Games like Prodigy, and what changes if you switch

Boddle is the closest match we found: quests, pet battles and math questions in a 3D world, free to play from kindergarten through 6th grade. Awakening and PowerZ come next. But four of the five adventure games here, Prodigy included, sold in-game currency on the price lists we read November 10. Switching rarely gets you away from the store.

We read the makers' own pages and the US App Store listings on November 10, 2026. We didn't play these with children. We make Tumbly, which isn't a math game. Most comparisons we found came from Boddle, Monster Math, Brighterly or Prodigy, and each favors its own product.

Why switching rarely gets rid of the upsell

Prodigy says its math and English questions are free. Memberships cost $58.95 to $118.95 a year per child on its site, and its named yearly plans run $74.99 to $154.99 on the App Store. It also sells Magicoin, its in-game money, at $9.99 for 530.

The complaint you may have heard about dates from February 2021, when 22 advocacy groups led by what's now Fairplay asked the FTC to investigate. They said kids could see up to four times more ads than math exercises. Prodigy answered that it mentions memberships "responsibly and sparingly" and that more than 95 percent of registered users hadn't paid. We found no FTC decision either way.

The alternatives are no different. Boddle sells Boddle Bucks from $0.99 to $19.99. Awakening sells Sundrops from $4.99 to $49.99. PowerZ's ten listed items run $1.99 to $9.99, mostly gems and packs, and Apple says it contains loot boxes. Free questions paid for by a shop is how most of these games work, so we don't think you can fix it by changing games. Adventure Academy is the exception, since the ten purchases Apple shows for it are all subscription plans, but we couldn't find a free tier either.

Seven alternatives next to the original

When Prodigy is still the better choice

If your child is happy, stay and say no to the membership. Prodigy puts math for grades 1 to 8 inside a real game, free, in a browser with nothing to install, and that combination is hard to replace. Boddle stops at 6th grade. Adventure Academy has no free tier we could find. PowerZ is a download. Awakening comes nearest, free through 8th grade, and like Prodigy it keeps parts of the game behind a paid plan.

Prodigy also gives you less to set up. Its players can only trade pre-selected phrases, while Adventure Academy and PowerZ both offer typed chat as one setting, and both makers say filters can't catch everything.

Which one to try, depending on what's wrong

If your child just wants more of the same, start with Boddle. It has the pets and quests, a basic account gets all of its learning content, and it includes science, which Prodigy keeps for Plus and Ultra members.

A child past 6th grade who likes collecting and battling should try Awakening. If the fantasy world is the main draw, look at PowerZ, which goes well beyond math. Check the age first, since its site says 6 and up while the App Store rates it 9+, and know it has chat and loot boxes.

Battles make some kids anxious, and Monster Math says it has no time limits and no penalties. It's for kindergarten to 3rd grade, and the trial needs a card.

For a child in grades 3 to 8 who wants other kids around, Adventure Academy comes from the makers of ABCmouse and is built for exactly that. Its help page says $45 a year but the App Store lists $59.99 and $79.99. Subscriptions are non-refundable, and we'd set chat to Limited or No Chat.

If you want your child to understand numbers rather than race through them, try DragonBox. It's puzzles instead of questions, it stops at numbers up to 20, and it needs a Kahoot! Kids subscription.

If you want math with no shop at all, use Zearn. A nonprofit runs it and it's free for families from kindergarten to 8th grade, but it's lessons with pencil work, built to go with a teacher, so expect less enthusiasm than a game gets. A child who hasn't started 1st grade is too young for Prodigy anyway, so try our guide to apps for ages 2 to 5.

Where Tumbly fits

We left our own app out of the table because it isn't a reading or math course. Tumbly makes engineering games for kids 3 to 12, and it's only worth a look if your kid would rather make something than answer questions. Tumbly Blocks, for one, designs a build from the bricks on your table. The Free plan covers every ready-made build and the first 3 new ones, and Tumbly Family is $7.99 a month or $59.99 a year.

Try Tumbly Blocks free

What else parents ask about Prodigy

Is there a game like Prodigy for reading?

Yes, and the closest one comes from Prodigy itself. Prodigy English covers grades 1 to 6, plays in a web browser, and Prodigy says its questions are free. Boddle also practices English language arts, from kindergarten through 6th grade.

Is Boddle or Prodigy better?

For a kindergartner, Boddle, because Prodigy starts in 1st grade. For a 7th or 8th grader, Prodigy, because Boddle stops at 6th. In between they're close and both are free to start, so we'd let your child try each for a week.

Are there free games like Prodigy?

Boddle and Awakening are free to play, and PowerZ says its core game and learning activities are free. All three sell extras. Zearn is free for families, but it's lessons rather than a game.

Do schools still use Prodigy?

Yes, by Prodigy's own count. Its teacher page says almost 800,000 teachers in more than 70,000 schools, and it's free for teachers, in grades 1 to 8 math and 1 to 6 English.

Our sources

• Prodigy: memberships, teachers, App Store
• Boddle: Premium, App Store
• Awakening: App Store. PowerZ: site, parents, FAQ, App Store
• Adventure Academy: plans, chat, about, App Store
• Monster Math: pricing, App Store. DragonBox: App Store, Kahoot! Kids. Zearn: families
• The 2021 complaint: Fairplay's release, NBC News, February 19, 2021