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The 15 Best Online Tutoring Websites Have Thousands of Experts Available for Round-the-Clock Help

From K-12 academics to advanced college-level courses, these tutoring websites have every student covered.

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Plus, with so many tutors in these networks, you’re not just limited to the tutors who are available with our immediate area. That means within minutes, your students can be connected to an expert in whatever subject they need help in, from K–12 reading and math to advanced engineering to nursing. And it goes beyond academic subjects, too: You can also find assistance getting through figuring out college tests and essays, writing a resume, or doing a job interview . With that much brainpower at your fingertips, who wouldn’t sign up?

With Chegg, you can pay $6.95/lesson for one on-demand chat with a tutor, or $30/month for an hourlong virtual session with a live whiteboard — in other words, prices students can actually afford. In addition to a variety of academic subjects, tutors are also available to help students navigate the college admissions process.

RELATED: Studies Show Homework Isn't Beneficial in Elementary School, so Why Does It Exist?

Club Z is committed to finding the right match between tutor and student; students chat with tutors online before they book the appointment, and, if they're not satisfied after the first lesson, the service will refund the first hour. It even does tutoring for pre-k, along with music lessons. The basic plan starts at $242 for four hours of tutoring.

eTutorWorld

This site doesn't like to think of its instructors as tutors — it calls them mentors. The service comes up with a personalized workplan for each student, records all of its sessions for review, and also holds regular check-ins with parents. (And, if you're just looking for a brush-up between sessions or school years, they offer free, printable worksheets.) Pricing starts at $21/month for one session per month, and goes to $900/month for 50 sessions over six months.

RELATED: These Education Companies Are Offering Free Activities to Parents During School Closures

Khan Academy

Khan Academy isn't really just a tutoring company; it's meant to supplement a child's education, with curriculum materials designed to either bolster classroom lessons or teach something entirely new. There isn't any live or one-on-one instruction (just videos that students watch at their own pace), but the materials are 100% free.

Learn to Be

For those who balk at the high cost of online tutoring, Learn to Be is a nonprofit that offers free and low-cost services for students who need it. (You choose if you can pay.) The caveat: This isn't on-demand tutoring; you'll need to fill out an application, which has sections that parents, school teachers, and students need to complete, before starting.

Preply is a boon to students who want to learn or practice another language with a native speaker; it hosts tutors from all over the world who are fluent in Spanish, Russian, Arabic, Japanese, Hebrew, Urdu — you name it. Tutors are contractors who set their own rates, so the prices vary.

The Princeton Review

The Princeton Review acquired the popular Tutor.com , making it a one-stop shop for homework help, test prep, and tutoring — and it claims that more than 5,000 students take advantage every night. Most plans come with a better guarantee, and pricing starts at $40/month for one hour per month and goes up to $1,450 for 50 on-demand hours over six months (which divides out to $29/hour).

Revolution Prep

Revolution Prep boasts that its staff is made up of 100% full-time faculty — no side-hustlers here — who do more than 150 hours of training and development. (The site claims there are Jeopardy! champs and Ph.D.s in their ranks.) But you'll pay for their expertise: Private tutoring is $1,200 for 12 hours, and small-group test prep is $400 for 12 hours.

Skooli has a pay-as-you-go pricing plan of $0.82 per minute, which is good if you want to use a tutor every once in a while when you're stuck on a tricky homework question or want some last-minute study help; you're not locked into a monthly plan, and you can connect to tutors 24/7. The site has tutors for all subjects and grade levels, including ESL and business courses.

Smarthinking

Pearson's Smarthinking boasts that 90% of its tutors have advanced degrees in their subject areas, so they know their stuff. There are tutors for every subject, but writing is the emphasis — as are resume reviews and interview prep, when it comes time for your student to enter the workforce. Prices range from $25 for an essay or resume review to $125/month for four hours of online tutoring.

SpecialEdTutoring.com

Students with special needs require tutors who understand their learning styles. All of the this site's tutors have at least a Bachelor's Degree in special education, and the tutors find that the students do well with online tutoring because they're in a comfortable and familiar setting (ie, home). Rates start at $25/hour.

TutorEye offers tons of flexibility in how it offers its services: You can choose between a live study session with a whiteboard-enabled classroom help or written, step-by-step help — and you can decide if you want to commit to a monthly plan or just do pay-per-minute. The pay-as-you-go system costs $0.50 per minute, while monthly plans start at $50 for two hours.

