CommonLit

Overview

CommonLit is a nonprofit literacy resource for teachers, with free texts and a full-year ELA curriculum for grades 6–12. It is a strong fit for schools that want structured instruction alongside a broad reading library; schools considering a paid plan should decide whether its training, data, or implementation support justifies a one-year commitment.

Key features

The CommonLit Text Library offers thousands of free works of literature and texts by diverse and contemporary authors. Teachers can draw on it without buying a school plan, making it useful both as a standalone source of reading material and as a foundation for more structured instruction.

CommonLit 360 is a full-year, standards-aligned ELA curriculum for grades 6–12. It connects reading, writing, speaking, and listening through full-length texts and grade-level tasks, and includes three benchmark assessments to track reading growth and proficiency during the school year. Comprehension and fluency practice add useful dimensions to literacy instruction. The curriculum’s grade range is narrower than CommonLit’s broader instructional materials, which support grades 3–12.

CommonLit lists Clever, ClassLink, Canvas, and Google Classroom integrations. Google Classroom can import classes and students, send assignments to the Classroom stream, and export scores to its gradebook. Canvas integration is limited to eligible paid school packages, so schools should confirm eligibility before relying on that workflow.

Classes have no student cap, although CommonLit recommends limiting them to 100 students for best performance. The service works through supported browsers on laptops, Chromebooks, desktops, tablets, and mobile devices, but does not offer offline access. CommonLit describes technical, organizational, and physical safeguards for personal information, while acknowledging that absolute security cannot be guaranteed. Its trust center provides SOC 3 materials for download and SOC 2 Type 2 materials by request.

Pricing

CommonLit Digital is free for teachers and students, with the Text Library and CommonLit 360 curriculum. It is the sensible starting point for educators who want the core materials without a school purchase.

Spark costs $4,200 per school per year with a one-year commitment. It adds Reading & Writing Mini Units, an assessment series, and up to two virtual trainings for the Library or Assessments. This suits schools seeking training and additional units without the administrator dashboard or implementation sessions in higher tiers.

Core costs $7,200 per school per year with a one-year commitment. It includes the Spark materials, an Administrator Data Dashboard, and up to four CommonLit 360 virtual trainings. Choose it when school leaders need the dashboard and staff need more curriculum training; otherwise, Spark costs less.

Elevate costs $12,800 per school per year with a one-year commitment. It includes the shared curriculum, units, assessment series, and dashboard, plus four implementation support sessions per year. Its higher price is most defensible for schools that need that implementation support; the plan does not replace the need to assess which support tier fits the school.

Paid school plans also list priority teacher support and a dedicated success manager. The per-school pricing and annual commitment make paid options a school-level decision, rather than a small add-on for an individual teacher.

Platforms

CommonLit is available on Android, iOS, and the web, and works across common computers, tablets, and mobile devices through supported browsers. Offline access is not available, so students need a connection to use it.

Who it's for

CommonLit suits teachers seeking free literary and contemporary texts for grades 3–12, and schools seeking a more structured ELA program for grades 6–12. It is less suitable for schools that require offline reading, need Canvas integration without qualifying for an eligible paid package, or cannot commit to annual school pricing for added support.

Pros and cons

• Pros: Thousands of free texts and the CommonLit 360 curriculum are available through the free plan, giving teachers a substantial starting point without a school purchase.
• Pros: The full-year curriculum combines four literacy skill areas with benchmark assessments, giving schools a structured way to teach and track progress.
• Pros: Google Classroom supports class and student imports, assignment posting, and score export, connecting classroom workflow with the gradebook.
• Cons: CommonLit 360 serves grades 6–12, not the full grades 3–12 range of its instructional materials.
• Cons: Paid plans require a one-year commitment and cost thousands of dollars per school, which may be difficult to justify when the free materials are sufficient.
• Cons: No offline access and a recommended 100-student class size may constrain use in some settings.

Alternatives

For a broader set of teacher material directories, browse Teacher Resource Libraries or Reading Apps.

• Myatt & Co is worth considering if you want a freemium service with a small free selection of films and paid access to all films and resources.
• Classroom Secrets may suit a web-based resource buyer comparing a one-user monthly option with CommonLit’s school plans.
• ISLCollective is a better fit if you want a worksheet-focused option, with a free membership capped at one download daily or five monthly and a paid plan offering higher limits.
• OER Commons is a free web-based digital library with Open Author and group-creation tools.
• Smithsonian Learning Lab offers free web access to Smithsonian digital resources and the Learning Lab.
• Teach Starter may fit teachers seeking downloadable resources, with a free collection that is non-editable and limited to those free resources.
• Teachit is another freemium web option for teachers comparing resource services.
• Tes Resources is a web marketplace where authors decide whether to charge for individual resources and set their prices.

Verdict

Choose CommonLit if you want free, substantial reading materials and may benefit from a structured grades 6–12 ELA curriculum. The free plan makes it easy to start, while the paid tiers add targeted training, data, or implementation support. Look elsewhere if offline access is essential, or if a school cannot justify a one-year, per-school commitment for those additions.