TutorDex vs Tutorperch

TutorDex and Tutorperch are two UK tutor marketplaces operating on a tutee-paid introduction-fee model. Both adopted the same broad shape on the tutee side, pay a one-off fee to be introduced to a tutor, then transact directly off-platform — and neither hosts lessons in-platform. Where they diverge is on the tutor side: TutorDex layers optional paid tutor subscriptions on top of the introduction fee, with one tier buying enhanced search ranking; Tutorperch charges tutors a single £3.00 one-off verification fee and runs an editorial ranking formula that is published in full and not for sale.

We operate Tutorperch, so this page is written from one side of the comparison. It's written to be useful to a tutor or parent deciding between the two, not to argue Tutorperch is better at every dimension, it isn't. Last reviewed 29 May 2026.

How much does TutorDex cost?

Both platforms charge the tutee a one-off introduction fee and leave the tutor's lesson rate untouched. The tutor receives 100% of their stated hourly rate when lessons run; the platform charge is paid by the tutee, separately, once.

The shape of that one-off fee is where they diverge on the tutee side. TutorDex charges the tutee a per-introduction fee that varies with the tutor's hourly rate, with a floor of £9.99 and a ceiling of £39.99. A tutor at £20/hour generates a £9.99 fee at the floor; a tutor at £80/hour or more generates the £39.99 ceiling. Tutorperch charges a flat £9.99 per tutor unlocked, regardless of subject, level, hourly rate, or how many hours the lessons end up running.

The trade is straightforward. A variable fee scales with the tutor rate, which means the tutee pays more to unlock more expensive tutors. A flat fee disconnects the platform charge from the value of the engagement, which means the tutee pays the same whether the tutor charges £25/hour or £100/hour, and the saving is largest at the top end of the hourly range.

On the tutor side the picture is different. TutorDex's introduction fee revenue is supplemented by optional Premium tutor subscriptions, three tiers at £29.99 for 3 months (£10/month equivalent), £19.99/month, and £29.99/month, per the platform's published Subscriptions page. Tutorperch charges tutors a single £3.00 one-off identity-and-safeguarding-verification fee and nothing else: no ongoing subscription, no ranking tier, no commission cut.

Pay-to-rank vs editorial ranking

The first feature listed for TutorDex's base Premium tier on the platform's Subscriptions page (which requires a tutor login to view) is "Enhanced search ranking". The two higher tiers — Premium+ and Premium++, are described on the same page as adding "extra contribution to ad spend". Tutors who do not subscribe receive no ranking lift from the subscription product.

TutorDex's About page describes the platform's aim as making "the tuition market more open and merit-based". Both statements appear on the platform's own public surfaces.

When some tutors pay the Premium tier for enhanced ranking, the position of unpaid tutors slips by the same amount. Tutors who'd rather not pay are pressured to subscribe simply to recover their previous visibility, and the Premium tier becomes the new baseline rather than an edge. For a parent, the listing they see at the top of search results no longer reliably reflects which tutor is the best match, it reflects, in part, which tutors paid most recently for placement.

What's nominally an optional subscription functions in practice as a de facto subscription for any tutor who wants to be found: marketed as a one-off introduction fee plus an optional Premium tier; experienced by tutors who hold out as introduction fee plus diminishing visibility.

Online marketplaces that use what's termed in industry literature "paid prominence", charging listed parties for higher ranking positions — face specific disclosure expectations under consumer-protection law. EU law (Unfair Commercial Practices Directive, Annex I item 11a, in force from 28 May 2022) requires any payment specifically for higher ranking to be clearly disclosed to consumers. UK law (Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024, section 227) reaches the same conclusion through the general rules on misleading omissions, and the CMA's November 2024 compliance advice for trader recommendation platforms requires platforms to make clear and accurate representations about how traders are presented.

Tutorperch operates an editorial ranking formula. The full formula is published at /how-we-rank, applies equally to every tutor regardless of payment, and excludes imported reviews from ranking calculations. No tier of subscription exists; there is no surface where a tutor can buy ranking position. The reasoning is straightforward: tutees searching for a tutor are entitled to rely on the order of search results reflecting tutor quality and fit, not paid placement, and we would rather make that posture a non-negotiable design choice than ship a paid tier and ask readers to trust us to use it sparingly.

Tutor verification and safeguarding

Both platforms require an identity check before a tutor can publish. DBS is optional on both, tutors can publish without a DBS badge on either platform (some TutorDex profiles carry the DBS-checked badge and some don't; Tutorperch's DBS-Verified badge is opt-in for the same reason). The substantive difference is what each platform's DBS badge means when it does appear.

TutorDex displays a DBS-checked badge on tutor profiles where the tutor has claimed one. The platform's About page states "We verify DBS checks that a tutor has sent to us"; what that verification consists of, who performs it, and on what timeline is not further documented on the public surface. Without going through the full tutor signup flow we can't infer the internal process beyond that statement.

Tutorperch's DBS-Verified badge appears only after a member of the team has personally reviewed the tutor's Enhanced DBS certificate against the identity-verified name and date of birth, recorded the certificate number, and stamped the verification with an audit- log timestamp. The badge is valid for three years; re-verification reminders go out at 60 and 30 days before expiry, and the badge drops automatically if re-verification isn't completed. Tutors pay a one-off £3.00 fee covering both the identity check and the optional DBS review.

Neither badge is a guarantee of safety, a DBS check evidences a point-in-time criminal-record check, not future conduct. The contrast is in what the badge means: on TutorDex, the verification process behind it isn't documented; on Tutorperch, it's the same hand-reviewed cert-against-identity match every time, with a defined three-year re-verification cycle.

On either platform, a badge is a starting point rather than a substitute for your own checks. You're entitled to ask any tutor to show you their certificate directly, and you can run your own DBS check if you want independent confirmation.

Imported reviews and how they affect ranking

Both platforms allow tutors to import their First Tutors review history onto the new profile, so that the years of feedback a tutor accumulated on the closed platform aren't lost.

TutorDex includes those imported reviews in its ranking algorithm, the platform's Importing Reviews page states that imported reviews "will actively feed the TutorDex search algorithm". A tutor with 30 imported First Tutors reviews and no native TutorDex reviews can rank above a tutor with no imports based on the imported aggregate.

Tutorperch displays imported reviews on the tutor profile, and they show up in search, but they're excluded from ranking. Native reviews, the ones earned after a paid introduction on Tutorperch itself, are the only reviews that move ranking position. Imported reviews are useful context for a parent reading a profile.

Marketplace shape

TutorDex pairs its directory with an inverted marketplace: tutees post a requirement and tutors respond with offers. The marketplace itself sits behind a tutor login, so its contents aren't visible from the outside. The post-a-job shape is one several UK platforms run alongside a directory — Tutorful, for instance, operates a Jobs board where tutors apply to student requests.

Tutorperch is directory-only. We considered the inverted marketplace and decided against it: it tends to surface lower-quality matches at scale because every tutor sees every request and the cheapest reply tends to win the engagement. We'd rather tutees browse the directory, message tutors directly, and unlock once they've found a match. That's a defensible call but it's also a real product difference, and TutorDex's surface will suit some tutees better.