Best Online Tutoring Services in Canada (2026)

What we checked, and how

We read every service in this list on its own website on 28 September 2026: its homepage and, where they existed, its pages on how it works, on pricing, on trust and safety and for tutors who want to join. We recorded what each company says about four things: who teaches, what checks it runs, what it charges and whether it follows a provincial curriculum. Where a company's pages are silent on a point, the table says "not stated". That means we could not find it on the pages we read, and it is a question to ask the company. Several companies say more on those inner pages than on their homepage, so the table draws on all of them.

We also looked at what a parent finds today. When we searched Google for "best online tutoring Canada" on 28 September 2026, most of the first page came from tutoring companies, and most of the lists of best options there were published by companies selling tutoring or tutoring software. Results vary with where and when you search. Superprof publishes a guide of this kind on its own site, and it explains its reasons for choosing Superprof, starting with "Reason 1: Superprof is well known for its diverse range of subject offerings". That is a fair thing for a company to say about itself, and a reader should know who is saying it.

This page is published by Genie Teacher, which appears in the table. We hold Genie to the same test as everyone else: only what its own pages say, including where they fall short.

"Certified teacher", "vetted tutor" and "tutor" are three different claims

A certified teacher holds a licence from a provincial regulator, such as the Ontario College of Teachers. The Ontario College of Teachers runs a public register, Find a Teacher, and each record shows the teacher's qualifications, date of initial certification, status with the College and any disciplinary history. Anyone can search it. If a service says its tutor is an Ontario certified teacher, you can check the claim in a few minutes. How to check a teacher's certification in Canada walks through the registers, and what provincially certified actually means explains the licence itself.

A vetted tutor has passed a company's own screening. What that screening involves is set by the company, and the pages we read describe it in very different amounts of detail. TutorLyft's homepage promises "Vetted tutors. Online or in-person across Canada", and its vetting page spells that out. Tutors need a bachelor's degree, completed or in progress, and must pass phone and video interviews, and TutorLyft puts its approval rate at under 5%. None of those criteria is a teaching licence.

A tutor on an open marketplace is someone who has created a profile, and each marketplace sets its own bar for that. Preply's page for new tutors answers its own question plainly: "No specific certification or teaching experience is required!" That is honest, and for conversation practice in a language, a fluent speaker is what you are paying for. For a Grade 11 functions course, it means the checking is yours.

None of this makes a certified teacher automatically better for your child. A university student who explains calculus well can be a very good tutor. When a service says "certified", ask which body certified the person, and look them up.

The free options, before you pay

Two services in this list are free.

TVO Learn Mathify says it "is brought to you by TVO Media Education Group", with the Government of Ontario named as its funder. Its homepage offers "Free 1:1 online math tutoring with Ontario Certified Teachers" for "Ontario students in Grades 4-12", and its page for parents is more precise: it is free for Grade 4 to 12 students in Ontario's "publicly funded English-language schools". Tutors are "available online Monday to Friday from 9 AM to 9 PM ET, and Saturday to Sunday from 3 PM to 9 PM ET". To sign up, "All you need is an Ontario Education Number (OEN)". Sessions are on demand, and the homepage says "No need to book in advance!" The limits are clear. It covers math only, for those students, during those hours. For a child stuck on tonight's homework, it is hard to beat.

Best for: a Grade 4 to 12 student at an Ontario publicly funded English-language school who is stuck on math homework. Not the best fit: any other subject, school system or province, or a family that wants a scheduled weekly lesson.

Alloprof serves Quebec students from Grade 1 to Secondary 5, following Quebec's own grade names and subjects. It offers a "Chat with a teacher" feature and a question tool, alongside free learning resources. Its About page describes a team of "over 200 employees, including teachers and professionals with diverse backgrounds" and a board of directors, and its donation page says "We issue tax receipts for donations of $20 or more." It lists the Gouvernement du Québec among its partners. It is homework help on demand, which is a different thing from a weekly lesson with the same teacher.

