Brighterly vs. Thinkster: Comparative Guide on Two Online Math Tutoring Programs
As a parent, you want the best for your child—especially when it comes to their education. Math can be chal...
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Last Updated on March 14, 2025
When seeking your child’s ideal math tutoring program, nothing less than the best will do. With so many options to consider, weighing your choices can be challenging. You need to know whether the program is available online or in person, assess the curriculum, understand the homework level, and look at the program’s resources. These programs aim to improve your child’s math skills and understanding significantly.
Of course, you’ll want to calculate the tuition, too. Math tutors are crucial in creating engaging and customized learning experiences that help students catch up with their curriculum, build confidence, and foster a love for math.
Find out how much math tutoring programs such as Mathnasium cost compared to Thinkster Math, compare the program offerings, and decide which tutoring option is right for your child.
When it comes to math tutoring, various options are available to cater to different learning styles and needs. Understanding these options can help parents and students make informed decisions about the best approach for their education. Here are some key aspects to consider:
Different education approaches can significantly impact a student’s learning experience. Here are some key approaches to consider:
Math homework help and support are essential components of education. Here are some ways to access these resources:
Parents and students can make informed decisions that best support their math education journey
Mathnasium is a center-based math learning program. Students attend sessions at a local center where they work through worksheets and are supported
Mathnasium was started over 15 years ago and developed
Mathnasium offers online access (Mathnasium@home) for those who can only visit the center a couple of times a week.
Mathnasium costs around $200-$300+ per month. Pricing varies
Thinkster is a digital, online math tutoring program. After taking an initial assessment, students are assigned worksheets and meet online for one-to-one coaching sessions where they can work on school homework, test prep, or Thinkster’s worksheets. Thinkster makes learning math enjoyable and effective through specialized tutoring methods. Thinkster is a great choice for families who don’t want to attend a center and want a program that offers unlimited worksheets their children can work on to improve their skills throughout the week, leading to better school grades.
Thinkster was started in the US
Thinkster students complete as many or as few digital worksheets as their schedule permits. They can also meet their tutor online for shared whiteboard sessions.
Thinkster costs $141 – $295 monthly for plans offering one-on-one live math tutoring. They also have plans starting at $45/month that provide support and guidance from a coach, who will speak with parents during monthly conference calls.
Thinkster Math and Mathnasium both offer a personalized approach to helping children improve their math grades, test scores, and confidence. Parents report improved attitudes towards math as a result of these programs.
Let’s examine the similarities and differences between Mathnasium and Thinkster Math’s subscription plans and student and parent experience.
Both Thinkster Math and Mathnasium provide each new student with a skills assessment to identify gaps in their math knowledge. A personalized study plan is then developed to fill those gaps and extend the student’s math knowledge.
Mathnasium families pay a registration fee in addition to the monthly subscription fees. There is no registration fee for the Thinkster Math program, only the monthly subscription fees. For both programs, parents pay monthly and can cancel at any time. There are no long-term contracts, but discounts are available on both programs for paying for multiple months.
Mathnasium typically costs more than Thinkster Math. This can be explained
Mathnasium and Thinkster’s curricula are both based on the school math curriculum. They both offer work that helps with school homework and test prep and include word and logic problems to expose students to various questions for each topic.
Students complete worksheets only while at the Mathnasium study center. They don’t take the worksheets home, and they receive no homework. Thinkster Math offers unlimited worksheets that students can complete at any time.
Many students are accustomed to working with digital resources at school. Mathnasium uses paper-based worksheets, allowing students to write their work and solutions directly on them.
Thinkster Math provides digital worksheets through an app, which can be accessed on a computer, laptop, tablet, or phone. Students can write on them using a trackpad, a stylus, or their fingers on a touchscreen.
Thinkster provides instructional video tutorials and a video library for students to watch examples before, during, or after completing a worksheet. Mathnasium math worksheets provide a brief example problem at the start of each subtopic to help students start the math topic.
The overall quality of the experience for both students and their parents is an important factor in determining a math program’s medium—and long-term success. If the student and/or parent aren’t happy with aspects of the program, either the student will fail to reach their full potential or the family will quit.
Thinkster Math has excellent scores and feedback from families. You can see third-party collected reviews here.
“My son Vyaan has been part of Thinkster for the past two years, and the results have been remarkable. Thanks to their structured lessons and AI-based personalized approach, he has excelled beyond expectations, now learning Algebra-1 in 6th grade, and studying alongside 7th graders from his school. Thinkster has helped him stand out, not only in math but also in his overall confidence. The challenging curriculum and supportive environment have made a significant difference in his academic growth. We are truly grateful for the impact Thinkster has had on his learning journey.” – Jay C.
“Thinkster math has been a very good addition to my child’s education. Our tutor Ms Aarthy is excellent– I truly appreciate her as she makes complex concepts more understandable through clear explainations and real life examples. Your enthusiasm for math is evident and makes the class enjoyable. I also value how approachable you are for questions and help outside of class hours. I found your class to be very beneficial and enjoyable. Thank you for your hardwork and dedication.” – Anusha S.
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Mathnasium has many positive reviews on the testimonials page of the Mathnasium website:
“Kailee’s confidence has improved tremendously in all her subjects. Mathnasium has not only helped in math, it’s helped in all her subjects. All of Kailee’s grades have improved. She made honor roll for the first time since pre-K this year. Thank you, Mathnasium!”
“Her recent report card, received over the weekend, shows a B- in math now. We’re all smiles around the house. We love everything you and your staff have done for Mimi,” Eileen P., Parent
Let’s examine how Mathnasium and Thinkster Math compare regarding the student experience.
Let’s examine how Mathnasium and Thinkster Math compare regarding the student experience.
At Mathnasium, students are given a booklet of worksheets based on various topics identified in a pretest. Students generally attend a Mathnasium center one or two times a week. There are usually 4 or 5 other students working with each tutor. The tutor spends a few minutes explaining the work and then lets the student start working on that topic while the tutor helps other students. Students can take homework to their Mathnasium sessions. However, all work occurs at the center, and the workbooks are not taken home. The Mathnasium tutors grade the work that the student completes at the in-center tutoring sessions.
Thinkster tutors grade and provide feedback every day on a child’s work. This provides Thinkster tutors with a very clear window into understanding how Thinkster students work each day and helps them personalize their student’s work more often and much more effectively each week, leading to significant performance improvements. Thinkster tutors use Active Replay Technology to “playback” the student’s work to see where they paused, made mistakes or erased their work while completing the worksheet.
Thinkster Parents can monitor their child’s performance improvement
Regular one-on-one Thinkster whiteboard tutoring sessions can also be scheduled regularly or flexibly.
Extra time spent practicing math in a structured way greatly improves a student’s math performance.
Both Mathnasium and Thinkster Math structure their programs with tutor support (one-on-one for Thinkster and small group for Mathnasium).
Mathnasium sets its program at a higher price point due to the costs associated with families attending a physical location. Thinkster Math offers its math program at a more affordable price and includes one-on-one support.
We hope this review of Mathnasium and Thinkster Math has given you an overview of both programs and will help you decide which program will suit you and your family.
Learn more on the Mathnasium Website for more about the Mathnasium method and programs.
If you’re interested in exploring Thinkster, try out our math tutoring today for 7 days FREE and experience the benefits for yourself!
Features and support are constantly changing! This analysis was accurate to the best of our knowledge as of July 2024.
Get started with Thinkster for free at www.hellothinkster.com
Note: Mathnasium® is a registered trademark of Mathnasium LLC. Thinkster Math is in no way affiliated to the same.
