Preply gives you a tutor every week. Immersed plans the hours in between.
Preply is a marketplace for one-to-one online lessons: you pick a tutor, then subscribe to a set number of lessons with them. Immersed is a language immersion tracker and planner: a free plan built from your answers, then a daily timeline for the shows, podcasts and books you learn from, and reports of your hours. It has no tutors. It plans and records the time around them.
Free. About two minutes. No account, no card.
The short version
Checked October 24, 2026.
Something out of date? Tell me.
If you want a regular lesson with a real person, someone who corrects you and keeps you on a schedule, Preply has a very large choice of tutors at prices each tutor sets. Immersed does not offer tutors.
If you want a plan for the hours of listening and reading that make those lessons go further, and one record of everything, lessons included, that is Immersed. A tutor is not a requirement to start. It is a tool you can add when it fits, and Immersed fits it into your week.
And where Preply counts lessons, Immersed shows what all your hours were made of: lessons as Speaking, next to the listening and reading that make them go further.
01What each one is for
An hour with a tutor, and the rest of your week.
Preply says it has more than 100,000 tutors from 180+ nationalities, teaching 120+ subjects. Languages lead: its homepage counted about 33,600 English teachers, 10,000 Spanish, 5,200 Chinese and 3,700 French when I checked. You filter by price, schedule and specialty, read reviews and watch intro videos, then meet online on the web or in the app.
A lesson is one hour, maybe two or three a week. Immersed covers the rest: a daily routine built around your life, milestones for your first months, what to watch and listen to at your level, and a record of all of it.
- Preply: one-to-one lessons by subscription, per tutor, renewing every 28 days
- Immersed: a free blueprint, a daily timeline, nine kinds of session and reports
02How Preply charges
A subscription per tutor, not pay as you go.
Once you have picked a tutor, you subscribe to them. Each subscription is with one tutor and renews every 28 days; the smallest plan is four lessons a cycle. You can pause once a cycle for up to 20 days, or cancel before the next billing date. Lessons you have not booked by renewal expire and do not carry over.
That structure suits learners who want a fixed weekly lesson and the push to show up. It suits you less if your weeks are uneven, since unused lessons are lost. If you want two tutors, you need two subscriptions.
03Do you need a tutor yet
A tutor is a tool you can choose, not a gate you must pass.
I learned Korean mostly through immersion, from my room in Maryland. My view: you don't need a tutor to start. Many learners spend their first months listening and reading, and the speaking that comes later is easier for it.
A tutor earns its place when you want it: you want to start speaking, you have an exam or a move coming, you want corrections, or a weekly lesson keeps you accountable. The Fluency Checklist has a last stage, Speaking & writing, for when you get there, and Speaking is one of the nine activities you can plan and track from day one.
04Planning and logging
Put the lesson on your timeline, and the input that feeds it.
Immersed's timeline holds your day from Wake up to Wind down, so the Wednesday lesson sits next to the podcast on your commute and the episode after dinner. Plan it as a repeating task with a reminder, and in the days before, plan input on what you want to talk about. You get more out of a paid hour when you walk in with things to say.
When the lesson starts, press play and pick Speaking, or log it afterward. Add a note with what your tutor corrected. The Growth page stacks your hours by activity, so Speaking sits next to Active Listening, Reading and the rest, with comprehension over time and links to the shows you watched. Export a PDF, Excel or CSV, or share a report link with your tutor.
Side by side · checked October 24, 2026
Immersed and Preply, feature by feature.
Speaking
Lessons with a real tutor
Immersed · No
Preply · Yes, one-to-one
Corrections and feedback on your speaking
Immersed · No
Preply · Yes, from your tutor
Exam and business preparation
Immersed · No
Preply · Many tutors offer it
Choice of tutors
Immersed · Not applicable
Preply · 100,000+ tutors, 120+ subjects
Planning
A plan built for your day and goals
Immersed · Free blueprint from your answers
Preply · Your tutor plans the lessons
Immersion milestones for your first months
Immersed · Yes, on the free blueprint
Preply · No
Daily planner
Immersed · Timeline from Wake up to Wind down
Preply · Calendar of booked lessons
What to watch, listen to and read
Immersed · Immersion Library and Discover
Preply · Whatever your tutor suggests
Tracking
Tracks lessons
Immersed · Logged as Speaking
Preply · Yes, lesson history
Tracks input across every app and platform
Immersed · Yes, nine activities
Preply · No
Comprehension rating per session
Immersed · Yes
Preply · No
Lessons next to input
Immersed · Hours stacked by activity, Speaking beside listening
Preply · No
Streaks and consistency grid
Immersed · Yes
Preply · No
Export your history
Immersed · PDF, Excel, CSV
Preply · Not that I found
Apps and price
Phone and computer
Immersed · Web app that installs on both; Android app in testing for Google Play
Preply · Web, plus iOS and Android apps
How you pay
Immersed · Free plan, then a subscription
Preply · Subscription per tutor, every 28 days, minimum 4 lessons
Unused time
Immersed · Not applicable
Preply · Unbooked lessons expire at renewal
Price
Immersed · $60 a year or $9.99 a month
Preply · Set by each tutor; Spanish averages about $16 an hour
Credit where it's due
Both are good. At different things.
