Hopster vs TED-Ed

Hopster is an ad-free app for preschool children, combining learning shows, games, books, and songs in a child-navigable tropical island setting. Its apps are designed for ages 2–6, and the content aims to support literacy, numeracy, social-emotional learning, and creativity. Children can download favourites for travel, including shows, games, and songs. Video viewing is paced through limited autoplays, alternating videos with a book or game, and a suggestion to try another activity after three episodes in a row. Parents can receive a monthly report on what children watch, read, and play. Hopster also offers exclusive Hopster Originals. It runs on Android, iOS, and the web, and offers a seven-day free trial but no free plan. Subscription prices vary by selected plan and region, and subscriptions renew automatically unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the period ends. Hopster says its apps comply with COPPA. Its privacy policy says payment providers process financial data, which Hopster apps do not collect, store, or access. The company trades as Plato Media Limited and has offices in London, UK.

TED-Ed is TED’s youth and education initiative, with a web library of video-based lessons arranged by subject and age. Educators can create lessons around TED-Ed Animations, TED Talks, or YouTube videos, adding multiple-choice or open-ended questions, resources, and guided or open discussion forums. Lesson creators can monitor student progress and view answers. Published lessons receive unique URLs, but are not shown in TED-Ed site search or indexed by search engines. Users can organize lessons into themed collections, and TED-Ed Explorations are interactive experiences created with other organizations. The Student Talks program offers customizable activities for educators working with students ages 6–18; approved educators receive access to its virtual learning platform for 12 months and must reapply to renew. Students must be at least 13 to create accounts. Lessons can be accessed offline through partner offerings Endless Key and Kolibri. YouTube videos selected for custom lessons have not been filtered or vetted by TED-Ed, so unfamiliar videos should be reviewed. The service is free on the web.