Goblins vs. Khanmigo
Help that moves first vs. help that waits for the ask.
Why we built Goblins
Goblins lets students speak and draw to learn math. That lets the tutor pinpoint exactly where mistakes and misconceptions arise. The pinpointing works because Goblins does one thing: math. The tutor watches the work live and treats a stall or a silence as a signal to step in, so nobody has to know how to ask.
“I cannot split myself up into 30 pieces. ... It truly is powerful because there's like 30 of mes in the computer.”
Bobbye Graboyes · 26-year math teacher
“I get to in real time see how they're doing and if they understand it, and I can pull small groups. ... It's really, really been a game changer for me.”
Renee Schuch · 6th Grade Math · Deer Valley
“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 Khanmigo?
Khanmigo is an icon in the corner of the page, not the workspace. Students talk to a chat panel and it talks back, in audio and text. What it cannot do is work the problem with them. It sees photos of paper work attached to typed questions, not the work as it happens, and it answers in words alone. Goblins teaches on the canvas, with visuals and mini lessons drawn next to the problem, because words alone don't squash a math misconception.
And Khanmigo makes the student ask first. Typing 'I don't get common denominators' takes knowing the problem is common denominators, the exact diagnosis the stuck kid cannot make. Sal Khan said this April that for a lot of students Khanmigo “was a non-event. They just didn't use it much.” Khan Academy's chief learning officer put it plainly, 'Students aren't great at asking questions well.' Ask-first help reaches the kids who were going to be fine anyway. The rest is what a general-purpose chatbot gets you.
- Voice without a canvas. Khanmigo talks, but it does not draw, annotate, or run a mini lesson next to the problem.
- Still gets math wrong, by Khan Academy's own account, including telling students correct work is wrong, the failure the Wall Street Journal documented back in 2024.
- A public model roadmap about smaller, cheaper models to scale access, not sharper 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
Khanmigo hears and speaks natively, and so does Goblins. The difference is what comes with the voice. Goblins pairs it with the canvas, drawing visuals and mini lessons next to the problem to squash the misconception, while Khanmigo answers in words alone.
No. Students can attach a photo of paper work to a typed question in its Tutor Me activity, which is work after the fact. Goblins watches the pencil strokes as they happen and hears the student reason through them, so nobody photographs or uploads anything.
With Goblins, yes, because the tutor watches the work and moves first when a student stalls. Khanmigo waits for the student to ask, and Sal Khan said this April that for a lot of students it 'was a non-event.' The students who most need help are exactly the ones who never ask.
Yes, by Khan Academy's own account, including telling students their correct work is wrong, a failure the Wall Street Journal documented in 2024, and its public model roadmap targets smaller, cheaper models. Goblins reads the student's actual written steps, so it responds to the mistake the student really made.
Who is stuck right now. 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.
Whatever language your students think in. We never cap it at a number, students speak and draw in their language and the tutor keeps up, and we add new languages whenever a classroom asks.
Goblins is free for teachers, with 15 live help-enabled problems per student each month, worksheet uploads, 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. 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. IXL and Goblins vs. DreamBox, or see how schools run Goblins across intervention tiers in our MTSS math guide.