TutorMe claims it only accepts 4% of the tutors who apply to work with the site, so students only receive the best instructors. Lessons take place in a virtual classroom with a whiteboard, text editor, audio/video chat, and screen-sharing capabilities, and afterwards the lessons are archived for later review. Prices range from $1/minute for quick homework help to $119/month for four hours of lessons.

Varsity Tutors

For a truly mobile tutoring experience, Varsity Tutors has an innovative app and online portal that lets tutors and students edit documents or work on math problems collaboratively. It's helpful for students who may need help when they're away from their laptops, either between classes or before sports practice. Varsity Tutors also has new monthly learning memberships that provide both 1-on-1 tutoring hours + access to unlimited live classes in a variety of subjects. Pricing starts at $269/month.

Wyzant boasts it has more than 80,000 instructors lined up ready to help students with their studies. There are also a huge number of lessons already archived on the site, so students can brush up on popular concepts and quiz themselves to see where their weak areas are before booking a tutor. Prices vary by tutor and level of expertise.

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Here are the 5 best online tutoring services for K-12 students in 2022:

The best online tutoring service overall, the best online tutoring service for bipoc students, the best affordable online tutoring service, the best special education online tutoring service, the best online tutoring service for reluctant learners, other online tutoring services we considered, how we selected the best online tutoring services, the 5 best online tutoring services for k-12 students, including special education options.

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Whether students need extra help with their math homework or a boost in reading comprehension, one-on-one tutoring is a time-honored way to help kids succeed in school.

While parents can find great options within their local school districts, the one-on-one online tutoring services in this guide provide K-12 tutors across all states and subjects. We also avoided traditional in-person franchises in favor of services with an online focus. 

Insider Reviews spoke with Teresa Lubovich, spokesperson for the National Tutoring Association and owner of Poulsbo Tutoring in Washington, and Mel Jackman, a managing director of the East Harlem Tutorial Program , to gather selection criteria for the best online tutoring services (read more about our criteria at the end of this guide). Neither expert is affiliated with any of our picks.

We also reached out to K-12 online tutoring programs across the country to see if they fit our criteria and considered whether they stand out in any one category. Here are our top five picks, as well as some wonderful programs that didn't necessarily fit into a category.

Best online tutoring service overall: ArborBridge, from $145 ArborBridge matches highly trained K-12 academic tutors with students to facilitate learning across all subjects.

Best online tutoring service for BIPOC children: INC Education, from $65 INC is an award-winning tutoring program that gives BIPOC students agency in their personalized learning experience.

Best affordable online tutoring service: Varsity Tutors, from $269 Varsity Tutors is a vast, popular program featuring over 3,000 subjects, from basics to Mandarin to computer science.

Best online tutoring service for special education: Special Education Resource, from $275 Special Education Resource is deeply committed to serving students with a wide range of disabilities from nonverbal autism to ADHD.

Best online tutoring service for reluctant learners: Central Park Tutors, from $110 Central Park Tutors offers highly specialized services for kids who have a wide range of learning styles and needs.

ArborBridge matches highly trained K-12 academic tutors with students to facilitate learning across all subjects.

Pros : Distinguished tutors, highly personalized interactive experience, covers many subjects

Cons : Expensive, website can be difficult to navigate

Cost: $160 an hour

ArborBridge has offered national online tutoring for 10 years and is widely known for its test-prep services and top-of-the-line academic tutoring in every K-12 subject. Its instructors are specially trained to engage students through video chat platforms.

Forging deep connections over video chat is a critical skill, according to Lubovich. "The students need to feel connected to the tutor as if they were in person," she said. "How the tutor does that through the screen to reach in and draw them out, that's a skill — and it's really important."

Tutors at ArborBridge have a full online toolbox to draw from — from whiteboards to shared screens to interactive capabilities — and are constantly adjusting the tools and techniques they use to meet the unique needs of each student.

Every ArborBridge tutor graduated from a top-rated liberal arts or research university and has significant teaching experience. Beyond these requirements, tutors go through a rigorous interview process to evaluate their competence.

It also features a comprehensive student-tutor matching program for elementary, middle, and high school students. 

INC is an award-winning tutoring program that gives BIPOC students agency in their personalized learning experience.

Pros: Racially inclusive, affordable, stringent process for student/tutor match

Cons: Some subjects are not available

Cost: The average cost is $65 an hour, but each family receives a unique price package depending on their needs.

INC Education is the largest online tutoring program for BIPOC students. Since 2013, Dallas-based INC Education, which stands for "It's Not Complicated," has expanded its program from a one-man show — founder Jay Veal — to 100 tutors in many subjects (including dance!) and 10,000 students across the United States.

