Availy vs TutorBird — A Modern Tutoring Alternative
TutorBird is an established all-in-one tool for tutors (and a sibling product of My Music Staff). Availy is a newer alternative built around real-time student self-booking and lesson credits, with a branded studio subdomain for your business.
| Feature | Availy | TutorBird |
|---|---|---|
| Student self-booking | Native — students book from your real-time availability | Yes — through the student portal |
| Lesson credits & packages | Prepaid credits with instructor-set rates and optional expiry | Invoicing and packages |
| Learning plans & homework | Goals and homework tasks per student, shared with parents and pulled into lesson reminders | Lesson notes shared through the student portal |
| Email & SMS reminders | Both included, opt-in per channel | Both included |
| Calendar sync & invites | Instructors connect Google Calendar: lessons push into it and their Google busy times block availability. Plus a personal feed for every user (Google, Apple & Outlook) and an invite on every booking email | Per-tutor subscribable calendar feeds |
| Online payment processing | Yes — students pay invoices by card via Stripe (USD & CAD), no Availy markup, plus balance & who's-paid tracking | Yes — Stripe and PayPal |
| Student & parent portals | Students and guardians get their own logins | Yes — student & parent portal |
| In-app messaging & file sharing | Message students and parents, share worksheets & recordings | Portal messaging and file storage |
| Your own branded subdomain & landing page | Studio plan: yourstudio.availy.app with your brand | Website and booking page |
| Interface | Rebuilt for 2026 — fast, mobile-friendly self-booking | Established; some reviewers note a dated mobile view |
| Starting price | $29/mo solo, $99/mo studio — flat, unlimited students | $16.95/mo + $4.95 per additional tutor |
Comparison based on each product's publicly published features and pricing as of July 2026. TutorBird is a trademark of its respective owner and is not affiliated with Availy. Details change — check their site for the latest.
When TutorBird is the better fit
If you want the lowest starting price and a mature, subject-agnostic toolset refined over many years — and you don't mind a more traditional interface — TutorBird is a solid, budget-friendly choice, especially for a single tutor.
Common questions
- Is Availy cheaper than TutorBird?
- Not at the base price. TutorBird starts at $16.95 per month plus $4.95 per additional tutor, against $29 per month for a solo instructor on Availy. Availy's flat $99 per month Studio plan includes up to 10 instructors, so the maths can favour Availy once you have several tutors, but a single tutor will pay less on TutorBird.
- Can I move my students from TutorBird to Availy?
- Yes. Export your students from TutorBird as a CSV and import it into Availy: map your columns, review a preview of what will be created, then commit. Parent details in the same row are created and linked to the student for you. It is a generic CSV import rather than a TutorBird-specific one, so it works with any export. Credits, payment history and past lessons are not imported, and invitations are only sent when you decide to send them.
- What does Availy do that TutorBird doesn't?
- Availy puts real-time self-booking at the centre: students pick a slot from your live availability and pay for it with prepaid credits, and the Studio plan gives your business its own branded subdomain and landing page at yourstudio.availy.app. Availy also includes per-student learning plans with goals and homework that appear in lesson reminder emails.
When to choose Availy
Choose Availy if you want real-time student self-booking, lesson credits, included SMS reminders, and your own branded studio subdomain in one flat-priced plan — a modern setup you can launch the same day.
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