Khanmigo
FreemiumKhan Academy's AI tutor guiding students Socratically while giving teachers free lesson planning and grading tools
What is Khanmigo?
Khanmigo is Khan Academy's AI-powered tutor and teaching assistant, designed to act like a patient tutor rather than a homework answer machine. Rather than spitting out direct answers, Khanmigo uses Socratic questioning to guide students toward understanding — a deliberate pedagogical choice by Khan Academy's team to preserve real learning. For students and parents, Khanmigo costs $4/month or $44/year, with parent subscriptions allowing up to 10 child accounts at no extra charge. For teachers in the United States, Khanmigo is completely free thanks to a partnership with Microsoft, expanded through 2026. Teachers get lesson plan generators, rubric builders, exit ticket creators, student progress summaries, and AI-assisted grading tools. Students get on-demand tutoring across math, science, humanities, and test prep, plus writing coaches that help with essay structure without writing the essay for them. Khanmigo is tightly integrated with Khan Academy's existing library of 10,000+ lessons, so tutoring sessions draw on the same videos and exercises students are already using. It is one of the safest AI education tools for classrooms because Khan Academy built it with kid-safety guardrails from day one, and as a nonprofit, Khan Academy's business model relies on donations and subscriptions rather than student data.
⚡ Quick Verdict
K-12 students, parents, and U.S. teachers wanting a safe, pedagogically-sound AI tutor from Khan Academy
University-level students or learners outside the Khan Academy content universe
Free for U.S. teachers · $4/mo or $44/yr for learners and parents
Yes — free for all U.S. teachers, $4/mo for students/parents
Socratic tutoring that never gives direct answers, aligned with Khan Academy's 10,000+ lessons
Requires a Khan Academy account and focuses mainly on K-12 curriculum
Bottom line: Khanmigo scores 4.5/5 — Socratic tutoring that never gives direct answers, aligned with Khan Academy's 10,000+ lessons.
Pricing
Free (U.S. Teachers): Full access to all Khanmigo teacher tools — lesson planning, rubric generation, student progress summaries, writing coach, and classroom chat. Requires a verified U.S. teacher account.
Learners & Parents — $4/month or $44/year: Full student Khanmigo access including Socratic tutoring across math, science, humanities, and test prep. Parent subscriptions include up to 10 child accounts at no extra charge.
Districts: $4/user/month for learners and parents, with teacher tools free for eligible U.S. teachers. District partnerships include rostering, SSO, and admin dashboards.
Key Features
- Socratic AI tutor that guides rather than giving direct answers
- Writing coach for essays, outlines, and feedback
- Math tutor with step-by-step problem walkthroughs
- Teacher tools: lesson plans, rubrics, exit tickets, IEP assistance
- Student progress summaries and class insights for teachers
- Integration with Khan Academy's 10,000+ lessons and practice exercises
- Safe-by-design content filters for K-12 students
- Parent accounts with visibility into child learning sessions
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Pedagogically sound — uses Socratic questioning, not answer-dumping
- Free for all U.S. teachers, making classroom adoption frictionless
- Backed by Khan Academy's world-class curriculum
- Strong safety guardrails designed specifically for children
- Affordable $4/mo for students — cheaper than any competing AI tutor
Cons
- Content focused on K-12 — less useful for college or graduate learners
- Socratic method can frustrate students who want direct answers
- Only free for teachers in the United States at launch
FAQ
Is Khanmigo really free for teachers?
Yes — Khanmigo is completely free for all verified U.S. teachers thanks to Khan Academy's partnership with Microsoft. Teachers get full access to lesson planning, rubric generation, student progress summaries, writing coaches, and AI chat tools for classroom use. The free teacher tier has no time limit and no feature restrictions. Teachers outside the U.S. may need to wait for their region to be included in the free program.
How much does Khanmigo cost for students and parents?
Khanmigo costs $4 per month or $44 per year for individual learners and parents. Parent subscriptions are especially generous — one $44/year parent account unlocks Khanmigo for up to 10 child accounts at no extra charge. This makes Khanmigo one of the most affordable AI tutors on the market, especially for families with multiple school-age children who want a safe AI homework helper.
Does Khanmigo give direct answers to homework?
No, and that's by design. Khanmigo deliberately uses a Socratic teaching method — it asks guiding questions rather than providing answers. For example, if a student pastes in a math problem, Khanmigo will walk them through the solution step by step, asking what they think should happen next. Khan Academy's team built it this way to prevent students from using AI to cheat while still helping them learn effectively.
Is Khanmigo safe for children?
Yes, Khanmigo is one of the safest AI tools for K-12 use. Khan Academy built it with kid-focused safety guardrails from the start, including content filtering, behavior monitoring, and parent visibility options. Parent accounts can see what their child has been chatting about with Khanmigo. It is also free from ads, in-app purchases, and data harvesting — Khan Academy is a nonprofit, so the business model is donations and subscriptions, not student data.
What subjects does Khanmigo cover?
Khanmigo covers every subject Khan Academy teaches: elementary through high school math including AP Calculus and AP Statistics, science (biology, chemistry, physics, AP sciences), humanities (history, art history, reading and writing), economics, test prep (SAT, LSAT, MCAT, Praxis), and computing. It draws on Khan Academy's 10,000+ lessons and practice exercises for context.
How does Khanmigo compare to ChatGPT for homework?
Khanmigo is built specifically for education with kid-safety guardrails and a Socratic tutoring approach, while ChatGPT is a general-purpose assistant that will directly answer any question. For K-12 students, Khanmigo is safer and more pedagogically useful. For adult learners or university students, ChatGPT offers broader coverage and direct answers. Parents of K-12 kids should strongly prefer Khanmigo.
Can Khanmigo help with essay writing?
Yes, Khanmigo includes a writing coach that helps students with brainstorming, outlining, drafting, and revision without writing the essay for them. It asks guiding questions about thesis, evidence, and structure, and gives feedback on drafts that students submit. This approach preserves student voice and authorship while still providing meaningful help — a key differentiator from AI tools that just write the essay outright.
📋 Good to know
Create or sign in at khanmigo.ai. U.S. teachers verify their status to get free access; students/parents add a $4/month subscription.
COPPA compliant. No advertising or data selling. Parent accounts see child interactions. Built with kid-safety guardrails.
Students/parents pay $4/mo. Teachers in the U.S. never need to pay. Districts partner at $4/user/mo.
Low. The Socratic UI takes a few tries to get used to — students expecting direct answers may be frustrated at first.