All-in-one tutoring platform vs the DIY stack
Zoom for video, Google Docs for notes, ChatGPT in another tab, Calendly for bookings, WhatsApp for reminders. It works, and it costs little to start. Tuton is what it looks like when those five jobs are done by one tool built for language teaching.
7 days free · No card needed · Students join free
The DIY stack has real advantages: you probably already use these tools, most have free tiers, and nothing about them locks you in. For a tutor teaching a couple of lessons a week, it's a perfectly sensible setup.
The cost shows up as you grow: nothing connects. The vocabulary you teach in Zoom never reaches a review system. Lesson notes pile up in Docs nobody reopens. ChatGPT doesn't know your student or what you covered last week. Each lesson picks up its own admin: a reminder to send, notes to file, a payment to chase. And the student sees five disconnected tools instead of one place to learn.
Tuton connects the loop. Words you add in the classroom go to the student's spaced-repetition deck. With a lesson report switched on, the lesson is written up afterwards, with the student's errors and corrections. The AI assistant knows each student's level and history, students request your open times themselves, and invoices are built from completed lessons. One flat subscription, no commission on payments students send you directly, and one place for your students to learn.
Tuton vs the DIY stack, side by side
| Compared on | Tuton | DIY stack (Zoom + Docs + more) |
|---|---|---|
| Video lessons | Built-in browser classroom with shared lesson pages and AI lesson reports | Zoom or Meet, separate from your notes and materials |
| Lesson notes | Lesson pages you both write in, kept with each lesson, plus private notes on the student's profile | Google Docs: manual links, manual organisation |
| Vocabulary | Add a word in the lesson and it joins the student's spaced-repetition deck | Scribbled in a doc; no review loop |
| AI help | Assistant grounded in each student's level, history and recent lessons | ChatGPT in another tab: knows nothing about your student |
| Scheduling | Public booking page; Google Calendar busy times block your slots, and lessons can export to Google | Calendly or DM back-and-forth |
| Homework & reminders | Homework with instant answer checks, messaging, and lesson reminders by notification | WhatsApp messages that get buried |
| Invoicing | Built from completed lessons in a few clicks | Spreadsheets and manual PDFs |
| Ready-made lessons | 850+ interactive lessons in 110+ courses | Build or find your own materials |
| Cost | Flat subscription from $9/month, no commission on direct payments | Free tiers exist; paid tiers and your admin time add up |
Which one is right for you?
Choose Tuton if…
- You teach regularly and the admin around lessons is eating your evenings
- You want vocabulary, notes and lesson reports to carry over from one lesson to the next
- You want students to have one professional place to book, learn and review
- You're ready to look like a business, not a patchwork of free tools
Stick with the DIY stack if…
- You teach one or two casual lessons a week and the admin doesn't hurt yet
- You need absolutely zero software budget right now
- Your students strongly prefer a tool they already use, and switching isn't worth it yet
Frequently asked questions
Common questions about Tuton and the DIY stack.
Swap five tools for one
Classroom, notes, vocabulary, booking and invoices, connected. Try it with real lessons for 7 days.