Verithiathe honest score on any app
Updated July 2026 · real, multi-region App Store reviews
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The verdict on

IXL

45
User verdict / 100 High confidence Divided

IXL is a polarizing educational app, praised by some for its learning effectiveness and engaging content, but widely criticized by many users for its frustrating SmartScore system, high cost, and technical issues.

4.3★ lifetime (202,086) Free + in-app purchases since 2013 by IXL LEARNING updated 0.7 mo ago recent negative 49% 120 reviews across 4 regions
SmartScore System Learning Effectiveness Pricing and Access Technical Issues Subject Variety
5★339
4★70
3★52
2★38
1★404
recent reviews across 4 regions, vs the 4.3★ lifetime average

IXL is an educational app designed to help students learn and practice various subjects. While many users find it effective for improving grades and understanding concepts, a significant number of recent reviews highlight issues with its scoring system, pricing model, and limited subject availability.

What users like

  • Helps users learn and improve in subjects, particularly math and EnglishR2R3R13R23
  • Offers engaging content, games, and interactive features that make learning fun for someR5R18R33R39
  • Provides explanations for incorrect answers and allows for practiceR101R281

What users complain about

  • The SmartScore system is highly frustrating, penalizing users heavily for incorrect answers and making progress difficultR1R6R7R8
  • The app is expensive, requiring payment for full access after a free trial, with some users citing costs around £100 per month or yearlyR34R57R60R65
  • Limited subject availability, primarily focusing on Math and English, disappointing users looking for other subjects like Science or HistoryR192R218R226
  • Users report technical issues such as keyboard glitches, freezing, and inability to sign in or load contentR20R26R31R234
  • Can be boring, repetitive, and stressful, leading to frustration and tears for some childrenR16R21R22R27
  • Does not effectively teach new concepts, instead relying on practice and memorizationR49R60R218R277

Latest update · v11.0.2

What the developer says changed (the verdict above weighs this against what reviewers report):

Bug fixes and performance improvements.

Recurring themes

SmartScore System negative
Many users, especially students, are highly frustrated with the SmartScore system. They report that getting a question wrong results in a disproportionately large point deduction (e.g., -10 points) compared to the small gain for a correct answer (e.g., +1 to +3 points), making it difficult and time-consuming to reach target scores. This system is often described as discouraging, rage-inducing, and a source of stress and tears for children.R1R6R7R8
Learning Effectiveness mixed
Many users, including parents and students, report that IXL is effective for learning, improving grades, and practicing skills, especially in math and English. However, a significant number of users feel the app does not actually teach new concepts, but rather relies on repetitive practice and memorization, especially when explanations are not clear or available.R2R3R13R23
Pricing and Access negative
The app's pricing model is a major point of contention. Many users express frustration that the app is not truly free and requires expensive in-app purchases or subscriptions to access full content, with some mentioning costs around £100 per month or yearly. Some also complain about being forced to sign in or create an account.R4R34R57R60
Subject Variety negative
Users are disappointed by the limited range of subjects offered, primarily Math and English. Many wish for more subjects like Science, History, or Spanish, and find the app unhelpful for those areas.R192R218R226
Technical Issues negative
Despite recent bug fix notes, several users report ongoing technical problems. These include keyboard glitches where the keyboard doesn't disappear, the app freezing, content not loading, and issues with signing in. Some users also mention incorrect answers being marked wrong due to perceived typos or system errors.R15R19R20R26

Who it's for

IXL is for students who need extra practice in math and English and whose teachers or parents are willing to pay for a subscription R2R13. It may be suitable for highly motivated learners who can tolerate a challenging scoring system . It is not for users seeking a free learning app, those easily discouraged by punitive scoring, or individuals looking for a wide range of subjects beyond math and English R1R6R34.

Evidence note: The recent reviews skew heavily negative, particularly regarding the SmartScore system and pricing. While there are positive reviews praising its learning benefits, the volume and intensity of negative feedback on specific issues are substantial. The lifetime rating of 4.34 suggests a more positive long-term perception, indicating a recent decline in user satisfaction or an increase in vocal criticism.

