IXL vs iReady vs Brighterly: which one is better for 2025?

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    If your child needs support with their learning, you’ll likely be evaluating different platforms, like Brighterly vs IXL vs iReady. I’m here to break down the pros and cons of each of these education delivery platforms, helping you to make an informed decision.

    Let’s compare Brighterly, IXL and iReady!

    Key points:

    • Brighterly is an online private math tutoring platform with highly qualified tutors proven to get better results for kids.
    • IXL offers resources to teachers to support kids on a more tailored level in school.
    • iReady offers online learning resources that can supplement school education or tutoring.

    Brighterly vs IXL vs iReady: comparison

    The main difference between Brighterly vs IXL vs iReady is whether or not they offer one-to-one personalized tutoring and the subjects on offer.

    So, are Brighterly, iReady and IXL the same? The answer is no!

     

    Brighterly

    IXL

    iReady

    Company type Online private math tutoring Educational resource provider Learning delivery for educators and students
    Subjects offered Math Math, languages, science and social studies Math, English and languages
    Mode of learning Online private tutoring Online learning resources Support for teachers and personalized classes
    Payment Pay per package based on the number of lessons Pay via a membership subscription Users purchase individual services and packages
    Trustpilot rating 4.7 1.7 2
    Diagnostic test Yes Yes Yes
    Student progress tracking Yes, via regular reports No No

    Note: Of the three options, only Brighterly offers dedicated, long-term personalized math tutoring that focuses on kids’ strengths and areas of improvement, while iReady and IXL are primarily aimed at teachers.

    What is Brighterly?

    Brighterly offers personalized one-on-one math tutoring to children in grades 1-8. The program begins with a diagnostics test that identifies where kids need the most support, before their dedicated tutor creates a tailored curriculum and lesson plans to address those areas.

    Using a unique and fun gamified learning model and expertly created learning resources with games, Brighterly delivers tangible improvements in kids’ math performance and school grades.

    Parents and kids alike continually comment on the dedication of their tutors and how they are committed to not only improving kids’ understanding of math but also their confidence in the subject. They admire the way Brighterly tutors help children reach their full potential.

    Why Brighterly is preferred by parents over IXL and iReady

    Brighterly is preferred by parents over IXL and iReady, as evidenced in its customer reviews and ratings, because of the quality of its tutors and the tangible results they have on children’s math performance. 

    Parents continually highlight the measurable effect tutors have on their children’s grades and also their expertise in the subject and supportive attitude towards children lacking confidence.

    Brighterly math tutoring platform: unique features

    Highly qualified math tutors

    Brighterly hires math tutors for elementary and middle school students to offer support to kids in grades 1-8. Applicants must go through rigorous vetting before becoming Brighterly math tutors to ensure they are both qualified enough to teach children and have the right attitude to support their students in their studies.

    Tutors receive excellent feedback from both parents and students, who praise their dedication, level of expertise in the subject, and how they keep kids engaged.

    Read Brighterly math tutor reviews now

    Common Core-aligned math program

    Brighterly’s online 1:1 math program featured personalized lessons for kids in grades 1-8. It is based on the Common Core program, aligning learning with all the essential math concepts in each grade level. The adaptive STEM-focused curriculum ensures kids can keep up with their school learning and excel in their exams.

    Find out more about the Brighterly math program

    Regular progress reports and tutor feedback

    When you invest in math tutoring for your kid, you need to know that it’s working and what they will learn. That’s why, as part of the Brighterly math tutoring platform, you’ll receive continuous progress reports from your child’s tutor.

    These reports contain information on the topics covered in lessons, specific feedback on how kids are progressing (for example, better understanding of specific math concepts or excellent concentration), goals for improvement and how their Brighterly tutor will further support those kids in achieving their objectives.

    With these reports, you can easily see how your kid is improving in their math skills, confidence and concentration, and how they will further improve going forward.

    Free supplementary resources

    As well as private math tutoring, Brighterly also offers free resources designed to supplement children’s learning. Brighterly’s tutors created all its free math worksheets, so you can trust that Brighterly math worksheets are aligned with both the Common Core and your child’s personalized curriculum and specific needs.

    One way kids can test how their math skills are getting better is with Brighterly’s free practice math test questions. The Brighterly math practice test mimics real exams they’ll encounter in the classroom, giving them an idea of their current level and helping them prep for real-life tests. These tests are accompanied by helpful knowledge base articles that explain many different math concepts in detail. For example, check out our shapes knowledge base content and practice test questions.

