IXL Cost: Breaking Down the Membership Fees [2025]
reviewed by Jo-ann Caballes
Updated on June 6, 2025
If you’re considering IXL as a learning platform for your child in the US, you’ll be wondering about the IXL cost and whether it’s a good fit for your budget or offers value for money.
There are variables that can affect the answer to your question, “How much does an IXL membership cost?”, including the subjects you choose to take, whether you pay monthly or yearly and the membership subscription option you opt for.
As a tutor with years of experience in improving children’s math skills and confidence,, I will be covering everything that you need to know about how much does IXL learning cost, as well as the cost-effective alternative that includes more services that you may want to consider as part of your research.
Key points:
- IXL has three different membership options available for families: core subjects, combo package and single subject.
- The pricing for these IXL membership packages ranges from $9.95 to $19.95.
- As part of these packages, kids get access to learning resources and practice math questions.
- Brighterly offers the same type of resources completely free to all parents and children.
- You can get private, personalized tutoring from Brighterly at a similar cost to IXL’s resources.
IXL pricing
So, how much does IXL cost? IXL pricing is based on the type of membership you choose to take, as well as whether you pay monthly or yearly. The IXL cost per year and per month is slightly different.
It’s important to know what you’ll get when you pay for an IXL subscription. Each package contains learning resources, including video tutorials, online games and informative articles, for your selected subject or subjects. There is no additional tutoring support available – with IXL, you pay ONLY for these learning resources.
IXL has three membership types: core subjects, combo package and single subject. The core subjects package gives you access to math, language arts, science and social studies learning resources for $19.95 a month. The combo package comes with math and language arts for $15.95 a month, while a single subject (math or language arts) membership costs $9.95 a month.
Here’s a handy table to quickly answer the question: How much does IXL cost?
IXL cost per month |
IXL learning subscription cost per year |
|
Core subjects | $19.95 | $159 |
Combo package | $15.95 | $129 |
Single subject | $9.95 | $79 |
You might be wondering, “How much does IXL cost per student?”. Well, the initial IXL math subscription cost applies to one student only. IXL then charges an extra fee of $4 per additional child. There is no limit on the number of children you can add to your IXL membership.
For example, if you purchased the core subjects package for 2 children and paid monthly, you’d pay $23.95 a month. This is classed as an IXL group membership cost.
How much does IXL cost per month?
The IXL family membership cost depends on the type of subscription package you purchase. Each IXL membership cost is as follows:
- Core subjects: $19.95 a month
- Combo package: $15.95 a month
- Single subject: $9.95 a month
How much does IXL cost per year?
Like the monthly price, how much does IXL cost per year depends on your chosen membership package.
How much IXL materials cost
- Core subjects: $159 a year
- Combo package: $129 a year
- Single subject: $79 a year
How much does IXL cost for a classroom?
If you’re asking, “How much does IXL cost for a classroom?”, the answer is that it depends on a larger number of factors, including:
- Your school’s location
- The type of licence you need (school-wide, district-wide, grade-wide, etc.)
- The grades you’ll be teaching
- The number of students you’ll be teaching
So, if you’re asking “How much does IXL cost for a school?” or “How much does IXL cost for a district?”, the answer isn’t clear cut. You’ll need to contact IXL and provide the above details to get a personalized quote.
Does IXL have a free trial & free tools?
IXL primarily operates on a paid subscription model, but it provides a free trial for its classroom license. This trial is available for 30 days and offers all subjects, allowing teachers to get a feel for the platform and put it to the test. This free trial is not available for family memberships.
Parents and children can also access limited daily practice math questions on the IXL website. Kids can answer up to 10 questions in a math topic or grade of their choice for free every day. Once they have completed 10 questions, they will be prompted to come back the next day for more free questions or upgrade to a paid subscription.
Many people wonder if they can get an IXL membership for free, and the answer is no, but they can access limited free tools.
