An italki alternative with no commission

If you have used italki, Preply or Cambly, you already know the trade-off: a big tutor catalogue and built-in tools, paid for with a 15–33% commission baked into every lesson. Global Tutor Board takes a different approach — it is a free directory where you contact independent English tutors directly and arrange lessons with them, with nothing taken in between.

Why people look for an alternative

The three reasons that come up most often:

Price. Platform commission is real money. A tutor who needs to earn $12/hour has to charge you $16–18 on a platform that keeps a third. Off-platform, the same tutor can charge you $12.
Lock-in. Lessons, scheduling, payments and messaging all live inside the platform. If it raises fees or the tutor leaves, your history goes with it.
Access. italki and Cambly are unreliable or blocked in mainland China. Global Tutor Board is served through Cloudflare and is reachable there.

How Global Tutor Board is different

It is a directory, not a lesson platform. You browse verified tutor profiles — photo, intro video, subjects, rate — and message the ones you like through the site. The chat is auto-translated if your English is not strong yet. Once you have found a good fit, the tutor shares their own contact details and you arrange everything directly: schedule, price, and how you pay.

There is no commission, no markup, and no platform sitting between you and your teacher during lessons. Browsing and messaging are free for students; tutors pay a small flat fee to be listed.

What you trade away — and whether it matters

Being a directory rather than a platform means some things are not built in:

No built-in video room — you use Zoom, Google Meet, WeChat or whatever the tutor prefers.
No platform payment protection — you pay the tutor directly, so start with a single trial lesson before committing to a package.
No star-rating system yet — you judge from the profile, the intro video, and a first conversation.

For most learners taking regular lessons with one or two tutors, none of this is a real loss — and the lower price and direct relationship are a clear gain.

How to get started

Browse the tutors below or on the full board, open a few profiles, and message two or three. Ask about a trial lesson, tell them your goal and level (or take the free level test first), and see who you click with. It is free to do all of this.

Common questions

Is Global Tutor Board free for students?

Yes. Browsing tutor profiles and messaging tutors is completely free. Tutors pay a small flat listing fee; students never pay the platform anything.

Does it work in mainland China?

Yes. The site is served through Cloudflare and has been verified reachable from inside mainland China, unlike several of the mainstream tutoring platforms.

How do I pay the tutor?

Directly — whatever method you and the tutor agree on (bank transfer, PayPal, Wise, WeChat, etc.). The platform is not involved in payment, which is why there is no commission.