Best Typing.com Alternatives in 2026 (Free Picks)
Typing.com's free edition shows ads and keeps data for 70 days. Seven free alternatives for lessons, speed drills and races, picked by age and goal for 2026.
TypingFastest Team
Typing speed & productivity experts • About us
In This Article
- 1. The Short Answer
- 2. What Typing.com Gives You
- 3. Free Edition vs PLUS
- 4. Why People Look Elsewhere
- 5. TypingClub, the Closest Match
- 6. Keybr, for Adults Who Want Speed
- 7. Monkeytype, for Testing Your WPM
- 8. Dance Mat Typing, for Young Children
- 9. Nitro Type, for Students Who Want to Race
- 10. TypingStudy, for Numbers and Languages
- 11. TypingFastest, for Races and Tests
- 12. The Alternatives Side by Side
- 13. Best Pick by Age
- 14. How Touch Typing Is Learned
- 15. Our Verdict
- 16. Frequently Asked Questions
The Short Answer
Quick answer: The closest Typing.com alternative is TypingClub, another free, lesson based course. Adults chasing speed do better on Keybr or Monkeytype. Young children can start on BBC Dance Mat Typing. Students who want competition should try Nitro Type or a typing race. All of these are free to start.
Details here are as of October 2026.
What Typing.com Gives You
Typing.com is a free typing course for students and teachers, run by Teaching.com.
Its home page describes grade based lessons, timed tests and typing games, from kindergarten through high school. Students progress at their own pace.
Teachers get classroom tools: timed tests, custom lessons and automatic reports.
There's more than typing, too. The site covers digital citizenship, computer applications and coding.
For a school, that's a lot for free. Many people still look for something else, and the reasons are usually the same few.
Free Edition vs PLUS
I read Typing.com's own PLUS plan comparison to see what the free edition leaves out.
| Feature | Free edition | PLUS edition |
|---|---|---|
| Ads | Yes | 100% ad free |
| Data retention | 70 days | Unlimited |
| Support | Email only | Priority phone and email |
| Extra units | No | AI literacy, test prep and more |
PLUS offers a 30 day free trial, and its price comes as a quote.
So the free edition works, but it shows ads and drops older data after 70 days. Those two lines explain most of the searches for alternatives.
Why People Look Elsewhere
The reasons usually fall into four groups.
Ads. The free edition shows them, and some parents and teachers don't want them in front of children.
Age. Typing.com is built around school grades. Adults can find the tone a little young.
Speed. Once you know the keys, lessons feel slow. You want raw practice and a WPM number.
Fun. Some students want to race real people, not finish another lesson.
Each of those points to a different alternative. The list below matches one to each need.
TypingClub, the Closest Match
TypingClub is the most similar site. It's a free, step by step course with short lessons, games and progress tracking.
It suits the same audience: students learning touch typing from scratch.
Like Typing.com, it has a school version for teachers.
If you liked Typing.com's structure but want a different look, start here. You'll recognize the format quickly.
We compared the two directly in our Typing.com vs TypingClub guide. It covers which one fits which kind of class.
Keybr, for Adults Who Want Speed
Keybr takes a different approach.
It doesn't use fixed lessons. It builds practice from letter combinations and adds new letters only as you get faster with the ones you know.
I opened its home page, and practice is the first thing it offers.
That makes it a good fit for adults who already know roughly where the keys are and want to build real speed.
It's less playful than Typing.com. There are no games or characters, just focused drills that adapt to your weak letters.
Monkeytype, for Testing Your WPM
Monkeytype is a minimal typing test that many fast typists use every day.
You pick a test by time or word count, then type. It shows your WPM and accuracy at the end.
It's open source, highly customizable, and has dozens of themes.
It doesn't teach you which finger goes where. So it's a follow up to a course, not a replacement for one.
If you've finished Typing.com's lessons and want to push your speed, Monkeytype is a natural next step.
Dance Mat Typing, for Young Children
BBC Bitesize's Dance Mat Typing is a free, cartoon style course for younger children.
It teaches the home row first, then adds rows step by step, with animated characters and songs.
