Math Mammoth vs Singapore Math: Two Mastery Programs Compared

Math Mammoth vs Singapore Math: the short answer

Math Mammoth and Singapore Math are close cousins in spirit. Both teach for mastery, build strong mental math, and expect kids to solve real word problems. The big differences are who teaches, the format and the price.

Math Mammoth is a worktext written to the student. A short explanation, often with a picture or model, leads straight into exercises on the same page. Many children can read it and work alone. It runs K–8, mostly as PDFs, for about $42.50 per grade.

Singapore Math (Primary Mathematics) is parent-taught. You work problems with counters or blocks, then look at how the full-color textbook draws them. It ends at grade 6.

If you want rigor with less parent time and less money, pick Math Mammoth. If you want to teach every lesson hands-on, pick Singapore.

Teaching approach

Math Mammoth is organized into 8 to 10 topical chapters per grade. Kids stay on a topic for several lessons, with cumulative reviews to keep older skills fresh. The author's teaching notes at the start of each chapter explain the approach. Grade 7 is full pre-algebra, and there's no Algebra 1. Explanations can be too brief for some students, and harder word problems may need adult help.

Singapore Math moves from objects to pictures to numbers and uses bar models to make word problems visual. Each grade has two halves, A and B, each with a Student Book, Additional Practice and a Home Instructor's Guide. Geometry and early algebra thinking show up earlier than in most US programs.

What a lesson looks like

Math Mammoth: Your child reads a half-page explanation, then works the exercises below it. You check answers with the key and step in for new ideas. Free videos, many by the author, match lessons in grades 1–7.

Singapore: You work a problem together with manipulatives, look at the Student Book's pictures, and talk it through. Then your child does the Additional Practice pages. Plan to sit with younger kids for most of the lesson.

Price and value

As of October 2026, Math Mammoth is about $42.50 per grade as a download, or $245.50 for the full K–8 bundle. Each grade includes answer keys, chapter tests, cumulative reviews and an online worksheet maker. Printed books are sold by Rainbow Resource, Lulu and others. Homeschool Planet lesson plans are $9.95 per grade.

Singapore 2022 Edition semesters (Student Book, Additional Practice and Home Instructor's Guide) are about $53 at list price, so about $106 per grade. Manipulatives and optional word-problem books add to that, and orders under $100 pay shipping.

PDFs can be reused for every child in your family, which makes Math Mammoth one of the lowest-cost rigorous programs available.

Who should choose Math Mammoth

• Budget-minded families who still want rigor
• Kids who can read a lesson and get to work
• Families who want one series through pre-algebra
• Parents teaching several children at once

Who should choose Singapore Math

• Parents who want to teach every lesson hands-on
• Kids who learn best by talking problems through
• Families who prefer full-color printed textbooks
• Families who want the original bar-model method

Alternatives to both

• Dimensions Math: Singapore Math Inc.'s guided series that runs into middle school.
• Beast Academy: puzzle-rich challenge. See Math Mammoth vs Beast Academy.
• Math-U-See and RightStart Math: more hands-on.
• Saxon Math: incremental spiral review. See Singapore Math vs Saxon Math.

See the best elementary math curriculum and best homeschool math curriculum.

Can you use a scholarship for either?

Often, yes. Curriculum purchases like Math Mammoth and Singapore Math are commonly allowable in education savings account programs such as the Arizona ESA and Florida's FES-UA. Each program decides, and some require buying through an approved marketplace, which can matter for PDF downloads. Save your pick to your wishlist and apply once to the scholarships your family may qualify for.