Frequently asked

Is IXL free to use?
No, while IXL offers a free trial, full access to its features requires a paid subscription, which many users describe as expensive, with some mentioning costs around £100 per month or yearly R57R60R277.
What subjects does IXL cover?
IXL primarily covers Math and English, with many users expressing disappointment that it does not offer other subjects like Science, History, or Spanish R192R218R226.
How does the SmartScore system work in IXL?
The SmartScore system in IXL awards a small number of points for correct answers (e.g., +1 to +4) but deducts a significantly larger amount for incorrect answers (e.g., -8 to -20), often resetting progress and making it difficult to achieve target scores R1R7R8R12.

What reviewers actually said

Built only from these 120 real reviews (foreign ones translated). Superscripts jump to the quote here. Apple has no per-review links, so [ref] opens that app's reviews on the App Store.

  1. [R2] 5/5 · US IXL: IXL is helping me learn like crazy
  2. [R3] 4/5 · US IXL: Learning is the main thing that is the best, but you are learning on an app.
  3. [R13] 4/5 · US It's good: We use this app at school and it helps me learn new things!!
  4. [R23] 5/5 · US I dunno: I dunno. This is helping me with subjects I’m bad at though :)
  5. [R5] 5/5 · US This is so fun I like how you can do the things that you are struggling on and then you can work on: I lovvvvvvvvve this app
  6. [R18] 5/5 · US Found enjoyment: I found enjoyment in this app because it makes learning fun.
  7. [R33] 5/5 · US Love it!: IXL is such a good app for my kids and friends! They have games, interactions, and so many more! Definitely recommend!
  8. [R39] 5/5 · US Learning a lot!: They make learning fun!
  9. [R101] 5/5 · US Daily use app turns out great!: Love the IXL questions and topics. It’s helping me learn so much, and provides a helpful explanation when I get it wrong. Totally recommended to teens. You can also take the diagnostic to find your pros and cons. It recommends your weak skills AND normal lessons! I mean, once it took me one hour + to finish a lesson because it was so hard, but mistakes help you lear
  10. [R281] 3/5 · GB Ixl: When I need to constant practice Ixl is used when I need additional time to get it the tasks that is done so I can step into the diagnostics and complete some more on there Ixl offers free memberships and also it helps me to get better at math and English in the class that I am also getting stronger and ether answer quickly or at your pace . If you are at your standard level. It motivated me
  11. [R1] 1/5 · US Unfair score review: It gave me +1 when I got one correct and -10 when I got one wrong!!!🤬😡❌❌
  12. [R6] 1/5 · US SHAJSHSQKSHSKASHS: IM GONNA KMS BRI TS PMOPMOPMO I JATE IZL BRO I DO FLIPPING THE STUPID SKILL AND ON THE LASTTTT QUESTION I GET IT WORNG ABD THEN NY TEACHER HIGHKEY SLIMES ME OUT BOYYY
  13. [R7] 5/5 · US I'm rating it 5 star for you guys to see: I dont really like ixl I have the do it FOR SUMMER HOMEWORK and it is not fun when I'm at 90 and I got one incorrect it -10 points off and I have to DO 6 MORE QUESTIONS JUST TO GO BACK TO 90
  14. [R8] 1/5 · US I HATE this app: It is so annoying how if you get a question right when your near the 60-100 smart score area, the points you recieve lowers, and the points you lose increase. For example, if you get a question right, you might g from 62-65, but if you get it wrong, you will go from 62-56. SERIOUSLY! IT SUCKS!
  15. [R34] 1/5 · US IXL: Not worth the price.
  16. [R57] 1/5 · US Worst app ever: This app is horrible for learning you install it for free then have to pay to use it and when you pay you have to do a dumb quiz that “shows” your level in school and it starts off hard, if you get a question wrong it takes you down like 3 grades and it’s hard to do anything on this app and not only is it hard it’s a long process the quiz takes over 3 hours in total just to give yo
