The Best Physics Tutors Online: Our Top 5 Services

When most people think of physics, they think of abstract concepts and complicated equations about the behavior of matter and the natural world. And while it’s true that studying physics can help deepen a student’s understanding of the universe, it also has many real-world bearings in academic and professional fields. From astrophysics to computer engineering, excelling in physics can pave the way for impressive success later in life.

Still, while it may be an important subject, physics is also notoriously difficult to master. The concepts and mathematical formulas involved can be some of the most difficult a student will encounter, and it often takes years of practice and experience to fully grasp them. With the right tools and support, however, mastering physics can become a realistic goal.

One of the best ways to improve your child’s physics grades and achieve academic goals is by hiring private physics tutors. These professionals typically have years of experience teaching complex areas of physics, such as relativistic or classical mechanics, and can often jump-start a student’s understanding of the subject.

With so many online tutoring services available, however, how do you know which one to choose? In this round-up, we’ve compiled a list of the top 5 online physics tutoring services. And, while we’re confident that any one of these companies could help you or your student achieve, we ultimately believe that Learner provides the most overall value in the industry.

At a Glance

1. Overall Best Value: Learner
2. Best Scheduling Flexibility: Wyzant
3. Best Dedicated Homework Support: Chegg

Top 5 Online Physics Tutoring Services

There are many online physics tutoring services available, but some have distinguished themselves above the rest. Here are the top five online physics tutoring services worth your time and money: 

1. Learner

Without question, Learner is our top pick for the best online physics tutoring service. Founded and run by a team of experienced, passionate educators, the company carries those qualities forward into its platform. One example is Learner’s tutor requirements, which mandate that any tutor must possess at least a bachelor’s degree from a four-year college or university and several years of teaching experience.

Even more impressive is Learner’s unique tutor matching feature, which uses powerful AI custom designed to pair each student with the best tutor for their needs. During the matching process, this algorithm takes into account goals, grade level, subject, personality, learning style, and schedule.

This modern usage of technology also extends to Learner’s lessons, each of which takes place in a state-of-the-art online physics classroom, including an interactive whiteboard, screen sharing, and video and audio features. Every lesson is recorded for safety purposes so that students can utilize these lessons as study tools at their own convenience. Regular progress updates and feedback sessions with parents are also included in Learner’s curriculum. Pricing starts at $60 per hour, with one free lesson included.

Pros

• Rigorous vetting process for tutors
• Highly developed matching system
• Personalized, one-on-one sessions
• Affordable pricing
• State-of-the-art virtual classrooms
• Recorded sessions

Cons

• Not designed for on-demand homework help
• Tutors are not available 24/7

Bottom Line: Learner is our top pick for the best online physics tutoring service because it has high-quality science tutors, a well-developed matching system, cutting-edge virtual classrooms, and affordable prices.

2. Wyzant

Wyzant is different from many of the other online physics tutoring services in this list because it is a marketplace for tutors. This means that instead of being paired with a tutor, users can browse through the bios of 80,000 tutors across the platform to hone in on the ones who best align with their interests.

Still, Wyzant’s lack of a matching specialist may not appeal to everyone, but this platform is a great option for those who want complete control over the selection process. Another benefit of opting for Wyzant is that all tutors set their own rates. This means that families on a budget can find tutors who charge as little as $20 per hour.

On the other hand, some Wyzant tutors charge up to $600 per hour, so a substantial amount of price comparison is needed for those wanting the best value. In addition to its price flexibility, Wyzant also offers both online and in-person tutoring options, which may help those students who work best in a face-to-face setting.

Due to the enormous size of Wyzant’s network, the company maintains relatively loose standards for how much training each tutor must undergo, which means that the quality of teaching varies widely across the platform. Even so, Wyzant does offer a money-back guarantee on the first hour of your lesson if you decide it’s not the right fit, so the risk is somewhat offset. 

Pros

• Budget-friendly tutoring options
• Money-back guarantee 
• In-person and online tutoring options

Cons

• Uneven quality of instruction across the platform
• Choosing the right tutor can be time-consuming or trial-and-error

Bottom Line: Wyzant is a great online platform for families who want to select their own tutors and for families looking for budget-friendly tutoring options. That said, tutoring quality varies from instructor to instructor due to this network’s size.

