What is Preply?
Preply is one of the world's leading online tutoring platforms, connecting language learners with professional tutors for live 1-on-1 video lessons. With thousands of Spanish tutors available at a wide range of price points, Preply makes it possible to find a tutor who fits your schedule, budget, learning style, and specific goals.
Why tutoring works better than apps
There is a fundamental difference between recognising Spanish and producing it. Apps are very good at training recognition — you see a word and select the translation. Producing language — constructing sentences in real time, under conversational pressure, knowing someone is waiting for your response — is an entirely different skill that only live practice can develop.
A tutor session forces you to speak. It creates the conditions where you cannot look up a word, cannot re-listen to a phrase, cannot take 30 seconds to compose your answer. This productive pressure is uncomfortable at first, but it is by far the fastest way to build genuine fluency.
Beyond speaking, a tutor provides something no algorithm can: they hear you. They notice that you consistently misuse the subjunctive. They realise you hesitate before certain verb endings. They adjust their teaching in the moment. This personalised feedback loop accelerates progress dramatically compared to following a generic curriculum.
Finding the right tutor on Preply
Preply has thousands of Spanish tutors, which means the quality varies. A few things to look for: video introduction (are they engaging and clear?), verified reviews from students at a similar level to you, and a specific specialisation if you have one (business Spanish, DELE preparation, Latin American dialect, etc.).
The first lesson guarantee — where Preply refunds or replaces a session if you're not satisfied — removes the risk from trying a new tutor. Use this to try 2–3 tutors until you find someone you click with. The relationship matters: a good tutor you enjoy working with is worth far more than a technically qualified one you dread booking.
What to expect from lessons
A typical 60-minute session might involve 10 minutes of warm-up conversation about your week, 30 minutes of structured practice (grammar work, topic discussion, role-play), and 20 minutes of error correction and review. Good tutors send you a written summary of key corrections after each session.
Frequency matters. One session per week is the minimum to make meaningful progress; two sessions per week will get you to conversational intermediate (B1–B2) significantly faster. Daily app practice between sessions keeps vocabulary fresh.
Preply's subscription plans
Preply offers subscription plans where you book a set number of lessons per month at a reduced per-lesson rate. These are good value for committed learners — the structure of a regular booking also keeps you accountable, which is one of the most underrated advantages of tutoring over self-study.
Specialised Spanish tutoring
One of Preply's real advantages over generalist tutoring is the ability to find tutors who specialise in exactly what you need. Looking to pass the DELE B2 exam? There are tutors who specialise in DELE preparation. Working in a Spanish-speaking market? Business Spanish tutors can focus on the vocabulary and situations you'll actually encounter. Preparing for a trip to Mexico? Many tutors are native Mexican Spanish speakers who can help you with regional vocabulary.
Pricing
Tutor rates on Preply range from around $15/hour for newer or community tutors to $60+/hour for highly experienced professionals. Most learners find a good tutor in the $20–$40/hour range. When comparing this to app subscriptions, remember that one hour with a tutor typically delivers more speaking progress than several weeks of app use.
The bottom line
Preply is the most effective investment you can make in learning Spanish. If your goal is to actually speak — on holiday, at work, with family, in a new country — there is no substitute for regular practice with a real person. Use apps to build vocabulary and grammar foundations, then use a Preply tutor to turn that knowledge into a living, speaking skill.