Best Ratatype Alternatives in 2026

The Short Answer

I checked archived copies of Ratatype's pages and read each alternative's official pages on 31 October 2026.

Below, you'll see what Ratatype charges, why people switch, and which site fits which learner.

What I Checked

Ratatype's site answered my page reader with a security check. So I read its pages through the Internet Archive instead, and each claim here rests on one of these sources.

1. 1Archived copies of Ratatype's home page, from 7 October 2026.
2. 2An archived copy of its Plus page, from 10 September 2026, for prices.
3. 3Wikipedia's Ratatype page, for its history and features.
4. 4Official home pages of TypingClub and Typing.com, plus Typing.com's plan table.
5. 5GitHub code pages for Keybr and Monkeytype.

Prices can change after an archive date. Check Ratatype's own site before you pay for anything.

What Ratatype Gives You Free

Ratatype started in 2013, built by Reactor, a company in Dnipro, Ukraine. Wikipedia says every feature was free at first, and ads paid the bills.

The free side still covers a lot.

1. 1A typing tutor with courses in English, Spanish, French, Polish and even Ukrainian.
2. 2Layouts such as QWERTY, AZERTY, QWERTZ and Dvorak.
3. 3Timed tests in ten languages, lasting one, two or five minutes.
4. 4Games, including Ratashooter and Ratarace, plus a game mode where you earn coins and buy heroes.
5. 5Classroom tools with Google Classroom sync, which the home page calls absolutely free for teachers.

The home page also links a keyboard tester and a word counter. If the games are what kept you there, our list of typing games for adults has more to try.

What Ratatype Plus Costs

Paid features arrived in 2024, Wikipedia says. Today they sit in one plan, Ratatype Plus.

The Plus page lists two prices: $9.99 a month, or $49.99 a year. The yearly plan works out to $4.17 a month. Twelve months on the monthly plan come to $119.88, so the yearly plan saves about $70. Both renew on their own until you cancel.

Here's what Plus adds:

1. 1Unlimited exercises.
2. 2No ads.
3. 3Certificates for your speed tests.
4. 4Dark mode, plus an extra hero called Dino.
5. 5Faster page loads, by Ratatype's own account.

There's also a separate Ratatype Plus for Classes plan for teachers. Its price wasn't on the pages I could read.

Why People Look Elsewhere

Three things push learners toward other sites.

First, the free plan has limits. Plus sells unlimited exercises, so the free plan caps them. The Plus page doesn't say where that cap sits.

Second, certificates now cost money. Wikipedia lists them among the paid features added in 2024, while some rivals still give them away.

Third, depth. Wikipedia notes that Ratatype's practice material has been described as lacking depth for advanced learners. It also supports fewer languages than some rival trainers.

None of this makes Ratatype a bad tutor. It just means you can often get the same thing for nothing.

TypingClub, the Closest Match

TypingClub works the most like Ratatype. It's a step by step course in the browser, and you repeat each lesson until you earn all five stars.

Its home page says it's free for both individuals and schools. An optional paid school edition exists for teachers who want more. The site belongs to edclub and claims more than 23 million students and 50,000 schools and districts.

Its language menu runs from Spanish and German to Japanese and Korean. It also lists Dvorak and one hand typing courses.

If you liked Ratatype's lessons but not its limits, start here. Our Typing.com vs TypingClub comparison sets the two biggest free tutors side by side.

Typing.com, for Free Certificates

Typing.com is the pick if a certificate is why you used Ratatype. Its blog describes the process: take a free timed test, then press the print certificate button.

The certificate Typing.com describes shows your name, WPM, accuracy and test date. A link at the bottom lets an employer check the result. That post is a few years old, so the button may sit somewhere else on the current site.

The free edition carries ads and keeps class data for 70 days. Its paid PLUS edition, sold to schools by quote, removes ads and adds units such as digital citizenship and AI literacy. Teachers can try PLUS free for 30 days.

Keybr, for Fixing Weak Keys

Keybr takes a different road. It doesn't follow a fixed course. Instead, it tracks every keystroke and builds each lesson around your weakest keys, according to its public code page.

You start with a few of the most common letters. New letters join once you hit your target speed with the ones you have, and it can even predict how many lessons you need to get there.

Keybr's code is open source, under the AGPL 3.0 license. Its profile page shows graphs of your progress over time.

It suits adults who already know the keys a little and want to fix slow ones. Our Keybr vs Monkeytype guide compares it with the most popular test site.

Monkeytype, for Testing Your Speed

Monkeytype is a test, not a tutor. Its GitHub page calls it the most customizable typing website, with a minimal design and many test modes. It also tracks your progress across tests.

Its code is open source under the GPL 3.0 license. The project had 20,966 stars on GitHub when I looked, and its English 60 second leaderboard held 530,054 results on 31 October.

So use Monkeytype for the job Ratatype's speed test did. Don't expect lessons that show you where each finger goes, because that's not what it's built for.

Dance Mat Typing, for Young Children

For young children, the BBC's Dance Mat Typing is a common pick. BBC Bitesize lists it as a KS2 computing game, the stage that covers ages 7 to 11 in England.

Children start with the home keys. Once they've mastered the home row, they move on to the keys on the top and bottom rows. The BBC calls it a fun introduction to touch typing for kids.

It's simpler than Ratatype, with no plans to buy. For a younger child, that's often a plus, not a gap.

TypingFastest, for Races and Practice

We make TypingFastest, so weigh this entry with that in mind. It's here because it covers two things people use Ratatype for: a speed test and races.

Our practice page shows your speed and accuracy as you type. When you want some pressure, a live typing race puts you against other players in real time.

It has no step by step lesson course like Ratatype or TypingClub. Use it to test and race once you know where the keys are.

The Alternatives Side by Side

Here's how the main picks compare with Ratatype.

1. 1Ratatype: lessons, tests and games, with Plus at $9.99 a month or $49.99 a year.
2. 2TypingClub: a full course, free for individuals and schools.
3. 3Typing.com: lessons, tests and printable certificates, free with ads.
4. 4Keybr: adaptive lessons built around your weakest keys, open source.
5. 5Monkeytype: a customizable speed test, open source, with no lessons.
6. 6Dance Mat Typing: a BBC game for children aged 7 to 11.

Each one does a different part of what Ratatype tries to do in one place.

Which One to Pick

Match the site to the job Ratatype did for you.

1. 1Want a full course with no fee? Go with TypingClub.
2. 2Need a certificate for a job application? Try Typing.com, and check what the employer accepts first.
3. 3Know the keys but stuck on a few slow ones? Keybr targets them.
4. 4Only care about your speed? Monkeytype tests it in seconds.
5. 5Teaching a child aged 7 to 11? Begin with Dance Mat Typing.

If you'd still like Ratatype's games and classroom tools, its free plan keeps them. Plus pays off only if the free limits get in your way.