Veal started as a math teacher who was frustrated by the lack of diversity in the educational field. According to studies , students have more academic success when they are taught by same-race and same-gendered teachers, yet most school teachers are white women .

"The role model effect is real," said Jackman. "There's so much evidence that having one teacher of the same race is enough to give the student ambition and drive. You don't know what you can be if you don't see it."

The national program features a staff of more than 90 BIPOC tutors, many with master's degrees. Veal, who delivered a TED Talk, has won several awards for the program, including the 2019 United Nations Global Leadership Award Honoree for SDG 4 Goal of Quality Education.

Before beginning instruction, INC assesses every student and treats them like "little brothers and sisters," according to Veal. The service also incorporates each student's parents into the process and, if needed, their school teachers. Students can choose the ethnicity and gender of their tutor, and every program is individually tailored.

Varsity Tutors is a vast, popular program featuring over 3,000 subjects, from basics to Mandarin to computer science.

Pros : Affordable, vast options, has a placement algorithm

Cons : Commission rates for tutors vary widely

Cost: $269/year or $299 for 6 months

Varsity Tutors has over 40,000 tutors across the country and is a popular choice for parents seeking quality tutoring at an affordable price.

The service started in 2007 and has been mostly online for five years. Despite being one of the larger online tutoring programs, Varsity rigorously vets its applicants through simulations, background checks, and interviews, and has turned down tutors with perfect SAT scores if they can't convey information in a comprehensible way.

"One of the biggest things I tell my parents is to look for someone who makes a good connection with your student," said Lubovich. "Because it doesn't matter if they know the math. If they don't connect, they don't do well."

Varsity Tutors uses a placement algorithm to match students with tutors based on things like schedule, educational needs, proficiency, learning style, interests, and goals.

Special Education Resource is deeply committed to serving students with a wide range of disabilities from nonverbal autism to ADHD.

Pros: Personalized attention, comprehensive approach, neurodiversity welcome, singular focus

Cons: Can be expensive

Cost: The average cost for a tailored program is $275 per month, but rates can vary widely from $35 to $2,000 per month.

Special Education Resource provides comprehensive online tutoring for kids with IEPs (individualized education plans). It is deeply committed to that goal, from assessment to evaluation — while many other tutoring services provide qualified special education academic tutoring, Special Education Resource has always been singularly focused on it.

Uniquely, the tutors are all part of the staff and are not independent contractors. This is a deliberate rule meant to create a family, according to co-founder Luke Dalien. All instructors have a four-year degree in special education as well as classroom experience.

"Not everyone is equipped for special education instruction," Lubovich said. "If a family has an IEP, they need to look for people who have been specifically trained."

Special Education Resource creates a very individually tailored experience for each child. In fact, Dalien said he personally meets with every parent individually, multiple times.

Students undergo a thorough assessment to be matched with the right instructor and also receive a specialized learning plan. Because of this, the rates vary widely depending on the needs of the student.

Central Park Tutors offers highly specialized services for kids who have a wide range of learning styles and needs.

Pros: Run by teachers, values neurodiversity

Cons : Does not offer every subject

Cost: $110 an hour

Central Park Tutors offers K-12 homework help and academic coaching in many basic subjects like physics and history. While it serves all children, the service also offers specific methods like the Orton-Gillingham and Wilson multisensory reading systems designed for kids with dyslexia.

Many tutoring programs were launched by entrepreneurs, but Central Park Tutors was founded in 2005 by two teachers and scholars: husband and wife Mike Wallach and Susana Kraglievich. The service now has about 90 tutors on its roster, each with a master's degree or higher.

The program's tutors thrive on making information fun and digestible for students who have lost interest in school, or who may have depression or learning disabilities. They abide by the principles of education authors like Alfie Kohn and John Holt, who value unconditional support and respect for students.

"You want a program that will humanize the learning experience and recognize the magnificence of the children's brains and how powerful they are," said Jackman. 

Central Park Tutors' intake system is very thorough, with each student receiving a custom plan and well-matched tutor. Despite its name, the service has worked with students from New York to Shanghai. However, most of the tutors are trained and based in New York. 

