Finding the Right Software for a Tutoring Business
Running a tutoring business involves more than just teaching. You need to manage bookings, collect payments from parents, track subscriptions, send reminders, and maintain a professional online presence. The right software handles all of that so you can focus on the teaching.
This guide compares three platforms that tutors and tuition centres actually use: TutorCruncher (the industry specialist), Bizzly (the all-in-one platform), and Calendly (the scheduling tool that many tutors start with). Each has a different scope and price point. All pricing data was verified from public pages in March 2026.
What Matters for Tutoring Businesses
Subscription and package billing
Most tutors sell lessons in blocks or monthly packages. Parents pay for 4 lessons per month or a term of 12 sessions. Software that handles recurring billing automatically saves hours of invoicing every month. This is the single most important feature for a tutoring business that sells ongoing lessons rather than one-off sessions.
Parent communication and portals
Parents are the paying clients. They need to book lessons, pay invoices, view their child's schedule, and sometimes receive progress reports. A client portal or parent login makes this self-service instead of you fielding messages.
Lesson scheduling that handles groups
Solo tutors need simple one-to-one scheduling. But many tutoring businesses also run small group sessions (3 to 6 students). The platform needs to handle group bookings, capacity limits, and per-student billing for group lessons.
Online presence
Parents search Google for local tutors. Having a professional website with your qualifications, subjects, availability, and an instant booking option makes a measurable difference to enquiry rates.
Fair pricing at low volumes
Many tutors are sole traders. The software needs to be affordable when you have 10 or 15 students, not just when you have 50. Watch out for percentage fees on card payments as they take a larger chunk at lower volumes.
Feature Comparison
Tutoring Business Software: Feature Comparison
| Feature | Bizzly | TutorCruncher | Calendly |
|---|---|---|---|
| Custom website builder | (Drag-and-drop) | ||
| Online booking | |||
| Subscription / package billing | |||
| Term & season billing | (Seasons auto-roll) | Via invoicing | |
| One-off lesson payments | |||
| Automated invoicing | (Via Stripe) | ||
| Card payments (Stripe) | Via integrations | ||
| Client management | (Student profiles + CRM) | ||
| Intake / contact forms | (Site + registration forms) | ||
| Parent/guardian portal | (Full customer portal) | ||
| Tutor/staff management | (Custom roles + invites) | ||
| Payroll / tutor pay tracking | |||
| Lesson reports / progress notes | |||
| Group classes | (Capacity + waitlists) | ||
| Attendance registers | |||
| Online lessons | (Google Meet links) | Via Zoom/Meet | |
| Automated reminders | |||
| WhatsApp AI agent | (Books & cancels 24/7) | ||
| SMS notifications | Add-on | ||
| Google Calendar sync | |||
| API access | |||
| Free trial | 14 days | 14 days | Free plan |
Platform Reviews
TutorCruncher
Best for: Tuition agencies and centres with multiple tutors who need lesson reports, payroll tracking, and a parent portal.
TutorCruncher is the most established tutoring-specific platform on this list. It was built for tuition agencies and does that job thoroughly. Tutor payroll and commission tracking, detailed lesson reports that parents can view, automated invoicing with statement generation, and a parent portal where guardians manage bookings and payments. If you run a tuition centre with 5 or more tutors, these features genuinely matter.
The pricing reflects that positioning. The Pay as you go plan at £25/month sounds reasonable, but the 2.65% card processing fee adds up. A tutor billing £3,000/month in card payments pays an extra £79.50 in processing fees on top of the £25 subscription. The Startup plan at £60/month drops card fees to 2.3%. The Enterprise plan at £200/month offers even lower rates but is clearly aimed at large operations.
TutorCruncher does not include a website builder. You need a separate website. And while it handles billing and scheduling well, it does not offer a WhatsApp or chat integration for handling enquiries.
- Pricing: PAYG £25/month (2.65% card fees), Startup £60/month (2.3%), Enterprise £200/month. 2-week trial.
- Strengths: Tutor payroll, lesson reports, parent portal, agency management, payment integrations
- Limitations: No website builder, card processing fees on top of subscription, complex for solo tutors
Bizzly
Best for: Solo tutors and small tutoring businesses who want booking, billing, and a website in one platform at a predictable monthly cost.
Bizzly is not tutoring-specific, but it covers the core needs of a tutoring business well. Online booking, subscription billing for monthly lesson packages, one-off term and holiday-course packs, a full parent portal, and a drag-and-drop website editor on every plan. The Standard plan at £29/month includes 3 calendars (useful if you teach multiple subjects or have a couple of tutors), 200 monthly bookings, attendance registers, waitlists for full sessions, free trial lessons, and lessons synced with Google Calendar.