There's no account to create, and it's made by the BBC rather than an ad funded site.
For a young child, it's gentler than a grade based course.
Once a child finishes it, they can move on to TypingClub or Typing.com. Our list of typing games for kids has more options at that age.
Nitro Type, for Students Who Want to Race
Nitro Type turns typing into a car race. Each word you type moves your car forward against other players.
Its page title calls it a competitive typing game where you can race your friends.
It's popular with students, because the race gives them a reason to practice.
It doesn't teach technique, though. A student who hunts and pecks can still race.
Use it as a reward after lessons, not instead of them. Racing builds speed best when the fingers already know their keys.
TypingStudy, for Numbers and Languages
TypingStudy is a free lesson site with a wide range of keyboard layouts and languages.
It includes drills for the number row and the numeric keypad, which many courses skip.
The design is plain and older, but the lessons are clear.
It suits adults who need data entry skills or want to learn typing in another language.
It also suits anyone who finds bright, game style sites distracting. Some learners prefer a quiet screen and simple drills.
TypingFastest, for Races and Tests
This is our site, so take this section with that in mind.
TypingFastest offers a free typing test, practice texts, and live races against other people. There's no lesson course like Typing.com's.
It fits the stage after lessons: you know the keys and want to measure and push your speed.
You can try a live typing race to see how it feels.
If you'd rather train alone, the practice mode lets you repeat texts until your speed and accuracy settle.
The Alternatives Side by Side
I compared each option against the four reasons people leave Typing.com.
| Site | Best for | Teaches technique | Racing |
|---|---|---|---|
| TypingClub | Students, schools | Yes | No |
| Keybr | Adults building speed | Partly | No |
| Monkeytype | Testing WPM | No | No |
| Dance Mat Typing | Young children | Yes | No |
| Nitro Type | Students who like games | No | Yes |
| TypingStudy | Numbers, other languages | Yes | No |
| TypingFastest | Tests and races | No | Yes |
Only a few of these teach technique. The rest assume you already know the home row.
Best Pick by Age
Age is the quickest way to choose.
Under 8. Dance Mat Typing. Short, playful and free.
8 to 13. TypingClub or Typing.com for lessons, with Nitro Type as a reward.
Teens. Finish a course, then move to Monkeytype or races to build speed.
Adults. Keybr if you're still learning the keys, Monkeytype or races if you know them.
These are starting points. A strong young typist can jump ahead, and a nervous adult can start with a gentler course.
How Touch Typing Is Learned
Every course on this list teaches the same core skill: touch typing.
According to Wikipedia's touch typing entry, it means typing without looking at the keys, using muscle memory and the home row as a base.
That's why courses start with ASDF and JKL;. Your fingers return there after every key.
Speed comes after accuracy. If you rush before your fingers know the keys, errors pile up.
So pick one course, finish it, and only then chase speed.
Our Verdict
If you want Typing.com without its ads or its grade school feel, pick by goal.
For a full course, TypingClub. For speed drills, Keybr. For quick WPM tests, Monkeytype. For young children, Dance Mat Typing. For fun, Nitro Type or a live race.
You don't need to choose just one. Many people learn on a course, then switch to tests and races to keep improving.
Our practice mode works well for that second stage, once the keys feel natural.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Typing.com free?
Yes. Typing.com has a free edition with grade based lessons, tests and games. It shows ads and keeps data for 70 days. The paid PLUS edition is ad free, keeps data without limit and adds extra units.
What is the best free alternative to Typing.com?
TypingClub is the closest match, with a free step by step course. Adults who want speed should try Keybr or Monkeytype. Young children do well with BBC Dance Mat Typing.
Is TypingClub better than Typing.com?
Neither is clearly better. Both are free, lesson based courses with school versions. The choice usually comes down to which interface your students prefer and which teacher tools you need.
Which Typing.com alternative is best for adults?
Keybr suits adults still learning the keys, because it adapts to weak letters. Monkeytype suits adults who know the keys and want to test and raise their WPM with short, timed tests. Our Keybr alternatives list covers more speed trainers.
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