3. Chegg

Chegg is designed as a platform for on-demand homework help. This unique tutoring option allows students with memberships to search through thousands of existing homework problems on their platform or upload a photo and ask an expert for help with a specific question. Tutors are also available 24/7 to provide students with immediate assistance.

A membership to this platform is extremely affordable at only $15 per month. With Chegg’s Study Pack subscription, students can post up to 20 physics questions monthly and receive a written step-by-step solution to the problem within 24 hours.

Despite its affordability and flexible services, this platform is not designed for students looking for long-term assistance. There is no matching specialist, and tutors won’t make individualized lesson plans for their students. Even so, this platform is a great choice for independent students who sometimes need help with physics or who study late at night, and some students may consider subscribing as a way to supplement occasional tutoring lessons with another company.

Pros

• Affordable subscription
• Students can receive help with specific physics problems within 24 hours

Cons

• Written feedback is not always an effective way to learn
• No education or training requirements for tutors
• No opportunity to build long-term relationships with tutors

Bottom Line: Chegg is an online platform that provides on-demand access to homework solutions and basic assistance from tutors. While this company does not offer private tutoring options, it’s budget-friendly for students who need occasional homework help.

4. Varsity Tutors

A St. Louis-based company with more than 40,000 tutors across more than 2,500 subjects, Varsity Tutors is one of the largest online tutoring platforms on the market. Like Wyzant, however, the size of this company’s network comes with a relative lack of rigorous standards for its tutors. Specifically, tutors only need a high school degree to apply; they are not required to have a college degree or any previous teaching experience.

Also, the rates paid to tutors in this network are much lower than most other tutoring companies, which makes it challenging for Varsity Tutors to find and keep good tutors. Instead, many of the tutors on this platform are those just getting into the career or those doing it casually on the side.

As for the tutoring itself, physics students can attend either small group classes or participate in one-on-one tutoring. Varsity Tutors also offers Physics in Fun group classes, which are interactive, experiential courses that teach students how to set up and record experiments and learn about famous physicists. Another course, the Physics of Amusement Parks class, examines how amusement parks apply the laws of force and motion to create rides.

Pros

• Extensive network of tutors
• Small group classes available
• Fun physics courses offered

Cons

• Low education and training requirements for tutors
• Overpriced compared to quality
• Quality differs from tutor to tutor

Bottom Line: Varsity Tutors offers various physics courses, including Physics in Fun group classes and the Physics of Amusement Park class. However, given their lower tutoring standards, this service may charge more than each session is worth.

5. TutorMe

TutorMe is an online service that helps students with different goals and interests. Online classrooms are held in sessions with virtual whiteboards, screen sharing, a text editor, and either an audio or video chat. All lessons are recorded and made available afterward for students to use as study tools. Students and tutors are also given the option to rate each other afterward.

Various packages are available for students to purchase. Students can pay $69 per month for two hours or $119 per month for four hours. A pay-as-you-go option is also available, which costs $1 per minute.

When choosing teachers, TutorMe is very picky. It only hires tutors from the best universities, including Ivy League schools. Only 4% of tutors are accepted into the TutorMe network. While there is no full money-back guarantee offered, parents can sign up for 30 minutes of free tutoring to test out this service.

Pros

• High-quality tutors
• Various packages available
• Innovative technology
• Free 30 minutes of tutoring

Cons

• Rating system may be taken advantage of

Bottom Line: TutorMe is an online tutoring service that offers private tutoring and on-demand homework help from high-quality instructors. Each online classroom is equipped with virtual whiteboards, screen sharing, a text editor, and either an audio or video chat, depending on the student’s preference.

Why Use Online Physics Tutoring?

Physics tutoring can provide many benefits to students who are looking to succeed in their physics studies and achieve their academic goals. A tutor can help explain complicated ideas and math equations, give real-life examples of these ideas, and show how they apply to the student’s coursework and physics homework.

One of the most significant benefits of physics tutoring is that students receive one-on-one instruction tailored to their specific needs and learning style. This personalized approach can help any physics student work through difficult concepts at their own pace and build confidence in their physics knowledge and skills. A private physics tutor can also help with practice problems, test preparation, and even advanced coursework. Having someone hold students accountable to their goals and motivate them along the way will help them stay on track and achieve academic success. 

