There’s a feeling that every student can remember. When you are motivated more than ever to do your homework, you sit down, start doing your tasks, and then you stumble upon that one question that keeps you paralyzed for hours. Then you either decide that you will not move on until you solve it or that you can ditch everything else since you “are not smart enough” for it. Either way, you end up demotivated to continue studying and get behind on your courses. What’s worse, you demean yourself leading into the pit of mental issues.
What you have to understand though is that you are not dumb or an idiot. Learning is not easy, and some topics are just hard to grasp right away. Don’t bury your self-esteem into the ground but look for some outside help. Most of the time, all you need to finally get the essence of that “insanely hard” assignment is for somebody to explain it to you. Our A*Help team looked into the ways you can get needed step-by-step guidance. We found and gathered in this top list the best online tutoring websites that can help you thrive both mentally and academically. You can also use our buyer’s guide with the most important aspects of such services if you want to search for more websites on your own. To get a deeper perspective on how we organized our research and what we paid attention to, refer to How We Test Tutoring Websites.
TOP services
Updated July 2023
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Reviewing Best Tutoring Websites
We also were students and sometimes found ourselves sitting in front of a bewildering task wondering how to find the solution. As well as you, we didn’t want to spend more time than needed on homework. So we get why it’s important to receive only quality help and explanations.
We organized a mystery shopping project and put each of these top tutoring sites to the test. During the tryout process, we investigate three criteria: Value for Money, Overall Experience, and Quality of Help. To do that, we created our accounts, paid for questions and subscriptions, talked to support agents, researched Q&A bases, blogs, and study courses, and generally tried to see how convenient everything was. We also posted our questions and went to 1-on-1 tutoring sessions to see how helpful these services were and how quickly you could expect to get assistance. We chose a 3-part Algebra 2 question to ask on these platforms. The topic of the task was Numerical Methods and the implication of the Newton-Raphson method in particular. The answer to this question couldn’t be found anywhere on Google and that’s why we opted for help. We compared the provided solutions to the textbook one so that we could get an idea of the platforms’ effectiveness.
Here is the mathematical problem we wanted to get solve which was borrowed from Harry Smith’s textbook “Edexcel A level Mathematics Pure Mathematics Year 2”
We’ve asked one of our experts, Dr Sybil Low, to share her thoughts on students getting some help with their home assignments:
I think that if a student feels like they need a little extra guidance with their tasks that’s a good sign. Some students, when they get stuck, just give up, that’s why I find it appreciable when they put in the effort and try to understand hard topics. In the end, the studying process is not about finding the right answer. It’s about being able to explain it and understand why it works like that. It’s a universal rule for all subjects. No matter what essay you need to write or what equation to solve, what you have to do to get better at it is to get into the topic. Figure out the details before putting everything together.
The three criteria we pay attention to are then assessed and combined to form an overall A*Help score. Each service received such an evaluation and therefore its place on our top list.
Number 1 Choice Among Best Tutoring Sites
We’ve tried to use different platforms but the one that we liked most and which proved to be the most efficient during our mystery shopping was JustAnswer.com. Easy to manage and quick to provide quality answers to our questions, this service proved to be the go-to choice students need.
Top List of Best Sites for Online Tutoring
We thoroughly examined top tutoring sites and compiled this list of the 10 best options based on our experience:
JustAnswer
If you are looking for an expert to answer a very specific question, JustAnswer is the place to go. They seem to specialize in everything from Law to Tax accounting. But can they handle academia? They had tutors who offered help with our task so we gave it a try.
What we liked about JustAnswer from the very start was the simplicity of posting questions and connecting with teachers. The support agents were also very helpful when we tried navigating through the somewhat cluttered interface. There also were a lot of helpful guides and answered questions that made us understand the platform better.
In terms of value for money, JustAnswer lagged a bit behind. They had a few major features to offer, like an open Q&A base, their community, and live sessions with tutors. But that was about it. There wasn’t any trial and the monthly membership cost was $125. So we opted for an opportunity to ask 2 questions for $25. They also don’t cover many subjects, mostly language-related and, luckily for us, STEM.
Despite these shortcomings, the assistance we received was top-notch. The whole process of finding a tutor and getting an explanation for the task took only 40 minutes. And we received the whole package: a specific answer, an explanation of the solution, as well as an image to illustrate it. We also got an opportunity to ask a follow-up question without any additional fees. The answer itself was 80% correct (⅔ tasks done right) and everything was clear to us.
JustAnswer.com proved that it is a convenient platform to look for an online tutor, especially if you want to receive quick and expert advice. That’s why it rightfully became 1st on our list.