Best for: a Quebec student who needs help with homework, in any of its subjects. Not the best fit: students outside Quebec, or a family that wants scheduled one-to-one lessons.

If neither fits, look at what your school board and public library offer before paying. Our guide to free homework help in Canada covers the free tutoring that many large public libraries include with a library card, and how to ask your child's school what it runs.

Services built around certified teachers

Teachers on Call makes one of the most detailed written commitments about who teaches of the paid services on this page. Its online tutoring page says the team "is comprised exclusively of teachers certified by the governing body for education in their province, retired teachers, and teacher candidates completing their degrees in education". It also states that sessions run "with trusted professional certified teachers or teacher candidates with current background checks", and that the team "follows a curriculum-based approach". It covers kindergarten to Grade 12, online and in-home, and its menu includes "Special Education Support". It does not publish its prices on the pages we read, so you will need to ask. Its own application form for tutors lists four categories: "Certified Teacher", "Teacher Candidate", "Retired Teacher" and "Other University Degree". Ask which one your child's tutor is.

Best for: a family that wants a certified teacher, in person or online, with a background check stated in writing. Not the best fit: a family that wants to compare prices before the first call.

Genie Teacher sets one rule for its roster: every teacher holds a provincial teaching licence. Its About page puts it as "Licensed by the province. Not a tutor marketplace." Genie says it asks for the certificate itself, reads the issuing body off it, and confirms that "the teacher named on the certificate is the teacher who will be in the room with your child". On 28 September 2026 its How it works page listed "21 certified teachers available for 1-on-1 online lessons, $40–$72/hr". As on the platforms in the last section of this list, Genie has parents choose a teacher from profiles, and "Each teacher sets their own hourly rate"; the difference Genie itself draws is the licence requirement, which it calls "one rule we will not bend". After every lesson Genie says you get "a summary, a homework list and a progress update".

Genie's limits, from its own pages. Lessons are online only, with no in-person option. Twenty-one teachers is a small roster next to a marketplace, so a rare subject or a narrow time slot has few teachers to choose from. Its About page also says a blue check on a profile means Genie holds a copy of that teacher's provincial licence, and that this covers 15 of the 21 "so far". So look for the check on the profile you choose. Its teacher profiles say "Every Genie teacher is background-checked and credential-verified before their profile goes live", but Genie's pages do not say what the background check involves or whether it is a vulnerable sector check. Its search page has no filter for learning differences, though at least one teacher's card lists "students with a diagnosed learning difference" as a good match. For that need, our guide to tutoring for learning differences covers the specialist routes. On price, Genie's own cost guide puts certified teachers online at $30 to $70 an hour, and the top rate on Genie's roster, $72, sits just above that band.

Best for: a family that wants to pick a licensed teacher for a specific course and see the rate before booking. Not the best fit: a family that needs in-person lessons, a large choice of teachers, or written detail on what the background check covers.

Agencies and learning centres that match you with a tutor

These services take your request and propose a tutor or a programme. You choose less, and the company does more of the matching.

TutorBright offers online and in-home tutoring, and its menu runs from Pre-K math to adult education, with a special education section. Its online tutoring page says "Our Tutor-Mentors are Certified and have Criminal Record Checks", and promises "a certified online & in-home tutor with a clean police background check". Sample tutor bios read "Certified Teacher, Masters Degree in Teaching". "Certified" on a tutoring site can mean a teaching licence or a company's own training, and TutorBright also describes its tutors as "Certified and Trained in house", so ask which. It says "Your child is matched with the Tutor-Mentor that best suits them", and its Get Started page is a matching form, with no published price. If you are unhappy after the first session, it says it "will refund your payment and provide you with a new tutor free of charge."

Best for: a family that wants the matching done for them, in person or online, with a criminal record check stated in writing. Not the best fit: a family that wants to choose the tutor from profiles, or see a price before filling in a form.

