What is the best alternative to Synthesis Tutor?
Pip is the best pick for a UK child in Years 3 to 6 preparing for KS2 SATs or the 11+, because Synthesis Tutor makes no 11+ claim and teaches a US maths curriculum. DoodleMaths is the closest UK maths swap, and it is priced in pounds.
- KS2 SATs or 11+ (Years 3 to 6): Pip
- Closest UK maths swap: DoodleMaths
- Wide skill library: IXL
- Target-school 11+ with mocks: Atom Learning
- Free: Khan Academy or Prodigy Math
Our connection: Pip publishes this guide and ranks itself first, because it is built for UK exam preparation, which Synthesis Tutor does not claim to be. Synthesis Tutor is a different kind of product, and its strengths are real.
Prices and facts were checked from each provider's own pages on 6 October 2026. This is an editorial comparison, not a hands-on test of every product.
Names and logos belong to their owners.
What does Synthesis Tutor do, and why look for an alternative?
Synthesis Tutor is an AI-assisted maths tutor for ages 5 to 11, with hands-on, multi-sensory lessons, real-time micro-assessments, weekly parent reports and text-to-speech. It covers US K-5 maths: counting, addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, fractions and algebraic thinking.
Families usually look elsewhere for one of four reasons: dollar pricing, a US curriculum, no 11+ or SATs practice, or no English and reasoning papers. Our full Synthesis Tutor review has the detail.
How do the 7 Synthesis Tutor alternatives compare?
Prices were checked on 6 October 2026, and Synthesis Tutor's own prices are in US dollars.
| Alternative | Best for | Price | Works on |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pip 11+ Practice | KS2 SATs and 11+, Years 3 to 6 | Free; Pro £9.99 a month or £69.99 a year | iOS, Android, Amazon only |
| DoodleMaths | Daily UK maths and English habit | £7.99 a month or £69.99 a year (one child) | Phone, tablet, laptop, desktop |
| IXL | Wide skill library, Reception to Year 13 | £7.99, £12.99 or £15.99 (billing period to confirm) | Web and mobile apps |
| Khan Academy | Free video explanations | Free | Web and apps |
| Atom Learning | Target-school 11+ and GCSE prep with mocks | From £39.99 a month | Web |
| CENTURY | English, maths and science through secondary | £12.49 a month or £99.92 a year | Web browser |
| Prodigy Math | Game-based maths | Free; optional membership | Web and apps |
Which Synthesis Tutor alternative is right for your child?
Pip is first because it's built for the job most UK parents need, and it's the best of the seven at it. Every entry has a best-for line, so skip to the one that matches your child.
Pip 11+ Practice: best for KS2 SATs and 11+ preparation in Years 3 to 6
Pip is built for UK exam preparation. It gets a child in Years 3 to 6 ready for the 11+, KS2 SATs, or both, with Maths, English, Verbal Reasoning and Non-Verbal Reasoning.
Pip adapts the question level inside every skill, chooses the next skill from the child's gaps, and brings mastered skills back for review at the right time. When a child is stuck it offers to go back a step to a building-block skill, then returns them to the one they came from.
Pip teaches as well as tests. Pip Teaches lessons (Pro) are short interactive whiteboard lessons that show the method first.
Pip Score gives a clear target of 90 with zones, and flags rushing. The coach gives method hints without revealing the answer, and Ask Pip explains a wrong answer step by step.
Boss battles, coins, Pip's Den and the Learning Grove give children a reason to open it. It has no ads, and it's built to include children who learn differently.
- Price (checked 6 Oct 2026)
- Free download with adaptive practice and review. Pip Pro: £9.99 a month or £69.99 a year, with a 7-day free trial.
- Worth knowing
- Pip runs on iPhone, iPad, Android and Amazon Fire tablets only. There is no desktop or web version yet, so it won't suit anyone who needs a computer.
DoodleMaths: Best UK-curriculum maths swap, priced in pounds
DoodleMaths is an adaptive, UK-curriculum maths app that responds to a child's answers. Its Proxima technology builds personalised programmes, it is aligned to EYFS, KS1, KS2 and KS3, and sister apps add English (DoodleEnglish), spelling (DoodleSpell) and times tables (DoodleTables).
Like Synthesis Tutor, it keeps sessions short and gives parents a progress view. The difference is that it follows the UK curriculum and lists its price in pounds.
It works on tablets, phones, laptops and desktops, and offline.
- Price (checked 6 Oct 2026)
- App Store listing: single child £7.99 a month or £69.99 a year; family (up to 5 children) £12.99 a month or £119.99 a year. 7-day free trial.
- Worth knowing
- Maths-led, with no 11+ exam-style papers or reasoning papers.
IXL: Best for a wide skill library with an England curriculum plan
IXL is a subscription practice platform with more than 8,000 skills in maths, English and science, from Reception to Year 13. It offers a Real-Time Diagnostic, personalised recommendations and an England curriculum skill plan.
If Synthesis Tutor's maths-only scope feels narrow, IXL adds English and science and can last through secondary school. It's a browse-and-practise library rather than a conversational tutor.
