TutorCruncher has earned its reputation as a comprehensive management solution for tutoring agencies, particularly those working with independent contractor tutors. Built by founders who experienced the administrative chaos of running a growing tutoring agency firsthand, the platform delivers robust automation, sophisticated tutor management, and seamless payment processing for agency-style operations.
To write this TutorCruncher review, I've analyzed the platform in depth. I believe it's the ideal choice if:
- You run a tutoring agency that manages independent contractor tutors
- You need sophisticated tutor recruitment and approval workflows
- You require split payment functionality to automatically divide fees between your agency and tutors
- You want deep website integration to display tutor profiles and capture client inquiries
- You're scaling a tutoring business and need enterprise-level features
However, TutorCruncher may not be the best fit if:
- You run a learning center, academy, or course-based education business
- You need gradebook functionality to track student academic progress
- You want behavior tracking tools for classroom management
- You prefer simple, transparent per-student pricing without transaction fees
- You prioritize a dedicated mobile app for on-the-go management
In this case, you should consider Teach 'n Go: an all-in-one school management platform designed specifically for private education businesses like language schools, music academies, tutoring centers, and learning centers. With its built-in gradebook, behavior tracking system, class booking functionality, user-friendly interface, and transparent pricing based solely on student count, Teach 'n Go delivers the simplicity and academic focus that many education businesses need.
Because of that, I've included a detailed overview of Teach 'n Go at the end of this TutorCruncher review, as the best alternative for education businesses seeking simplicity over agency-specific complexity. If you're ready to explore a more streamlined approach, you can start your free 14-day trial of Teach 'n Go here.
Table of Contents
What is TutorCruncher?
TutorCruncher is a cloud-based management software founded in 2013 in London, United Kingdom by Malachy Guinness. The platform emerged from a practical need: Guinness's tutoring agency, Bright Young Things, had grown so rapidly that the administrative burden of manual invoices, spreadsheet-based client management, and Google Calendar scheduling became overwhelming. Finding no existing software that adequately handled the complexities of managing independent contractor tutors and tax setups, the team built their own internal solution.
That internal system proved so effective that they decided to offer it commercially. The software was rebuilt from the ground up in 2013/14, incorporating lessons learned from the initial version and designed specifically for the tutoring industry.
Today, TutorCruncher positions itself as "the most comprehensive software for tutoring companies." The platform serves businesses at every growth stage, from solo tutors to large-scale enterprises. Core capabilities include scheduling, automated billing with split payments, tutor and client management, business analytics, online tutoring tools, and website integration for lead capture.
TutorCruncher is primarily designed for tutoring agencies and businesses that work with independent contractor tutors, particularly those who need to manage tutor recruitment, approval workflows, and automated commission splits.
TutorCruncher Pros & Cons
✅ Pros
- Comprehensive all-in-one platform for tutoring businesses
- Automated split payments between agency and tutors
- Responsive customer support
- Website integration for tutor listings and client inquiries
- Online whiteboard marketplace with multiple integrations
- ISO 27001 and Cyber Essentials Plus certified security
❌ Cons
- No dedicated mobile app for tutors
- Calendar synchronization issues with external calendars
- Complex pricing with multiple transaction fees
- No gradebook or academic progress tracking
- Learning curve for advanced features
- Agency-focused features may be excessive for simple academies
TutorCruncher Review: How it Works & Key Features
People Management: TutorCruncher centralizes tutor, client, and student profiles with built-in recruitment workflows.
TutorCruncher's People Management system serves as the platform's CRM backbone. Users are categorized into four types: Administrators, Tutors, Clients, and Students. Each has a dedicated profile where communications and activity history are consolidated, with accounting information available for clients and tutors.
For tutoring agencies, the tutor onboarding workflow is a standout capability. Prospective tutors can sign up through a public registration page, and their profiles are created with a "Pending" status. Administrators can then review applications (including qualifications, experience, and uploaded documents like CVs) before approving them. Once approved, tutors gain full access to their account and can be assigned to jobs.
The client management system includes a sales pipeline to track prospective clients from initial inquiry through to becoming active customers. Administrators can be assigned as dedicated "Client Managers" for specific clients, facilitating personalized service. Student profiles are linked to client profiles, which is useful for families with multiple children receiving tutoring.
Role-based permissions allow administrators to control what different users can see and do. Tutor permissions can be customized on a per-job basis, meaning one tutor might be able to schedule their own lessons while another requires administrator approval.
Scheduling & Calendar: TutorCruncher uses a "Job"-based system for organizing lessons and managing availability.
The scheduling system is built around the concept of "Jobs," which link tutors with students and serve as containers for individual lessons. When creating a job, administrators define the name, description, charge type (per hour or per lesson), and rates for both the client and tutor.
