Parents look for an alternative to Mathnasium for one of five reasons: the price, a contract they do not want, the drive, a child who needs more of an adult's attention than a shared table gives, or a high school course the centre cannot cover well. Each reason points to a different alternative, which is why a single list of "the best Mathnasium alternatives" is not much use. This guide groups them by the reason they fix, with the price each one publishes. We are one of the alternatives (online 1-on-1), so we say where we fit and where something else is the better answer.
First, what you are replacing
Mathnasium is a math-only learning centre for grades K to 12: an assessment, a learning plan from its own curriculum, an hour at the centre two or three times a week with an instructor working with a few children, time for school homework, and no homework set. Centres that publish their prices charge $260 to $579 a month, with an enrollment fee of about $200; some sell six- or twelve-month contracts. The details are in our guides to Mathnasium's cost and whether it is worth it.
The alternatives by the reason you are leaving
| Why you are leaving | Look at | Why it fixes that |
|---|---|---|
| The price | Kumon; online 1-on-1 from India; Khan Academy plus a few tutor hours | Same routine for less; or more attention for less; or free practice with help only where needed |
| The contract | Most online tutors and platforms (monthly, or pay per hour) | No minimum term |
| The drive | Mathnasium@home; any online tutor; online group classes | Same or similar teaching, at home |
| Your child needs full attention | A 1-on-1 tutor, in person or online | The whole hour on one child |
| A high school course or a test date | A tutor for that course (Algebra 2, AP Calculus, SAT, GCSE) | Follows the school's pace and the exam |
| Your child is ahead and bored | Russian School of Math; AoPS Academy; Beast Academy | Harder problems, peers at the same level |
Other math centres
| Centre | What it is | Price it publishes | Best when |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kumon | Daily worksheets, about 30 minutes a subject; two days at the centre, the rest at home; math and reading | No national price; review sites report about $150 to $250 a month per subject plus registration | You want fluency and a daily habit for less |
| Eye Level | Worksheet-based like Kumon, with more reasoning problems; math and English | Set by each centre | A Kumon-like routine with more problem solving |
| Sylvan Learning | Assessment, then small groups or 1-on-1, across subjects | Set by each centre; review sites report about $40 to $100 an hour | Several subjects, or reading alongside maths |
| Huntington Learning | 1-on-1 and small groups, strong on test preparation | On enquiry | SAT and ACT alongside school maths |
| Russian School of Math | Weekly classes of about 12, three levels per grade, homework | Tuition sheet by grade on request | A strong child who wants challenge |
| Kip McGrath (UK, Australia), Explore Learning (UK) | Centre programmes close to Mathnasium's format, on the national curriculum | Per session or monthly, set by centre | You are outside North America |
The full comparison of the three big ones is in Mathnasium vs Kumon vs RSM vs a 1-on-1 tutor.
Mathnasium@home: the same programme online
Mathnasium's own online version is live sessions with Mathnasium instructors, booked through a local centre, with the same assessment and learning plan; you can switch between online and in-centre. Review sites report that centres usually price it like the in-centre membership, so it fixes the drive but not the price. Ask how many children the instructor works with online at your times.
Online 1-on-1: programmes, platforms and individual tutors
| Option | What it is | Published price | Watch for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brighterly | US online maths and reading, 1-on-1, its own curriculum, younger children | From about $18 to $25 a lesson of 30 to 45 minutes on its published packages | Package length and the tutor staying the same |
| Cuemath | Online maths for K to 12 with live teachers, its own curriculum | On enquiry, by package | Its sequence vs your school's |
| Thinkster Math | Worksheets on an app, with a coach who reviews the child's work | On enquiry, by plan | Mostly asynchronous; check how much live teaching the plan includes |
| Varsity Tutors, Tutor.com | Large US platforms; live tutors, packages | Commonly $70 to $100 an hour on packages | Upfront packages; tutor changes |
| Wyzant, Preply | Marketplaces; you choose and pay the tutor per hour | About $20 to $60 an hour for K to 12 maths | Quality varies tutor to tutor |
| Qualified tutors online from India | 1-on-1 with teachers who hold master's degrees, on the US, UK, IB or CBSE curriculum | $10 to $13 an hour at Science with Shobha; $15 to $40 at agencies | Check the qualification and that the tutor stays the same |
For a child who left Mathnasium because they needed more attention, this is the group to look at. Our wider comparison of online tutoring services in the USA covers the platforms in more detail.
Online group classes
Outschool has thousands of live small-group classes from independent teachers, usually $15 to $40 a session. AoPS Academy and the Art of Problem Solving online school run challenging courses for strong students and competition maths. RSM Online is the Russian School of Math's classes live online. Groups suit a confident child; a child who is behind usually needs 1-on-1 first.
Free and low-cost practice
Khan Academy is free and its course challenges place a child accurately. Zearn is free for families on the K to 5 Common Core sequence. Beast Academy (from AoPS) is a low-cost subscription with comic-style books and puzzles for strong younger children. IXL and Prodigy are practice subscriptions of about $10 to $20 a month. None of them notices why an answer is wrong; paired with a few hours of a tutor's time a month, they are the cheapest way to replace a centre for a motivated child.
Outside the US
Mathnasium's own site lists centres in Canada (about 110), the UK (about 50), Australia (about 20), the UAE (11), Saudi Arabia (6) and Singapore (2), and most of them do not publish prices. The alternatives differ by country:
| Where | Centre alternatives | Online 1-on-1 on the local curriculum |
|---|---|---|
| Canada | Kumon, Oxford Learning, Sylvan, Spirit of Math, local centres | Ontario, Alberta and BC courses; about CA$14 to CA$18 an hour with us |
| UK | Kip McGrath, Explore Learning, Kumon, local tutors | KS2, 11-plus, GCSE, A-level; about £8 to £10 an hour with us |
| UAE and Saudi Arabia | Kumon, Eye Level, many local tuition centres | CBSE, IGCSE, IB, American curriculum; about AED 37 to 48 an hour with us |
| Australia | Kip McGrath, Kumon, NumberWorks'nWords, Cluey (online) | NAPLAN, state curricula, selective tests; about A$14 to A$19 an hour with us |
| Singapore | Many local tuition centres | MOE syllabus, IGCSE, IB |
Where we fit
We are the 1-on-1 online option at the low end of the price: master's-qualified teachers, the same one every week, the full hour on your child, the school's own course and method (US, UK, IB, IGCSE or CBSE), every class recorded, billed monthly with no contract, from US$10 an hour. That fixes the price, the contract, the drive and the attention reasons. If what your child needs is a place to go and other children around, a centre is the better answer and we will say so. The first class is free, with a written note of where your child is, which helps whichever alternative you choose.
Questions parents ask
1What is a good alternative to Mathnasium?
2Is there an online version of Mathnasium?
3What is cheaper than Mathnasium?
4Is Kumon a good alternative to Mathnasium?
5Are there Mathnasium alternatives outside the US?
See how we teach this, 1-on-1 online →
Shobha
Founder and lead tutor, Science with Shobha
Teaching maths, science and English to children online since 2018. 500+ students, 20+ tutors, families in nine countries.