What it does
Preply is a language learning app that connects students with human tutors for personalized 1-on-1 lessons. The app's core function is to act as a marketplace, allowing users to find, filter, and book sessions with tutors who match their specific goals, learning style, budget, and schedule. It also includes supplementary tools like in-app messaging and a vocabulary practice feature to support learning between sessions.
Where it shines
Preply excels in its detailed and engaging onboarding process. The personalization quiz (starting at 00:48) is a highlight. Instead of a dry form, it uses dynamic illustrations that change with each answer, making the experience feel interactive and fun. The tutor profiles are also very effective. By featuring a short introductory video (02:59) prominently, the app helps build a personal connection and trust far more effectively than a static photo and bio ever could. This humanizes the experience and helps users make a more informed choice.
UX highlights
- Interactive Quiz: The onboarding quiz uses changing illustrations (00:52, 01:08) to provide immediate visual feedback, making a potentially tedious process feel rewarding.
- Detailed Filtering: The app offers robust filtering options in the main search results (05:22), allowing users to narrow down thousands of tutors by price, country, availability, and specialties.
- Tutor Intro Videos: Tutor profiles lead with a video, giving users a direct sense of the tutor's personality and teaching style before booking.
- Gamified Vocabulary: The practice feature (06:55) cleverly requires users to add four words to 'unlock' exercises, turning an empty state into an actionable, motivating first step.
- Just-in-Time Feedback: When a user abandons the booking flow, a modal appears (03:45) to ask why, capturing valuable product feedback at a critical moment.
- Clear Scheduling: The booking interface (03:27) presents the tutor's availability in a clean calendar view, making it easy to find and select a suitable time slot.
Monetization & growth
The app doesn't present a traditional subscription paywall during onboarding. Instead, its monetization is built around booking individual or packaged lessons. The first step for a new user is booking a paid 'trial lesson' (03:31). This model focuses on getting the user to experience the core value proposition (a lesson with a tutor) before committing to a larger package. The app also features a 'Refer a friend' program (11:29) that offers a monetary reward for successful referrals, a common growth tactic for marketplace apps.
Who it’s for
Preply is for learners who prefer a structured, human-led approach to language education over solo, app-based exercises. It targets a wide range of users, from complete beginners needing foundational lessons to advanced speakers looking for conversational practice. The detailed filtering for goals like 'Learn French for work' or 'Prepare for an exam' (00:50) suggests it's also for users with specific, outcome-oriented needs.
Notes & opportunities
The overall experience is polished, but there are small areas of friction. The sign-up is required very early (00:14), before the user has fully experienced the app's personalization, which could be a drop-off point. There was also a technical error when attempting to upload a profile photo (09:48), which detracts from the otherwise smooth flow. Finally, while the abandonment survey (03:45) is excellent, one of its options is 'I expected the trial lesson to be free,' indicating a potential mismatch in user expectations that could be addressed earlier in the flow.