Tutors or administrators can set availability on a day-by-day basis or use a "Mass Create" function for multiple days. The centralized calendar displays all scheduled lessons across the company and can be viewed in day, week, or month formats. Lessons can be filtered by tutor, client, or job, and rescheduled via drag-and-drop.
For recurring sessions, TutorCruncher allows creating repeating lessons at daily or weekly intervals for a specified duration. This eliminates the need to manually schedule each session in a series.
The system integrates with external calendars including Google Calendar, Apple Calendar, and Outlook via iCal URLs. However, some users have reported issues with synchronization between TutorCruncher and these external services.
Accounting & Billing: Automated invoicing and split payments streamline agency finances.
TutorCruncher automates the entire billing workflow from invoice generation through payment processing to tutor payroll. After a tutor marks a lesson as complete, the system automatically generates a draft invoice based on the lesson's duration and rate.
The platform integrates with Stripe and GoCardless for payment processing, supporting credit/debit cards, Direct Debit, ACH, and bank transfers. Clients receive invoices via email with a "Pay Now" button for immediate online payment.
A distinctive feature for tutoring agencies is "Split Payments." This functionality automatically divides a client's payment between the tutoring company and the tutor at the point of transaction. For businesses using an agency model with independent contractors, this reduces manual calculations and helps ensure tutors are paid accurately.
The system also supports subscriptions that generate recurring charges at customizable monthly intervals. For accounting integration, TutorCruncher connects with Xero, QuickBooks, and Sage, allowing export and import of invoices and payments.
Online Tutoring Tools: TutorCruncher offers native video conferencing and an integrated whiteboard marketplace.
For remote learning, TutorCruncher provides its own video conferencing tool called TutorCruncher Video. This native solution is integrated directly into the platform, allowing tutors and students to connect without needing external software.
Beyond the native option, TutorCruncher has an "Online Whiteboard Marketplace" featuring integrations with third-party tools like BitPaper, Pencil Spaces, and LessonSpace. Administrators can choose which tools to enable, and tutors can access virtual classrooms directly from their dashboard or through lesson reminder emails.
The platform uses single sign-on (SSO) technology, meaning users logged into TutorCruncher can launch integrated whiteboard tools without additional login credentials. Each lesson gets a unique video call URL, ensuring session privacy and security.
Website Integration: TutorCruncher Socket embeds functionality directly on company websites.
The TutorCruncher Socket allows tutoring companies to embed dynamic content on their own websites. This includes tutor profile listings that pull information directly from TutorCruncher and client inquiry forms that automatically create prospect profiles in the system. A separate tutor sign-up page creates pending tutor profiles for review.
For open group lessons, companies can display available time slots on their website where clients can browse and book directly. When a new client books a lesson, they're prompted to create an account as part of the process.
The integration tracks analytics and can trigger Google Analytics events for conversion tracking. The Socket code is open source, giving businesses with development resources the ability to customize it to their specific needs.
Where TutorCruncher Falls Short
While TutorCruncher excels as a management platform for tutoring agencies, several limitations become apparent for education businesses with different operational models. These constraints reveal a platform optimized for agency-style tutoring rather than broader educational administration.
Agency-Centric Design: TutorCruncher's architecture assumes an agency model with independent contractor tutors. Features like split payments, tutor application workflows, and the job-based scheduling system serve this model well. However, for learning centers, academies, or education businesses where teachers are employees and classes are course-based rather than job-based, these features can feel like unnecessary complexity. The system was primarily designed for matching tutors to students for ongoing tutoring relationships, though Jobs can also represent structured courses.
No Gradebook or Academic Tracking: Perhaps the most significant gap for educational institutions is the absence of a dedicated gradebook. TutorCruncher focuses on lesson reports and administrative metrics, but doesn't provide dedicated tools to track student grades, academic progress, or performance over time. For education businesses that need to issue report cards, track assignment completion, or monitor academic achievement, this is a fundamental missing piece.
No Behavior Tracking System: Similarly, there appears to be no built-in system for tracking student behavior or classroom management. Education businesses that use positive reinforcement systems or need to document behavioral concerns will find no native support for this in TutorCruncher.
Unpredictable Pricing Structure: TutorCruncher's pricing creates budgeting challenges for education businesses that prefer predictable costs. Beyond base monthly fees (starting at $30/month), the platform charges transaction fees on every payment, essentially a tax on your client revenue.
Standard card fees run 2.3–2.65%, with an additional 1.5% for international cards and 2% more for American Express, Diners Club, JCB, and UnionPay. Even offline payments incur fees (0.5–1%). Optional add-ons like extra branches ($50/month), custom domains ($100/month), and priority support plans add further costs. This makes it difficult to know exactly what you'll pay each month.