Tutorax runs online and in-home tutoring, and its regions page says "Tutorax offers all services across Canada", listing cities in all ten provinces. It is open about who teaches. Its tutor criteria start with "Currently enrolled in college or university", it says teaching experience "is an asset, but it is not mandatory", and applicants send "An up-to-date resume" and "Your most recent transcript or diploma", then do "a short video interview". It says tutors "must be familiar with the curriculum of the province where the student lives", and its plans page lists an "Ontario curriculum-aligned plan" and "IEP-Informed Tutoring". Its online tutoring page lists virtual sessions at "45,00 $/h", which is $45 an hour, and its French service page gives the same rate for primary and secondary students and $50 an hour for Cégep and university, with a travel fee for in-person sessions. Its plans page shows monthly hours with no price, each plan leading to "Book a Free Call".

Best for: a family anywhere in Canada that wants a matched student tutor on a monthly plan. Not the best fit: a family that wants a certified teacher, or the price of a monthly plan before a call.

Scholars Education runs a franchise network of learning centres with an online option. Its homepage slogan is "Better Curriculum. Better Results." Its Why Scholars page says its curriculum was built "by certified teachers and educational experts to ensure that it follows the provincial curricula", and its online programme page says "Our qualified tutors will mentor your child with an individually customized program". We found no prices. The address a parent might guess, scholarseducation.com, is a domain for sale, and the company is at scholarsed.com.

Best for: a family that wants a structured programme, with a centre nearby as well as online lessons. Not the best fit: a family that wants to know before signing up whether the tutor is a certified teacher, or what it costs.

Platforms where you choose the tutor yourself

On these four platforms you browse profiles, pick the tutor and pay the rate that tutor sets, though TutorOcean and TutorLyft also offer to match a tutor for you. How much the company checks first varies a lot. Superprof and Preply are open marketplaces, so more of the checking moves to you. TutorOcean says it verifies tutors' certification claims, and TutorLyft describes a screening process it says approves fewer than 5% of applicants.

Superprof is an open marketplace for almost any subject, online or in person. Tutors set their own rates, and to contact one, "you must subscribe to the Student Pass", which Superprof says is charged only if the tutor accepts your request. Its own guide puts the average rate at "$15–$60/hr" and says "Many tutors even offer free first lessons". Superprof has four tutor statuses. To reach Super Tutor, a tutor must "Add a diploma to your profile"; to reach Ambassador, the top one, a tutor must also "Verify your identity (by uploading an official ID)" and "Answer an interview questionnaire". So look at the status on the profile you choose.

Best for: a wide choice of subjects, including music, sport and hobbies, at a price you compare yourself. Not the best fit: a family that wants the service to check a teaching licence for them.

Preply is built around languages, and its homepage counts tutors by language. On 28 September 2026 it listed 33,602 English tutors alone. Math tutors exist, but they are not the core of the site. Rates are set by each tutor, and Preply tells new tutors that "On average, English tutors charge $15-25 per hour", without naming the currency. No certification is required, and Preply says its team will "review your profile within 3 business days".

Best for: language learning and conversation practice. Not the best fit: a provincial course where you want a teacher who knows the curriculum.

TutorOcean is open about its mix: "Many tutors are certified teachers, while others have extensive experience in their subject area." Its trust and safety page says "We verify that all tutors who use our platform are academically competent and their claims for certification." A student account is free, and "The cost of online tutoring varies depending on the tutor and the subject being taught." Each tutor's profile shows that tutor's rate and currency, such as "CAD $100/hr" for a Calgary tutor. It covers K to 12 through university, and its menu also offers matching: "Request a tutor", subtitled "Let our team find you the perfect tutor".

Best for: a family that wants to browse profiles, including some certified teachers, from K to 12 through university. Not the best fit: a family that wants a stated police check, or a tutor matched to the provincial curriculum in writing.

