If your child's school sent home a class code, it was almost certainly for one of these two. Both are free web sites, both show ads in the free version, both sell an ad-free tier, and both were designed for a student at a laptop. They are more alike than different. The real question for most families is not "which one" but "will it work on our iPad, and is my six-year-old ready for it." This guide answers both. We make a kids' typing app ourselves, so we say where we fit at the end and nowhere else.
Side by side
Facts are from each maker's own site or App Store listing on 20 August 2026. Prices change; check before you pay.
| TypingClub (by EdClub) | Typing.com | |
|---|---|---|
| Free version | Yes. "Free for both individuals and schools." Ads in the free version. | Yes. Free for students and teachers. Ads in the free version. |
| Ad-free tier | Individual Premium: ad-free, extra games, themes, reports. $35 for a year on EdClub's store (list $78). School Edition: paid, with a trial. | PLUS edition: "100% ad-free", unlimited data retention, extra units (coding, digital citizenship, test prep). Priced by quote for individuals, classrooms, schools, districts. |
| Account | Optional on the free site; a profile saves progress. Classes use school accounts. | Students "may take lessons without logging in"; progress is only saved and visible to a teacher with an account. Students never need an email. |
| Data | The EdClub iPad app's privacy label lists email and usage data. | Free accounts keep 70 days of data (PLUS: unlimited). Site states it "never shares or sells any data." |
| Ages | School-wide; lessons start at home row. Written instructions; assumes a reader. | K to 12; their own grade benchmarks start at kindergarten, and "all students start at the beginner level." Assumes a reader. |
| Device | Browser. Works in Safari on iPad with a keyboard; the EdClub iPad app is for School Edition accounts (last updated December 2021, 3.5 stars). | Browser only. Their FAQ: "Typing.com only works in your computer's browser … an internet connection is always required." |
| Keyboard | Built for a real keyboard. | Built for a real keyboard. |
| Offline | No. | No. |
| Teacher tools | Classes, assignments, reports; more in the School Edition. | Free teacher portal with classes, assignments, reports; more in PLUS. |
TypingClub's site blocks automated checks, so its prices are taken from EdClub's own store page and its App Store listing; the free/ads/optional-account wording is TypingClub's. If a row is wrong or out of date, tell us.
Where they differ
Lesson style. TypingClub is a long ladder of short lessons, each scored with stars, with a hands-on-keyboard guide and optional games; its premium tier adds, in EdClub's words, "three additional games, beautiful themes, advanced performance reports, and completed lesson playback." Typing.com introduces new keys with an on-screen keyboard guide that fades as the child improves, tracks speed and accuracy on every lesson, adds games between lessons, and in PLUS bolts on non-typing units (coding, digital citizenship, AI literacy, test prep). Kids who like to see stars fill up tend to prefer TypingClub; teachers who want one site for the whole computer-literacy block lean Typing.com.
Paying as a family. TypingClub sells a yearly individual subscription you can buy outright. Typing.com prices PLUS by quote, which is aimed at schools; a family usually just lives with the ads.
Progress without an account. Both let a child practice without logging in. Only Typing.com spells out that unsaved progress is gone, and that free accounts keep 70 days. If you want to see a history, make an account on either.
On an iPad. Neither is an iPad app for families. TypingClub's EdClub app is locked to School Edition accounts and has not been updated since 2021. Typing.com says plainly that it runs in a browser and needs the internet. Both work in Safari, and both are far better with a Bluetooth keyboard: the on-screen keyboard covers the lesson, Safari autocorrect edits what the child typed, and nothing is sized for a six-year-old's hand. Our keyboard guide goes through the fixes.
Where they are the same
- Free with ads. Ads next to a child's lesson are the price of free on both. Neither is in Apple's Kids Category, whose rules say apps should not carry third-party ads, because neither is really an app.
