7 Reasons I’d Pick Yoto in a Yoto Vs Tonie Match Up
Any time I talk about the Yoto Player (which is a lot because it is one of our best purchases!), the question that always comes up is “how does the Yoto compare to Toniebox?”
Well, I’m glad you asked because I have THOUGHTS about this one.
Let me just tell you right out of the gate that the Yoto is the winner in my book, hands down. There is basically no scenario where I would choose a Toniebox over a Yoto.
Let me tell you why in a Yoto vs Tonie match up, the Yoto wins for me every time:
Yoto vs Toniebox
- The Yoto Mini is less expensive than the Toniebox. The original Yoto Player and the Toniebox are both $99, so they match up on price there (although my Yoto Player link only gives you 10% off, while the Toniebox coupon JANE20 gives you $20 off) but Yoto also offers the Yoto Mini which is $69.99 ($63 with my coupon link) and I prefer the Yoto Mini to the original player based on price and portability (you can see a whole rundown of the Yoto Mini and why I love it here)
- The Toniebox is really designed for a toddler and they’ll grow out of it quickly. The Toniebox is padded (it kind of feels like a stiff stuffed animal) and your child is going to age out of it pretty fast because it feels like a toddler toy. By contrast, my nearly-13 year old still loves her Yoto Player and uses it almost daily. It absolutely feels much more like a cool device (although it’s still simple enough that younger kids like a 2 year old can use it). If you want a screen-free device your child can use for years and grow with, Yoto is the way to go, no question.
- Yoto has WAY more audio content than the Toniebox. The Toniebox has about 120 figurine options right now while Yoto has about 600 card options. And the Tonies are shorter and really aimed at young kids, where the Yoto cards range from short stories and songs for toddlers to longer chapter books including ones like Treasure Island and Heidi.
- Yoto cards are less expensive than Tonie figurines. Every Tonie figurine is $14.99 whereas Yoto cards range from $3.99 to $12.99. So you’ll spend much less money buying new cards to build your Yoto library than you will with a Tonie.
- Yoto cards are easier to store and transport than Tonie figurines. The Yoto cards are the size of a credit card so you can store dozens of them in a flat card case or pop them in a wallet, whereas keeping track of a bunch of Tonie little figurines is less easy and much less easy if you want to take it on the go.
- The Yoto player includes some really nice content extras. The Yoto Player includes a free Yoto radio station (a day and a night one) that are full of delightful kid songs – perfect for dance parties during the day and winding down at night. It also has a Yoto daily podcast (you can listen to a sample of that here, if you’d like) that my kids love with little stories, jokes, and trivia. You can also make Yoto cards of favorite kid podcasts which is a really easy way to create free content for your child to listen to on their Yoto player (directions for how to make those here!).
- The Yoto has a lot of extra features that the Tonie doesn’t. The Yoto Player has a clock, an okay to wake feature (very handy if you have early risers!), can work as a bluetooth speaker, works as a white noise machine, and – on the original Yoto Player, but not the Mini – has a nightlight. So you’re definitely getting more for your money!
Any other questions about the audio players Yoto vs Tonie? I’m happy to answer any of them in the comments (or you’re welcome to voice a differing opinion!).
Thanks for convincing me to invest in the Yoto. Someone gave us a Toniebox and we tried it for awhile but I’m so glad we switched to yoto! Here are a few more reasons to go with Yoto. On February 1st the price of tonies are going up. Most will be $19.99 and 17.99. So it will be even more worth it. There is a yoto club that allows you to get cards for less than $5 with free shipping and tonies don’t have anything like that.
For me a huge deal breaker was the price of MYO cards which is around $3 with up to 6 hours of content storage versus a creative thats $11.99 and only stores 90 minutes. And podcast feature alone is worth it for us.
I just subscribed to your emails and haven’t looked through everything yet, so this question may have been answered already. Do you recommend buying a Yoto for each child? Or do siblings share them just fine?
Each of my kids have their own, but lots of families share! I’d start with one and then decide if you need additional ones.
I never heard of this device until today. I use the Libby app for audiobooks for my kids so I’m having a hard time understanding why I would want something like this. I’m guessing it’s because it’s a device that does not have a screen and the child can’t access the Internet or other apps like they could if it was a phone or iPad. We listen to audiobooks in the car through the Libby app or through the Altec speaker I have in the house which of course needs to access the Libby app on my phone. My kids don’t listen to audiobooks on their own. I just wouldn’t want another device in the house, plus I have to keep purchasing the cards so they can listen to stories. As a result I would have more stuff around the house, and they would need to be stored somewhere. Also, I was wondering what content do they offer as far as who are the authors??? Is it all this new stuff or do they have a lot of good classics? It mentions this podcast the kids can listen to, but what is the podcast about? What is it teaching? What are the topics? I couldn’t find any of those answers on their website. Is it actually kid-friendly or is it just another opportunity to push leftist propaganda on children?
It sounds like you have a great system for you, so I wouldn’t worry about the Yoto.
As far as your questions go, the Yoto library has a huge selection of cards from Roald Dahl books, Frog & Toad, The Secret Garden, Peter Pan, Boxcar Children, Geronimo Stilton, and hundreds more (you can see the whole card library here: https://us.yotoplay.com/collections/library).
And the podcast is just a short program with some jokes, songs, and stories – you can listen to some episodes here and decide for yourself if it’s leftist propaganda: https://us.yotoplay.com/pages/yoto-favorites
Hello! I’ve been researching the Tonie box for this coming Christmas for my soon to be 5 year old. I love the idea of the figures, however I am concerned that she will grow out of it, and with it being so expensive, it’s causing me to pause.
I originally dismissed the Yoto because I felt like the story recordings were more bland- I liked how the Tonies had music mixed in and the movie audio included. Do the Yoto cards have any of that “showmanship”? I am now more strongly considering the Yoto, I just wished the voices were more like that of the tonie recordings. Any thoughts to share would be super helpful. Thank you!
oh yes – lots of them are full cast performances or have music. I don’t think you’ll be at all disappointed by the Yoto.
Will my 1.5 year old ruin the Yoto cards? That’s the only reason I’m leaning towards Tonies.
They’re pretty darn sturdy – like a credit card. Thick and plastic.
This is interesting. I am wondering if something like this exists so that kids can follow along with written words (and pictures) by themselves as well (without online access). Thanks!
Yep! Check to see if your library has Wonderbooks or Vox Books
I use a Toni box to record stories for my grandkids. Now another family wants a Toni box, but those kids are 4 and 8, so the Yoto sounds like it might be better. Can I record stories for my grandkids on the Yoto?
You sure can!
I’ve heard the Tonies are covers of songs, not the original vocals. Is it the same situation with Yoto? Wondering if this is another differentiator.
I think they’re originals!
Can you skip tracks on the yoto? My kids like to listen to, for example, “365 Frozen Stories” or the Mrs Piggle Wiggle books, but they want to skip stories or chapters now and then.
Yep – just spin the dial and then press it in to move to the next chapter (or skip many chapters).