Prodigy Math vs Epic books

Prodigy Math and Epic books do different jobs, so the choice is about which subject your child needs. Prodigy is a free to play fantasy game for grades 1 to 8, where children answer adaptive math questions inside battles, quests, and pet adventures. Epic is a digital reading library for children ages 12 and under, with over 40,000 books, audiobooks, and learning videos, free for teachers during school hours and available at home through a family subscription. If your child needs math practice, Prodigy is the pick. If your child needs more books to read, Epic is the pick. Many families use both, Prodigy for daily math and Epic for daily reading.

What each one is

Prodigy Math is a role playing game. Children play as a wizard, explore a fantasy world, and answer math questions to win battles and earn pets and gear. The questions adapt to the child level and cover the full math curriculum, from counting and place value to fractions and algebra basics. A teacher or parent can set which topics appear, and the reports show which topics each child has mastered.

Epic is a digital library, not a game. Children browse thousands of books, read them on screen, listen to audiobooks, or watch learning videos, with read to me books for younger readers and chapter books and graphic novels for older ones. The library is curated for children, and parents can follow reading activity and create up to four child profiles on one family account. Epic also has a separate English game, and the difference between the two Prodigy games is covered in What is Prodigy English.

What they actually teach

Epic teaches reading by giving children a huge library to read from. A child who reads every day builds vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension, and Epic makes that easy by putting 40,000 books in one place, with recommendations based on the child reading level and interests. Prodigy teaches math by giving children a huge number of questions to answer, with the difficulty adapting as they play. The two skills are both essential, and a child who reads well but cannot do math, or does math well but never reads, is missing half of school. The honest answer is that most children need both a math tool and a reading tool, and these two are the popular picks for each side. Another comparison with a learning app that covers both reading and math is Prodigy Math vs ABCmouse.

Ages and who it suits

Epic covers ages 12 and under, from picture books for ages 2 to 4 up to graphic novels and longer audiobooks for ages 9 to 12. Prodigy covers grades 1 to 8, about ages 6 to 14. The overlap is the elementary years, ages 6 to 12, when a child can use both in the same day: Prodigy after school for math, Epic before bed for reading. A child under 6 will get more from Epic, because Prodigy starts at grade 1. A child over 12 will get more from Prodigy, because Epic tops out at age 12, while Prodigy runs through grade 8. For a 7 to 11 year old, both fit, and the choice is about the subject, not the age.

Cost compared

Cost is the clearest difference. Prodigy is free to play, and a family can use it for years without paying anything. Epic is free at school during school hours, but home access needs a family subscription, about $13.99 a month or $84.99 a year. A family that already pays for Epic will not mind the cost, because it replaces buying books. A family that only needs math practice can use Prodigy for free and borrow books from the library instead of paying for Epic. Prices change, so check the current Epic plans page before subscribing.

In the classroom

Both tools work in the classroom, in different ways. Prodigy gives teachers a free dashboard, assignments by math topic, and reports on which students have mastered which topics. Epic gives teachers a free school plan, with a library of about 20,000 books and videos during school hours on weekdays, plus tools to assign books, build collections, and follow reading. A teacher can run Prodigy as a math station and Epic as a reading station, and both are free during the school day. Schools that want Epic at home need the Plus plan, while Prodigy stays free at home too. The wider comparison with other math games is in Prodigy Math vs other math games.

At home

At home, Epic is the reading habit and Prodigy is the math habit. A child who reads on Epic every evening will read more books than a child who only reads at school, because the library is always there, and the read to me and audiobook options help younger readers. A child who plays Prodigy every afternoon will answer far more math questions than a child who only does homework, because the game hides the practice inside battles. The two habits fit together: math first, when the child is fresh, then reading, when the child is winding down. Parents can follow both, Prodigy reports for math and Epic activity for reading, and see the full picture of the child schoolwork.

Which one should you pick

Pick Epic if your child needs more books, loves reading, or reads below their grade level and needs daily reading time with a library that matches their level. Pick Prodigy if your child needs math practice, avoids math homework, or needs a lot of reps to master a topic. Pick both if your child needs both, which is most children in grades 1 to 6: a math game for practice and a book library for reading. If the budget only stretches to one paid tool, pick Prodigy, because it is free, and use the school or public library for books until Epic fits the budget.

Frequently asked questions

Related guides

• What is Prodigy English
• Prodigy Math vs ABCmouse
• Prodigy Math vs other math games

This site is an independent guide. It is not the official Prodigy site, and it is not affiliated with Prodigy Education.