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• IXL vs Khan Academy vs Brighterly: Which one is better? (2025)

IXL vs Khan Academy vs Brighterly: Which one is better? (2025)

In the chase for math mastery, parents commonly wonder which platform is better: IXL vs Khan Academy vs Brighterly. In this review, I’ll gather all of my past teaching experience to solve the dilemma and provide tips for choosing IXL vs Khan Academy, or maybe opt for Brighterly if it proves best-fitting.

Key Points

• Brighterly provides tailored teaching with expert math tutors or reading tutors, tracking your kid’s progress and adjusting to their needs. It’s perfect for anyone!
• IXL is a subscription-based program containing step-by-step video lessons and built-in tests that allow kids to advance.
• Khan Academy is a free, open-source channel with varied materials and math tasks. It’s ideal as an extra study resource.

IXL vs Khan Academy vs Brighterly: Comparison

The main difference between IXL and Khan Academy and Brighterly is the platform format: IXL is subscription-based, Khan Academy is an open-source site, and Brighterly is a tutoring platform where you pay based on the number of pre-planned lessons.

But let me discuss the oppositions in more detail:

	Brighterly	IXL	Khan Academy
Cost	Starting from $17.3/lesson, if you choose to practice 3+ times per week	From $9.95 per month	All resources are free
K-12 Curriculum	✅	✅	✅
Aligned with Common Core	✅	✅	✅
Method of Learning	Personalized learning with a tutor	Pre-recorded lessons	Textual and video materials and tests
Subjects on Offer	Math & reading	Math, language studies, science, social studies	A huge variety
Personalized Approach	✅	✅	❌
Current Knowledge Diagnostics	✅	✅	❌
Progress Tracking	✅	✅	✅
Free Trial	Yes — a free demo lesson is available	Free trial for 30 days. You won’t spot a difference between IXL free vs paid versions.	All resources are completely free here
Trustpilot Ratings	4.5	1.4	3.5

As you can see, the Brighterly math and reading tutoring platform has some distinct benefits for math learners, including its student-focused approach, concentration on a single subject, and top user rating.

What makes Brighterly stand out compared to IXL or Khan Academy?

What makes Brighterly stand out compared to IXL or Khan Academy is its highly personalized environment with a specific focus on what your child needs. On top of it, it features constant tracking of kids’ learning progress and feedback from tutors — an opportunity you won’t find at other competitors.

However, that’s the core. Brighterly has many other advantages.

Brighterly features

1. Sophisticated process for selecting the top tutors
2. 1:1 tuition with a focus on your kid’s needs
3. A vast knowledge base with free resources

1. Sophisticated process for selecting the top tutors

To become Brighterly teachers, candidates should undergo a stringent hiring process, so there are no random people here. On top of that, the platform conducts regular training for its staff to guarantee the highest performance and proficiency in hard and soft skills. But here’s what it means for your kid.

First, they will work with the specific tutor who proves to be the best fit during the initial evaluation. Brighterly pays close attention to creating perfect student-teacher combos; excellent parent reviews showcase their success in this area. Now, back to the IXL vs Brighterly vs Khan Academy opposition — Brighterly is the only platform of the three to include a certified mentor in the process.

Besides, the tutor takes enough time to analyze specific cases of each student and define the cause of learning issues. For example, the story of when the teacher helped with a new class adaptation and overcoming studying fear is a real fact. If we transition this to IXL vs Brighterly, we’ll see that the former only lists a sequence of tests without a full situation analysis and understanding of the emotional component behind it.

Finally, Brighterly reading and math tutors are also known for the pride they experience in their work and approach. And as always, motivated teachers mean half of success.

2. 1:1 tuition with a focus on your kid’s needs

When comparing Khan Academy vs IXL vs Brighterly, the last one lays the most stress on gamification — the secret element that helps kids excel. However, how tutors use this approach is equally important. Here’s what you should know:

• All lessons included in a math or reading program are conducted in a 1:1 format, meaning that all attention is devoted only to your kid to create a stress-free atmosphere.
• After signing up, your child will be asked to complete a math test. Based on the results, a tutor will then develop a specific Brighterly reading or math program for them. But a sweet part comes: they keep adjusting and altering it as the kid’s needs or preferences change. It’s a never-ending process, so to speak.
• All Brighterly study plans are STEM-focused, putting the practical application of the acquired knowledge as the core component.
• The reading and math classes held here are aligned with the Common Core criteria and also fit perfectly for proper exam prep, such as that for the SAT.