We looked at many options while choosing the best online tutoring services. Over time, we refined our criteria and had to leave off certain programs, including the following:

• BrainStorm Tutoring & Arts : BrainStorm is an award-winning tutoring program that uses a hands-on approach. It didn't make it to the top because it is primarily based in New York, New Jersey, and Branson, Missouri, and has only just started to gain national traction. BrainStorm is a great option for kids who need help with basic subjects, as well as ancillary skills like time management, intellectual stamina, and self-confidence.
• K12.com , Skooli.com , Tutor.com , and Wyzant : We did not include these four popular programs because they ask parents to independently choose tutors from a list of profiles. This format may be preferable for some families, but we only selected programs that utilize a deliberate matchmaking system. These services may be good options for parents and students who want complete control over the tutor selection process.

Not all online tutoring services are created equal, and not all of them will suit your child's specific needs. There is an almost infinite number of programs online, and there is no one set of guidelines. Parents do have plenty of criteria to work with, though. Here's how we evaluated the tutoring programs featured in this guide:

Are the tutors qualified?

It's important to look for qualified tutors who generally have a degree in their field and a background in education. Tutors might opt for certification under the National Tutoring Association or the Association for the Tutoring and Coaching Profession , but there are no laws that regulate tutors or require these certifications.

Does the program offer shorter tutoring sessions?

Lubovich said that two-hour sessions are rare — as they should be — because they're pushing the absolute limit. Sessions should also include some breaks for physical movement, especially when it comes to young children.

Is there a contract?

Companies should give parents a contract complete with expectations, and they should comply with all children's online privacy laws .

Is the approach holistic and transparent?

A good tutoring program looks at the whole student rather than simply their grades or test scores. Look for services that assess children in advance and deliberately match them with tutors based on expertise and personality.

Tutoring should also take into account everything that is going on in a kid's life, such as trauma at home, not just scores. Frequent, transparent check-ins between tutors and parents are essential.

"You should be able to ask questions," Jackman said. "What is the staff like, is the learning process transparent, can I come take a peek or see a recorded video? Parents should feel empowered."

The holistic approach is particularly crucial for marginalized students. At a baseline, children with disabilities should be matched with specialized, qualified tutors. However, Jackman argued that tutoring companies should go beyond that by embracing diversity in every form, whether that means having a diverse staff, requiring anti-bias training among tutors, or offering discounts or equipment to lower-income students.

"It's not just about giving kids information, but celebrating who they are," Jackman said.

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The 6 Best Tutoring Sites for Homework Help

Are you in desperate need of homework help? These online tutoring sites can help you succeed in school.

If you're struggling to grasp the concepts you learn in class, chatting with a personal tutor can help. With the help of the internet, you can have 24/7 access to tutors, and you don't even have to leave your house to meet with them.

In desperate need of some online homework help? These tutoring sites can help you succeed in school.

1.  The Princeton Review

The Princeton Review offers stress-free online homework help in over 80 subjects. Whether you're stumped on a math problem or need someone to proofread your essay, The Princeton Review has helpful tutors online 24/7. This makes it a great site that every student should bookmark .

After signing in to the site and entering your homework question, The Princeton Review will connect you with a tutor. From here, you can chat with your tutor and figure out how to fix your mistakes.

Keep in mind that The Princeton Review isn't just for high school students. The site also offers expert tutoring for college students in a variety of subjects.

And while The Princeton Review offers a free trial for its service, you'll have to pay from then on. For $40/month you can get access to one hour of tutoring. The price varies depending on how much time you need, and the tutoring plan you choose.

Although Chegg is known as one of the best sites to get cheap college textbooks , it also has a handy high school and college student homework help center. From subjects like biology, calculus, and even engineering, Chegg's tutoring service covers all your homework needs.

To get started, simply specify what exactly you need help with, and Chegg will match you with a tutor. Chegg tutors are available 24/7, so you can get help right when you need it.

Tutoring sessions can occur over audio, video, or text chats. In case you need visuals, your tutor can even use a live digital whiteboard to teach.

Fortunately, Chegg tutors are very affordable---you can get a one-time lesson over text chat for just $7. If you need more than one tutoring session, you can get a monthly subscription for $15. But just keep in mind that you'll have to pay $30/month for access to more subjects and video calls.

Wyzant has over 65,000 tutors who are experts in a number of different subjects. After you enter the subject you're struggling in, as well as your availability, you can start your search for an online tutor.

Each tutor's profile has a description of their expertise, so you can be sure you find the right match. Wyzant's tutors also have ratings and reviews from previous students, which gives you insight into the tutor's helpfulness.

Wyzant has an online tool made specifically for online tutoring sessions. This makes it easy to talk with your tutor, as well as grasp the concepts they're explaining.

As far as the price goes, it depends on the instructor you choose. Each tutor picks their own hourly wage, so you'll find a range of prices that's suitable for all budgets.

