Free · For students and instructors
Economics, learned by doing. Free interactive practice with spaced repetition.
Drag the graphs, work the problems, let spaced reviews catch the gaps. Microeconomics and macroeconomics — built on what cognitive science says works.
Teaching economics? See the instructor kit →
Built by Aras Zirgulis, PhD · ISM University
50%
better retention than re-reading
Karpicke & Roediger, 2008
2–3×
more follow-through with when + where planning
Gollwitzer, 1999
55%
lower failure rate vs. passive learning
Freeman et al., PNAS 2014
Also built on
The microeconomics curriculum, in one picture
50 concepts. 14 units. Every prerequisite shown.
Each column is a unit. Each dot is a concept. Hover a concept to see exactly what it depends on and what it leads to.
Hover any concept. Blue lines trace back to what you need first. Amber lines point forward to what it unlocks.
50 concepts across 14 units. Click a node, then read the unit overview.
Two things make this different.
Pillar 1
Built to be done, not watched.
Economics is visual. Drag a price ceiling down and watch the shortage appear — that is the lesson, not a video about the lesson.
- 58 interactive graphs you drag, break, and rebuild
- Every concept ends in a graded problem — no passive scrolling
- A diagnostic places you at the right starting point — no re-learning what you know
Pillar 2 · The moat
Pedagogy backed by research, not vibes.
Every design decision points back to a citation. Five algorithms and ten evidence-based principles, all documented.
Retrieval practice
50% better retention than re-reading
Karpicke & Roediger, 2008 · Science
FSRS spaced repetition
Reviews scheduled at the optimal moment
Ye et al., 2023
Performance Factor Analysis
Per-concept mastery, not vanity progress
Pavlik et al., 2009
Desirable difficulties
Harder now, remembered longer
Bjork & Bjork, 1992
Plus interleaving, metacognitive calibration, misconception-targeted feedback, and self-explanation prompts. Each one is a paper, not a marketing line.
Read every algorithm and citation →Get started in 2 minutes
Create your account
Sign up with Google or email. No credit card. No trial period.
Take the diagnostic
A short placement test skips you past what you already know and seeds your personalised path.
Learn, review, repeat
Spaced reviews bring concepts back at the moment they would otherwise fade. Mastery grows visibly.
Frequently asked questions
Is Econ Academy really free?+
Yes. The full curriculum, all interactive graphs, spaced repetition, and adaptive learning are free. No trial period, no credit card, no hidden upsell.
What topics does Econ Academy cover?+
Two introductory courses. Microeconomics is complete — 14 units and 50 concepts spanning basic concepts, supply and demand, elasticity, consumer theory, production and cost, market structures (perfect competition, monopoly, oligopoly), game theory, factor markets, welfare economics, and information economics. Macroeconomics is now live and growing, starting with the circular flow, GDP, and inflation.
Do you cover macroeconomics?+
Yes. Macroeconomics is now live and added to regularly. The first units — the circular flow of income, measuring output with GDP, and inflation — are available to learn now, with the rest of the course (unemployment, AD–AS, fiscal and monetary policy, growth, and the open economy) rolling out unit by unit.
How is this different from Khan Academy or Coursera?+
Most platforms deliver content passively — you watch videos or read text. Econ Academy is built around active learning. Every concept includes practice questions, interactive graphs you manipulate, and spaced repetition that schedules reviews at the optimal moment. The adaptive engine ensures you are always working at the right difficulty level.
What is spaced repetition?+
Spaced repetition is a scientifically proven learning technique that schedules reviews just as you are about to forget something. Instead of cramming, you review material at increasing intervals. Research shows it dramatically improves long-term retention (effect size g=0.74). We use the FSRS algorithm, the same system used by Anki and other leading learning tools.
Do I need any economics background?+
No. The curriculum starts from absolute zero — what is economics, what is scarcity — and builds up systematically. A diagnostic test at the start lets you skip concepts you already know.
How long does it take to complete the curriculum?+
That depends on your pace and prior knowledge. Most learners spend 15-30 minutes per session. The diagnostic test can advance you past material you already know. The adaptive engine ensures you spend time on what you actually need to learn.
Start building real economics knowledge
Adaptive. Research-backed. Join and start learning today.
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