- Built for readers with a keyboard. Instructions are sentences. Lessons assume the child can read "place your fingers on the home row" and has a row to place them on. That is fine at nine. It is a stretch at six, and it is not how you would start a four-year-old.
- Speed is on screen from day one. Both report words per minute after every lesson. For a child under eight that number is a distraction from the thing that matters, which is the right finger on the right key. You can ignore it, but it is there.
- Online only. No internet, no practice. On a school cart or a long drive that matters.
The honest verdict
Nine and up, with a keyboard: either. If the school uses one, use that one at home so progress lands in one place. If you are choosing fresh, try both for ten minutes; the child will have an opinion. Pay for ad-free only if the ads bother you; the lessons are the same.
Seven to eight: either can work if the child reads well and you sit nearby for the first week, but hide the speed number in your conversation. Say "right finger," never "faster."
Four to six: neither was built for this age, and the makers do not claim otherwise. Start with something made for the iPad screen, then move to a keyboard program at seven or eight.
What to use on an iPad or Mac for ages 4 to 9
This is the part where we talk about our own app, so weigh it accordingly. Bumpy Keys is built for the age the browser programs skip. Kids learn touch typing by racing: the right key pops the letter and moves the racer, a wrong key is a soft boing. Cartoon hands show which finger to use. Stars for accuracy, not speed. Little Racers (ages 4 to 5): big keys, every letter spoken, no speed goal. A 10-minute daily quest. It runs on the iPad screen with big keys, switches to real touch typing the moment any keyboard is attached, and on a Mac it uses the keyboard in front of your child. All 100 lessons are free; $4.99 unlocks all 20 worlds. Buy once, play on iPad and Mac. No ads, no player accounts, progress saved on the device, works offline. Teachers get free school codes.
What it is not: a K to 12 curriculum with a teacher console. There are no accounts, so there are no hosted reports. If you need those, TypingClub or Typing.com is the right trade, and a child who starts on Bumpy Keys at five will be ready for either by nine.
What to do this week
- Ask the school which program the class uses. Use the same one at home for a child nine or older.
- Pair a Bluetooth keyboard with the iPad before the first lesson on either site. Settings › Bluetooth.
- Turn off autocorrect for Safari typing: Settings › General › Keyboard › Auto-Correction.
- Under seven? Skip the browser programs for now and start with finger placement on the screen. Our ten-minute plan is the same whatever app you use.
- Whatever you pick, ten minutes a day and stop. The habit matters more than the program.
Questions parents ask
Is TypingClub free?
Yes. TypingClub says it is free for individuals and schools, with ads in the free version and an optional account to save progress. An ad-free Individual Premium edition is sold by EdClub (listed at $35 a year on their store at the time of writing), and the School Edition is paid after a trial.
Is Typing.com free?
Yes. Typing.com is free for students and teachers with ads. The ad-free PLUS edition is priced by quote for individuals, classrooms, schools and districts. Free accounts keep 70 days of progress data.
Does TypingClub or Typing.com work on an iPad?
Both run in Safari on an iPad, and both were built for a laptop with a keyboard. Typing.com's own FAQ says it only works in a browser and always needs an internet connection. TypingClub's EdClub iPad app is for School Edition accounts. In practice you want a Bluetooth keyboard for either.
What should a 4- to 9-year-old use on an iPad or Mac instead?
An app built for that age: big keys, every key spoken, the finger shown on cartoon hands, accuracy before speed, no ads and no account. Bumpy Keys is ours; it runs on iPad and Mac with one purchase. For nine and up, either browser program is fine with a keyboard.
More guides
- Best typing apps for kids on iPad: eight options compared, including both of these.
- Which iPad keyboard should a child learn to type on?: which keyboard to buy, and why Safari typing sites struggle on iPad.
- Free typing program for schools: no accounts, no student data, works offline on carts.
- All guides
The real game, in your browser. Nothing to install, no accounts. On an iPad or Mac, get it on the App Store.
Free printables that go with this
Teaching a class? Free school codes and the classroom kit →