4.  TutorMe

TutorMe is an instant online tutoring service, and it says that it can connect you with a tutor in 30 seconds or less. It offers tutoring in over 300 subjects for all grade levels.

TutorMe also heavily screens its tutors, and only accepts applicants from some of the best universities around the world. On each tutor's profile, you can check out the tutor's education history, experience, and student reviews.

If you want a preview of a tutoring session, head to TutorMe's demo page . During your session, you'll get access to an interactive whiteboard, calculator, and code editor. You can also share files with your tutor through Google Docs, or you can upload them directly to the site.

When it comes to paying for the service, you have two options---you can either pay a monthly subscription price or pay by the minute. For ongoing tutoring, you can pay $69 for two hours of tutoring per month. But if you need to ask a quick question, you can pay $1 per minute.

5.  Varsity Tutors

Varsity Tutors offer school homework help for students of all ages. Whether you're a parent looking for a tutor for your elementary school student, or you're a college student studying trigonometry, Varsity Tutors can give you the help you need.

Varsity Tutors ensure that each instructor passes a background check, goes through an interview process, and even participates in simulations. This guarantees a quality learning experience.

In addition to offering large and small group classes, Varsity Tutors also provides one-on-one tutoring sessions. The site matches you with the best tutor for the subject you need help with and tailors the session to suit your needs.

One-on-one tutoring sessions start at $60/hour. You'll have to fill out an inquiry form to find out a more personalized price.

Skooli is another fantastic site for homework help, as it offers tutoring for students in kindergarten through college. In addition, it provides help in a long list of subjects, making it easy to find a tutor who has the right answers to your questions.

To preview what Skooli's online classroom looks like, head to its demo page . Here, you can play around with the site's whiteboard and text tools. You can also see how the video call with your instructor will look on the page.

You can begin your tutoring session by entering a question you're struggling with on the front page of the site. After that, you'll need to enter the subject you need help with, as well as your grade. Skooli can then match you with the best tutor for your needs.

Skooli offers competitive pricing for its one-on-one tutoring sessions. It uses a pay as you go pricing, so you'll end up paying 82 cents/minute.

Improve Your Grades With Online Homework Help

When you find yourself struggling in school, it never hurts to get some extra help. These online tutoring sites can definitely come in handy when you're working on an important assignment, or even when you're preparing for a test.

Before you start your online tutoring session, you'll want to make sure you have a reliable laptop or computer. Fortunately, you can always find student discounts on laptops if you're on a budget.

Online tutoring that goes beyond homework help

Tutoring for schools and districts

High-dosage tutoring for all the learners in your community

Tutoring for families.

Individualized, consistent instruction to help your child succeed

Remind tutors help transform learning with strong, consistent relationships

Become a tutor.

Make an impact doing what you love—on your own schedule

What makes remind tutoring different.

Experienced, engaging tutors

Remind tutors are rigorously vetted through assessments and mock teaching to make sure they can help students stay motivated and on track.

Personalized one-on-one sessions

Everyone learns in their own way. Our interactive sessions are tailored to each student to make sure they get the support they need.

Convenient, consistent, and online

With online sessions and flexible scheduling, Remind Tutoring makes it easy for students to build a relationship with the same tutor over time.

Students and their families love Remind Tutoring

Strong, consistent relationships transform learning. That’s why Remind tutors have a 4.74 average rating.

Remind Tutoring makes it simple to get started and stay engaged

No-stress setup

Engaging sessions

Long-term success

Subjects we offer.

AI tutors are quietly changing how kids in the US study, and the leading apps are from China

Evan, a high school sophomore from Houston, was stuck on a calculus problem. He pulled up Answer AI on his iPhone, snapped a photo of the problem from his Advanced Placement math textbook, and ran it through the homework app. Within a few seconds, Answer AI had generated an answer alongside a step-by-step process of solving the problem.

A year ago, Evan would be scouring long YouTube videos in hopes of tackling his homework challenges. He also had a private tutor, who cost $60 per hour. Now the arrival of AI bots is posing a threat to long-established tutoring franchises such as Kumon, the 66-year-old Japanese giant that has 1,500 locations and nearly 290,000 students across the U.S .

“The tutor’s hourly cost is about the same as Answer AI’s whole year of subscription,” Evan told me. “So I stopped doing a lot of [in-person] tutoring.”

Answer AI is among a handful of popular apps that are leveraging the advent of ChatGPT and other large language models to help students with everything from writing history papers to solving physics problems. Of the top 20 education apps in the U.S. App Store, five are AI agents that help students with their school assignments, including Answer AI, according to data from Data.ai on May 21.

