Compared in depth
Both follow Charlotte Mason's methods, with living books, narration, and short lessons, and both span the school years from the early grades through 12th grade. Asked whether it is a Christian curriculum, AmblesideOnline answers "Yes. While families of all beliefs are welcome to use the curriculum," and Simply Charlotte Mason calls its program "a thorough and enjoyable education from a Christian worldview." The main difference is format: AmblesideOnline posts free booklists and weekly schedules, while Simply Charlotte Mason sells lesson plans and books subject by subject.
Written by the Homebuilt team from both publishers’ own materials, checked September 2026. This is a description of the differences, not a recommendation of either program.
| Fact | AmblesideOnline | Simply Charlotte Mason |
|---|---|---|
| Grades | K-12 | PreK-12 |
| Format | Online | Print, Open-and-go teacher guide |
AmblesideOnline provides a booklist and an optional weekly schedule for each Year, and says there is no cost to use them. Families find the books themselves: buy them, read them online, or borrow them from the library. It says the vast majority of scheduled books are free online e-texts, and some booklists name books to buy if you are on a strict budget. Math and phonics are the family's choice, and it says a separate language arts program is unnecessary.
Simply Charlotte Mason sells its curriculum subject by subject. Family subjects include Bible history, history, and geography series, and each history teacher book comes with a full-color pictures and maps book. The books those lessons use are sold separately, individually or in bundles. Individual subjects such as math, English usage, and Bible study have their own books, including its Charlotte Mason Elementary Arithmetic Series. A free online planner builds a custom year, a shopping list, and a printable daily planner.
Sources: www.amblesideonline.org · www.amblesideonline.org · www.amblesideonline.org · www.amblesideonline.org · simplycharlottemason.com · simplycharlottemason.com · simplycharlottemason.com · simplycharlottemason.com
AmblesideOnline's schedules are weekly, on a 36-week year, and it leaves the parent to decide how to cover each week's list day by day. Its scheduling page suggests 2 or 3 readings a day for younger children, lessons of 10 to 20 minutes, and narration of every reading. It says a Year 1 child can often finish a day in a couple of hours. Art, composer study, folk songs, and hymns are shared by the whole family, while children in different Years usually have their own books, though some families combine.
Simply Charlotte Mason's teacher books give step-by-step instructions, and each history book presents 108 lessons of about 20 minutes, with reading schedules and narration prompts. Most subjects are taught to the whole family together, and math, language arts, and science are taught one-on-one at each child's level. Its sample Year 1 schedule sets out five days with minutes for each subject. For 4th grade it estimates about two and a half hours a day of family and individual lessons.
Sources: www.amblesideonline.org · www.amblesideonline.org · www.amblesideonline.org · simplycharlottemason.com · simplycharlottemason.com · simplycharlottemason.com · simplycharlottemason.com · simplycharlottemason.com
AmblesideOnline runs from Year 0 (kindergarten) through Year 12, and says a child generally goes into the Year matching their age, with Year 1 starting after age 6. It says children in Years 1 and 2 often need every book read aloud, working toward reading most of their own books by Year 4 or 5. Year 4 adds Plutarch, Shakespeare, a Book of Centuries, and weekly written narration. Modified options include Year 3.5, Pre-7 for older beginners, and Years 7 to 12 in five years.
Simply Charlotte Mason covers preschool through 12th grade. Its history is a four-year cycle, designed to be used up to three times, with the family reading together and extra books for elementary, middle school, and high school students. Middle and high school students work independently with a Narration Guidebook. Individual subjects change by grade: written narration begins with one a week in 4th grade, and math moves from its Elementary Arithmetic series to pre-algebra, algebra, and beyond in the upper grades.
Sources: www.amblesideonline.org · www.amblesideonline.org · www.amblesideonline.org · www.amblesideonline.org · simplycharlottemason.com · simplycharlottemason.com · simplycharlottemason.com
Basis: one school year of history for one elementary student, plans plus books, as seen on each site in September 2026. AmblesideOnline's plans cost nothing. It lists no book prices, because families buy, borrow, or read the books online, and its Year 4 history books include free e-text links alongside purchase links. That means no single dollar figure exists for AmblesideOnline, so a fair total comparison is not possible. What families spend depends on how many books they buy rather than borrow.
Same basis: A Pageant of History: Ancient Times lesson plans are $29.95 as an e-book or $36.95 printed. The Ancient Times Family Books Bundle was shown at $39.90, down from $41.90, and the Elementary Books Bundle at $70.75. Together that is $140.60 to $147.60 for one elementary student's history year. That covers history only; Simply Charlotte Mason sells other subjects separately. Prices change, so check the publisher for the current figure.
Sources: www.amblesideonline.org · www.amblesideonline.org · www.amblesideonline.org · simplycharlottemason.com · simplycharlottemason.com · simplycharlottemason.com
AmblesideOnline describes itself as a free curriculum from a group of international Christian homeschooling mothers, offered for the private use of homeschoolers worldwide. It welcomes families of all beliefs, while noting some resources are distinctly Christian. It calls itself a challenging curriculum and asks parents to learn Charlotte Mason's principles, since it says following the schedule alone will not give a Charlotte Mason education. It tends to fit parents who want a free plan and are comfortable finding books and building each day.
Simply Charlotte Mason says it is built for teaching the whole family together from a Christian worldview, with open-and-go daily plans. It speaks to parents new to Charlotte Mason, offering a free planner and free 45-minute consultations. It tends to fit families with several children who want most subjects shared, lessons written out step by step, and books available to buy in bundles from the same publisher.
Sources: www.amblesideonline.org · www.amblesideonline.org · www.amblesideonline.org · simplycharlottemason.com · simplycharlottemason.com · simplycharlottemason.com
| Fact | AmblesideOnlineAmblesideOnline (volunteer advisory) | Simply Charlotte MasonSimply Charlotte Mason |
|---|---|---|
| Grades | K-12 | PreK-12 |
| Faith | Christian | Christian |
| Format | Online | Print, Open-and-go teacher guide |
| Price | Free online curriculum; families buy, borrow or read the scheduled books online. | Sold per subject; e.g. A Pageant of History lesson plans $29.95-$36.95 per year of the four-year cycle, books extra. See publisher for other subjects. |
| Subjects | Bible, History, Geography, Reading, Language arts, Science, Art, Music, Foreign language | Bible, History, Geography, Language arts, Math, Science, Art, Music, Foreign language |
| Style | Charlotte Mason, Classical, Literature-based | Charlotte Mason, Literature-based |
| What it is | A free Christian curriculum run by volunteers that follows Charlotte Mason's methods. The website posts book lists and weekly schedules for each year, and parents gather the books, read with their children, and ask for narrations. Math and phonics are chosen by the family. | A Christian Charlotte Mason curriculum in which the whole family does as many subjects as possible together, including a four-year history and Bible rotation. Topic subjects like picture study, music, hymns, and nature study are done as a family, with extra books for older students, and skill subjects are done by level. A free online planner builds a custom school year and shopping list. |
| Checked | September 2026 · From the publisher | September 2026 · From the publisher |
| Publisher | Visit the publisher ↗︎ | Visit the publisher ↗︎ |
Photography by Bryndle Photo