  17. [R60] 1/5 · US very horrible: Overall, this app isn’t a great way to learn. Not only is it not free, but every time you get an answer wrong, it bumps you down like 15 points. When you finally get an answer right, you only go up like 4-5. It’s very frustrating and especially stressful when you are being timed and scored on every problem. The feedback is disorganized and confusing. I often don’t understand the pro
  18. [R65] 1/5 · US Ixl is so frustrating: Makes you pay for everything in the beginning and gives you wrong answer when you get it right and also when you get it wrong it makes you go back like 13 points.
  19. [R192] 3/5 · GB It only has maths and English: I had a history test but I thought this might help cuz it’s a learning app but when I tried it doesn’t have it and it’s soo expensive like guests don’t get much to learn and it says it has Spanish resources but try searching it up and they say they can’t find what we’re looking for so it u want math and English only download it but other than that don’t . :(
  20. [R218] 3/5 · GB So annoying doesn’t teach anything apart from math: I am on my last straw with IXL. It always brings me back when I get it wrong and is so frustrating when it does happen. I learn nothing only in the math videos and I really wish it had videos for English and science. But no. I don’t recommend this if you want to learn something. Never using this again. Also, doesn’t even encourage or take you ste
  21. [R226] 3/5 · GB Only 3 subjects: Need more subjects only maths and English and science 😤😤😤😭😭😭😞🙂‍↔️🙂‍↔️🙂‍↔️😞😞😞
  22. [R20] 1/5 · US Say: It won’t send me my username
  23. [R26] 1/5 · US To many issues: IXL is not a fun app at all. I genuinely don’t understand why it has such a high rating. My school makes us do IXL and all of us hate it. There is so many issues and bugs on this app that have not been fixed. An example of a big issue would be when I tried to download this app to make sure I didn’t lose my math and ELA skills over the summer and I realized I couldn’t use my keyboar
  24. [R31] 1/5 · US Some issues that we don’t like: I’m currently a middle schooler and this app is great and all for studying but there is one issue that all my friends and I noticed that we don’t like. When we get it right it barely goes up but if we get it wrong it goes down way more which is not fair and really annoying. Sometimes there could be typos too. I haven’t experienced that but one of my friends has. My
  25. [R234] 3/5 · GB Not as good as before..: IXL is a great app for learning stuff - don’t get me wrong. BUT, now I cannot access the learning bits (the roman numerals e.t.c). It shows the loading screen and I wait A LONG TIME JUST FOR IT TO NOT LOAD.
  26. [R16] 1/5 · US Vgyvtyvytu: This app is heard and not fun for me
  27. [R21] 1/5 · US Make people mad: My kid got app and every time he fail he starts crying
  28. [R22] 1/5 · US THIS IS RAGEBAIT: DEIETE THIS RAGE APP PLEASE
  29. [R27] 1/5 · US this app is the worst: I just want to play video games, but my mom wants me do this and freckle for 45 minutes straight. it’s the worst app ever
  30. [R49] 1/5 · US I hate IXL: It doesn’t teach me anything it’s dumb
  31. [R277] 3/5 · GB It’s a good app in some areas, but… 😕: First of all, let’s start with the PRICE. Not much people can really spend their money 💸 on an app that costs £100 (more or less) per month! But aside that, it’s an okay app that has many learning concepts and features, even fun maths games too! It has English and Maths, and also breaks down all topics into year groups, eg. Year 1 - Year 13! But a main downsi
  32. [R4] 3/5 · US I don’t want to sign in: 3
  33. [R15] 1/5 · US it sucks: ixl is so dumb when i wrote 71 it thought i wrote 21 and got the question wrong
  34. [R19] 1/5 · US Ixl sucks: It is so trash it says that is wrong for everything!I hate ixl do not get it!
  35. [R12] 1/5 · US To all the people who made this IXL: IXL please remove the score because when you get to 90-100 points and if you get in incorrect then the points will change by -8 to -20 points so remove that please or I will rate 1 star every day

Synthesized from 120 recent App Store reviews · updated July 2026 · View on the App Store