There is a perennial debate on the role AI should play in education. The advantages of AI tutors are obvious: They make access to after-school tutoring much more equitable. The $60-per-hour tutoring in Houston is already much more affordable than services in more affluent and academically cutthroat regions, like the Bay Area, which can be three times as expensive, Answer AI’s founder Ric Zhou told me.

Zhou, a serial entrepreneur, also suggested that AI enables more personalized teaching, which is hard to come by in a classroom of 20 students. Chatbot teachers, which can remember a student’s learning habits and never get grumpy about answering questions, can replace the private coaches that rich families hire. Myhanh, a high school junior based in Houston, said her math grades have improved from 85 to 95 within six months since using generative AI to study.

For now, AI tutors are mostly constrained to text-based interactions, but very soon, they will literally be able to speak to students in ways that optimize for each student’s learning style, whether that means a more empathetic, humorous, or creative style. OpenAI’s GPT-4o already demonstrated that an AI assistant that can generate voice responses in a range of emotive styles is within reach.

When AI doesn’t help you learn

The vision of equitable, AI-powered learning isn’t fully realized yet. Like other apps that forward API calls to LLMs, AI tutors suffer from hallucinations and can spit out wrong answers. Answer AI tries to improve its accuracy through retrieval augmented generation (RAG), a method that fine-tunes an LLM with certain domain knowledge — in this case, a sea of problem sets. But it’s still making more mistakes than the last-generation homework apps that match user queries with an existing library of practice problems, as these apps don’t try to answer questions they don’t already know.

Some students are aware of AI’s limitations. Evan often cross-checks results from Answer AI with ChatGPT, while Myhanh uses Answer AI in an after-school study group to bounce ideas off her peers. But Evan and Myhanh are the types of self-driven students who are more likely to use AI as a learning aid, while some of their peers may handily delegate AI to do their homework without learning anything.

For now, educators aren’t sure what to do with AI. Several public school districts in the U.S. have banned access to ChatGPT on school devices, but enforcing a ban on generative AI outright becomes challenging as soon as students leave school premises.

The reality is, it’s impossible for teachers and parents to prevent kids from using AI to study. It’s hard to discern whether a student has learned to solve a math problem by heart based on the answer they write, and detecting when essays have been written with AI is (so far) heavily flawed , too. So it may be more effective to educate kids on the role of AI as an imperfect assistant that sometimes makes mistakes rather than prohibit it completely.

Chinese dominance

As of May, the two most popular AI helpers in the U.S. are both Chinese owned. One-year-old Question AI is the brainchild of the founders of Zuoyebang, a popular Chinese homework app that has raised around $3 billion in equity over the past decade. Gauth, on the other hand, was launched by TikTok parent ByteDance in 2019 . Since its inception, Question AI has been downloaded 6 million times across Apple’s App Store and Google Play Store in the U.S., whereas its rival Gauth has amassed twice as many installs since its launch, according to data provided by market research firm Sensor Tower. (Both are published in the U.S. by Singaporean entities, a common tactic as Chinese tech receives growing scrutiny from the West .)

The success of Chinese homework apps is a result of their concerted effort to target the American market in recent years. In 2021, China imposed rules to clamp down on its burgeoning private tutoring sector focused on the country’s public school curriculum. Many service providers, including brick-and-mortar tutoring centers and online study apps, have since pivoted to overseas users. The U.S. is unsurprisingly their most coveted international market due to its sheer size.

The fact that tutoring apps are likely to be using similar foundational AI technologies has leveled the playing field for foreign players, which can overcome language and cultural barriers by summoning AI to study user behavior. As Eugene Wei wrote in his canonical analysis of TikTok’s global success,”[A] machine learning algorithm significantly responsive and accurate can pierce the veil of cultural ignorance.”

The reliance on the same group of LLMs also makes it hard for these study apps to differentiate solely on the quality of their answers. Some of the legacy players, like Zuoyebang and Photomath, can use a combination of generative AI and search in their extensive libraries of problem sets to improve accuracy. Newcomers will need to find alternative ways to set themselves apart, like enhancing user personalization features.

“An AI agent needs to proactively engage with students and tailor its answers to individual learning needs,” said Zhou. “A raw language model isn’t a ready-to-use AI agent, so we try to differentiate by fine-tuning our AI to teach more effectively. For example, our AI bot would invite students to ask follow-up questions after presenting an answer, encouraging deeper learning rather than just letting them copy the result.”

