Khan Academy vs IXL: Which Is Better for Math Practice?

This Khan Academy vs IXL comparison is a free-versus-paid math practice choice. Khan Academy is the better math fit when you want lessons and practice at no charge, especially from 2nd grade through precalculus. IXL is the better fit when you want paid, skill-by-skill practice with a SmartScore, a diagnostic, and analytics, including pre-K math. Some families use Khan Academy for the lesson and IXL when a single skill needs more questions.

The 4.0 is provisional. This page did not open either product with a child. On the five checks behind a star, the public pages support a real math path for both, a free ad-free library for Khan Academy, and a published price and SmartScore for IXL. The number can move after a hands-on session. It is one rating for this comparison, not a separate score for each tool.

Features below come from the vendors’ own pages. The illustration shows a laptop with math practice on the screen. It is not a screenshot of either product.

Who should pick which

Khan Academy

• Choose it when the budget for math software is $0 and your child can follow a course of videos and exercises.
• Strong band on the published Common Core map is 2nd grade through precalculus. High school courses, including AP Calculus AB, are on the site.
• You still teach. A younger child who cannot read a course menu needs you nearby, or a different app.
• Skip it as the only plan when you want one paid dashboard that also drills language arts, science, and social studies.

IXL

• Choose it when someone has already taught the idea and you want a large set of skills, a score, and a record of what was missed.
• Strong band on the family pricing page is math from pre-K through calculus, plus other subjects if you pay for them.
• You still teach. The skills, videos, and games sit beside a parent, a school, or another course.
• Skip it as the only plan when you need a free course sequence, or when a wrong answer that drops a score will end the session.

The longer product write-up is the IXL review. Prices below are from ixl.com on this check, not from that review.

Price

Khan Academy’s help center says the videos, articles, practice questions, and lessons are free, with no ads and no contracts. The organization says it is supported by individuals and grants. An August 5, 2026 Khan Academy blog post says the courses and practice resources are still free. Khanmigo, the optional tutor, is a separate paid subscription. Details are in the Khanmigo review.

As of November 5, 2026, IXL’s US family checkout lists these prices for one child. Monthly prices are on the family pricing page. The yearly figures are on the family subscribe pricing sheet. The help center states the single-subject price and the additional-child rate in words.

Each additional child is $4 a month or $40 a year. That rate is in the help article and on the subscribe pricing sheet, including the core-subjects checkout. Children on the same membership get separate profiles.

Spanish is its own single subject at the $9.95 / $79 rate. The subscribe sheet also prices Spanish as an add-on at $5 a month or $40 a year. Math plus Spanish is $14.95 a month or $119 a year on that sheet.

The family pricing page says you can try IXL with a 30-day satisfaction guarantee. Read that offer on ixl.com before you pay. This page does not restate refund rules. The subscribe page loads with automatic renewal turned on.

The iPhone, iPad, and Android apps allow ten free questions in each subject per day without an account. The app download is free. Unlimited practice needs a membership. That sample is not the free course library Khan Academy describes.

Grade and age fit

Khan Academy

Khan Academy’s standards help article, updated July 20, 2026, says 2nd grade through precalculus courses are aligned to the Common Core. The August 5, 2026 blog describes middle school and high school math, including 6th, 7th, and 8th grade, Algebra 1, Integrated Math 1, AP Precalculus, and AP Calculus AB. The same post says homeschool students can use single lessons or full courses.

Khan Academy Kids is a separate app for early learners. The age range on Khan Academy’s own pages does not match across the app help article and the blog, so this comparison does not pick one number. That choice is covered in Khan Academy Kids vs ABCmouse.

IXL

The family pricing page lists math from pre-K to calculus, language arts from pre-K to 12th grade, science from kindergarten to physics, and social studies from kindergarten to 12th grade. The homepage lists skill sets from pre-K through 12th grade, including Algebra 1, Geometry, Algebra 2, precalculus, and calculus. IXL also says the program is for independent adult learners, not only children.

A child in pre-K or kindergarten has a math skill list on IXL. Khan Academy’s Common Core map, as published, starts at 2nd grade. That is the practical split for the early grades.

