If you are comparing 11+ apps, Pip and Atom Learning both come up, and they take very different approaches. We make Pip, so to be straight with you, this comparison is written by the Pip team. We have kept it factual, linked to Atom so you can check everything, and tried hard to be fair, because the truth is that both are good tools and the right one depends on what you want and what you want to spend. Here is an honest, side-by-side look at the offering, the accessibility and the price.
- Pip is a free 11+ practice app (iOS and Android): unlimited daily practice across maths, English and reasoning, with no ads, no sign-up and no data collection.
- Atom Learning is a comprehensive paid platform, roughly £40 to £70 a month, with school-targeted plans, standardised age scores and parent support.
- On price and access, Pip wins clearly. On breadth and structure, Atom offers more.
- Want mock exams in Pip? An optional Pip Pro add-on (£7.99/month) covers them, far below a full platform subscription.
At a glance
The quickest way to see the difference is side by side. Figures are a 2026 snapshot, so always confirm the latest on each provider's own site.
| Pip | Atom Learning | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free; optional Pip Pro £7.99/month or £59/year | About £40 to £70/month (less on an annual plan); free trial |
| Free ongoing use | Yes, unlimited daily practice, free forever | No (free trial and free baseline tests only) |
| Subjects | Maths, English, Verbal Reasoning, Non-Verbal Reasoning | English, Maths, Science, Verbal and Non-Verbal Reasoning |
| Age range and scope | 11+ only (Years 4 to 6) | Key Stage 2 to GCSE; 11+, CAT4, ISEB, SATs and more |
| Adaptive practice | Yes (0 to 100 mastery score per topic) | Yes |
| Mock tests | In Pip Pro: timed papers and full reports | In the top plan: adaptive and printable mocks with marking |
| Standardised age score | No | Yes |
| School-targeted plan | No (open daily practice) | Yes (weekly plan, target up to 5 schools) |
| Parent support | Email support and on-device dashboards | Webinars, live chat and parent groups |
| Ads and data | No ads, zero data collection, saves on-device | Account-based platform |
| Sign-up | None required | Account required |
| Platforms | iOS and Android app | Browser, with app access |
Pip in short
- A free mobile app for unlimited daily 11+ practice, with no ads, no sign-up and no data collected.
- Gamified and bite-sized, so children actually want to use it and often ask to, which is half the battle in 11+ prep.
- Optional Pip Pro (£7.99 a month) adds timed mock exams and full reports.
Pros
- Free forever for unlimited daily practice across all four 11+ skills
- A proper kids' app: gamified, bite-sized and genuinely fun, so children stick with it
- No ads, no sign-up, zero data collection, works offline
- Adaptive difficulty, five question types, instant feedback with explanations
- Optional low-cost mocks instead of a big subscription
Cons
- No standardised age score or peer benchmarking
- No school-targeted weekly plan
- Focused only on the 11+, with no GCSE, CAT4 or science
- Mock exams and full reports need the optional Pip Pro
- Support is by email, with no live webinars
Half the battle in 11+ prep is getting a tired ten-year-old to practise at all. Because Pip lives on the phone as a gamified, bite-sized app, with streaks, coins and a friendly mascot, children look forward to it and often ask if they can play. Practice that actually happens beats a perfect plan that does not.
Atom Learning in short
- A comprehensive paid platform, around £40 to £70 a month, used by 350,000+ families.
- Builds a school-targeted weekly plan, gives standardised age scores, and spans Key Stage 2 to GCSE plus tests like the CAT4.
- Strong parent support: webinars, live chat and parent groups, with a free trial to start.
Pros
- Guided weekly plan targeted at the specific schools you choose
- Standardised age score and benchmarking against other applicants
- Adaptive mock replicas plus printable papers with instant marking
- Broad scope: Key Stage 2 to GCSE, plus CAT4, ISEB and SATs
- Strong parent support and a large, established community
Cons
- A paid subscription, which is a real monthly cost
- Requires an account to use
- More than you need if your only goal is daily 11+ practice
- Browser-first, so less of a pick-up-and-play app for children
Price and access
This is the biggest single difference, so it is worth being precise. Pip is free to download, and unlimited daily practice across every subject is free forever, with no ads, no sign-up and no data collection. The only paid option is Pip Pro, at £7.99 a month or £59 a year, which adds timed mock exams and full score reports. Everything else stays free.
Atom Learning is a subscription platform. For 11+ preparation, its plans run from roughly £40 to £70 a month, with lower equivalent prices if you pay annually, plus a free trial and some free baseline tests. For that, you get a great deal of structure and support. The honest summary: if budget is a factor, or you simply want to avoid a monthly bill, Pip removes that barrier entirely. If you are happy to pay for a fuller service, Atom gives you more for the money.
Cost is also an access issue. Because Pip is genuinely free and collects no data, any family can use it, which is exactly why we built it. Atom, to its credit, runs partnerships that give free access to some children on free school meals, so both teams care about access in different ways.