Updated to correct text that stated AI can be used to detect essays written using AI: It cannot.

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I f you are looking for a way to earn money remotely helping kids with homework, I have a list you will want to check out. There are several companies now that pay tutors and teachers to help their clients (kids, teens, and in some cases college students) with homework.

Offering homework help online in many cases is just side money, but it may appeal to you if you've ever done any tutoring or teaching or just happen to be academically gifted. And being able to offer the help online is a plus and far more convenient than having to travel to the home of a student, or to a school.

Below I've listed five companies that are almost always seeking people to provide homework help in a variety of different subjects, entirely online.

Good luck if you apply for anything!

5 Ways to Work at Home Offering Homework Help

1 – studypool.

After you apply as a tutor on the Studypool website, you can then browse the site for homework questions you think you'd be qualified to answer. You get to request a fee for the questions you're interested in helping with, and the students can decide whether or not they want to work with you based on what you are charging.

Once you submit your answer and the student accepts it, you will receive your pay.

You can log in on Studypool and work whenever you want, although there will be certain times of year that there aren't as many questions to help with (summer and the Christmas holidays).

2 – GeeklyHelp

GeeklyHelp specializes in homework help for college students. The students send out help requests and wait for a tutor “match” based on GeeklyHelp's AI algorithm designed to find the perfect tutor to help with their problem.

You will chat with the student you've been assigned to one-on-one until the problem is solved, and then you receive your payment.

According to the site, most tutors working with them earn on average $20/hourly. Payments are made weekly via PayPal, Payoneer, or Skrill, and you're free to choose your own hours.

You have to apply and prove your competence in the subjects you claim to be an expert in prior to acceptance.

RELATED: 15 Companies Always Hiring Work at Home Tutors

3 – SchoolSolver

SchoolSolver is the most basic-looking of all the options I've listed for you. Just click on “Answer Questions” when you visit the site, and you'll be presented with a list of homework questions students need help with, along with the amount they are willing to pay for assistance.

If you know the answer to the question, you can add it, but the buyer cannot see the answer unless they pay. This helps guarantee you get paid for your help.

I do see a lot of room for error here and students possibly claiming your answer isn't good so they don't have to pay, but then using it anyway … so just be a little cautious with this one.

Payments are made via PayPal. There do not appear to be any requirements to sign up and start answering questions.

4 – Growing Stars

Growing Stars is a bit more professional. They offer online tutoring services for elementary, middle, and high school students.

Sessions are held online and one-on-one via a whiteboard. You teach the students using the same textbooks they have in school.

There is no mention on the website of what you are paid.

The candidate registration form is located here. You are also asked to select which subject you'd like to teach in.

5 – 24HourAnswers.com

24HourAnswers.com provides online tutoring and homework help services to students for over 400 subjects.

If you are interested in tutoring for 24HourAnswers.com, you will need at least a Master’s degree, but if you’re an exceptional student with at least a Bachelor degree you can still apply with great spoken and written English skills.

Payments are made monthly via ACH Payments, Bank Transfer (International), PayPal and Payoneer.

I hope this helps you if you were looking for some work at home options and ways to earn extra cash helping kids and teens with their homework. Good luck!

How the pandemic made private online tutors a go-to for NJ's public schools

5-minute read.

It started as a clever use of technology to help overburdened teachers and students as they juggled remote lessons during the COVID-19 pandemic.  

Now, online tutoring has become standard “edtech” — and gaining popularity in New Jersey’s K-12 schools. 

Online tutoring — in which students interact with a human tutor on a computer screen — has become key as districts struggle to help students catch up from pandemic-related learning gaps amid an ongoing teacher shortage. On-screen tutoring is predominantly used after school hours, but that could change to fit into the school day. 

The Edison school district in Middlesex County is paying for online tutoring using federal Title I funds that districts receive based on the size of their low-income student population, but which must be used to serve any student who is at risk academically.

The Denville school district in Morris County used $68,000 in federal COVID relief funds for online tutoring through AirTutor.com, said Assistant Superintendent Sandra Cullis. She sees online tutoring as a "game changer" that stayed on after masks and COVID restrictions went away.

With pandemic relief dollars running out, districts like Denville are also considering using Title I funds for online tutoring. 

“If funding allows, having additional supports ready to address student needs in a timely manner is a game changer for some students,” Cullis said.

Online tutoring provides personalized, differentiated learning

Schools are still using the technology only to support students who need extra help — outside class hours, and not in place of classroom instruction.

