Goblins vs. IXL: why we built the opposite of the demoralizing slide
Why we built Goblins
Goblins lets students speak and draw to learn math. That lets the tutor pinpoint exactly where mistakes and misconceptions arise. Live 1-on-1 help watches the pencil, hears the reasoning, and steps in the moment a student stalls.
“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
“First nine weeks he might've done his homework once. And I give homework four and a half times a week out of five days. ... You haven't heard me complain about him once. He's a hundred percent in the class right now.”
Rich Grell · HS Math Teacher, 22 yrs
“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 IXL?
IXL punishes mistakes, and kids say so on the record. Common Sense Media notes that many "express strong disapproval of the scoring system, which penalizes mistakes harshly", and kids keep starting petitions against the SmartScore.
The kid with gaps gets the worst of it. They miss, the score drops, the next problem comes easier, and they grind on alone below the skill you assigned. We call it the demoralizing slide. Getting kicked down a ladder is not how anyone learns math.
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
On IXL the SmartScore drops and the next question comes easier, so a struggling student slides below the skill you assigned. Goblins treats the miss as the teaching moment. The tutor asks what the student was thinking, then draws a visual or a mini lesson right next to the problem to fix the misconception, and it never just hands over the answer.
Not as of mid-2026. IXL points its AI at teachers, Spark Studio generates lesson content, and when IXL wanted tutoring it acquired MyTutor, a company whose tutors are human. Every Goblins student gets a live 1-on-1 tutor on every problem.
Yes. Students draw and speak their math and the tutor follows both live, pencil strokes and spoken reasoning, messy handwriting included. That is how it catches a misconception at the step where it starts instead of after the wrong answer.
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.
Every problem a student works rolls up against your state's standards, and you can export the analytics per student, per standard, and per skill. The record updates after every session, a continuous signal instead of a three-times-a-year snapshot. Goblins Max adds standards and engagement reporting across your school or district.
They speak and draw in whatever language they think in, and the tutor keeps up. We never cap it at a number of languages, and we add new ones whenever a classroom asks.
Goblins is free for teachers. Every student gets 15 live help-enabled problems each month, plus standards-aligned assignments, 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, while IXL charges families from $9.95 a month per subject and classrooms from $369 a year without live help at any tier.
Yes. Goblins complies with COPPA, FERPA, and student data privacy laws in all 50 states. The Gates Foundation funds Goblins and the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative partners with it, and both hold student data handling to the strictest bar.
Weighing other options? Read Goblins vs. Khanmigo and Goblins vs. DreamBox, or see how schools run Goblins across intervention tiers in our MTSS math guide.