What Preply does well
- A real person to talk to, which no app or tracker replaces
- A very large choice: 100,000+ tutors, with thousands for the big languages
- Prices for many budgets, set by each tutor, with filters to find them
- Reviews and intro videos that make it easier to pick a good tutor
- A free switch to another tutor if the first one is not a fit
- A subscription that builds a weekly routine and keeps you showing up
- Tutors who prepare you for exams, business calls or a move
What Immersed does that Preply doesn't
- Builds a plan from your time, goals and level, with milestones for your first months
- Plans your lessons into a daily timeline alongside the input that feeds them
- Tracks every hour in the language, not only lessons: shows, podcasts, YouTube, books, SRS
- Suggests what to watch, listen to and read for your language, with a Discover feed that counts
- Shows Speaking next to input in your reports, so you see the balance week by week
- Costs about $5 a month on the yearly plan, less than a single lesson with most tutors
Pick Preply if
- You want to start speaking with a patient, paid tutor
- You want a fixed weekly lesson and like a subscription that makes you show up
- You have an exam, a move or a job that needs speaking soon
- You want corrections on pronunciation and grammar from someone who teaches
Pick Immersed if
- You want to build understanding through input before, or alongside, speaking
- You want a plan that fits your actual day, not only one booked hour
- You want one record of all your time in the language, lessons included
- You want to spend less while you build a base, and add a tutor later when it fits
Use both, or move over
Learn with a Preply tutor, plan and track it in Immersed
Put your Preply lesson on the timeline as a repeating task, plan a few days of input on the topic before it, and log the lesson as Speaking. Your report then shows output and input side by side, and your tutor has more to work with.
If you haven't started with a tutor, you don't need to rush. Build a base of listening and reading first, watch your comprehension climb on the Growth page, and subscribe when you want to start talking. Immersed keeps the record the whole way through.
If what you want is a person to guide the immersion itself, I keep a 1-on-1 coaching waitlist on the coaching page, five people at a time. It is not a tutoring service and has no price listed.
Pricing · checked October 24, 2026
What each one costs.
Immersed
- Free: the blueprint for one language (with the Toolkit, Library picks and the Fluency Checklist's Foundations), the listening games in 12 languages with their leaderboards, Aim Runner, the Discord and the sample app. A free account also gets the Fitting Room's day-one outfits, Hour Marks and badges from game time.
- Immersed Pro: $60 a year (starts with a free week, about $5 a month) or $9.99 a month. Timeline, sessions, Discover, Library, Growth and reports, more languages.
Preply
- Each tutor sets their own rate. Preply's own guide puts Spanish tutors at about $15 to $50 an hour, averaging about $16 to $17.
- You subscribe per tutor: at least 4 lessons every 28 days, so a $16 tutor costs at least $64 a cycle.
- Pause once a cycle for up to 20 days, or cancel before the next billing date. Unbooked lessons expire at renewal.
- Preply's homepage offers to let you try another tutor for free if you are not satisfied. Check the current trial and refund terms before you book.
Rates from Preply's Spanish tutoring rates guide (updated March 2026) and subscription rules from its help center, both checked 2026-10-24. Other languages cost more or less. A weekly hour with a tutor runs about $64 or more a cycle; Immersed costs about $5 a month on the yearly plan and covers the hours between lessons.
FAQ
Questions people ask.
Is Immersed a Preply alternative?+
No. Preply is a marketplace for lessons with real tutors. Immersed has no tutors; it plans, tracks and shows your immersion, and you can log Preply lessons in it as Speaking. They do different jobs.
How much does Preply cost?+
Each tutor sets their own rate; Preply's guide puts Spanish tutors at about $15 to $50 an hour, averaging about $16. You subscribe per tutor, at least four lessons every 28 days.
What happens to Preply lessons I don't use?+
Lessons you haven't booked by your renewal date expire and don't carry over. You can pause once per cycle for up to 20 days, or cancel before the next billing date.
Do I need a tutor to learn a language?+
Not to start. Many learners build understanding through hours of listening and reading first. A tutor is a good tool when you want to speak, get corrections, prepare for an exam, or stay accountable. I see it as a choice, not a requirement.
Preply or italki?+
Both are tutor marketplaces. italki is pay per lesson with no subscription. Preply runs on a 28-day subscription per tutor. If your weeks are uneven, pay per lesson may suit you better; if you want a fixed routine, a subscription can help. Immersed's free blueprint lists italki on its grammar card (an affiliate link); it has no link to Preply.
How do I track Preply lessons in Immersed?+
Press play in Immersed when the lesson starts and pick Speaking, or log it afterward. Immersed doesn't read your Preply history or your viewing history, so a lesson always starts with a press. The Discover scroll and the free listening games are what log themselves.
More comparisons
Stop guessing. See what your hours add up to.
Answer a few questions and Immersed builds your plan: a daily routine that fits your life, milestones for your first months, and things to watch at your level. Free, about two minutes, no account needed.
The plan is free and stays free. No card.
Checked October 24, 2026 against published product information. Prices and features change; if something here is out of date, tell me on Discord and I'll fix it.