What can you access with a free IXL account?
So, can I use IXL without paying for it? The answer is yes, there are some limited features you can access with a free IXL account. However, you cannot access all IXL resources or features without a paid subscription.
The features you can access for free are:
- Informational articles – IXL’s official website provides intros to a range of math concepts, organized by grade and math topics.
- Video previews – users can access previews of IXL’s range of educational videos, but must upgrade to a paid subscription to access the full video tutorials.
- 10 practice questions a day – children can choose a grade or subject and answer 10 practice test questions every day.
- Recommendations for study books – IXL shares recommendations for books that can help children with their studies, and these recommendations can be accessed for free on its website.
So, does IXL cost money? Yes, an upgrade to its premium version incurs a subscription cost, and in return, you’ll get unlimited access to all of IXL’s available features.
How much does IXL cost? What people say
The IXL subscription cost is set out on its website, containing 3 clear tiers of pricing. Different pricing options are also available depending on whether you pay yearly or monthly. In customer reviews, many say that this pricing aligns with the website pricing. However, some users have reported spending around $200 on a subscription, though it’s unclear which membership they chose:
“I spent $200 last spring on an annual subscription to IXL, used it for a couple of weeks, and then went a different direction and completely forgot about it. There are about three months left on the subscription. I don’t want anything for it, but I would like it not to be a complete waste, so I’m hoping someone here can use the remaining time.”
Another user cited costs of $10 and $25, which differ from the pricing on the IXL site:
“I happily paid $25 for the art fee, and $10 for the science fee. I was also hit up with $18 for ixl for math and English. I refused to pay the ixl fee and I was told I could ask for a waiver, as the ixl fee was board approved. I’m sorry, but I should not be paying an ixl fee and I will refuse.”
However, when discussing how much IXL cost, many parents have reported receiving unexpected charges on their cards from IXL. In some cases, these charges are small, but in others, they have reached thousands of dollars in identity fraud:
“Scammed my family out of our mortgage by adding a random $2000 charge. Didn’t realize until it was too late.”
“As mentioned below, I also got a strange transaction for £7.99 for IXL learning subscription. Then someone called me claiming they were from the bank. I was transferred to someone claiming to be from FCA.”
“Shonky IXL website charged my card 3 times and never sent login details to me. Not even a confirmation email. I called their helpline during business hours and they just don’t answer. I am awaiting their response to my email to refund and cancel my account.”
“Scammers, fraudulent charge on my account from this company.”
Additionally, other reviewers have highlighted the poor value for money that the service offers on the single-subject subscription, which is close to $10 a month:
“The pricing is insane for how bad it is! $10/month for this awful website. I would much rather have paper homework than IXL because, in theory, you could spend an infinite amount of time on IXL. Overall, IXL is very bad and I would not recommend getting it for a kid of any age.”
Overall, while the standard cost of IXL subscription isn’t extremely high, users have reported issues with high additional charges and limited value for money. These real user opinions show that, to avoid unexpected charges and to get more bang for your buck, you may want to consider IXL alternatives.
Looking for an IXL math alternative?
If IXL isn’t the right option for your child’s needs, you want more value for your money, or you want to avoid unexpected costs, there are other options available.
Brighterly is an online math tutoring platform that offers private lessons for kids from kindergarten up to grade 9. With Brighterly, you get access to learning resources including practice tests and worksheets completely free. The service you pay for is highly personalized tutoring that directly addresses your children’s problem areas in math.
With a unique gamified approach to learning, free supporting resources and highly qualified, top-rated tutors, it’s an excellent alternative to IXL that gives you much more value for your money.
Check out my full review of Brighterly against IXL 👉IXL vs. Brighterly: Complete Comparison
Brighterly math features parents and kids love
Brighterly offers a range of features and benefits that support both children in their math learning and parents who want to support their education.