Wyzant
Wyzant.com is a platform that provides online 1-on-1 learning sessions. Covering a variety of subjects from physics and biology to literature, coding, and math, this platform was an obvious choice for our mystery shopping.
Working with the website was easy. Everything could be found right away. The platform could be easily accessed both on mobile and laptop. There also was an app that could be downloaded for quicker access. The form for question posting, however, was not so adapted as the only thing you can add there was an image or a text of the question. There also wasn’t much support aside from FAQs and guides. Even though it was mildly helpful to us, others may not find the answers they look for there.
Wyzant, nonetheless, presented us with a great array of services, including an open Q&A base, bootcamps, study guides, and, of course, live tutor sessions. Moreover, we could freely explore all these features without any payments or subscriptions. The only thing we paid for was our 1-hour online class, which cost us $33. You can easily find educators in your preferred price range as you set that criteria yourself.
We also received great assistance with our task. Our communication with the tutor was 10/10, as it helped us understand the solution process much better and get the needed answers. The expert also provided us with the document of the 90% completed assignment and an image of the calculations we were doing during our video call. Mind that tutors have their own schedule so you may not be able to have a lesson right away. We waited for 2 days before we could get a hold of our educator.
Wyzant did a great job at demonstrating the effectiveness of online 1-on-1 tutoring, especially when the problem is understanding the solution process. Its user-friendly interface makes it stand out among other online tutoring platforms for teachers. Despite not having a developed support system, it still landed 2nd on our list.
Duoknows
Duoknows.com is a recent player in the online tutoring ring. Still, it has already made an impression.
It was convenient in terms of usage thanks to the simple and tasteful design. They don’t particularly have an order form as requests can either be made through on-site chat, Facebook, or WhatsApp. The chat is the same for support questions. First, we got a bot that answered our queries, and then a representative joined the conversation.
The value for money needs more work in the future. Duoknows claims to have a Q&A base, as well as study guides, but since it’s a new platform it hasn’t gathered enough materials yet. Hopefully, they will. It’s a subscription-based service and has a $14.95/month plan for first-time users. After that, you would have to give $29.95 for its assistance. However, there’s also an option to pay directly per question. Ours cost $43.10.
The quality of the received answer was satisfactory. The process of requesting a tutor was quick. It also took 4 hours for us to get a complete answer. We got a step-by-step explanation written out in a document and final answers. It was also possible to ask extra questions if anything was unclear. As a result, we walked out from Duoknows with a 90% complete assignment.
This is yet a young platform that needs to put in some work in its services but it has potential. We got timely assistance and great support from service agents. Due to the good results and helpful tutors, we put it 3d in our rating.
IdTech
In 1999, this company IdTech organized the first tech camps for kids and teens. Now, they also have an online platform that works to assist students with their academic life.
Overall, our experience using IdTech was rather good. The website was simple to use, both in desktop and mobile versions. This is convenient since the support materials like FAQs and guides were just mildly helpful and there wasn’t any support chat to turn to if anything.
The service also had many features, such as blogs, a Q&A base, and, of course, study bootcamps. There was no free trial on the platform, but since they have a pay-per-lesson policy, that’s not an issue. Our 1-hour class cost $75, which is on the more expensive side.
For that price, nevertheless, IdTech gave us high-level assistance. During the tutoring session, we had a detailed breakdown of the assignment’s topic and the question itself. In the end, we received a full explanation, as well as a recording of our lesson and 80% completed task. It wasn’t quick though, as it took us 4 days to schedule a lesson.
IdTech turned out to be a great online tutoring platform with expert educators and a variety of features. Here, we received a detailed, even though not immediate, explanation. So it came 4th in our ranking.
Chegg
An academic assistance website Chegg.com was launched in 2006. It now holds the leading position among online tutoring services. The platform’s years of expertise seem to be enough of an argument to choose it right away when searching for help.
Chegg was user-friendly and suitable for all devices. It had a well-adapted question request form where we could even add a formula for our task. We also noted they had a great support system with an on-site 24/7 chat, FAQs, and guides. It was generally trouble-free for us to ask questions on the platform.
The service also did great in the value-for-money index. It had a lot of basic and additional features. Aside from the usual Q&A base, blogs, and community, it also offered AI tools, study groups, and quizzes. To have access to all those you need to have a monthly subscription, which is $21.85/month. For that price, you get to ask 20 questions a month.
Chegg.com also proved that it can be assistive. It took just an hour for us to receive a response to our question. It was 80% correct and included both a detailed explanation of the solution and the answer. The only thing we didn’t get was communication with an expert. You can’t talk to anyone directly but just post your requests and wait for answers.