No Dedicated Mobile App: A frequently requested feature that remains unimplemented is a smartphone app for tutors. While the platform is mobile-responsive, the lack of a dedicated app limits on-the-go management capabilities compared to competitors with full-featured mobile applications.
These limitations aren't failures; they reflect TutorCruncher's deliberate focus on the tutoring agency market. But for education businesses seeking simpler operations, academic tracking, and transparent pricing, there's a clear need for alternatives built with different priorities.
Top TutorCruncher Alternative: Teach 'n Go
Teach 'n Go addresses TutorCruncher's limitations for education businesses by providing all-in-one school management software specifically designed for private education providers. The platform serves language schools, music academies, tutoring centers, dance schools, sports academies, faith-based education programs, and cultural learning centers. Co-founded in 2013 by Natalie Masrujeh and Haris Petrasitis, Teach 'n Go now operates from Dublin, Ireland and serves educational institutions in over 55 countries.
The platform is particularly well-suited for brick-and-mortar education businesses, whether they're outgrowing Excel spreadsheets and looking for a modern solution, or seeking to replace outdated systems with something more intuitive and user-friendly.
Dashboard and Scheduling: Teach 'n Go provides real-time oversight with a user-friendly interface.
The Dashboard serves as Teach 'n Go's central hub, offering an at-a-glance overview of daily activities, key metrics, and performance. It's organized into four main sections: People, Classes, Payments, and Communications dashboards. Each provides detailed statistics, from new student enrollment and teacher performance to outstanding payments and message delivery status.
The scheduling system uses customizable timetables with color-coding for visual organization. Users can schedule lessons on custom or recurring days, with multiple calendar views (daily, weekly, monthly) filtered by student, teacher, class, or classroom. Each user type (teachers, parents, students) gets their own personalized calendar showing only relevant information.
Automatic conflict detection prevents double-booking of teachers, rooms, or students. Real-time updates ensure that schedule changes are instantly visible to all relevant parties via the web platform and mobile app. For businesses with multiple locations, the platform manages all branches from a single account.
Class Booking System: Teach 'n Go lets students browse and enroll in classes online.
Teach 'n Go's class booking system allows education businesses to advertise available classes on a public booking page where prospective and existing students can browse, select, and enroll directly. Students can filter available classes to find options that fit their schedule, complete registration, and, if payments are enabled, pay through integrated Stripe or PayPal processing.
This self-service enrollment reduces administrative workload while making it convenient for students to sign up anytime, anywhere. The system supports flexible pricing models including hourly rates, monthly fees, or custom pricing structures. A complementary ticketing system allows education businesses to sell lesson packages or subscriptions that students can purchase and redeem over time.
Lesson Management with Gradebook: Teach 'n Go combines session management with academic tracking.
At the heart of lesson management in Teach 'n Go is the "lesson card," a dedicated workspace for each session that consolidates attendance, notes, course materials, grades, and communication in one place. Teachers can take attendance in a few clicks, marking students as present, absent, or late. These records are stored centrally, updated in real-time, and visible to parents through the portal.
The Gradebook feature allows teachers to record grades for assignments, tests, and projects using various scales (letters, percentages, points) or custom rubrics. Weighted categories ensure final grades accurately reflect the importance of different assessment types. The system automatically calculates totals and averages, eliminating manual computation.
A unique aspect is the behavior tracking system. Teachers can award "gold stars" for positive behavior and issue "red flags" for areas needing improvement. These are customizable to match each education business's terminology and are integrated directly into the lesson management workflow. Both students and parents can see this feedback through their portal.
Teachers can create different types of notes within each lesson: private notes for personal reference, shared notes visible to students and parents, and individual notes for specific students. Course materials can be uploaded and shared, with support for embedding videos from various hosting platforms.
Student and Parent Portal: Teach 'n Go enhances transparency with dedicated access for families.
Teach 'n Go's Student/Parent Portal provides secure access to schedules, grades, attendance records, behavior notes, and payment information. Students and parents receive individual login credentials and can access information via web browser or the mobile app (iOS and Android).
Parents with multiple children enrolled can view all their students' accounts from a single login and easily switch between profiles. The portal displays upcoming lessons, recent grades, teacher feedback, and any shared course materials.
Students can also submit homework through the portal. Teachers create assignments with titles, due dates, and instructions, and students upload completed files directly. The system tracks submission status, making it easy for teachers to monitor completion.
For financial transparency, parents can view payment receipts and outstanding balances through the portal, and make payments online when that feature is enabled.
Leads Management: Teach 'n Go captures and converts prospective students systematically.
Teach 'n Go's Leads Management feature provides a structured system for tracking prospective students from initial inquiry to enrollment. It includes customizable online registration forms that can be linked from the website or shared via direct link. When a prospect submits the form, their profile is automatically created in Teach 'n Go.
