Tutoring agency or marketplace? Brainhub, Tutorful, MyTutor, The Profs, Bonas MacFarlane and Capital Tuition Group compared

Key takeaways

• →A marketplace (Tutorful, MyTutor) lets you search for and choose your own tutor; an agency (Brainhub, The Profs, Bonas MacFarlane, Capital Tuition Group) talks to you first and matches a tutor.
• →The lowest published price is Tutorful’s range of £20 to £45 an hour; Brainhub starts at £25 for primary and KS3, £30 for GCSE and £40 for A-Level; The Profs starts at £60 plus a £70 registration fee.
• →Bonas MacFarlane and Capital Tuition Group publish no prices on the pages we read, so you need to ask.
• →Tutor checks differ: Tutorful, The Profs and Brainhub say enhanced DBS checks apply to tutors; MyTutor, Bonas MacFarlane and Capital Tuition Group do not mention DBS on the pages we read.
• →Ask every company the same four questions: total cost for ten lessons, extra fees, how tutors are checked, and what happens if the match is wrong.

1. Which company suits which family?

Tutorful and MyTutor are marketplacesWebsites where you search for tutors and pick one yourself, rather than being matched., so they suit families who want to browse and choose their own tutor. Brainhub, The Profs, Bonas MacFarlane and Capital Tuition Group are agenciesCompanies that talk to you first, then match and supply a tutor., so they suit families who want to talk to someone first and be matched with a tutor. Of the four agencies, only Brainhub and The Profs publish prices, and Brainhub’s start lower. The Profs focuses on specialist and university-level tutors, Bonas MacFarlane also offers live-in tutoring, and Capital Tuition Group also offers group classes.

Facts checked on 5 November 2026 from each company’s own website, with the page named at the end of this guide. The exception is Capital Tuition Group, whose own website could not be opened for this check, so its facts come from two listings that name it. Brainhub wrote this guide, so read it with that in mind and check the sources yourself.

2. Is Brainhub an agency or a marketplace?

Brainhub is an agency. Brainhub offers every family a free assessmentBrainhub’s first step: a free session to find the level, gaps and goals before any lessons., then recommends a qualified teacher or subject specialist and sends a written plan, rather than leaving the family to search a directory alone.^[2]

Brainhub teaches online across the UK, in person at seven London hubs, or at the student’s home. Brainhub’s prices start at £25 an hour for primary and KS3, £30 for GCSE and £40 for A-Level, with no registration, joining, platform or admin fees and no contracts.^[1]

3. How do the six compare?

The table gives one short fact per cell. “Not stated” means the page we read did not say, which is not the same as “no”. Prices are per hour.

4. Which is cheapest?

Tutorful has the lowest published range, at £20 to £45 an hour, with each tutor setting their own rate and the rate shown including service fees.^[3]

MyTutor’s pricing page says one-to-one tuition is from £26 an hour, and lists tiers that start at £25, £45 and £65.^[7]

Brainhub’s lowest price is £25 an hour for primary and KS3. A teacher with a PGCE or QTS costs £10 an hour more, and lessons in person cost £5 more.^[1]

The Profs charges from £60 an hour for school level, £75 for undergraduate tutors, £90 for postgraduate, £105 for professional qualification and £120 for specialist, plus a £70 registration feeA one-off charge to sign up, paid on top of the hourly price. and a 5-hour minimum spendThe least you must pay, such as a set number of hours, before lessons start.. That page is dated 2 August 2024, so ask for current prices.^[9]

Bonas MacFarlane and Capital Tuition Group publish no prices on the pages we read. For any company, ask for the total cost of ten weekly lessons, including every fee.^[11]

5. Which lets you choose your own tutor?

Tutorful and MyTutor suit families who want to pick the tutor themselves. On Tutorful you search and compare tutors, each showing their own rate.^[3]

MyTutor offers a free matching service that shortlists tutors, and a free 15-minute video meeting so you can meet more than one tutor before you book.^[8]

If choosing your own tutor and trying several first matters most to you, MyTutor or Tutorful may suit your family better than Brainhub, because Brainhub recommends a teacher after the free assessment.

6. How are tutors checked?

Tutorful says all tutors must have an enhanced background check before tutoring children or vulnerable adults, and shows a Background Checked badgeThe mark Tutorful puts on a tutor profile once proof of a check is given. once proof is given. Tutorful also says Tutorful reviews every profile.^[5]

The Profs says tutors must pass an enhanced DBS checkA police record check for people working with children, including a barred-list check., an interview with its Tutor Community team, a live teaching simulationA trial lesson a tutor gives while the company watches, before being accepted., identity verification and a check of academic qualifications. The Profs also says The Profs accepts 3% of applicants.^[10]

Brainhub’s Safeguarding page describes enhanced DBS checks for tutors, a Designated Safeguarding Lead and rules for online lessons.^[14]

MyTutor says its tutors are interviewed by a member of its team. Bonas MacFarlane says its tutors are carefully vetted subject specialists. Capital Tuition Group’s listing says tuition is delivered by experienced and qualified teachers. None of these pages mentions DBS, so ask each company directly.^[8]

7. Which is best for exam years?

No company on this page publishes results that can be compared fairly, so this guide does not rank them. For GCSE, A-Level or 11+ preparation, ask each company whether the tutor will teach to your child’s exam board, and how it will tell you whether your child is on track.

Brainhub matches lessons to the student’s exam board (AQA, Pearson Edexcel or OCR) and gives a written plan after the free assessment. The pages we read for the other five companies did not say how they handle exam boards.^[2]

8. Where might another company suit your family better?

Choose Tutorful for the lowest published hourly range and the widest choice of independent tutors. Choose MyTutor if you want a free 15-minute meeting with a tutor before you book anything.^[3]

Choose The Profs if you want a postgraduate or specialist tutor, for example for university-level subjects or applications support, which The Profs prices from £150 an hour.^[9]

Choose Bonas MacFarlane if you want live-in tutoring, which the Bonas MacFarlane Immersive format offers for holiday bursts or longer support.^[11]

Choose Capital Tuition Group if you want group classes or holiday revision courses alongside one-to-one tuition, which the Capital Tuition Group listing mentions.^[12]

9. What to ask any tutoring company

Ask the same questions of every company so the answers can be compared.

10. How Brainhub can help

Brainhub offers a free assessment for every family, then recommends a teacher and sends a written plan. See our Prices page for the calculator, our online tutoring page for how lessons work across the UK, and our GCSE Maths guide for an example of the exam-board detail each lesson is built around. You can book a free assessment or compare us with anyone on the questions above.

1. 1. What is the main difference between a marketplace and an agency?

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2. 2. Which companies here are marketplaces?

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3. 3. Which companies publish no prices on the pages checked?

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4. 4. Name four things to ask any tutoring company.

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Your next steps

1. 01

   List what matters most to you: price, choice of tutor, exam-board knowledge or flexibility.

2. 02

   Ask two or three companies the six questions above and compare the answers in writing.

3. 03

   Check each company’s own website again before you book, because prices and rules change.

4. 04

   Book a free assessment with Brainhub if you want to compare.