If you're preparing a child for the 11+, Atom Learning is hard to miss. It's one of the best-known names in UK entrance exam preparation and says it is trusted by more than 350,000 families. Cognithix is a much smaller and quite different product: an iPhone and iPad app that keeps everything on the device and is paid for once. Both can help a child prepare well. They make different trade-offs, and those trade-offs matter more than any feature list.
Full disclosure: we make Cognithix. We've tried hard to be fair to Atom Learning, and everything we say about it comes from its own website and App Store listing as they stood in September 2026. Prices and plans change, so check both before you decide. For a wider look at books, apps and tutors, see our 11+ preparation guide for 2026.
Atom Learning is an online learning platform for children aged 7 to 16. It began in the browser and, since August 2026, also has an iPhone and iPad app for families with an Atom account. Here's what it offers:
It's a polished, well-established service, and its breadth is a genuine strength. One subscription can take a child from primary practice through the 11+ and on to GCSE revision.
Cognithix is an iPhone and iPad app for children aged 9 to 11 who are preparing for the 11+. Here's what it offers:
It's a newer and smaller product than Atom with a narrower job: short daily English and reasoning practice on a phone or tablet, with as little admin for parents as possible.
| Atom Learning | Cognithix | |
|---|---|---|
| Subjects | English, maths, science, VR, NVR | English, VR, NVR, language aptitude |
| Maths | Yes | No |
| Ages | 7 to 16 | 9 to 11 |
| Devices | Web browser, iPhone and iPad | iPhone and iPad |
| Account | Required | None |
| Progress stored | In your Atom account, synced across devices | Only on the device, not synced |
| Mock tests | Unlimited on Exam Prep Plus | Full papers, half papers and speed rounds |
| Price | £39.99 to £69.99 a month | £9.99 once, after a 7-day free trial |
The subject row is the one to read first. Most grammar school tests include maths, and Atom covers it while Cognithix does not. If maths is on your child's paper, Cognithix can only ever be part of the answer.
Maths and science. Atom covers maths alongside English and reasoning, so a single subscription can handle a typical four-subject 11+. With Cognithix you'll need workbooks or another tool for maths.
Computers and syncing. Atom works in a browser on Windows laptops, Chromebooks and Android tablets as well as on Apple devices, and progress follows your child from one to another. Cognithix runs only on iPhone and iPad, and each device keeps its own progress.
Breadth beyond the 11+. Atom also prepares children for ISEB Common Pre-Tests, CAT4 and independent school exams, and later for GCSEs. If you want one service for several years and several exams, that continuity is valuable.
Scale and track record. A large user base means plenty of parent reviews and forum discussion to learn from before you commit, which a newer app simply hasn't had time to build.
Cost over a long preparation. Many families prepare for 12 to 18 months. Cognithix costs the same whether your child uses it for a month or two years, and one unlock covers every child profile on the device.
No account and no data leaving the device. There's no email or password to set up. Profiles, answers and progress stay on the iPhone or iPad and are never sent to us, and a Parent PIN keeps settings and purchases in grown-up hands. The trade-off is that progress doesn't move between devices.
No connection needed. Practice works without an internet connection, which helps on journeys and in places with patchy Wi-Fi.
Language aptitude practice. A small number of schools with a languages specialism offer some Year 7 places through a languages aptitude test. Cognithix has a whole subject for this kind of task, from sound clues and word matching to number learning and sentence building. Atom doesn't list it as a subject. Our guide to language aptitude tests explains who sets them.
Built around a short daily habit. The daily plan, the pet that needs looking after and the quick sessions are designed for ten or fifteen minutes a day on a phone or tablet. Atom has its own rewards and milestones too, so this comes down to which style your child responds to.
No app replaces wide reading, which builds the vocabulary that sits under English and verbal reasoning scores. Neither app can tell you the exact format of your child's test either. That comes from the school or consortium, many of which publish free familiarisation papers, so get those first. And if your child's test includes a written task, that practice is best done with pen and paper, whichever app you choose.
It's also worth checking which test your child will actually sit, because the landscape has shifted. Our guide to GL vs CEM in 2026 explains what changed and how to check.
Cognithix for English, reasoning and language aptitude, plus a set of maths workbooks from Bond or CGP, covers a typical four-subject 11+ for less than a single month of the larger subscriptions.
Atom Learning and Cognithix are both reasonable ways to prepare. Atom is broader, covers maths and syncs across devices, and you pay for that every month. Cognithix is narrower, private by design and paid for once, and it expects you to handle maths another way. Neither is a shortcut. Regular short practice, plenty of reading, enough sleep and a calm home matter more than any app.
Both offer a free trial, so the simplest test is to let your child try each for a few days and watch which one they return to without being asked. The best tool is the one your child will actually use, steadily, over the months ahead.