IXL vs Khan Academy Kids
Choose Khan Academy Kids for a more engaging and user-friendly learning experience.
Khan Academy Kids offers a fun, ad-free educational platform that caters well to younger children, while IXL faces criticism for its frustrating scoring system and limited subject offerings. Both apps are free to download, but Khan Academy Kids is generally regarded as more effective and enjoyable.
Head to head
you prefer a broader subject range and are willing to navigate a more complex scoring system.
you want a free, engaging app that is easy for young children to use and learn from.
Evidence note: Khan Academy Kids has a more favorable reception overall, while IXL's reviews are mixed, with many negative comments highlighting its scoring system.
Frequently asked
Is IXL free?
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.
- [R8] IXL Good but not perfect: You see it’s pretty good how it teaches people languages,math,reading and more but I don’t like how it like makes your progress bar go down and I’ve realized that the more progress you get the more the thing that fills the bar goes down, but at least it’s better than abc mouse and lingo kids and in some ads like abc mouse copy lingo kids ads CAN YOU BELIEVE THAT!?
- [R21] IXL 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 . :(
- [R62] Khan Academy Kids Age is annoying: So the game is really fun but the age range is to small I like it and I’m 11 so the highest it goes is 2nd grade even though older kids like it too. Just try to put the age range a little higher like maybe up to middle school, thats all I’m asking.
- [R83] Khan Academy Kids Simply the best: This app is the best app for kids education by far, and believe me I’ve downloaded and paid for many previously. It’s a really beautiful platform, with clear precise instructions. My son is 6, and you select your kiddos grade. I did go up one grade (so, select where your kiddo is at or grade they’re next moving into).
- [R12] IXL Rager Learning App: This app frustrates me a lot because every time you get something wrong, you get 5-15 points off and each time you get one correct you get 10 at first in the beginning for about 5 times until 53 and then you only get 1-3 points for each you get correct. The app is a great learning app for kids and all people and i would recommend this learning app for people who likes to rage😅😅
- [R33] IXL 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.
- [R80] Khan Academy Kids The best kids app ever made: My daughter absolutely loves it and can spend hours learning in it without getting bored. It’s been a lifesaver during long road trips and flights, when there isn’t much else for kids to do. I also love that she’s learning instead of just watching cartoons or playing random games on a tablet. And the fact that it’s completely free, with no ads or subscriptions, makes i
- [R106] Khan Academy Kids Amazing!: This is our kids go to App- so many activities and endless fun! We appreciate that its layout and activities are very well structured for kids- plus everything is included at no cost!
- [R28] IXL 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
- [R90] Khan Academy Kids Great but keeps crashing: The app crashes when we try to launch several activities.
- [R99] Khan Academy Kids Activities don’t load: It’s hit or miss if the selected activity loads. Very frustrating. Would not recommend
- [R105] Khan Academy Kids Fix your app: Every time I’m in the middle of a math lesson the game, the app freezes up and I have to restart the entire thing fix your app
- [R22] IXL 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
- [R39] IXL 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
- [R114] Khan Academy Kids Yes!: This is a very great game, and I recommend it 💯 percent! Coasts no money! Free from adds! GET THIS GAME NOW! You will be sorry if you don’t get this game right now!!! Khan academy kids download now for free on App Store! 📱5 STARS! -Hadley
- [R19] IXL DONT EVER download this app: This sucks so much. It ruins people lives ( including mine) me and all of my friends use AI beside me t is so impossible. It is actually so bad. The score is rigged causing so much stress and students will be afraid to learn because it ixl. Teachers or parents viewing this, plz plz plz don’t use this unless u like to torture ur kids
- [R91] Khan Academy Kids Unable to register: I never receive the email to register the account. I’ve checked spam folder and internet connection. When I go to your website to create a help desk ticket I’m asked again to verify my email. THAT email I receive but every time I try to create a ticket, I’m asked AGAIN to verify my email. I’m at a standstill!
- [R116] Khan Academy Kids Happy Parent: I homeschool my kiddos and use Khan academy. They love it.
- [R109] Khan Academy Kids Warning for Parents: This app was great at first because it’s free and appears educational and harmless. I had a friend tell me they snuck ideology agendas into some stories, but I ignored the warning. On multiple occasions, a few unsettling things occurred while my 4 year old was coloring in the app. Out of nowhere it will talk and ask her to record her voice. Each time it startles my child who
Synthesized from 120 recent App Store reviews · updated July 2026 · View on the App Store