    Note: Brighterly also offers a Free diagnostic math test that evaluates your child’s math strengths and weaknesses. This assessment helps their tutor provide personalized education to ensure improvement in the right areas.

    Brighterly math reviews from parents: pros & cons

    Brighterly has received many reviews from parents and students who are highly satisfied with its personalized tutoring services. One of the best ways to understand how an education platform performs is from real Brighterly reviews, so we’ve collated the pros and cons from real reviews.

    Pros

    Cons

    • The patience and support of tutors, who are dedicated to improving kids’ performance and confidence
    • The flexibility of lessons, allowing busy parents and kids to fit them in as and when needed
    • Gamified model of learning not only helps kids understand but keeps them excited and engaged
    • Some users have reported audio and connectivity issues, so the platform requires a strong Internet connection
    • Some parents have reported long customer service times, but Brighterly has addressed this with a dedicated customer service line

    Brighterly cost per month

    Brighterly cost per month depends on the length of the package you choose and how many lessons per week you opt for.

    One lesson a week

    The following prices apply if you opt for one lesson a week for your child:

    • 1 month: $124 monthly
    • 3 months: $118 monthly
    • 6 months: $112 monthly
    • 12 months: $105 monthly

    Two lessons a week

    The following prices apply if you opt for two lessons a week for your child:

    • 1 month: $211 monthly
    • 3 months: $198 monthly
    • 6 months: $186 monthly
    • 12 months: $161 monthly

    Three lessons a week

    The following prices apply if you opt for three lessons a week for your child:

    • 1 month: $298 monthly
    • 3 months: $279 monthly
    • 6 months: $268 monthly
    • 12 months: $234 monthly

    iReady math main difference from its competitors

    iReady’s main difference from its competitors is that it focuses on resources for teachers primarily, rather than delivery directly to students. While iReady does offer some personalized instruction for kids, this isn’t its sole focus, meaning the results may be hit-and-miss. There is also no iReady math practice test available.

    Resources from iReady include webinars, podcasts and funding for educators.

    Why is iReady good? Key features

    Best for: teachers and tutors looking to better support their students.

    iReady pros and cons:

    • Assessments for students to determine how ready they are for complex subjects
    • A range of online resources teachers can use directly with students
    • Personalized instructions available

    iReady pros and cons according to parents’ reviews

    iReady math reviews highlight many pros and cons of the platform. These reviews of i-Ready from the point of view of a student and parent will help you understand where iReady performs well and where it can improve. Here, we’ve summarized the benefits of iReady and its cons cited in online i-Ready reviews.

    Benefits of Iready

    iReady cons

    ✅ Diagnostic tool helps teachers offer more personal support to students.

    ✅ When students get answers wrong, iReady provides an explanation of what was wrong.

    ✅ Range of resources available that teachers can use directly with kids rather than adapting them.

    ❌ Resources don’t operate flexibly, with no ability to repeat complex areas or skip areas teachers and students already understand.

    iReady reviews say the platform is glitchy, wrongly stating answers to questions are incorrect.

    iReady cons include that the diagnostics tool can be inaccurate, giving grade levels too high or low.

    iReady reviews

    “iReady has an amazing idea for a kids education platform, but it is insanely poorly executed. The only thing that was executed the best was the diagnostic. The diagnostic is fantastic for teachers to figure out what students are missing, and the MyPath lessons help fill in those gaps. However, the insane issue lies in the lessons themselves. The way lessons are structured is that IReady shows and teaches you (or tries) material for at least 10 minutes, then quizzes you. However, if you’re feeling uncertain, there’s no way to go back and redo some parts of the lesson, which is one of the issues.”

    • Unnamed, Trustpilot

    This website just isn’t fit for kids. You should not be timed for doing a lesson that is based off a diagnostic. I wouldn’t waste your time if you ever think about using I-ready in your classroom, I’m a teacher myself and used to use I-ready in my class until I had one eighth grader doing second grade math! So, I had her re-take the diagnostic multiple times and it still gave her a second-grade level. I called tech support and every time I called (5 times) they told me to reset the website, and it never worked. I even reset my computer and all 38 of my students’ computers and it didn’t work.”

    • Jake, Trustpilot

    “This app is boring, the diagnostic sucks. No grade school teen or kindergartener will follow “Don’t rush you’ll be put in the wrong place”, even though I took five minutes on each of the trillion questions it still made me label shapes and do kindergarten stuff.”