Administrators can manage prospects through organized status stages. The system logs communications sent to prospects, and trial lessons can be easily scheduled without charging the prospect. When a prospect's trial attendance is marked, their status automatically updates.
When a prospect decides to enroll, one-click conversion transforms their profile into a student profile. Collected information transfers to the new profile, eliminating redundant data entry. If a related contact (like a parent) was associated with the prospect, their profile is also created and linked automatically.
Flexible Configuration and Responsive Support: Teach 'n Go adapts to different education business needs.
Teach 'n Go offers extensive configuration options to accommodate different types of education businesses and varying operational workflows. This flexibility is why the platform serves education businesses in 55 countries, each with different requirements, languages, and administrative practices.
As a nimble team, Teach 'n Go emphasizes responsiveness to customer needs. The company maintains a public roadmap and ideas board where customers can submit feature requests, vote on others' ideas, and see what's being developed. Many features have been built based on direct customer feedback, and the team can move quickly to make custom adjustments when needed.
Transparent Pricing: Teach 'n Go charges based on student count with all features included — no transaction fees.
Teach 'n Go uses a straightforward pricing model based on the number of "live students." The base tier starts at $79 per month for up to 100 students, with prices scaling as student count increases. Monthly and annual billing options are available.
Unlike TutorCruncher's transaction-based pricing, Teach 'n Go charges no fees on your client payments. Your monthly cost is predictable, based solely on student count, so you know exactly what you'll pay each month regardless of how much revenue you process.
All plans include unlimited teachers, classes, prospects, portal users, and emails. Every feature is included regardless of tier: dashboard, scheduling, attendance tracking, mobile app, gradebook, behavior tracking, automatic reminders, student/parent portal, invoicing, and integrations with Stripe and PayPal.
Optional one-time setup services are available for education businesses that want assistance:
A 14-day free trial with access to all features requires no credit card.
Ready to try Teach 'n Go? Start your free 14-day trial here — no credit card required.
TutorCruncher or Teach 'n Go: Comparison Summary
| Aspect | TutorCruncher | Teach 'n Go |
|---|---|---|
| Primary Focus | Tutoring agencies with independent tutors | Private education businesses and academies |
| Gradebook | ❌ Not available | ✅ Full gradebook with customizable scales |
| Behavior Tracking | ❌ Not available | ✅ Gold stars and red flags system |
| Class Booking | ❌ Not a core feature | ✅ Self-service student enrollment |
| Split Payments | ✅ Automatic agency-tutor splits | ❌ Not applicable |
| Mobile App | ❌ No dedicated app | ✅ iOS and Android apps |
| Website Integration | ✅ Socket system — Comprehensive | ✅ Registration forms and API |
| Pricing Model | Base fee + transaction fees on all payments | Per-student pricing, no transaction fees |
| Starting Price | $30/month + 2.65% transaction fees | $79/month for up to 100 students |
| Free Trial | 2 weeks | 14 days, no credit card required |
| Language Support | Limited | 24+ languages |
| User Onboarding | ⭐⭐ Learning curve for advanced features | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Minimal training required |
| Customer Feedback | Standard support channels | Public roadmap and ideas board |
| Best For | Tutoring agencies managing contractors | Learning centers and academies |
Final Verdict
The choice between TutorCruncher and Teach 'n Go depends on your business model and operational priorities.
👉 Choose TutorCruncher if:
- You operate a tutoring agency working with independent-contractor tutors and need professional infrastructure to manage those relationships
- You need automated split payments and commission handling without manual calculations
- Tutor recruitment and vetting are part of your growth strategy, and you want built-in application workflows
- You want to display tutor profiles publicly and integrate scheduling and bookings into your website
- You're scaling from a small agency to a larger operation and need analytics, automation, and agency-grade controls designed for growth
👉 Choose Teach 'n Go if:
- You run a language school, music academy, tutoring center, dance school, or other course-based education business
- Your focus is on class management, student progress tracking, and parent communication rather than sales pipelines or enterprise CRM
- You need built-in academic tools like a gradebook, behavior tracking, and structured class booking
- A student and parent portal is important for transparency and day-to-day communication
- You want simple, predictable pricing with per-student fees and no transaction charges
- Mobile access matters, and you value dedicated apps for admins, teachers, and parents
- You're a brick-and-mortar education business ready to move beyond spreadsheets and legacy systems to a modern, purpose-built platform
The distinction comes down to operational model. TutorCruncher was built by people running a tutoring agency for tutoring agencies. Teach 'n Go was built for the broader private education market, including language schools, music academies, dance schools, and learning centers, where gradebooks, behavior tracking, and class-based administration take priority over contractor management and commission splits.
