ALEKS vs IXL: a knowledge pie or a SmartScore?

Who makes ALEKS and IXL, and who are they for?

ALEKS is McGraw Hill’s. In college, McGraw Hill calls it “an AI-powered online learning platform for Math and Chemistry” (McGraw Hill). Its PreK–12 page lists ALEKS Adventure for math in grades K–5, ALEKS Math for grades 3–12, high school chemistry and ALEKS PPL for college math preparation.

IXL is made by IXL Learning. Its home page describes “a comprehensive K-12 curriculum” with “more than 20,000 skills covering five subjects”: math, language arts, science, social studies and Spanish. Its family pricing page lists math from Pre-K to calculus and science from kindergarten to physics.

How does ALEKS measure what you know?

With a map of topics. ALEKS first gives a short tutorial on its input tools, then “administers a personalized, adaptive assessment that includes approximately 25 to 30 questions” (ALEKS tour). The result is the ALEKS Pie: “The darker portion of each pie slice represents the topics that you have mastered and the lighter portion represents what you have yet to learn.”

You then pick a topic and work in Learning Mode, which “provides practice problems and offers explanations of concepts and procedures.” Once you show mastery, “the item is added to the ALEKS Pie, and new topics may become available.” ALEKS also says it “replaces multiple guess with authentic problems” and that its “Knowledge Checks automatically confirm and enhance retention” (About ALEKS).

How does IXL measure what you know?

Skill by skill. IXL’s SmartScore research report says the score “incorporates item difficulty, answer accuracy, response patterns, and relative progress on a skill.” It “ranges from 0-100. However, it is not a percent correct score: a SmartScore of 100 is always possible.” It “increases as students answer questions correctly, and decreases as students answer questions incorrectly,” and “A SmartScore of 80 indicates proficiency in a skill, and a SmartScore of 100 indicates mastery.” Our guide has more on how the IXL SmartScore works, including why it drops so much after 90.

For a starting point, IXL has two diagnostics, renamed in 2025 and explained in our IXL diagnostic score chart: the IXL LevelUp Diagnostic for PreK-12 math and the IXL Flex Diagnostic for PreK-12 math and ELA, “previously the IXL Classic Diagnostic or IXL Real-Time Diagnostic.” IXL says both “provide students with a personalized learning plan” (IXL blog).

Is ALEKS or IXL better for my child?

We don’t rank them, and neither company compares itself to the other. Three things separate them. Subjects: ALEKS covers math and chemistry, while IXL also covers language arts, science, social studies and Spanish. How progress looks: ALEKS shows a pie of mastered topics across a whole course, while IXL gives a score for each skill. Price for home use: ALEKS lists $19.95 for one month, and IXL’s family plans start at $9.95 a month for one subject.

If a school or college assigns one of them, that choice is already made, and the class code or link comes from the teacher.

What do ALEKS and IXL record during tests?

IXL SecureTest locks down some assessments. IXL says that when it is on, it “prevents students from accessing tools that could compromise test validity—including additional browser tabs; copy, paste, and screenshot controls; AI-powered extensions; and other non-essential programs.” It covers the LevelUp Diagnostic, Universal Screeners and Common Assessments, and it “works best on school-managed devices” (IXL SecureTest guide).

ALEKS lists Respondus LockDown Browser in its support menu (aleks.com). Its Attendance Report tracks “time spent in your ALEKS student account by day, the topics attempted during that time, and the topics mastered” (ALEKS tour), and McGraw Hill says ALEKS Insights emails educators about students who are “excessively procrastinating” or learning “unusually” fast.

Do ALEKS and IXL work with Canvas?

Yes, when the school connects them. McGraw Hill’s LMS integration page lists Blackboard Learn, D2L Brightspace, Canvas and Moodle as “Just a few of the LMS systems we integrate with.” IXL’s LMS integration sheet says “IXL supports integrations with” Brightspace, Canvas and Schoology, with single sign-on and roster matching, and that “IXL is IMS Global LTI Advantage certified.”

What do ALEKS and IXL cost?

For home use, McGraw Hill’s ALEKS subscription page lists $19.95 for 1 month, $49.95 for 3 months, $99.95 for 6 months and $179.95 for 12 months, with access to “the entire ALEKS course library” but “Only one course may be taken at a time.” It also lists discounts for several children.

IXL’s family page says “Memberships start at only $9.95/month.” It lists a single-subject plan at $9.95, a combo of math and language arts at $15.95, and core subjects (math, language arts, science and social studies) at $19.95 a month.

In a college ALEKS course, you register with your instructor’s class code and buy or enter an access code (McGraw Hill). IXL sells separately to classrooms and to schools and districts (IXL).