Here is how the plans break down. This is a 2026 snapshot, so confirm current prices on each provider's site.
| Plan | Monthly | Annual | What you get |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pip, free | £0 | £0 | Unlimited daily practice, all four 11+ subjects |
| Pip Pro | £7.99 | £59/year (about £4.92/month) | Adds timed mock papers and full reports |
| Atom EMS | £39.99 | £31.99/month | English, maths and science; no mock tests |
| Atom Exam Prep | £59.99 | £47.99/month | Adds verbal and non-verbal reasoning |
| Atom Exam Prep Plus | £69.99 | £55.99/month | Adds unlimited mocks, standardised scores and papers |
What each one covers
Atom is broader. Alongside the four 11+ skills it also teaches Science and the wider Key Stage 2 curriculum, and it builds a weekly plan around the specific schools you are targeting, which is genuinely useful if you want a guided path and are not sure where to start. It also spans a much wider age range, from Key Stage 2 all the way to GCSE, and prepares for more than the 11+ alone, including tests like the CAT4 and ISEB, so it is a platform a child can grow with for years.
Pip is more focused. It concentrates on the four skills the 11+ actually tests, maths, English, verbal reasoning and non-verbal reasoning, and turns them into a quick daily habit. Every question is procedurally generated, so practice never runs out or goes stale, and there are five question types rather than the usual multiple choice alone. And Pip does one thing only, the 11+, so there is no broader curriculum to wade through and no upsell into other ages or exams. If the 11+ is your single goal, that single-minded focus is the point.
How they teach and practise
Both are adaptive and both give instant feedback with explanations, not just a right-or-wrong mark, which matters for actually learning. The difference is the shape of the experience. Atom organises everything into a weekly plan with set activities and nudges. Pip lets your child pick a daily goal, from Relaxed (about five questions) to Intense (about thirty), and serves a fresh adaptive mix, building a streak so the habit sticks. Pip also tracks a 0 to 100 mastery score for each topic, climbing the difficulty as your child improves. Different styles: one is a guided programme, the other a flexible daily routine.
Mock tests and papers
Mock exams are where a paid platform earns its keep, and Atom is strong here: its top plan includes adaptive mock tests that mirror real exams like the ISEB pre-test, printable papers with marking, and a standardised age score so you can see roughly where your child stands. If that level of detail matters to you, it is a real advantage.
Pip keeps the free experience focused on daily practice, and puts timed mock papers and full reports in the optional Pip Pro add-on (£7.99 a month). You do not get a standardised age score, but you do get full-length timed papers in all four subjects with answer review and topic breakdowns, at a fraction of a full platform subscription. For many families that is the right balance of cost and preparation. You can also download free 11+ practice papers from us at no cost at all.
Progress tracking and parent support
Atom offers more here. It shows how your child compares with other children applying to the same schools, gives that standardised age score, and backs it up with parent webinars, live chat and parent groups. If you want a guided hand and reassurance through the process, that human support is valuable.
Pip is deliberately simpler and more private. Progress, mastery scores and streaks live on your device, with a parent zone behind a quick maths gate, and nothing is uploaded anywhere. You trade peer benchmarking and webinars for total privacy and zero cost. Which is better genuinely depends on what you value.
So which should you choose?
Here is the honest guidance. Choose Atom Learning if you want a comprehensive, guided programme: a weekly plan targeted at specific schools, standardised age scores, adaptive mock replicas and parent support, plus a wider scope that also covers Key Stage 2 through to GCSE and tests like the CAT4, and you are comfortable with a monthly subscription. Choose Pip if you want free, private, no-pressure daily practice built only for the 11+, with nothing else to navigate, and the option of low-cost mock tests when you need them. And remember the two are not mutually exclusive: plenty of families use a structured platform for the plan and mocks, and a free app like Pip for quick daily practice in between.
Try the free option first, it costs nothing
Pip gives your child unlimited, adaptive daily practice across maths, English, verbal and non-verbal reasoning, with no ads, no sign-up and no data collected. See if the habit sticks before you spend a penny.
Frequently asked questions
Is Pip free?+
Yes. Pip is free to download, and unlimited daily practice across maths, English, verbal reasoning and non-verbal reasoning is free forever, with no ads, no sign-up and no data collection. There is one optional subscription, Pip Pro, at £7.99 a month or £59 a year, which adds timed mock exams and full score reports. Nothing else is gated.
Is there a free alternative to Atom Learning?+
Pip is a free alternative for daily 11+ practice, covering maths, English, verbal and non-verbal reasoning with adaptive, unlimited questions at no cost. Atom Learning is a paid platform that offers more, such as school-targeted weekly plans, standardised age scores and parent support, so the right choice depends on your needs and budget.
How much does Atom Learning cost?+
Atom Learning is a subscription. For 11+ preparation its plans run from roughly £40 to £70 a month, with lower equivalent prices on an annual plan, plus a free trial and some free baseline tests. Check the Atom Learning pricing page for exact current prices.
Can you use Pip and Atom Learning together?+
Yes, and some families do. A common pattern is a structured paid platform for the weekly plan and mock tests, and a free app like Pip for quick, low-pressure daily practice in between. They are not mutually exclusive.
Which is better for the 11+, Pip or Atom Learning?+
Neither is simply better; they suit different needs. Pip is best for free, private, daily practice with optional low-cost mock tests. Atom Learning is best if you want a comprehensive, guided platform with school-specific plans, standardised age scores, parent support and a wider scope from Key Stage 2 to GCSE including tests like the CAT4, and have the budget for a monthly subscription.
Arielle handles SEO and AEO growth at Pip, with over 10 years in the digital marketing space working with brands and founding her own projects.