- Highly qualified tutors beloved by parents and children
- Personalized curriculum aligned with Common Core standards
- Free supporting resources
Highly qualified tutors beloved by parents and children
Brighterly math and reading tutors are all selected via a thorough vetting process that puts their skills, qualifications and teaching methods to the test. This means they have the expertise and attitude to improve your kids’ grades effectively.
Your child will be matched to the tutor that best suits their needs, offering a fully tailored experience based on their requirements.
Parents and children alike continually praise Brighterly math tutors for their patience, experience and knowledge – check out math tutor reviews.
Personalized curriculum aligned with Common Core standards
Kids first take a diagnostic test, which assesses their current math abilities. From the results of this diagnostic test, tutors can identify where they need support. Then, they create an award-winning curriculum that addresses their areas for improvement. The personalized, STEM-focused curriculum is aligned to Common Core standards, helping children to keep up in their school grades.
Learn more about the Brighterly math program
Free supporting resources
Brighterly’s educational support doesn’t end when a lesson does. Your child will have access to a wealth of free educational resources. They have access to free math tests, available in the Knowledge Base section, covering every math topic you could ever think of in depth.
Take the addition practice test for example, which mimics the exams children will likely encounter during their time at school. This not only helps kids assess their progress, but it also means they can prepare effectively for exams in school.
In addition to practice test questions, Brighterly offers a range of free math worksheets designed to support kids’ learning. These sheets contain a range of puzzles, games and math problems that address math topics from many angles, giving children a comprehensive knowledge. Try out Brighterly’s free addition worksheets.
These resources are available for free, while IXL users must pay to access its math learning resources.
Brighterly reviews: Main benefits
Parents of children who are receiving private tutoring from Brighterly have a lot of positive things to say about the provider, their children’s tutors and the prices. Here are just some of the main benefits highlighted by parents:
-
Cost-effective private tutoring that kids love
“it’s not draining my bank account, they work on exactly what she needs to work on, at her pace, and best of all she is having so much fun! She never complains about her lessons (3 times a week!) and she really loves her teacher. This is a total game changer for us.”
-
Huge improvements in math grades
“Daughter’s scores in a month have jumped 23 points! Can’t wait to see how much she improves over the next 11 months!!”
-
Gets kids excited about math
“As a parent you want the best for your child, I am extremely happy to say that my daughter is learning and thriving. Most of all she looks forward to her math tutoring sessions.”
How much does Brighterly cost?
Brighterly offers affordable private tutoring available through different learning membership plans from $17.40 to 21 per lesson. The Brighterly affordable price depends on the length of your subscription.
So, how much does Brighterly cost?
- 1 month: From $21/lesson.
- 3 months: From $20.60/lesson.
- 6 months: From $19.80/lesson.
- 12 months: From $17.40/lesson.
As you can see, the longer your subscription, the cheaper the Brighterly cost.
Start your Brighterly math journey today!
Ready to get started with the Brighterly math class? The good news is it’s so easy!
All you need to do to get started is book your first free demo lesson with one of the highly qualified math tutors.
“One of the best investments that we made this summer was Brighterly! My nine yr old loves the bi weekly classes so much so 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. I deeply appreciate the one one with the teachers which gives very specific, tangible inputs that can help improve the children’s development. Highly recommend the program!”
Your child will be taken through a math diagnostic test so their tutor can focus their lessons on the areas of math where they need the most support. The first free lesson will focus on building their personalized curriculum, which you’ll receive following the lesson.
“The tutor (she is “premium” fyi) has been extremely helpful to my daughter. Overall, we are very pleased!”
Next, you simply pick a schedule that works best for you and your kid – they can take 1, 2 or 3 lessons a week, depending on their availability and level of focus. Then, sit back and watch as their confidence grows and their grades shoot up!
Related articles
If you’ve been exploring other platforms besides IXL and Brighterly, you can view comparison articles to get an understanding of which one will be the most suitable and cost-effective for you and your child.