Khanmigo will not hand your kid the answer. ChatGPT will not either in study mode, and a linked parent can now set new chats to start in it. But that only decides how a new chat starts: Projects and GPTs skip it, and OpenAI says study mode still gives a direct answer now and then.
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Pick Khanmigo if the learner is a kid already working through Khan Academy, and you want the tutoring pinned to the exercise on screen instead of the open internet.
Pick ChatGPT if the learner is an adult or an older student who wants help with anything, including subjects, languages and coursework Khan Academy never covered.
Pick neither if nobody is checking whether the homework actually got done, because both of these sit there waiting to be opened and a kid who is avoiding the work does not open things.
prices checked 2026-10-13 · by dan scutaru
| Khanmigo | ChatGPT | |
|---|---|---|
| price | free tier · from $4/mo | free tier · from $8/mo |
| free tier | Khanmigo for Teachers is free for educators 18+ in 44+ countries, and Khan Academy's own content library stays free, but learner access is paid. | Unlimited text chats with GPT-6 Luna (subject to abuse guardrails), with limited uploads, image generation, voice, deep research, memory and Codex access. |
| runs on | web | web, ios, android, mac, windows |
| Hands over the answer | No, by design. Khan Academy also keeps it off quizzes, unit tests and mastery challenges | Yes, unless study mode is on, and OpenAI says study mode sometimes does too |
| Can a parent read the chats | Yes. Full transcripts in the parent dashboard, and an email when a chat is flagged | No. A linked parent manages settings and gets safety notifications in limited cases, never the conversation |
| Who can sign up | An account holder 18+ in the US with a US billing address, adding up to 10 kids under 18 | Anyone 13+; under 18 needs a parent's or guardian's permission |
| Photo of the homework | In the Tutor Me activity, for maths and science, in a browser only | In any chat, on web and the apps, within the plan's upload limits |
| Voice | Dictate with the mic button, and it reads its replies aloud | Voice Mode for spoken conversation, limited on Free; a linked parent can switch it off |
| Free teacher version | Khanmigo for Teachers, 44+ countries | ChatGPT for Teachers, verified US K-12 educators, through June 2028 |
ChatGPT study mode asks questions and checks what you understood instead of handing over the answer, which is what Khanmigo does all the time. It works on every ChatGPT plan, Free included, on web, iOS and Android, with any model. You turn it on by typing @study in the message box, picking Study from the + menu in the apps, or opening chatgpt.com/studymode.
The difference is the default. Khanmigo is always the tutor. In ChatGPT, study mode is on only in a chat where it was selected, it is not offered in Temporary Chats, GPTs or Projects, and OpenAI's own help page says it sometimes gives a direct answer anyway. On the web, turning it off is a single Backspace.
For a parent this is the biggest difference between the two. Khanmigo shows you everything: the parent dashboard holds the full transcript of every chat your child had with it, and when its moderation flags a message or an image, you get an email.
ChatGPT's parental controls never show you the conversation. Once your teen's account is linked to yours, you can switch off voice and image generation, make new chats start in study mode, schedule study hours, and set quiet hours when ChatGPT cannot be used at all. You hear about a chat only in limited cases, such as a serious self-harm concern that trained reviewers have checked. Either of you can unlink, and you are told if your teen does.
For maths practised on Khan Academy, Khanmigo, because it sees the exercise your kid is on, and Khan Academy keeps it off quizzes, unit tests and mastery challenges. It reads a photo of handwritten work in its Tutor Me activity, in a browser but not in the Khan Academy app.
The best evidence is modest. A two-year randomized trial in 18 Tennessee middle schools, published by NBER in August 2026, found Khanmigo raised maths scores by 1.3 national percentile ranks per term, about what Khan Academy practice does without AI. Students messaged it in only 17% of sessions where they got something wrong. We found no comparable trial of ChatGPT study mode.
Both are free, for different teachers. Khanmigo for Teachers is free for educators 18 and over in 44+ countries, and builds lesson plans, rubrics, quiz questions and exit tickets tied to Khan Academy's library. What you cannot do is give your students Khanmigo: classroom access needs a school or district partnership.
ChatGPT for Teachers is free for verified US K-12 educators through June 2028, in a workspace OpenAI says is not used to train its models by default and is built to help schools meet FERPA requirements. It connects to Google Drive, Microsoft 365 and Canva. Outside the US, Khanmigo's is the one you can get free.
Not for learners. Parents pay $4 a month or $44 a year, must be 18 or older with a US billing address, and one subscription covers up to 10 children. Teachers in 44+ countries get Khanmigo for Teachers free, and Khan Academy's lessons and exercises stay free for everyone.
The Free plan needs no student status, and study mode works on it. Free runs GPT-6 Luna, with limits on uploads, voice and memory, and it may show ads.
13, under OpenAI's terms, and anyone under 18 needs a parent's or guardian's permission. Linking a teen's account to a parent's adds safeguards against graphic content, viral challenges and sexual or violent roleplay. Khanmigo only lets under-18s in through a parent's paid account or a partnered school.
Not a separate one. The Khan Academy app for iOS and Android has Khanmigo Activities, but not the chat box, the parent tools or photo upload, so for the full tutor Khan Academy points you to the mobile browser. ChatGPT has full apps on iOS, Android, Mac and Windows.