Best Online Quran Academy: 12 Things to Check Before You Pay

How to Find the Best Online Quran Academy

Many people search for the best online Quran academy or the best online Quran classes. The problem is that every website says it is the best. A web page cannot prove it. Only you can, with the right questions and a trial class.

So what makes an online Quran academy good? Its teachers know the Quran and know how to teach. The teacher hears every word you read. You can see your progress. The rules are in writing, and you can try a class before you pay.

The best choice also depends on you. A 5-year-old, a teenager and a new Muslim adult need different things. Think about your goal first. Do you want to read the Arabic letters, read with Tajweed (the rules for reciting well), memorize the Quran (Hifz) or learn its meaning?

Ask every academy the same 12 questions below, and write down the answers. Then compare them side by side. Want a shorter list? Read our 10 questions to ask before you book. To see our own answers, go to the last part of this page, or open our online Quran academy page.

Checks 5 to 8: Trial Class, Time and Support

These four checks show how the academy works from week to week:

• 5. A trial class before you pay. A trial is the best test of any academy. Ask if it is free, how long it is and if it is a real class, not a sales call. Ask if you must give payment details to book it. Then watch. Does the teacher listen first? Does the student read most of the time? Are mistakes fixed in a kind way?
• 6. Class length and classes a week. A class of 15 minutes is not the same as a class of 30 minutes. Ask for the minutes in writing. Ask how many classes a week fit your goal. Young children often do well with short, regular classes. Hifz usually needs a class almost every day.
• 7. Time zones and class times. Ask if classes are in your own time zone. Ask if evening, night and weekend times cost extra. A fixed time each week builds a habit. Check that teachers are awake at the times that suit you.
• 8. Same teacher, cover teacher and change. A new teacher each week slows progress. Ask if you keep one teacher. Ask what happens if the teacher is sick or away. Ask if you can request a new teacher later, and if it costs anything.

Online Quran Academy Prices: How to Compare

Prices differ a lot from one academy to the next. We do not list other academies' prices, and a price alone tells you little. Look at what you get for it. These things change the price:

• Classes a week. More classes cost more each month, but each class often costs less.
• Class length. A longer class costs more.
• 1-on-1 or group. A private class costs more, because the teacher's time is not shared.
• Teacher training. A teacher with a degree, an Ijazah or years of Hifz teaching may charge more.
• Hifz. Memorizing needs a class almost every day, so it usually has its own plan.
• Extras. Sign-up fees, book fees and fees to change a time or teacher add up. Ask for them up front.

Here is a made-up example to show why you must divide. Plan A costs $30 a month for 8 classes of 15 minutes. That is 2 hours of teaching, so $15 an hour. Plan B costs $40 a month for 8 classes of 30 minutes. That is 4 hours, so $10 an hour. Plan B looks dearer, but each hour costs less.

A very low price can be real, but ask why it is low. Is it a group class? Is the class short? A high price does not prove a better teacher either. Trust the 12 checks, not the price tag.

Red Flags When You Choose an Online Quran Academy

One small problem can happen anywhere. A red flag is a reason to ask more. If you see several together, keep looking:

• They ask for full payment before any trial class.
• They will not say who the teacher is or what the teacher has studied.
• Parents may not join a class.
• Big promises, such as a finished Hifz in a few months, before anyone has heard the student read.
• The website says it is "the best" or "number 1" and shows no proof.
• There are no written rules for refunds, pauses and teacher changes.
• The teacher is often late, ends the class early or reads along instead of listening.
• Pressure to pay today, before you have tried a class.

How Salam Campus Measures Up

We wrote this guide to help you choose, not to say we are the best. This page is written by an academy too, so check us as hard as you check the others. Here are our answers to the 12 checks. Test each one in a free class:

• Experience: we have taught the Quran online since 2016, to kids and adults.
• Class type: every class is live, 1-on-1 and 30 minutes long, on Zoom or Google Meet. We have no group classes.
• Teachers: each one is a Hafiz, a Qari or an Alim. Each one passes 5 steps: document check, recitation test, teaching test, interview and trial month. Read about our Quran teachers.
• Male or female: you choose, for every course, at the same fee. See our female Quran teacher page.
• Trial class: one free 30-minute class. We do not ask for payment details to book it. Book a free trial.
• Time: classes run 24/7, in your own time zone. Weekends cost the same.
• Same teacher: if your teacher misses a class, a cover teacher or a new time is free. Ask for a new teacher at any time, at no extra cost. We set up a trial with the new teacher within a week.
• Recording and safety: parents may join any class. Each class is recorded for quality checks. Only our quality team and coordinators can see the recordings, and we never publish them.
• Progress: a note after each class, a report each month and a parent portal.
• Price: no sign-up fee and no contract. See Quran learning fees.
• Refunds: ask within 7 days of paying, and we refund every class you have not taken. Pause or stop with 1 week's notice, and you do not pay for paused weeks. Read the refund policy.

What we are not: we are not a full-time school, and we do not run group classes. If you want a class with other students, we are not the right match. And no one can promise a date to finish the Quran. Every student learns at their own speed.

Ready to check us? Bring this list to a free class, and compare your notes with our online Quran academy page.