Curriculum and standards

Khan Academy

The standards article says Khan Academy has mapped existing math content to standards for most grades in all U.S. states and territories except Puerto Rico. Under a standard you may see videos, articles, and exercises. If nothing matches, the page says “Content unavailable.” The article also says you can search by the title of a state standard in Khan Academy Reimagined.

The blog describes those middle and high school math courses as Illustrative Mathematics-aligned, with visual models, real-world problems, step-by-step hints, and practice. Subjects on the same post include grammar, science, history, civics, SAT preparation, AP courses, financial literacy, and career exploration. This page did not re-audit every course against a standards PDF.

IXL

IXL’s standards page says its skills are aligned to the Common Core State Standards, the Next Generation Science Standards, and all U.S. state standards. The family pricing FAQ says skills are matched to standards in all 50 states, the Common Core, and widely used textbooks, and that skill plans can follow a current lesson. The homepage also points at skill plans for state standards, textbooks, and tests such as NWEA MAP, the ACT, and the SAT.

The pricing page’s “limitless learning” line says a membership can include 20,000+ K-12 skills across math, English, science, social studies, and Spanish. Which of those subjects you can open depends on the package you buy. A math-only membership is the single-subject row in the table above.

IXL’s diagnostic page says the diagnostic pinpoints knowledge levels in math and English language arts in 45 minutes per subject, then builds a plan of skills to practice next. Levels and recommendations keep updating as the child works. The diagnostic page does not describe a science or social studies diagnostic.

Practice style and feedback

Khan Academy

Work is arranged as courses. The August 5, 2026 blog lists videos, articles, exercises, and activities. On the updated 6th grade through Algebra 1 math courses, Khan Academy describes visual models, step-by-step hints, and practice. From the Parent Dashboard, a parent can create assignments. If you assign work, the Assignments tab shows the scores.

IXL

IXL’s help center says the SmartScore starts at 0 on a skill. Correct answers raise it. Incorrect answers lower it. The score uses more than the percent correct: IXL lists the number of questions, question difficulty, and consistency. IXL says a skill is mastered at 100, calls 80 proficient, and calls 90 excellent. The number of questions to reach 100 varies by student. IXL suggests setting milestones before 100 so the score is not the only goal.

The family pricing page also lists on-demand lessons, video tutorials, and real-time feedback, plus games. Two video counts appear on that same page: “1,300+ video tutorials” in the feature list and “more than 3,000 instructional videos” in the FAQ. This comparison does not pick one count. The videos include closed captions, and the FAQ says audio support is available for questions.

Games on that FAQ are for pre-K through 5th grade, in math and language arts. A parent can hide games in the child’s account settings. Games are a break or extra practice. They are not the SmartScore path.

Parent reporting

Khan Academy

The Parent Dashboard help article, updated April 23, 2025, says a parent can connect a child’s account, open settings, create assignments, follow progress, and open Khanmigo parent tools if the family has Khanmigo. For a child under 13, the parent creates the username and password and can edit settings. A child 13 or older can change their own settings. The parent invites them by email.

Progress shows in three places on that article: an activity report by course (home and school work), the child’s learner home, and assignment scores if you assigned work. The August 5, 2026 blog calls this dashboard free.

IXL

IXL’s analytics page is written for a class. It describes standards progress by class, skill, or student, small groups, a review of every question a student answered, and progress reports you can share with families. The standards page says members get IXL Analytics, including reports aimed at standardized-test readiness. The diagnostic page tells families the picture updates as the child practices.

A homeschool parent is the adult on a family membership, so this class-style reporting is the record you get. This page did not find a separate screen IXL names “parent dashboard.”

Ads and upsells

Khan Academy

The cost help article says the learning library has no ads and no contracts. The upsell is Khanmigo, which the August 5, 2026 blog calls a separate, optional paid subscription. The free courses do not require it. The blog also prints a promo code for a first month of Khanmigo. That code is Khan Academy’s offer. This page does not repeat it, because promo codes expire.