How to Find the Best Physics Tutors for Your Needs

Finding the right online physics for you can be a time-consuming and stressful process. Here are some criteria to keep in mind during your search: 

Use a reputable online tutoring platform

Do some digging into the online tutoring platforms you are considering. Look for information about how long this platform has been around and the process it uses to hire its tutors. While some platforms have a strict vetting process when hiring tutors, like Learner and TutorMe, others have a very low bar they set for their tutors. The more rigorous a platform is during its hiring process, the more assured you will be that you are working with a tutor worth your time and money. 

Check tutor credentials

Some platforms, like Wyzant and Varsity Tutors, have extremely extensive tutoring networks with tens of thousands of tutors. With Wyzant, clients will even have the opportunity to select their own tutor from the network. If you are in a situation where you are selecting the tutor yourself, make sure to look carefully at a tutor’s profile. Pay attention to their education, background, and experience. Ideally, your child’s private tutor will have experience teaching physics to students at the same age and skill level as your child. 

Read reviews and ratings

A tutor profile is important for looking at information such as education, certifications, and teaching experience, but it’s not the be-all and end-all. Reading tutor reviews and ratings is a great way to get a feel for what the tutor is like behind their profile. Previous and current clients will honestly discuss the details of their experience working with an instructor, which will be details you could never glean from a resume. Many customer reviews will give insight into the tutor’s personality, philosophy, and success rate. 

Ask for recommendations

One of the best ways to find a tutor whom you can trust is through a personal recommendation or referral. Put the word out in various communities you are a part of, especially in networks with fellow parents. It is also worthwhile to check in with your child’s physics tutor. They will be able to suggest some teachers and help you figure out which one would be best for your child. 

Conduct an interview

There’s no better way to gauge a tutor’s overall personality and demeanor than through a phone call. Once you’ve narrowed down your tutors to just a few candidates, ask if they would be willing to do a short interview on the phone. Write down a list of questions you want to ask them, including information that they did not disclose in their profile, such as tutoring philosophy, approach, availability, and cost. You can also ask your instructor situational questions, such as asking if they could walk you through what a hypothetical physics lesson might look like.  

Our Methods for Choosing the Best Online Physics Tutoring Services

You may be wondering: out of all the physics tutoring services available online, how did we narrow it down to these five? Here are the criteria that guided us through this process:

Quality of tutors

The tutors are one of, if not the most, important parts of an online tutoring service. A tutoring service could have the best matching system and the most innovative technology, but if its tutors are ineffective, then its service will be too. We looked at various tutoring services’ tutoring standards and hiring processes, favoring companies that required tutors to have degrees in their fields, teaching experience, and relevant certifications. 

Customized learning plans

Some online tutoring services offer on-demand homework help, while others like Learner match you with a long-term physics tutor. If you are searching for a private tutor, you want to select a service that offers customized lesson plans. The main thing that makes private tutoring different from learning in a classroom is that lesson plans are made for each student. Your child has the best chance of doing well in school when lessons are made to fit his or her strengths, weaknesses, learning style, interests, and personality. 

Availability and flexibility

If you have middle school or high school students, or even college students, there’s a strong chance they have a busy schedule filled with homework, extracurriculars, and an after-school job. If that is the case, they may not have time to squeeze in an hour of tutoring on a weekday after school.

Look for companies that offer tutoring sessions at irregular hours, such as early mornings, nights, and weekends. Also, consider the type of tutoring format that would best benefit your child. For instance, if your child just needs help with occasional questions, look for a service that offers on-demand assistance or a pay-as-you-go model. 

Communication and feedback

When it comes to your child’s physics education, you want to be kept in the loop as much as possible. Staying updated on their progress will allow you to take action when needed. For instance, if your child has made significant academic strides, you may want to decrease your online physics lessons from twice a week to once a week. Look for tutoring services that offer regular feedback sessions or have a way for parents and family members to get updates on their child’s progress. 

Technology and resources

For a long time, online tutoring was considered a backup option to in-person tutoring. But today, many online tutoring companies have found ways to make online tutoring just as good, if not a better, option than in-person tutoring through the use of innovative technology.

Check out tutoring services that use virtual whiteboards, video, audio, and recording tools to improve the learning experience. Some online tutoring services will also provide additional learning resources on their websites, including pre-recorded physics lessons in which students can participate. 

