Cambly Kids vs Novakid 2026: Best English Classes for Kids?

Side-by-Side Comparison Table

The short version first. Full details follow below.

Pricing Compared

Both services are subscription-style, but the monthly cost differs a lot. Cambly Kids is the budget option. Novakid costs more per month, and in return you get a certified teacher who follows a set curriculum.

Cambly Kids pricing

Cambly Kids has three subscription tiers: Basic at $20 per month for 2 sessions per week, Standard at $30 per month for 3 sessions per week, and Premium at $42 per month for 5 sessions per week. Annual plans bring the price down to $16, $24, and $34 per month, roughly 20% savings. Every plan includes a free trial that is typically 30 minutes, and you can cancel anytime. Each session is 30 minutes long. See the Cambly Kids website for current plans and prices.

Novakid pricing

Novakid sells lesson packs by the month. The Starter plan is 8 lessons per month at about $15 per lesson, which works out to about $120 per month. The Standard plan is 12 lessons at about $12.50 per lesson, about $150 per month. The Premium plan is 16 lessons at about $10.50 per lesson, about $168 per month. Novakid also offers a free trial lesson so you can test the platform first. Visit the Novakid website for current plans and prices.

The price difference is real: a family on Cambly Kids Standard pays $30 per month for 3 sessions a week, while a family on Novakid Starter pays about $120 per month for 8 lessons. Cambly Kids is clearly cheaper. Novakid argues the extra cost buys certified teachers, a structured path, and the ability to choose who teaches your child. For parents, the question is what matters more: cost per month or consistency per lesson.

Teacher Quality Compared

Cambly Kids uses native English speakers from countries like the US, UK, Canada, Australia, and South Africa. Teachers pass a screening process with English testing, background checks, and teaching training, and low-rated teachers are removed. However, Cambly Kids does not require formal teaching qualifications such as TEFL or CELTA, so the experience depends on the individual teacher. On the Basic and Standard plans you get whoever is available at that moment.

Novakid requires every teacher to have a university degree, a teaching certification such as TEFL, TESOL, or CELTA, and at least one year of experience teaching children. Only about 5% of applicants are accepted, and teachers get ongoing training in child psychology and classroom management. You also choose your teacher and book time slots in advance. For parents who want a known, certified adult in front of their child every week, Novakid is the clear winner here.

This is the single biggest difference between the two platforms, and it matches the reviews: our Cambly Kids review flags variable teacher quality as the main weakness, while our Novakid review calls rigorous hiring a key differentiator. For a wider look at the market, see our guide to the best online English tutors for kids.

Flexibility Compared

Cambly Kids is built for flexibility. On the Basic and Standard plans there is no scheduling at all: your child taps call now and gets an available native-speaking teacher instantly. That makes it easy to fit a 30-minute session into a busy afternoon, and unused sessions roll over within your weekly limit. The trade-off is that you cannot choose the teacher on those plans, and you cannot pick your own time slot the way you can with a booked lesson.

Novakid requires advance booking. You choose preferred teachers and pick available time slots through the website or mobile app, and the lesson platform runs in a web browser with no software to install. The structure is less spontaneous, but it gives parents control: the same teacher, the same time, a consistent routine. Children who do well with routine usually do better with Novakid's approach.

There is also a place for self-paced apps in a child's week. If you want free or low-cost practice between live lessons, our list of free English resources for kids covers worksheets, games, and videos, and our Lingokids review covers a popular play-based app for ages 2 to 8.

Who Wins for Your Goal

Budget families: Cambly Kids wins. Standard costs $30 per month for three 30-minute sessions a week, and the annual plan brings it down to $24 per month. That is hard to beat for regular native-speaker conversation.

Structured progress: Novakid wins. A certified teacher, a CEFR-aligned path from Pre-A1 to B1, and more than 700 interactive lessons give parents a clear sense of where the child is going.

Shy or reluctant speakers: Cambly Kids wins. Short, low-pressure conversation with a friendly native speaker, with no booking friction, is the fastest way to build speaking confidence.

Teacher consistency: Novakid wins clearly. You choose the teacher and keep them. On Cambly Kids, only the Premium plan lets you pick, and even then the pool is smaller than a marketplace.

Families who want options: if neither platform fits, tutor marketplaces like italki and Preply let parents find tutors who specialize in young learners. For app-based learning versus live classes, see our Lingokids vs Novakid comparison. You can browse every comparison on the site from our comparisons index.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Cambly Kids or Novakid better for kids?

Novakid wins for structure and teacher quality: every teacher holds a university degree, a teaching certification, and at least one year of experience with children, and the platform scores 9.0/10 in our review. Cambly Kids wins for flexible, budget-friendly conversation practice with native speakers, scoring 4.1/5. If you want a consistent certified teacher and a clear CEFR path, choose Novakid. If you want short, low-pressure speaking sessions you can start anytime, choose Cambly Kids.

How much do Cambly Kids and Novakid cost?

Cambly Kids is a subscription: Basic is $20 per month, Standard is $30 per month, and Premium is $42 per month, with annual plans from $16 to $34 per month. Novakid sells lesson packs: Starter is 8 lessons per month at about $15 per lesson (about $120 per month), Standard is 12 lessons at about $12.50 (about $150 per month), and Premium is 16 lessons at about $10.50 (about $168 per month). Novakid is more expensive per month, but each lesson is with a certified teacher you choose.

Are Cambly Kids and Novakid teachers qualified?

Novakid requires all teachers to have a university degree, a teaching certification such as TEFL, TESOL, or CELTA, and at least one year of teaching experience with children. Only about 5% of applicants are accepted. Cambly Kids does not require formal teaching qualifications, so quality varies between teachers. Both platforms use native-level English speakers from countries like the US, UK, Canada, and Australia.

Can my child pick their teacher on Cambly Kids and Novakid?

Novakid lets you choose preferred teachers and book time slots in advance. Cambly Kids only lets you pick your teacher on the Premium plan. On the Basic and Standard plans you use the call-now system, which matches you with an available teacher instantly. If a consistent teacher matters to your child, Novakid, or the Cambly Kids Premium plan, is the safer choice.

What age groups do Cambly Kids and Novakid serve?

Both platforms teach children aged 4 to 12. Cambly Kids lessons last 30 minutes and focus on speaking confidence through conversation. Novakid lessons last 25 minutes and follow a structured CEFR-aligned curriculum from Pre-A1 to B1, with more than 700 interactive lessons. The shorter Novakid lesson is designed to match a young child's attention span.

Do Cambly Kids and Novakid offer free trials?

Yes, both do. Cambly Kids offers a free trial that is typically 30 minutes, and Novakid offers a free trial lesson so you can evaluate the platform before paying. A trial is the best way to see which teaching style your child responds to, because the two platforms feel very different in the classroom.

Affiliate disclosure: LearnEnglish.Life may earn a commission when you sign up through links on this page, including italki and Preply. This does not affect our ratings or the price you pay. Cambly Kids and Novakid links on this page are not affiliate links. We only recommend platforms we have reviewed honestly.