Multiple choice can't teach children how to think.
IXL is excellent at measuring what children know. Grove is built to develop how children think. Those are fundamentally different goals.
The Problem with Practice Tests
Scoring well on IXL and thinking well are not the same thing.
Standards-aligned practice is valuable. But children who can answer multiple choice questions don't automatically become better thinkers. Grove develops the reasoning, creativity, and curiosity that underlies all academic performance.
per month for IXL
How They Compare
| Category | IXL | Grove |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $9.95/mo (individual) or $19.95/mo (family) | $99/mo annual — cognitive development, all subjects |
| Interface | Multiple choice, fill-in-the-blank, text | Conversational voice and text, Socratic dialogue |
| Goal | K-12 standards mastery, test readiness | Cognitive development across 12 dimensions |
| Adaptation | Adjusts question difficulty based on answers | Adapts content, depth, tone, and domain in real time |
| Memory | Tracks skill scores across sessions | Longitudinal knowledge graph — maps how your child thinks |
| Emotional engagement | Rewards, scores, streak badges | Natural curiosity-led conversations, no gamification pressure |
| Parent insight | Skill-level progress reports | Cognitive maps, weekly developmental reports |
| COPPA compliance | Compliant (school edition) | Fully compliant, audited |
What IXL does well
IXL is genuinely useful for students who need structured standards practice and parents who want clear visibility into academic skill levels.
- ✓Comprehensive K-12 standards coverage across all subjects
- ✓Clear skill-level scoring parents can understand
- ✓Low price makes it accessible for most families
- ✓Works well for test preparation and catching up on school skills
- ✓Trusted by schools — good for reinforcing classroom content
Where Grove goes further
IXL tells you where your child sits on a skills ladder. Grove tells you how your child thinks — and actively develops that thinking.
- Conversation develops reasoning in a way multiple choice never can
- Adapts to the whole child — not just difficulty level
- Tracks who your child is becoming, not just what they can answer
- No anxiety-inducing score pressure or incorrect answer alerts
- Voice-first means younger children engage without frustration
Beyond the skill ladder
Conversational learning goes deeper
When a child answers a multiple choice question, you learn if they know a fact. When they have a conversation, they reveal how they reason, what they're curious about, and where their thinking breaks down. Grove works in that richer space.
The knowledge graph — not a skill score
IXL gives your child a score from 0-100 on each skill. Grove builds a map of how your child's understanding connects across concepts, subjects, and time. One is a number. The other is a portrait.
Adapts to the whole child
IXL adapts difficulty within a skill. Grove adapts everything: the topic, the tone, the depth, the emotional approach. A child who's anxious today gets a different experience than a child who's curious and energetic.
The parent dashboard tells a story
IXL's parent reports show skill coverage percentages. Grove's parent dashboard shows you your child's cognitive fingerprint — what they love, how they think, what they're ready for next.
Give your child a thinker's edge.
Grove launches September 2026. Apply now to become a founding family.