tutor, for AP Calculus on paper.

Is there a Varsity Tutors alternative without a monthly membership?

Yes. Wyzant charges per lesson with no subscription. The Princeton Review sells one time packs of hours that last six months. Sophie sells packs of hours from $8 an hour, with no subscription, and the hours do not expire.

How do I cancel Varsity Tutors before switching?

Ask Varsity Tutors when the last charge will be and what happens to unused hours. Get the answer in writing, and keep the confirmation that your plan has ended. Some parents report charges after cancelling.

Is Wyzant cheaper than Varsity Tutors?

Often. Wyzant says AP tutors cost $35 to $60 an hour on average, plus a 9% fee. Review sites report $70 to $100 an hour at Varsity Tutors. Prices vary by tutor and by plan.

Is there free tutoring like Varsity Tutors?

Many public libraries offer free live online tutoring with a library card. Some libraries, schools and employers also give families Tutor.com for free. Khan Academy’s AP Calculus courses are free.

Sources

The sources we used for this guide. Prices and plans can change.