📚 Reading apps and reading coaches · 🏫 Classroom tools
CommonLit
By CommonLit (nonprofit). Visit CommonLit
Desk research from the maker's own pages. Not yet tried by us. Checked 2026-10-24.
A nonprofit online reading program for grades 3 to 12. Teachers assign short stories, poems, articles and historical texts from a large free library, each with reading questions, discussion prompts and writing tasks; CommonLit 360 adds a full-year English curriculum for grades 6 to 12. Students read on screen with tools like read-aloud and translation, answer questions and write responses that teachers grade. Schools can pay for assessments, training and support.
Our take: A strong free choice for teachers wanting good reading passages with questions; parents looking for a home reading app for young kids should look elsewhere.
| Ages it suits | about 8-18 (grades 3-12) |
|---|---|
| What its terms say about age | CommonLit does not knowingly let children under 13 use it without a parent's express consent, unless a school consents for the parent for classroom use as COPPA allows. Students normally join through a teacher's class. (terms) |
| Price | Free. The text library and 360 curriculum are free for teachers and students (Oct 2026). Paid school plans list about $3,800 to $12,800 per school per year, with district quotes. |
| Works on | Web |
| Account | A school account |
| Ads | None |
| In-app purchases | None |
| The AI in it | No generative AI for students found on the maker's pages. |
What's good
- Free, high-quality texts for teachers and students
- Built-in read-aloud and translation support
- Nonprofit with no ads to students
- Mix of classic and current reading with writing practice
Watch for
- Made for classrooms; little for families to use at home on their own
- Evidence comes from its own non-randomized study
- Some texts deal with heavy themes suited to older grades
Data and privacy
The privacy policy says CommonLit will not use student data to advertise or market to students and limits sharing for ads; school data is governed by its data processing addendum and state student privacy laws. We found no statement about training AI on student work. Read the privacy policy.
Does it work?
The maker's own studies: a CommonLit evaluation of about 116,000 students in grades 6-10 at 531 partner schools linked more lessons to 2-6 extra months of reading growth, but it compared users with non-users and was not randomized. No Evidence for ESSA rating found.
In the Big Index
- On the list Top 50 free learning sites for kids (2026)
Alternatives to CommonLit
Desk researchPaidNo ads
ABCmouse
Age of Learning, Inc. · ages about 2-6 (preschool to kindergarten)
A full preschool program for families who want one paid app; cancel carefully and watch the reward loop.
Desk researchFree, with paid extras
ABCya
ABCya.com LLC (a division of IXL Learning) · ages about 4-12 (pre-K to grade 6+)
Handy for quick grade-level practice in class or at home; skip if you want an ad-free experience without paying.
Desk researchPaidNo ads
Adventure Academy
Age of Learning, Inc. · ages grades 3-8 (about 8-13)
Good for kids who love online games and need a nudge toward school subjects; families wanting no social contact should set chat to off or choose a solo app.
Desk researchPaidNo ads
Amazon Kids+ and Parent Dashboard
Amazon · ages 3-12
A good-value bundle for families already on Amazon devices with kids 3-12; skip it if your child mostly uses an iPad or a phone.
Desk researchFreeNo ads
AmblesideOnline
AmblesideOnline (volunteer advisory) · ages about 5-18 (Year 0 to Year 12)
A strong free plan for homeschool families drawn to Charlotte Mason and literature-rich learning; secular families or those wanting an interactive program should look elsewhere.
Desk researchThrough schoolsNo ads
Amira Learning
Amira Learning · ages about 5-14 (school product; listed studies run from kindergarten to middle school)
Worth asking about if your child's school uses it; parents cannot buy it, so home users should look at family apps instead.
Where these facts come from
- https://www.commonlit.org/
- https://www.commonlit.org/pricing
- https://www.commonlit.org/terms
- https://www.commonlit.org/privacy
- https://www.commonlit.org/blog/students-using-commonlit-saw-significant-reading-gains-of-2-6-additional-months-of-learning/
Prices, terms and features change. Nobody paid to be listed, nothing here is an affiliate link, and Peabody never rates itself. Where we and the maker disagree, the maker's own pages are the ones to trust.