But it also offers districts the option of providing personalized, differentiated learning — buzzwords in education as schools try to address individual needs instead of using one-size-fits-all lessons that may not reach every student in the same way. 

“We now know that the more individualized, the more personalized the educational program you can deliver, the better it is,” said Rick Cohen, chief academic officer for secondary education at Edison Public Schools. 

“It's not a magic bullet, and you don’t get 100%,” he said, “but because of the personalized aspect of it — the one-to-one tutoring — we get a good response.”

The district has spent $333,662 this academic year on math tutoring for high school students through Varsity Tutors, he said. That's about $17 an hour. 

24/7 anonymous chat-based tutoring help

An add-on service from online tutors is 24/7 chat-based help. The sessions are anonymous but use interactive whiteboards to work out problems and share notes on the chat screen. Students get help with homework and concepts without face-to-face interaction.

The Paterson school district offers its sixth to 12th grade students the service through Tutor.com. 

Many tutoring companies grabbed the opportunity created by the pandemic's temporary shift to K-12 remote learning. In March 2021, the state announced the bridging of the digital divide in public schools, ensuring that every student had a laptop and internet access.

Companies such as Varsity Tutors had a 16-year-old core business tutoring families and individuals. Now they had a new niche: the public school.

“About two years ago we started to realize the need to help districts and provide individualized support, both to help with teacher burnout and learning loss recovery,” said Anthony Salcito, chief institution business officerfor Varsity Tutors.

The company said it provides personal online tutoring and a 24/7 chat to K-12 students in 13 charter schools and school districts in New Jersey, including Mine Hill and Randolph in Morris County, Orange and Livingston in Essex County, and Edison.

In Edison, parents sign up their children for tutoring sessions to match their family schedules. Varsity Tutors also offers district- and teacher-assigned tutoring, in which schools could potentially have students meet online with a tutor during study hall or as an in-class support to teachers.

Schools have yet to buy in to these options, possibly also because teachers’ unions would have to agree. The company said one New Jersey district is considering in-school tutoring support. 

Online tutors best for math and reading

Denville students received one-on-one online math help in the summer, to bridge the gap between advanced and grade-level courses. Tutoring was more effective for fourth through eighth grade students and for math and basic reading skills, like phonemic awareness, said Cullis, the assistant superintendent.

Cohen, from the Edison district, agreed that the model works better for math. “I saw substantial gains for our students in math that participated in at least 12 or more hours of online tutoring,” he said, after comparing test scores for students who were tutored in math and in English for the same number of hours. 

Tutoring platforms refer to weeks-long, intensive sessions as “high-dosage” tutoring, which research shows is highly effective for learning gains in students who are falling behind. “High-dosage” usually refers to in-person tutoring, with a child or a small group meeting with the same tutor for up to 90 minutes a week. But the model is also moving online. 

No substitute for classroom, teachers say

For all the hype, online tutoring is no substitute for in-person classroom teachers, say school leaders and teachers’ unions.

The state’s largest teachers’ union, the New Jersey Education Association, pushed last year for laws that would require schools to get approval from the Department of Education for virtual instructors or vendors to deliver remote instruction for courses other than on financial, business and entrepreneurship literacy.

The measure did not pass, but the state’s K-12 stakeholders are trying to find common ground on regulating online instruction. 

Flexibility, a wide pool of tutors for all subjects and multilingual tutors for non-English-speaking students are other benefits. “Some students are more confident with virtual tutors," Cullis said. 

“One disadvantage of virtual tutoring is the inability to read the whole child,” especially body language, she said.  

Difficulty filling teaching jobs

But the pandemic left administrators stretched thin. Cohen, who worked for the Metuchen school district at the time, said it was hard enough finding teachers for kids who were quarantining and those needing extra help.

Then came the COVID omicron variant in January 2022, sending even more kids and staff into quarantine. 

“I was like, OK, we can't maintain this," Cohen said. "We can't sustain and anticipate the number of kids who are going to need support beyond quarantine instruction. That's when I began to search for third-party vendors.”

But federal relief funds for high-dosage online tutoring was reserved for academically at-risk students in vulnerable demographic sub-groups, including Black and Hispanic students, those receiving special education services, low-income students and English language learners.

The district was also hearing from families that said their kids did not qualify for the high-dosage tutoring but wanted extra help. It decided to use Varsity Tutors’ 24/7 chat as a support for all students, Cohen said.

Ultimately, online tutoring has “empowered” schools to be personalized and on-demand, without pressuring teachers, Cohen said.