The short answer
- Parents pay by bank transfer or QR, or you bill outside the UK and US: Tutitor. Free for every feature, 42 currencies, 21 invoice languages, no fee on payments.
- Parents pay by card and you bill in pounds: Tutonomi. Free software, paid for by a share of card fees.
- You prefer a small percentage to a subscription: TutorBase. Free core, 1% when you invoice plus processor fees.
- You teach online and have fewer than 10 students: Tutafy's free plan.
- You only need a booking link: Setmore or Calendly, both free for basic booking but not built for tutoring invoices.
Free tutor apps compared
| Tool | Free plan | The catch | Built for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tutitor | Every feature, no paid tier | No card payments, no SMS or email reminders | Solo tutors, especially with international or Southeast Asian students |
| Tutonomi | "Free Forever", unlimited students | Earns a share of card processing fees | Solo tutors billing in GBP by card |
| TutorBase | "Free Core", no card | 1% fee when you invoice, plus processor fees | Solo tutors to small centres |
| Tutafy | Free forever up to 10 students | Pro is $12 a month for unlimited students | Online tutors |
| Setmore | Up to 4 users, unlimited appointments | No recurring appointments on free; not built for tutoring invoices | Any appointment business |
| Calendly | 1 event type, 1 calendar | No payments on the free plan | Simple booking links |
| A spreadsheet | Free | You build and check every formula yourself | Tutors with a handful of students |
Paid tools worth knowing
| Tool | From | Built for |
|---|---|---|
| TutorBird | $16.95 a month, +$4.95 per extra tutor | Tutoring businesses that want reminders, a portal and a website |
| My Music Staff | $16.95 a month, +$4.95 per extra teacher | Music teachers and studios |
| Teachworks | About $16 a month plus a fee per lesson | Tutoring and education companies |
| TutorCruncher | $30 a month plus card fees | Tutoring agencies |
| Teach 'n Go | $79 a month at 100 students | Schools and academies |
| MakeMusic Studio (formerly Fons) | $19.95 a month, +$4.95 per teacher | Music teachers who want autopay |
| Oases Online | $99 a month up to 25 students | Established tutoring centres |
What to check before you pick a free tool
- How is it paid for? A free app makes money somewhere: card fees, a percentage of invoices, a student limit, or an upsell. Pick the model that costs you least.
- Does attendance drive the invoice? If a no-show or a cancelled lesson does not flow into the bill by itself, you will still be checking by hand.
- Can parents pay the way they already pay? In much of Asia that is a bank QR code, not a card.
- Does it bill in your currency and the parent's language?
- Can you get your data out? Look for CSV and PDF export.
Why we built Tutitor free
Tutitor started in Vietnam, where the tutors we built it with are paid by bank transfer, not by card, and a monthly software fee is a real cost against a tutor's income. So Tutitor has no paid tier and takes no share of payments. Every invoice can carry your own VietQR or bank QR code, and the total is built from the lessons you marked: completed lessons bill the full rate, unexcused no-shows bill your penalty, and excused absences bill nothing.
Common questions
What is the best free tutor management software?
It depends on how parents pay you. Tutitor is free for every feature and suits tutors paid by bank transfer or QR in any of 42 currencies. Tutonomi is free and suits UK tutors who take card payments. TutorBase charges 1% when you invoice. Tutafy is free for up to 10 students.
Is there a completely free app for private tutors?
Yes. Tutitor has no paid tier, no student limit and no fee on payments. Tutonomi is also free and earns a share of card fees when parents pay by card.
What is a free alternative to TutorBird?
Tutitor covers scheduling, attendance and invoices for free. It does not send SMS reminders or offer a parent portal, which TutorBird includes for $16.95 a month.
Do free tutor apps take card payments?
Tutonomi and TutorBase do, with processing fees. Tutitor does not process cards; parents pay you directly by QR code, bank transfer or your own payment link.
Try Tutitor free
Students, lesson calendar, attendance and invoices in one app. Free for every tutor, with no paid tier.
No credit card. Set up in a few minutes.