TutorLyft describes "Rigorously Vetted Tutors to Browse", online or in person, with "Pay-As-You-Go Pricing, No Subscriptions or Minimum Hours Requirement", and its homepage sets itself apart from "Global Platforms (Superprof, Preply)". Its vetting page says tutors must "have completed, or be in the process of completing, a bachelor's degree at a minimum", that "Our interview process includes both phone and video interviews", and that it has "an approval rate of less than 5%". It asks for "a minimum of three years of relevant experience" and makes exceptions, while its page for new tutors says "We don't ask for a minimum number of years." For in-person lessons, it says "background checks are also required"; the pages we read describe no background check for tutors who teach only online. You pick the tutor from introductory videos, and the vetting page also mentions a matching service. Its homepage FAQ says "The tutors listed on TutorLyft charge between $40-$100/h per tutoring session" and "Each tutor sets their own price". It also promises that if you are not satisfied, it will "refund your session but also offer the next hour of tutoring with a new tutor for free."

Best for: pay-as-you-go lessons with a screened tutor you pick yourself, online or in person, with the price on each profile. Not the best fit: a family that wants every tutor to hold a teaching licence, or a background check on a tutor who teaches only online.

Why Varsity Tutors is not on this list

Varsity Tutors appears in Canadian roundups, including Superprof's own guide to Canadian platforms. We left it out. On 28 September 2026 its homepage listed only US cities under "Find Tutors Near You", named Canada nowhere, and described its tutors as independent contractors. A service whose own site does not show Canadian coverage should not be in a Canadian list, however often it is repeated.

What online tutoring costs in Canada

Several services state an hourly price or average on their own pages. Genie's teachers charge $40 to $72 an hour, TutorLyft's tutors charge $40 to $100, and Tutorax charges $45 an hour for private online tutoring, $50 for college and university students. Superprof's guide gives its average as $15 to $60 plus the Student Pass, and Preply's average for English tutors is $15 to $25. TutorOcean's tutors set their own rates, and each tutor's profile shows the rate. Preply does not name the currency. We found no hourly price on the pages we read for Teachers on Call, TutorBright or Scholars Education. Our full guide to what a tutor costs in Canada puts most private tutoring between $20 and $100 an hour in 2026, with certified teachers online at $30 to $70. That guide is Genie's own.

A price that is not published is still a price. Ask for it in writing before the first session, along with the cancellation terms and whether there is a minimum number of hours.

Safety checks: what "background check" does and does not mean

Several services mention a background check. The RCMP describes a vulnerable sector check as "a police information check plus a check to see if a person has a record suspension (pardon) for sexual offences". It is the check designed for people in positions of trust over children. The RCMP also says the decision to request one "is made by the hiring company or volunteer organization", and that "There is no federal legislation that requires any organization to conduct vulnerable sector checks."

So a background check is whatever the company decided it would be. Not one service on this page used the words "vulnerable sector check" on the pages we read. Four say they run a background check of some kind. Teachers on Call states "current background checks", and TutorBright states "Criminal Record Checks" and "a clean police background check". TutorLyft says "Every tutor offering in-person sessions must pass a thorough background check", and Genie's teacher profiles say every teacher is "background-checked", without saying what that check involves. TutorOcean and Superprof describe checks on qualifications or identity, which are a different thing. If this matters to you, and for a child it should, ask the service directly: is it a vulnerable sector check, who ran it, and when.

How to choose, at the kitchen table

Before you look at any service, write down the subject and course and your hourly budget. Add the times your child can actually do, because set hours or a small roster can rule a service out on their own.

Then work down this list.

1. If your child is in Grades 4 to 12 at an Ontario publicly funded English-language school and the need is math, try Mathify first. In Quebec, try Alloprof. 2. Decide whether you need a certified teacher. For a course with a provincial exam or a university prerequisite, a teacher who knows that course is worth paying for. For conversation practice in a language, a fluent speaker will do. 3. If you do, ask any service which regulator certified the person, then look them up on the register yourself. 4. Ask for the price, the cancellation terms and the minimum commitment in writing. 5. Ask about the safety check, in the words above. 6. Book one lesson and judge it. A good first session ends with your child able to tell you what they worked on, and the tutor able to tell you what comes next.

If a service cannot answer steps 3 to 5 in writing, that is your answer.