Benefits of Online Physics Tutoring

There are many benefits to getting physics help online instead of in person or in a classroom. Here are some of the ways your child can benefit from this experience: 

Convenience

Getting to and from a tutoring center or an instructor’s home is one of the worst things about in-person tutoring. If your commute is 30 minutes, this could almost double the time commitment you make to tutoring on a weekly basis. Online tutoring saves you time and money by completely eliminating the need to commute. You can schedule tutoring sessions in a school classroom that isn’t being used or in your bedroom, whichever is more convenient. 

Personalization

In a classroom, a physics teacher must create lesson plans that best suit most students. But what happens if your child is one of the handful of students not targeted? That’s where private tutoring comes in.

Private tutors have the opportunity to create lesson plans that best suit one student’s needs. This means that they can focus on the areas where your child needs the most help and skip over the ideas they already know well. They can even go the extra mile and revolve practice physics questions around your child’s interests and hobbies. 

Access to a wider range of tutors

Whether you live in a small town or a large metropolis, finding a physics tutor can be challenging. When it comes to online tutoring, geography isn’t a factor. You could work with someone just down the street from you or across the country, all from the comfort of your own home.

This broadens your candidate pool significantly, allowing you to be selective in hiring. For instance, if your child is taking AP Physics and really struggling with quantum physics, hire a tutor who has previously taught AP Physics before.

More affordable

There are many reasons why online tutoring tends to be more affordable than in-person tutoring. In-person tutoring requires physical space, often incurring additional costs such as rent, utilities, and maintenance. Additionally, in-person tutors may have to travel to their students’ homes or meet them in a public location, which adds travel expenses and time efficiency costs to their service. Lastly, there is typically a lot more competition with online tutoring and less demand, which leads to lower online tutoring rates. 

Technology integration

Many parents worry that online tutoring won’t be as interactive or as engaging for students as in-person tutoring. But with the help of technology, tutoring services have come up with creative ways to make physics lessons fun and interesting online. Tutors can help students learn better by using different tools and methods, such as interactive whiteboards, video conferencing, and educational games.

Why We Chose Learner

Thankfully for parents and students alike, the tutoring industry contains several high-quality, trustworthy companies devoted to helping people master all different sorts of academic subjects. Still, as is true with any industry, certain online physics tutoring platforms are simply better than the rest. For us, this means Learner.

Between its exceptionally useful tutor matching feature, uncompromising dedication to tutor quality, and integration of modern technology, Learner is everything a 21st-century online tutoring service should be. Even better, the company offers all of this value at competitive rates, especially compared to other “premium” tutoring services that typically charge exorbitant package prices.

If you or your child are looking for excellent, reliable online physics tutoring, we highly suggest checking out Learner’s complimentary intake evaluation to see for yourself whether they’re the right fit for you. After all, their free first session means you can experience a tutoring session first-hand without any commitments or strings attached.

Frequently Asked Questions

If you still have more questions, check out some of the popular topics parents ask about below.

Who should use online physics tutoring services?

Whether it’s for advanced college physics or an intro course, online physics tutoring can be helpful for students who need extra help to do well in their physics classes. Students who prefer personalized instruction, are preparing for physics exams, or are struggling with their coursework can all benefit from working with an online physics tutor.

How much do online physics tutoring services cost?

Many online physics tutors determine their own rates based on education, experience, and credentials. Generally speaking, online physics tutors will cost anywhere between $50 and $100 per hour. Some online tutoring services will offer packages where you can sign up for a set number of monthly hours.

What should you look for in online physics tutoring services?

When choosing an online service, you should think about many things, such as the quality of the tutors, the technology and resources available, and how the service communicates with you and gives you feedback. You should also consider what type of tutoring assistance you need: long-term or on-demand help. 

What are the pros of using online physics tutoring services?

There are many benefits to using an online physics tutoring service. Online tutoring is easier and cheaper than tutoring in person, and you can get help from tutors all over the country. Thanks to innovative technology, many people no longer view online tutoring as an alternative to in-person tutoring. 

What are the cons of using online physics tutoring services?

Some students, especially younger ones or those who have learning disabilities, may find it hard to stay interested in an online tutoring session. If you think your child will struggle to stay engaged by looking at a screen, you may want to consider in-person tutoring options.