    • Sophia, Trustpilot

    iReady price

    iReady isn’t transparent about a lot of its pricing, but here are iReady prices for some of its resources and services:

    • $9-24 per printed student instruction booklets
    • $6-30 for teacher resource booklets
    • Personalized instruction is bought via individual student licenses, and a minimum of 150 must be purchased

    To get full pricing information, iReady customers must contact sales representatives. There is no iReady cost per student available.

    Is IXL good for students in grades 1-8?

    Many parents ask, “Is IXL good for students?”. IXL can offer benefits for students in grades 1-8, including online learning resources organized by grade. IXL offers learning for students from kindergarten to 12th grade. So, is IXL good for you? It has many useful features that I’ll detail below.

    So, what program is better than IXL? Many parents report that Brighterly is a more comprehensive program with supportive tutors.

    IXL features

    Best for: supplementary online learning resources.

    When comparing IXL vs other platforms, you’ll find that it has some unique features:

    • K-12 curriculum for subjects including language, science and math
    • Online resources grouped by grade and topic
    • Analytics designed to continually tailor learning to students

    IXL reviews: pros & cons according to parents’ reviews

    IXL has received many online reviews that highlight both the pros and cons of the platform, from its resources to app usability. I’ve highlighted the benefits and drawbacks of IXL that have been continually mentioned in real user reviews. IXL has both positive and negative reviews. I’ve covered IXL reviews from students, parents and teachers and answered the question, “What are the disadvantages of IXL?”.

    How good is IXL? Main benefits

    Drawbacks of IXL

    ✅ Wide coverage of subjects and specific areas within those subjects

    ✅ Recommendations for children based on analytics from the platform

    ✅ When kids get answers wrong, the platform provides helpful feedback

    ❌ Parents report kids feel stressed and discouraged when they lose points for getting answers wrong

    ❌ Many have reported technical glitches, including an inability to log into the platform and having to repeat many questions after getting one wrong

    ❌ Grading is perceived as harsh, and kids gain fewer points from correct answers than they lose from getting a question wrong

    IXL reviews

    “Although IXL has a good time telling children they need more work, it brings stress and discouragement. I used to use it for a whole year and sometimes they tell you there is a mistake which is when there is none. Instead, they just lower your score for no reason.”

    • Yassin, Trustpilot

    “We enjoyed IXL to an extent where the kids did get different math problems to practice from. The kids also got a chance to experience how it feels to complete questions under a timed scenario and that was quite interesting to observe. We’ve definitely felt that IXL was a bit harsh with their grading so we’ve tried out other options.”

    • Lori, Trustpilot

    “I am a student using IXL. And even if I get a correct answer, it’s marked wrong. Besides, when you get one question right, you get 1-3 points (you must collect points until 100 to complete), but when you get one wrong, you can subtract 10 points! As I have learnt from others, this can get into you and discourage you from doing anything. It damages the psychology and makes the student doubt themselves about their skills.”

    • LYMJ, Trustpilot

    How much is IXL?

    The cost of IXL is based on dynamic pricing depending on the number of subjects you choose, how many children you enroll in the program and whether you sign up on a monthly or yearly basis.

    If you have multiple children who require tutoring, you can enroll them in the program at a flat cost of $4 per child. So, how much does IXL cost? I’ve covered its pricing below.

    Core subjects package

    How much is IXL for multiple subjects? The core subjects package covers math, language arts, science and social studies and costs $19.95 a month or $159 on a yearly plan.

    Combo package

    A combo package of two subjects costs $15.95 a month, or $129 a year.

    Single subject package

    A single subject package costs $9.95 a month, or $79 a year.

    Brighterly, IXL vs iReady: which math platform is best for your child?

    Brighterly, IXL and iReady all have pros and cons. Each platform has a unique proposition that will suit different learners or teachers, so it’s important to understand which is more suitable for your child. We’ve answered many questions, including how much Brighterly costs, what the advantages of each platform are and how good is IXL. When it comes to Brighterly vs iReady vs IXL:

    • If you care about resources that allow teachers to offer more tailored learning in schools, then iReady is a good option.
    • If you care about online resources that can supplement your child’s public school learning, IXL offers this.
    • If you want private tutoring that measurably improves your kid’s grades and their confidence in math, the best choice is the Brighterly Math tutoring platform

    Comparing other math learning platforms

    If you’re undertaking comprehensive research on the different learning platforms in math and what they can offer your child, you’ve likely reviewed additional competitors. We’ve reviewed many online platforms to help you make an informed choice:

     

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