In our experience, Chegg proved that using it wouldn’t be a bad choice. It had a diverse selection of services and an easy-to-manage platform. That’s why it marks the first half of our list and becomes option number 5 in our ranking.
Brainly
Brainly.com, a platform designed to help students cope with their academic questions, was founded in 2009. Now, this service continues its growth striving to provide learners with the helping hand they need in their educational journey.
This website gave us an almost-perfect overall experience. Thanks to its adaptability and responsiveness, posting a question also didn’t pose any problems for us. The only main issue we noticed was with support. We used Brainly’s bot to answer our question, but as we needed more clarifications we wanted to talk to the agent. Unfortunately, we were told to wait 72 hours for a representative to get back to us.
The value for money was also sufficient. Brainly.com had a lot of features, like a Q&A base, study bootcamps, guides and a blog. What was even more fortunate was that we could use it for free. The only “currency” we needed were points that we could easily earn for filling out profile information for example. This “currency” can then be exchanged for an opportunity to ask a question. There also were options to have a monthly or yearly subscription if we wanted more features on our hands.
While many users might question, “Is Brainly safe?”, our primary concern during this review was the quality of help. We received a response in 3 hours, but it wasn’t from an expert. We couldn’t organize further communication to expand on the explanation or ask related questions. The answer was also incomplete as only ⅔ tasks were done, resulting in a 70% achievement rate for the assignment.
In general, Brainly was helpful and easy to manage. We particularly liked its “points” system that allowed us to benefit from its vast feature base. So, we feel like it deserved to be placed 6th in our ranking.
Studypool
Studypool.com is an online tutoring platform that set a global goal: change the way students learn. That’s why it offers tools and services called to assist learners in deepening their academic experience.
Working with Studypool wasn’t all too bad. It was easy to navigate through the website, and the question form was well-adapted to suit all sorts of questions. That was fortunate as their support system didn’t help us much in figuring out the platform’s work. There were only FAQs and guides and even they weren’t very helpful.
The platform could also be improved in the value-for-money department. It offers some resources like a Q&A base, blogs and guides, and even AI solutions, but no live 1-on-1 sessions or bootcamps. There was no trial. The pricing depended on the educational level and a task’s deadline. Our college-level assignment cost $15/hour. However, we were able to set the price on our own.
The task quality was high nonetheless. We found our tutor just in 10 minutes and the task was done after 5 hours as per our requested deadline. We also got our educator to explain the task a little more and to fix some minor inconsistencies we noticed in the answer. As such we received a 100% complete assignment in the end.
The site gave us good assistance with our task but it lacked in terms of customer support and feature diversity. Taking into account these facts and users’ Studypool reviews, we give it the 7th position in our ranking.
CourseHero
CourseHero.com is another seasoned academic service, founded to provide students with support and guide them through their studies with ease. Whether their materials and features were helpful, we checked on first-hand experience.
The platform was accessible due to the smart and adaptable design and simple request form. The support system could be better, as there were only guides and FAQs that could help us navigate the service. They were not that effective as finding needed answers took time.
CourseHero also offered a fair share of features like AI tools, quizzes, guides, and a basic Q&A base. There is no option to try these services for free, as you need a subscription. There’s some flexibility as to the choice of a plan. We paid $24.95 for a month but there also were options like 3 months for $19.95/month or 1 year for $9.95/month. Note that there are limitations regarding the number of questions you can ask. In our case, we got 20 request opportunities for a month.
Now, moving on to CourseHero’s quality of help. We received an answer after 1 hour and it included a detailed explanation of our assignment. Unfortunately, we couldn’t communicate with that expert afterwards or ask any extra questions. This would be much needed as our assignment was only 60% done, with 2/4 subtasks being incorrect.
CourseHero showed great versatility in features and general functionality. There were inconsistencies in our task’s solution. As such we decided to put it 8th on our list.
Numerade
Numerade is an online tutoring platform for visual learners. Why so? Well, their main thing is providing students with video answers and explanations to their academic questions. Are they good at it? You can judge yourself from the results.
For us, Numerade was easy to use, thanks to its simple and organized platform. It was also accessible, so we could use it on our phones as well. Android users can also benefit from downloading an app to have 24/7 access to the services. However, there were some issues. Mainly with support, which was not helpful as it could only be reached through email and offered pre-prepared answers.
The value-for-money index was very pleasing though. There were a lot of features, even aside from the usual Q&A base and guides, such as quizzes, bootcamps, and even AI tools. What made us even happier was that we could use all those services for 7 days without paying anything. After that, we would need to either opt for a monthly subscription for $19.99 or yearly for $14.99/month. We found that to be a good deal for such an extensive toolkit.
