Goblins vs. Freckle
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 level can only choose the next problem. Goblin teaches through this one, backing up to the missing prerequisite when the work shows it. The Gates Foundation funds Goblins.
“Let's back this up to maybe something that we should have done two chapters ago. Do you understand this? Can you explain this? Okay, great. So from there, we're going to build on that and get back up to question number one.”
Rich Grell · HS Math Teacher, 22 yrs
“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
“When they're doing the questions in Goblins, it's like I'm sitting there helping them. ... I can go into Goblins and I can look at literally the history of every question to see what the back and forth was.”
Rich Grell · HS Math Teacher, 22 yrs
Why not just use Freckle?
Freckle's answer to a struggling student is a different problem, not a lesson. It places students with a placement assessment or Star scores, then serves practice at that level. Teaching is not in the pipeline.
And Renaissance's newest AI doubles down on the teacher's dashboard, not the student's thinking. Its February 2026 Renaissance Intelligence launch is AI-built formative assessments and teacher-ready guidance. Useful for planning, and still nobody is watching the kid think. Freckle doesn't see a student's work in progress or teach through a mistake. That gap is the reason Goblins exists.
- Lessons that are practice. Teachers reviewing Freckle on Common Sense Education describe lessons that amount to more practice, with nothing that teaches.
- Misplacement makes it worse. The same teacher reviews describe misplaced students grinding through boring below-level work, and struggling learners locked out of prerequisite skills until a teacher manually changes their grade level.
- The free tier caps at one assignment per week per class, and Premium pricing is quote-only.
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
Freckle doesn't watch a student's work or teach through a mistake, and Renaissance's 2026 AI announcements point at the teacher's dashboard instead. They are AI-built formative assessments and teacher-ready guidance, useful for planning. Every Goblins student gets a live 1-on-1 tutor that sees the pencil strokes, hears the reasoning, and steps in mid-problem.
Freckle's reviews split over one question, whether anything in it actually teaches. Some teachers on G2 and Common Sense Education value it as a skill-gap filler for students working far behind grade level. The critical reviews on Common Sense Education say the lessons are just more practice and describe misplaced students stuck grinding below-level work until a teacher resets their level.
Goblins teachers describe the opposite moment, a tutor stepping in and teaching the instant a student stalls.
No independent study shows Freckle improves test scores, and every link in its evidence chain is Renaissance's.
- The 2024 studies are correlational and measure growth in Star SGP, Renaissance's own metric on Renaissance's own assessment.
- The ESSA Level II certification came from LearnPlatform, a paid certification vendor, not academic peer review.
- Renaissance has never published a standardized effect size for Freckle.
Yes. The live classroom view shows every student's work as it happens, so you know who is stuck this minute and can pull a small group on the spot. You also get session replays of the written work and the full tutor conversation for every problem.
Goblins supports whatever language your students think in. We never cap it at a number, students speak and draw in their language and Goblin keeps up, and we add new languages whenever a classroom asks.
Freckle's free tier caps teachers at one assignment per week per class, per Renaissance's help center, and Freckle Premium has no published price, schools request a quote from a sales rep. Goblins starts free for teachers with live tutoring included, not just leveled practice.
Goblins is free for teachers, with 15 live help-enabled problems per student each month, worksheet uploads, standards-aligned assignments, and teacher avatars included, no credit card. Goblins Max, priced per school or district, makes live help unlimited and adds standards and engagement reporting.
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.