shouldiuse.io

VERDICT

Should I use Teach Your Monster?

Help children learn with our free, award-winning reading, mathematics and phonics games. - teachyourmonster.org

Worth it. Buy for parents and K-1 teachers of pre-readers: the web games are free, widely used, and kid-approved. Skip if your child already reads fluently or you want a full literacy curriculum with progress tracking.

Confidence

High. Based on 20+ public sources: official site, Trustpilot, Reddit threads, Horn Book, school district pages. Quote snippets truncated at source; fragments shown verbatim.

Ratings

  • Value for money
  • Ease of use
  • Feature depth
  • Support qualityNo user support evidence in reviewed sources
  • Security posture

Pricing

Free

Web games

ModelNot disclosed
Monthly feesNot disclosed
HardwareNot disclosed
Free tierYes
Mobile appsWas $4.99 one-time; now shifting to subscription

Best for

  • Homeschool parents
  • Ages 3-6 learning phonics
  • K-1 classroom centers
  • Resistant readers needing gamified practice

Not for

  • Kids already reading fluently — they'll outgrow it fast
  • Schools needing a full literacy curriculum with dashboards
  • Buyers who resent paying subscriptions after buying the app once
  • Anyone wanting offline-only content

Gotchas - check before you buy

high

If you bought the old app, expect it delisted; migrate to web version

medium

Subscription model is new; exact recurring price not shown in reviewed sources

low

Legacy one-time price was $4.99; check current app pricing before assuming

Pros and cons

Pros

  • Completely free on the web, funded as a charity project
  • Played 100 million times worldwide; strong word of mouth
  • Three games cover phonics through early independent reading
  • Recommended by homeschool parents for resistant readers
  • Listed by US school districts on approved resource pages

Cons

  • Flagship app moving from one-time purchase to subscription
  • Previously purchased app being removed from stores
  • Content ends at early reading; not a full curriculum

Sources & method

Analyzed 9/24/2026 - 8 sources - No known vulnerabilities found in the sources reviewed. Privacy policy published; product appears on school district data-privacy pages.

official x3review x3security x1news x1

Key stats

  • Value for money: 5/5

    Rating

  • Free

    Starting price

  • 8

    Sources

  • Analyzed

  • Value for money: 5/5. Core games free on web; apps cheap one-time
  • Ease of use: 5/5. Young kids navigate it solo, parents report
  • Feature depth: 3/5. Three games cover phonics to early reading only
  • Support quality. No user support evidence in reviewed sources
  • Security posture: 4/5. Published privacy policy; appears on district privacy lists
  • 100M+ Total plays Across all games, per official announcement
  • Free Web price All games free in-browser, charity-funded
  • $4.99 Legacy app price One-time iOS price before subscription shift
  • 3 Reading games Phonics, Reading for Fun, plus math titles

Pricing

Web games

Free

  • All reading, phonics and math games in-browser
  • Charity-funded, no purchase needed

Mobile apps

Was $4.99 one-time; now shifting to subscription

  • Offline play on iOS/Android
  • Check store listing for current terms

Security

No known vulnerabilities found in the sources reviewed.

Privacy policy published; product appears on school district data-privacy pages.

Alternatives

Compare Teach Your Monster with each alternative.

  • Jolly Phonics apps

    Established phonics app line from the Jolly Phonics method

  • Kokotree

    Subscription preschool app pitched directly against Teach Your Monster

    Teach Your Monster vs Kokotree

  • Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons (book)

    Screen-free structured reading book parents pair with apps

Companies that use it

  • Burke County Public Schools (GA)
  • Medina City School District (NY)
  • Snowsfield Primary School (UK)
Full analysis

Based on 20+ public sources: official site, Trustpilot, Reddit threads, Horn Book, school district pages. Quote snippets truncated at source; fragments shown verbatim.

Free, well-loved phonics games for ages 3-6. Web version costs nothing; the app's shift to subscriptions is the one real catch.

Methodology

Based on 20+ public sources: official site, Trustpilot, Reddit threads, Horn Book, school district pages. Quote snippets truncated at source; fragments shown verbatim.

Sources

  1. Why is it free?teachyourmonster.org
    official
  2. Played 100 million timesteachyourmonster.org
    official
  3. Important update: Changes to Teach Your Monster to Readteachyourmonster.org
    official
  4. Horn Book app reviewhbook.com
    review
  5. Trustpilot reviewstrustpilot.com
    review
  6. Reddit: app going subscriptionreddit.com
    news
  7. Reddit: purchased app removedreddit.com
    review
  8. Privacy Policyteachyourmonster.org
    security

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