Goblins vs. DreamBox
Why we built Goblins
Goblins lets students speak and draw to learn math. That lets Goblin, the tutor, pinpoint exactly where mistakes and misconceptions arise. A click can tell DreamBox an answer was wrong. It cannot say why, and the why is the whole job. The Gates Foundation funds Goblins.
“They can't just look on somebody else's screen and put an answer down. They can't Google it somewhere and just put an answer down. They actually have to understand what they're doing in order to move on.”
Renee Schuch · 6th Grade Math · Deer Valley
“It's a little me in the computer. And it's like telling them, guiding them, questioning their thought processes. ... You have automatic homework help built into the program. And it's so powerful.”
Bobbye Graboyes · 26-year math teacher
“It forces them to really think about what they're doing and understand their process. ... They have to prove it. They have to show all of their work and it's been great.”
Renee Schuch · 6th Grade Math · Deer Valley
Why not just use DreamBox?
DreamBox reads clicks, and a click never carries the why. It advertises around 50,000 data points per student per hour, all clicks and answers, and the engine reroutes. Easier lesson, slower pace. A dragged bead can say the answer was wrong, never 'this kid thinks you add the tops and the bottoms.'
Rerouting is not teaching. The engine reroutes a stuck kid downward for weeks and never once asks what they were thinking. We built Goblins so someone steps in.
The evidence record is old, small, and dressed in a Harvard halo. The 'Harvard study' DreamBox marketing leans on was a paid research partnership, correlational, and the CEPR researchers themselves called the results "promising but not conclusive", flagging selection bias. The randomized studies behind its ESSA listing predate 2016, and the largest upper-grade group, about 10,000 grade 4-5 students, measured +0.03 on the state assessment. The federal What Works Clearinghouse record is one 2011 study of 557 K-1 students, untouched since December 2013.
Weighing more tools? See the best DreamBox alternatives for schools.
Thousands of Teachers ❤️ Goblins
"A kid who'd never do homework is now 100% in my class."
Rich Grell
HS Math Teacher, 22 yrs
"A little me in the computer, guiding them. So powerful."
Bobbye Graboyes
26-year math teacher
"They can't just Google it. They have to actually understand."
Renee Schuch
6th Grade Math · Deer Valley
"Stuck? It walks them back two chapters, then builds them up."
Rich Grell
HS Math Teacher, 22 yrs
"I can't split into 30. Goblins is 30 of me."
Bobbye Graboyes
26-year math teacher
"It forces them to fill the gaps and prove their work."
Renee Schuch
6th Grade Math · Deer Valley
"Like I'm sitting with every kid, and I can see who's faking it."
Rich Grell
HS Math Teacher, 22 yrs
"She did every Goblins assignment and aced the makeup."
Bobbye Graboyes
26-year math teacher
"I see who's stuck in real time and pull them aside."
Renee Schuch
6th Grade Math · Deer Valley
"The AI's on every question when I can't reach everyone."
Kaleb Bembenek
7th Grade Math
"I'd love to move my teachers from Study Island to this."
Carol Howe
Principal · Sharpsville Area HS
"It breaks down every misconception in real time."
Jenn Tifft
Math & Science
"It reaches every student I can't get to in person."
Rebecca Mello
Algebra I & II
"My kids customize the goblin to look like them."
Kaleb Bembenek
7th Grade Math
"I'd love to move my teachers from Study Island to this."
Carol Howe
Principal · Sharpsville Area HS
"It breaks down every misconception in real time."
Jenn Tifft
Math & Science
"It reaches every student I can't get to in person."
Rebecca Mello
Algebra I & II
Frequently asked questions
DreamBox offers a stuck student no live help. As of July 2026 DreamBox has no student-facing conversational AI, and the AI classroom assistant Discovery Education announced is a teacher-facing tool, so a confused student's options are the lesson's built-in supports or a raised hand. Every Goblins student has a live 1-on-1 tutor already watching, and it steps in mid-problem.
DreamBox's engine reads clicks and answers, and a click never carries the why, so a stuck student gets rerouted to easier lessons instead of taught. Goblins sees the work as students write and hears them reason as they speak, then fixes the misconception with Socratic questions and a mini lesson drawn next to the problem, never by handing over the answer.
DreamBox's newest independent study is a decade old, and its largest student group showed nothing.
- The 'Harvard study' in the marketing was a paid research partnership and correlational. The Harvard CEPR researchers themselves called the results 'promising but not conclusive' while flagging selection bias, and most students never reached the recommended usage.
- The randomized studies behind its ESSA listing predate 2016, and the largest upper-grade group, about 10,000 grade 4-5 students, measured +0.03 on the state assessment, which the review describes as not meaningfully higher.
- The federal What Works Clearinghouse record is one 2011 study of 557 K-1 students, untouched since December 2013.
Yes. The live classroom view shows every student's work as it happens, and every problem rolls up against your state's standards with analytics you can export per student, per standard, and per skill. Goblins Max adds standards and engagement reporting across your school or district.
K-12 math, with grade 4 and below in beta. DreamBox stops at grade 8, so students moving into Algebra and beyond keep the same tutor on Goblins.
DreamBox Math lessons come in English and Spanish. Goblins students speak and draw in whatever language they think in, and we add new languages whenever a classroom asks.
Goblins is free for teachers. Every student gets 15 live help-enabled problems each month, plus worksheet uploads and teacher avatars, no credit card. Goblins Max, priced per school or district, makes live help unlimited and adds standards and engagement reporting. DreamBox charges families $19.95 a month.
Yes. Goblins complies with COPPA, FERPA, and student data privacy laws in all 50 states.
Weighing other options? See how Goblins compares.
Or see how schools run Goblins across intervention tiers in our MTSS math guide.