Billing and booking are one system, so a student can only book what their plan, pack, or credits cover and a lapsed payment blocks new bookings automatically. On Standard and above, a WhatsApp AI assistant handles parent messages around the clock: it books and cancels lessons, checks availability, suggests alternative slots, joins waitlists, and answers billing questions (it cancels and rebooks rather than rescheduling in place). Online lessons get a Google Meet link generated automatically and sent with the confirmation and reminder.
The biggest advantage for tutors is the pricing model. Flat monthly fees with no additional transaction fees from Bizzly. Stripe processing fees still apply (1.5% + 20p per card payment in the UK), but those go to Stripe, not Bizzly. For a tutor processing £2,000/month in card payments, Bizzly costs £29/month total. TutorCruncher PAYG costs £25/month plus £53 in card processing fees.
The gaps compared to TutorCruncher are real. No lesson report templates, no per-student progress journal (the nearest equivalent is a note saved against each attendance mark), and no tutor payroll or commission tracking. Parents also cancel and rebook rather than rescheduling themselves, though staff can move a student between sessions. If lesson reports and multi-tutor payroll are central to how you run your business, TutorCruncher is the better fit.
- Pricing: Base £19, Standard £29, Pro £49/month. No Bizzly transaction fees. 14-day trial, no credit card.
- Strengths: Flat pricing, drag-and-drop website editor, subscription plus term and season billing, WhatsApp AI assistant, attendance registers, waitlists, HubSpot CRM integration
- Limitations: No lesson reports or progress notes, no tutor payroll, not tutoring-specific
Calendly
Best for: Tutors who only need scheduling and already handle payments separately.
Many tutors start with Calendly because it is free and does one thing well: scheduling. Parents pick a time slot, the lesson goes into your calendar, and automated reminders reduce no-shows. The free plan supports one event type, which is enough if you teach one subject at one rate.
Calendly's limitations become obvious as a tutoring business grows. There is no payment processing, no invoicing, no subscription management, and no client records beyond what the calendar captures. To collect payments, you need a separate tool. To invoice parents, another tool. To manage subscriptions, yet another. A typical stack might be Calendly (£0 to £8/month) plus Xero (£15/month) plus Stripe dashboard. That is three logins and three systems to maintain.
- Pricing: Free (1 event type), Standard £8/seat/month, Teams £13/seat/month. 14-day trial on paid plans.
- Strengths: Free plan, polished scheduling UX, wide integration ecosystem
- Limitations: No payments, no invoicing, no subscriptions, no website, no CRM
Pricing Comparison
| Item | Estimated Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Bizzly | £19 to £49/month | Base £19, Standard £29, Pro £49. Flat monthly fee. No additional transaction fees from Bizzly. 14-day free trial, no credit card required. |
| TutorCruncher | £25 to £200/month | Pay as you go £25/month (2.65% card fees), Startup £60/month (2.3% card fees), Enterprise £200/month (competitive card rates). 2-week free trial. |
| Calendly | Free to £13/seat/month | Free plan (1 event type), Standard £8/seat/month, Teams £13/seat/month (annual billing). 14-day free trial on paid plans. |
How to Choose
Solo tutor, just starting out
Calendly's free plan gets you booking. Bizzly Base at £19/month adds payments, invoicing, and a website. TutorCruncher's PAYG at £25/month plus card fees is harder to justify at this stage.
Solo tutor with 20+ regular students
Bizzly Standard at £29/month gives you subscription and term billing, 200 monthly bookings, attendance registers, waitlists, and a full website. The flat pricing keeps costs predictable as your income grows.
Tuition centre with multiple tutors
TutorCruncher is built for this. Tutor payroll, commission tracking, and lesson reporting are features that matter when you manage a team. The higher cost is justified by the time saved on administration.
You already have a website and just need booking
Calendly embeds easily into any existing site. If your website is already established and you only need scheduling added, Calendly is the simplest option.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best software for a private tutor in the UK?
Can I use Calendly for a tutoring business?
Does TutorCruncher work for solo tutors or just tuition centres?
How do I offer term packages or monthly subscriptions to parents?
Do I need a separate website for my tutoring business?
What about MyTutor or Tutorful?
Summary
TutorCruncher is the right choice for tuition centres and agencies that need lesson reporting and multi-tutor management. Bizzly is the strongest option for solo tutors and small operations that want booking, subscription and term billing, and a website in one place at a fixed monthly cost. Calendly works as a starting point for scheduling but will need to be supplemented with other tools as your business grows.
See how Bizzly works for tutoring businesses on the tutoring industry page, or compare plans on the pricing page.