A parent usually sets the direction. Read our IXL review for more.
- Price (checked 6 Oct 2026)
- IXL UK family membership lists single subject £7.99, combo package £12.99 and all access £15.99. The billing period was not clear on the page, so confirm it at checkout.
- Worth knowing
- No dedicated 11+ or SATs programme is described on its UK homepage.
Khan Academy: Best free option for video explanations and extra practice
Khan Academy is a free, nonprofit learning site with video lessons and exercises in maths, science and more. It's the obvious pick for a family on a zero budget who want a clear explanation of a topic.
Like Synthesis Tutor, it is built around a US curriculum rather than UK year groups or exams, so it works best as a supplement. Its Khanmigo AI tutor is reported to be unavailable to UK families (unverified, from a third-party source).
- Price (checked 6 Oct 2026)
- Free.
- Worth knowing
- Not mapped to UK exam boards or to 11+ and SATs papers.
Atom Learning: Best for target-school 11+ and GCSE preparation online
Atom Learning is a web-based platform for 11+ entrance exams and GCSEs, with plans for English, maths and science (EMS), Exam Prep, and Exam Prep Plus, which adds unlimited mock tests with detailed feedback and printable papers.
It's a strong choice for a family with a named school target that wants a structured online programme and mock papers. It's a different product from Synthesis Tutor: guided exam preparation rather than low-pressure, explanation-led maths help.
- Price (checked 6 Oct 2026)
- EMS £39.99 a month (£31.99 on annual billing); Exam Prep £59.99 a month (£47.99 annual); Exam Prep Plus £69.99 a month (£55.99 annual). Annual billing saves 20%.
- Worth knowing
- Mock tests are included from Exam Prep Plus.
CENTURY: Best for UK English, maths and science beyond Year 6
CENTURY is a web-based platform for English, maths and science from primary through Key Stage 3 and GCSE. It finds gaps and recommends short micro-lessons made of videos, slides and questions, with a progress dashboard for parents.
It runs in a browser on phones, tablets and computers, and it also lists 11+ courses. Check which courses a home plan includes before you subscribe.
- Price (checked 6 Oct 2026)
- CENTURY Core: £12.49 a month per learner, or £99.92 a year (£8.33 a month). 7-day free trial.
- Worth knowing
- 11+ courses are listed separately; check what each plan includes.
Prodigy Math: Best for children who need a game to practise maths
Prodigy Math puts maths questions inside a fantasy role-playing game, for Grades 1 to 8. The educational content is free, with an optional paid membership for extra game features.
If a child will happily play but resists worksheets, the game wrapper can get more questions answered. It is maths only and not an exam-preparation tool.
- Price (checked 6 Oct 2026)
- Free to play; paid membership available (we did not capture the price).
- Worth knowing
- Maths only; no 11+ reasoning or English.
How should you choose between them?
Start with the goal. For the 11+ or KS2 SATs, pick Pip if your child uses a phone or tablet, or Atom Learning if you want an online programme with full mocks.
For steady UK maths practice priced in pounds, pick DoodleMaths.
If the budget is zero, start with Khan Academy or Pip's free tier. Most apps have a free trial or free tier, so try one for a week and see whether your child opens it unprompted.
Synthesis Tutor alternatives: questions parents ask
What is the best alternative to Synthesis Tutor in the UK?
For a child in Years 3 to 6 preparing for the 11+ or KS2 SATs, Pip is the best choice on this list. For a like-for-like UK maths swap, DoodleMaths is the closest, and it is priced in pounds.
We publish Pip, so to be clear, it doesn't replace Synthesis Tutor's conversational tutoring. Pip is a practice and teaching app for exam preparation.
Is there a Synthesis Tutor alternative priced in pounds?
Yes. DoodleMaths lists £7.99 a month or £69.99 a year for one child, CENTURY Core is £12.49 a month, and Pip Pro is £9.99 a month or £69.99 a year.
Synthesis Tutor lists its prices in US dollars, and we found no UK price.
Is there a Synthesis Tutor alternative for the 11+?
Synthesis Tutor makes no 11+ claim on its site, and it covers maths only. For the 11+, look at Pip (Maths, English, Verbal and Non-Verbal Reasoning), Atom Learning or CENTURY.
Is there a Synthesis Tutor alternative for KS2 SATs?
Pip has a separate KS2 SATs track alongside its 11+ practice, with the full track in Pip Pro. DoodleMaths, IXL and CENTURY also cover KS2 maths.
Check the exact papers and formats your child will sit.
Is there a free alternative to Synthesis Tutor?
Synthesis Tutor offers a 7-day free trial with no credit card, but we found no ongoing free tier. Khan Academy is free, Prodigy Math's educational content is free to play, and Pip is free to download with adaptive practice and review.
Does Pip work on a computer?
No. Pip runs on iPhone, iPad, Android phones and tablets, and Amazon Fire tablets.
There is no desktop or web version yet, so if your child needs a computer, DoodleMaths, IXL, CENTURY and Atom Learning all work in a browser.
The Pip team builds Pip, the 11+ and KS2 practice app for children in years three to six. We write these guides from real exam formats and past papers.