IXL

The pages opened for this check do not describe ads inside practice. What they do sell is a bigger package: more subjects, a Spanish add-on, and another child at $4 a month or $40 a year. The family pricing page leads with memberships “starting at” $9.95 a month. The ten free questions per subject per day, without an account, are the unpaid sample on the apps. After that, the subscribe page is a renewing membership.

Devices and offline use

Khan Academy

The app help article, updated August 10, 2026, lists official apps for iOS and Android. The requirements on that page are Android 9 or newer with Khan Academy version 8.3.1 or later, and iOS 15 or newer with Khan Academy version 8.3.2 or later. A phone or tablet can also open khanacademy.org in the browser. Khan Academy says its old Windows app can no longer be downloaded. Other phone apps that use the Khan Academy name were not made by Khan Academy.

For a short time offline, the help center says you can download videos in the iOS and Android apps after bookmarking them. That article, updated January 26, 2025, does not say the exercises download with the videos. For a place with no internet at all, Khan Academy points to Kolibri, a separate tool from Learning Equality, for offline videos and exercises. Kolibri is a local server, not a switch inside the Khan Academy app.

IXL

The family pricing FAQ says IXL works on any device with an internet connection, in a browser or in the apps for iPad, iPhone, Android, or Amazon Fire. Progress saves across the website and the apps. The iPad app includes a scratchpad so a child can work on the screen. The Android help article says the app runs on Android tablets and phones and needs a recent version of Android. It points Fire tablet users to a separate Fire app article.

Those pages describe an internet connection. This check did not find an IXL offline mode.

Other math tools, briefly

A child who will only practice inside a game should start with the Prodigy review. A K–8 math program that carries more of the teaching inside the activity is the subject of the DreamBox review. Those are different jobs from this Khan Academy vs IXL choice.

What was checked

Vendor pages for this comparison were opened on November 5, 2026. The price table is US pricing in USD from ixl.com. Khan Academy’s marketing site did not return article text to a plain download during this check, so the Khan Academy claims above come from the help center and the August 5, 2026 blog, which did load. A mastery-point chart is not quoted, because that help page did not return article text in this check.

• Khan Academy: does it cost money?
• Khan Academy: Common Core and state standards
• Khan Academy: Parent Dashboard
• Khan Academy: mobile apps
• Khan Academy: offline videos
• Khan Academy blog, August 5, 2026
• IXL family pricing
• IXL family subscribe sheet
• IXL: one membership, additional children
• IXL: SmartScore
• IXL Diagnostic
• IXL standards
• IXL Analytics
• IXL on iPhone and iPad
• IXL Android app

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Khan Academy or IXL better for math practice?

Khan Academy is the better fit when you want free courses with videos and exercises, especially from 2nd grade through precalculus. IXL is the better fit when you want paid skill practice, a SmartScore, a math and language arts diagnostic, and analytics, including pre-K math. Some families use Khan Academy for the lesson and IXL to practice one skill.

Is Khan Academy free?

Yes. Khan Academy's help center says the videos, articles, practice questions, and lessons are free, with no ads and no contracts. Khanmigo, the optional tutor, is a separate paid subscription. Khan Academy Kids is a different app.

How much does IXL cost for one child?

On the US family checkout, one child pays $9.95 a month or $79 a year for a single subject, $15.95 a month or $129 a year for math and language arts, or $19.95 a month or $159 a year for core subjects. Each additional child is $4 a month or $40 a year. Without an account, the apps allow ten free questions per subject per day. The subscribe page renews automatically, so read the checkout before you pay.

Does IXL teach new math or only give practice?

IXL organizes work as skills you practice toward a SmartScore of 100. Its family pricing page also lists video tutorials and lessons. Khan Academy organizes math as courses with videos and exercises. Use IXL to practice a skill. Use Khan Academy when your child still needs the lesson.

Is Khan Academy the same thing as Khan Academy Kids?

No. Khan Academy Kids is a separate app for early learners. This page compares khanacademy.org with IXL. The Khan Academy Kids vs ABCmouse page on this site covers the early-years app.