3. A vast knowledge base with free resources

Brighterly is a rare find among programs similar to IXL, as it provides lots of worksheets and practical tasks for free! Here’s what is included:

• Free math worksheets along with reading worksheets for kids — handy and colorful collections of tasks for anyone from kindergarteners to 9th graders. They cover practically any topic and come in a convenient printable format with answers — just what the doctor prescribed for home self-learning. 
• Brighterly math practice tests and reading tests — these will let you check how well your kid matches the requirements for their grade. Here’s an example:

 

Brighterly math tutoring platform benefits: according to user’s reviews

Brighterly owns an undisputable 4.5 score at Trustpilot, with 86% of positive reviews, which is a huge number for programs similar to IXL. Here are just a few points commonly noted by its users:

• Expert teachers
• Boosted progress
• Reasonable price

Expert teachers

Brighterly math tutors or reading tutors are most complimented. It’s what Altan Khendup mentioned about one of them, “The Brighterly teacher, Ms. Naqsh, has been OUTSTANDING! She engages and adapts and educates in such a wonderful manner with our son, and it shows in how he addresses homework and problems.”

Now, take this one from Carlo B. from Canada: “Teacher Camille is wonderful with my daughter. She makes math fun and engaging in a way that keeps my daughter eagerly working and learning for a 45-minute session.”

Boosted progress

Brighterly math and reading tutoring platform aims to help kids progress in the subject, which is the point it manages perfectly. Danilo Campos Santos says, “My son went on to get an A+ thanks to the teacher in this program.”

The secret? Kannan reveals it in his comment: “My nine-year-old loves the bi-weekly classes so much that he is insisting on having three-week sessions. It is tailored to the child’s level, which makes it so worth it. This keeps them curious and engaged.”

Reasonable price

Prices at Brighterly are both flexible and reasonable, so it’s no surprise that Trustpilot contains numeric mentions of this. Here’s one good comment from Stein: “I highly recommend them. I bought a package and got a good price.”

Brighterly cost

The pricing at the Brighterly math and reading tutoring platform is flexible and can fit any budget. To adjust, you can book lessons for 1 month, 3, 6, or 12 months with the ability to pause subscription anytime. So, yes, talking about the paid IXL alternatives, Brightrely shines for its reasonable fee:

1. 1-month plan for $20.7
2. 3-month plan for $20.2
3. 6-month plan for $19.4
4. 12-month plan for $17.3

Note that these prices will work for you if you book 3+ lessons per week. Otherwise, please contact their support for clarification. 

What does IXL math and reading stand for?

The IXL math and reading platform stands for an interactive and adaptive resource that caters to kids in grades K-12, fitting everyone. But of the abovementioned subjects, it also covers social studies, science, and Spanish. The learning is based on pre-recorded resources, like lessons, game-like tasks, and tests.

Best for: supplementary practice.

But is IXL better than Khan Academy and Brighterly? To give you a complete and justified answer, I have to explore its features a bit further:

Tailored, yet not humanized

As said, IXL’s studying process occurs through a series of pre-recorded lessons. Regular knowledge checks allow for adjusting the program depending on how well a child progresses.

While it sounds great, this e-service completely lacks that human element, which is so favored at Brighterly. In practice, it means that your child will have to cover all of their dashboard-featured material independently, trying to clarify topics and sorting out potential mistakes made during IXL practice tests.

All in all, this IXL peculiarity made me think (and for a good reason!) that the site is better suited for supplementary practice, when a kid already has some grasp of the theory and needs to work it out.

Targets several subjects

At IXL, you can practice math, language arts, social studies, science, and even Spanish. It’s also what they highlight in their pricing plans — practice two or more knowledge fields and get an extra discount, that’s how it works.

Peculiar approach

The one feature that may force learners to look for programs similar to IXL is the reading-center format of the former. Even though some lessons DO contain read-aloud features, most still require much of the reading comprehension from a student.

As for the practice — really, almost no complaints here. The tasks are mostly interactive and fun, which is why they will suit even the youngest kindergarten and elementary learners.

IXL pros and cons: according to user’s reviews

Based on the IXL reviews and the information I could gather on Reddit and Trustpilot, you can expect these pros and cons on the platform.

Benefits of IXL for learning	What is the disadvantage of IXL?
✅ Assessment of the current knowledge level ✅ Tailored recommendations that help to advance in the subject ✅ Real-time progress reports that allow you to understand your child’s performance	❌ Repetitive practice and memorization instead of understanding ❌ A one-size-fit-all solution, which is a bad choice for individualized learning ❌ Lack of tailored feedback, so it will hardly suit low-performance students

Based on the features and reviews, I have to say that IXL has the right to be for your home practice. However, it will work only when you look for a bit of training. Otherwise, better consider other options in the IXL or Khan Academy or Brighterly trio.

How much is an IXL subscription?

At first glance, the IXL cost can seem more affordable than that at Brighterly. However, we must highlight this: Brighterly’s price tag is justified by the human element it implements. At the same time, IXL works as a collection of automated tasks without proper feedback. IXL subscription cost is perfect for those who are on a budget, though:

• A single-subject plan is worth $9.95/month.
• The combo package is worth $15.95/month, which allows one to study both math and language arts.
• The core subjects plan is worth $19.95/month and fits those who want to start learning all of these: math, language arts, science, and social studies.