As for the quality of help we received, we have some notes. We had to post our question 2 times as well as break it down into smaller parts before it could be picked up by some tutor. And it took 3 hours for Numerade to find the right expert for us. We received a final video explanation approximately after 4 hours as well. Nonetheless, Numarade also has a built-in AI program that gives you an instant calculation and explanation. In our case though it wasn’t quite correct. Luckily, thanks to the online tutor we had a 90% completed and clear task on our hands which was all we needed.
Numerade offered a great variety of features and a clear explanation of our task. Considering, nonetheless, all the service’s quirks, we give it 9th place on our list.
Study
If you want to simplify your learning, online tutoring service Study.com claims to be the one to go for. Here you can expect a personalized approach, as well as timely and affordable assistance with your tasks.
Study.com wasn’t the easiest site for us to work with. It was a bit confusing but still suitable both for mobile and desktop devices. As it wasn’t all clear to us, we expected to get some help with navigation from support. The only assets we could use were guides and FAQs to try and find the answers on how the platform worked. Thankfully, at least posting our question wasn’t hard to do.
The website had a lot to offer though. An extended Q&A base, different guides and blogs, live tutor sessions, quizzes, and study groups were all at our fingertips. We couldn’t try anything for free and so needed to pay $29.99 for a basic monthly subscription. There were also other options like Premium and College Saver plans. We were limited as to the number of questions we could ask. With the basic plan, we received only 5 questions per month.
We were a bit disappointed as to the help quality. We waited 2 days for the response and had to post our question 3 times before any expert picked it up. We did get a step-by-step explanation though, and the final answers were 90% correct.
Many users often wonder, “Is Study.com legit?” Despite its confusing platform and problematic question-posting experience, it indeed offers legitimacy with an extended pool of features. Thus, Study.com secures the 10th spot on our list.
The Main Point
It’s okay if you don’t understand your homework right away. And this should not discourage you on your learning path. Don’t hesitate to ask for help if you feel stuck or unsure. Especially since there are so many options for you to get quick and professional educational assistance. We compiled this list so you could easily find the most suitable online tutoring services for your specific needs and learning style. We understand that it can be hard to judge a service by subjective experience, so we created an A*Help score and all the following components to guide you through the decision-making. According to our evaluation and comparison, JustAnswer.com is a definite winner. However, maybe another competitor from this list will suit your needs even .better
Choosing The Best Online Tutoring Services: Detailed Buyer’s Guide
Who wants to deal with homework for hours, let alone days? You want to get it over and done with. That’s why you need to look for the most effective services and not redo one task over and over again. We decided to help you out and created this guide highlighting the most important aspects when it comes to choosing the best college tutoring services.
Variety of Features
A platform can be called a service only when it provides compound assistance. It’s always better if a website has a Q&A base which you can dig through if you need instant advice. Some questions can be found already answered right there. Blogs, guides, and an organized community are also useful, as you never know which tasks you may get in the future. The more versatile the service is in terms of provided features, the more useful tool it will be in your academic journey.
Free Trial
Usually, online tutoring platforms offer subscription-based services. If not, you will have to pay for either asking questions or receiving answers. In any case, it’s a great sign if your chosen website allows you to try a demo of its features for free or at least at a reduced price. This way you will be able to see whether this is the right option for you before committing to it for months.
Accessibility
Laptops are great but the device that all of us always use is a mobile phone. So, make sure that the website that you want to work with works perfectly both on your computer and phone. If there’s an app that’s even better. That way you won’t have problems with asking questions from anywhere and receiving timely assistance.
Response Time
Let’s keep it real – you don’t always do your homework ahead of the deadline. That’s why you need to find a platform that will be able to keep up with your usual time limits for assignments. Especially if you want to have enough time to understand the given explanation afterwards. The faster you can get help, the quicker you will get over your assignments.
Communication with Tutor
Think about what’s the most effective way for you to discuss your question. For some it’s a live chat, for others, it will be a video call. Look for services that will provide you with the communication channel you want. In our top list, we gathered platforms that have different ways of connecting you with experts – look through them and maybe you’ll find what you need.
Solution Quality
The last but not the least salient criterion is the quality of provided answers and explanations. After all, the main thing you look for is a clear solution to your question. If you decide to use a Q&A type of service, look at previously answered problems on the platform. If there are more correct and elaborate answers, then you are more likely to find a good expert here to help you. If you look into 1-on-1 sessions for a deeper understanding of the topic, then check out the tutors’ profiles. They usually have comments from previous students as well as specializations included there. You can also use our top list and reviews to see which platforms gave us the most correct answers and navigate your search according to those results.
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