Monkeytype vs Typing.com: Which Suits Students?

The Short Answer

So the real answer is often both, in order. Learn on Typing.com, then test on Monkeytype.

The sections below show what each site offers, as of October 2026, and how to decide for one student or a whole class.

They Solve Different Problems

This comparison is a bit like comparing a driving school with a speedometer.

Typing.com is a course. Its home page describes a K to 12 typing curriculum with touch typing lessons, digital citizenship, coding lessons and games.

Monkeytype is a measuring tool. Its own description calls it a minimalistic and customizable typing test, with many test modes and an account that saves your speed history.

A student who still looks at the keys needs the course. A student who already types without looking needs the measuring tool.

I opened both home pages on October 3, and the gap showed on the first screen. Typing.com greeted me with student and teacher sign ups. Monkeytype dropped me straight into a test.

Most confusion about "which is better" comes from mixing those two jobs.

What Typing.com Gives Students

Typing.com is built around a path. Students move through lessons in order, each one adding keys and skills.

The free edition includes grade based lessons, tests and games. That's enough for a student to learn touch typing from the home row up.

The site also covers more than typing. Lessons on online safety and coding sit next to the keyboard practice.

It comes in US English, UK English, Spanish and Portuguese.

For a beginner, that structure matters most. Nobody has to decide what to practice next. The next lesson is always waiting.

What Monkeytype Gives Students

Monkeytype gives a clean screen, a timer and a lot of control.

The project's GitHub page lists the core pieces. There are many test modes, an account system to save speed history, and settings for themes, sounds and the caret.

I read through its practice settings too. You can tell it to bring back words you missed, or words you typed slower than the rest.

That's useful for a student chasing a higher number.

But there are no lessons. If a student doesn't know where their fingers go, Monkeytype won't show them. It'll just record the slow result.

Teacher Tools

This is where the two sites are furthest apart.

I checked Typing.com's PLUS page on October 3, 2026. The free edition gives teachers classroom level settings, 70 days of data and email support.

The paid PLUS edition adds a lot more:

1. 1It's 100% ad free.
2. 2Teachers can assign lessons, tests and games to a class or one student.
3. 3Grading runs automatically, with thresholds the teacher sets.
4. 4Assignments can sync with Google Classroom.
5. 5Student data is kept without a time limit.

Monkeytype has no classroom features. It's built for individual typists.

What PLUS Costs

Typing.com doesn't list one public price for PLUS.

The PLUS page offers a free 30 day trial and a button to generate a price quote. It also offers a demo for schools.

That's normal for school software. Prices usually depend on how many students and teachers a school has.

For a single student at home, the free edition is enough. The paid features are mostly for teachers who manage a class.

Monkeytype is free to use. Its code is open source, published on GitHub, so anyone can read how it works.

Side by Side

Here's the comparison for a student:

The table shows why they rarely compete. They sit at two different stages of the same skill.

Which Is More Appropriate for School?

For a classroom, Typing.com.

It's designed for that setting. Teachers can see progress, assign work and keep everyone on the same path. Students get lessons that match their grade.

Monkeytype makes sense in school only for one job. It's a quick, clean speed check for students who already type well.

It also lacks the controls a teacher expects. There's no class list, no assignments and no grade book.

If a school wants one site, pick Typing.com. If an older class already types well, Monkeytype works as a weekly speed check alongside it.

Which Is Better at Home?

At home, it depends on the student's level.

A younger student, or anyone who still hunts for keys, should start on Typing.com. The lessons give a clear path, and the games keep it fun.

A teen who already touch types will probably enjoy Monkeytype more. The clean screen and saved history make it easy to track progress.

If I were setting this up for a younger student, I'd start with lessons and hold the speed tests back for a few weeks.

Parents can check which stage a child is at with one simple test. Can they type a sentence without looking at the keyboard?

If not, start with lessons. Our guide on hunt and peck vs touch typing explains why that switch matters early.

How Fast Should a Student Type?

Both sites will give a speed number. Knowing what's normal helps students set fair goals.

Speed grows with age and practice, so a younger student shouldn't compare their number with an older sibling's.

Accuracy matters too. A student who rushes and makes many mistakes learns bad habits that take months to fix.

Our guide to how fast students should type breaks down typical speeds by grade.

Use those as rough guides, not as pass or fail lines. Steady progress over a school year is what counts.

Mistakes to Avoid

Three mistakes come up again and again with students.

The first is chasing speed too early. A student on Monkeytype who never learned the home row will hit a ceiling fast.

The second is skipping lessons because they feel slow. Early lessons on any course feel slow. They build the finger habits everything else depends on.

The third is testing too often. Daily scores swing up and down, which hides the real trend. Once a week is enough to see real change.

Fix those, and either site will do its job well.

A Simple Plan for One Term

Here's a plan that uses both sites for what they're good at:

1. 1Weeks 1 to 6: Typing.com lessons only, 15 minutes a day.
2. 2Weeks 7 to 10: keep the lessons, and add one Monkeytype test a week.
3. 3Weeks 11 and after: practice on any site the student enjoys, test weekly.

Write down each weekly result. A list of numbers on paper shows progress better than any single score.

For students who like a challenge, a race with friends adds a bit of fun. You can practice on TypingFastest solo first, then invite a friend.

The Bottom Line

Typing.com teaches. Monkeytype measures.

If you need one site for a class, choose Typing.com. It has the lessons, the teacher tools and a free edition that covers the basics.

If a student already touch types, add Monkeytype for speed tests. It's free, clean and keeps a history.

And if a student outgrows both, our keybr vs Monkeytype comparison shows another way to train weak keys.

We think the best site is simply the one the student opens without being asked.