ReadWorks
Worth it
Confidence: Medium
Buy if you teach K-8 reading comprehension and want a free, research-backed supplement.
Comparison
ReadWorks vs Newsela | Content and assessment platform
ReadWorks lands on Worth it, and Newsela | Content and assessment platform lands on Depends.
Newsela | Content and assessment platform
Depends
Confidence: Medium
Buy if you run a K-12 school or district with budget for quote-based licensing and want standards-aligned, leveled reading content.
| Compare | ReadWorks | Newsela | Content and assessment platform |
|---|---|---|
| Verdict | Worth it | Depends |
| Best for | K-8 literacy teachers | K-12 districts and schools |
| Who it's not for | Districts needing a full core reading curriculum . this is a supplement | Homeschoolers and tutors wanting pay-as-you-go access |
| Privacy | No known public vulnerabilities found in the sources reviewed.⁹ | No known public vulnerabilities found in the sources reviewed.16 |
| Support quality | Self-serve webinars and tutorials only | Free PD sessions advertised, quality unverified |
| Public sentiment | Teachers describe it as a go-to free comprehension resource; independent reviews are sparse but positive.² | No substantial independent user reviews surfaced; search results are dominated by official pages and SEO spam. |
| Biggest gotcha | Answer-key PDFs circulate freely online, so assigned articles are easy to cheat | Pricing is quote-only; expect per-student licensing negotiated through sales, not listed rates.12 |
Pick ReadWorks when
- K-8 literacy teachers
- Title 1 schools
- ESL/EFL instructors
- Zero-budget classrooms
When ReadWorks is not a fit
- Districts needing a full core reading curriculum . this is a supplement
- High school teachers wanting advanced texts; library skews K-8
- Schools expecting vendor support, SLAs, or paid service tiers
Pick Newsela | Content and assessment platform when
- K-12 districts and schools
- Literacy and ELA teachers
- Standards-aligned leveled reading
- Districts requiring ESSA-evidence tools
When Newsela | Content and assessment platform is not a fit
- Homeschoolers and tutors wanting pay-as-you-go access
- Higher-ed or corporate training buyers
- Teachers who need transparent, self-serve pricing
- Anyone outside K-12 curriculum workflows
Sources
- ReadWorks official sitereadworks.orgofficial
- ReadWorks our story . free, accessible solutionabout.readworks.orgofficial
- EdTech Index . Tier-3 promising evidenceedtechindex.orgreview
review
- TrustRadar analysis . funding modeltrustradar.netreview
review
- USA Today . nonprofit mission featureusatoday.comnews
- District Title 1 plan citing ReadWorksbruningdavenport.orgofficial
- ReadWorks security pagereadworks.orgsecurity
- ReadWorks teacher guide . remote learning webinarsreadworks.orgofficial
- Teacher Facebook group discussionfacebook.comreview
- Newsela | Content and assessment platformnewsela.comofficial
- Newsela Lite and Formative Bronze free tierspreauthenticated-site.newsela.comofficial
- Newsela announces first acquisitions (ESSA Tier II stats)preauthenticated-site.newsela.comofficial
- Security pagenewsela.comsecurity
- Newsela.com Review: Is It Safe? (78/100 Trust Score)gridinsoft.comsecurity