Whichever plan you choose, you can also order Spanish lessons for an extra $5 monthly fee.

Also, please check the options for yearly packages below:

Is Khan Academy better than IXL?

Whether Khan Academy is better than IXL in your case will depend on your learning style. The former best suits visual learners, while the latter caters to auditory learners. 

So, should you choose alternatives to Khan Academy or stick to the specific service? The answer: listen to your kid’s needs. But wait — there are some peculiarities that learners adore at Khan Academy.

Khan Academy features

Best for: those who’d like to have some learning practice.

Is Khan Academy good?”. The answer will always depend on your purposes and objectives. However, understanding these core features will help you decide.

It’s totally free!

Each and every piece of theory and practice available at Khan can be used free of charge. That’s the strongest plus factor, which makes learners register here. However, will this site be suitable as the sole platform for learning? Frankly, I doubt that. 

• First, the topics it covers aren’t completely aligned with the state curriculum, which means gaps in studying.
• Second, the platform lacks personalization, so you won’t receive individual guidance and feedback on your progress.
• Third, some high-level subjects may not be covered properly. Just as with the first point, you can encounter a knowledge gap.

So, IXL or Khan Academy or Brighterly — which to choose? All are great for extra learning practice, but only Brighterly will fit as a complete learning resource.

Vast subject coverage

You can decide between Khan Academy vs other sites, but one thing is indisputable — Khan can hardly be conquered in terms of variety. What you can see in the above screenshot is only a tiny bit of the subjects and topics contained here. Additionally, you can dive into economics, language arts, life skills, science, and test preparation — to name a few.

As said, Khan may not necessarily cover all the topics for a specific grade, but still, it’s excellent if you need tiny improvements.

Self-paced learning without diagnostics

When considering Khan, you should note that it doesn’t feature diagnostic testing, so you should know exactly which areas you’d like to improve. Despite this inconvenience, the resource offers management tools like goal setting and custom assignments. So, you can keep track of your learning success and progress.

Advantages and disadvantages of Khan Academy

Sure, Khan Academy membership has its pros and cons. Here are the things to know beforehand.

Main benefits of Khan Academy	What are the disadvantages of Khan Academy?
✅ Covers a massive number of subjects and so will eventually suit practically anyone ✅ Completely free to use ✅ Provides well-organized and structured lessons, which make learning easier	❌ Sometimes, lessons are featured in the text format only ❌ Won’t suit you as a finished learning resource ❌ No personalized feedback provided, which is a stressful point

 

Khan Academy pricing

Khan Academy is free on desktop, tablet, and iOS/Android apps. Learn without boundaries — possible at Khan! However, donations are also highly encouraged here.

IXL vs Khan Academy vs Brighterly Reddit & Trustpilot reviews

The most effective way to summarize what we’ve discussed above is to refer to actual client experiences. 

Let’s start with Brighterly, which owns an undeniable leadership in terms of client satisfaction. Its score on Trustpilot is 4.5 — more than notable for an educational resource. To clarify on the compliments:

What users appraise the highest are the experience of the tutor, attention towards each kid, and personalization of the study approach.

Now, as we keep analyzing the IXL vs Khan Academy vs Brighterly reviews and move on to IXL, we can see the Trustpilot score dropping as low as 1.4. The common complaint here is the system of evaluation — rigged, rigid, and unfair. Of course, IXL also has some loyal users; however, here I’ve chosen one of its negative feedbacks to highlight the common issue with the platform:

Last but not least, Khan Academy is somewhere in between with the 3.4 Trustpilot points. However, it has received quite many Reddit appraisals regarding its effectiveness. Topping this with the fact that the specific site is free to use, I think you should pay attention to it. Just don’t forget that it’s meant primarily as a supplementary resource.

Conclusion: Which is better — Brighterly, IXL or Khan Academy?

So, which one should you select: IXL vs Brighterly vs Khan Academy? Obviously, your final choice should depend on your needs and budget. But let us give you some clues:

• If you care about the cheapest cost, try IXL or Khan Academy.
• If you want a supplementary after-school resource for your kid’s math learning, opt for the IXL Khan Academy combo.
• But if you want your kid to study with a customized program that accounts for all their needs and contains detailed teacher feedback, the best choice is the Brighterly tutoring platform. 

After all, the last choice comes with a risk-free demo — so why not book free lesson  right away?

Comparing other platforms

Looking for some other math learning opportunities? Good news! Here are some other in-depth reviews to help with your search:

• IXL vs Prodigy vs Brighterly
• IXL vs Kumon vs Brighterly
• IXL vs iReady vs Brighterly