Top 3 Toniebox Alternatives - We have tested them for you! (2024)

The Yoto Player Classic, quite like the Toniebox, is a box-shaped music player designed for children.

Our First Impressions

It is quite compact and is made of hard plastic with a rubber bottom. It has a neat pixel display on the front. 👾

Charging is simple with the magnetic charger; it works even when plugged in.

The battery lasts around eight hours when fully charged, one hour more than the Toniebox.

Yoto Player Cards 

This device uses pre-loaded Yoto cards with stories, music, and sounds.

Just insert a card into the slot, and the content will be downloaded via the internet so you can listen to it offline later.

With space for up to 140 hours of audio data, it's quite a library in a box!

Pausing the audio files is also very easy. Just take out the card.

The cards are slightly cheaper than Tonies, costing between a few pounds and £9 per story. You can also buy blank cards for your content.

Simple Operation

Operating the Yoto Player is child's play with just three buttons.

There is an on/off switch on the side and two on the top to control the volume and to move between chapters.

Bluetooth Speaker

The Yoto Player doubles as a Bluetooth speaker.

You can connect the Yoto Player app to your device and stream music from services like Spotify or Deezer.

Yoto App

The app is user-friendly and gets better and better over time.

You can use it to control the player, buy new cards and even replace lost cards.

New content is added every month to keep things fresh.

Our Conclusion

The price of the Yoto Player is similar to that of the Toniebox.

However, it stands out with its selection of stories, including classics for older kids up to the age of ten, like Roald Dahl and Enid Blyton.

The cards are more affordable and easier to store than the Toniebox characters.

It's also versatile – as a night light, clock or Bluetooth speaker.

If you've heard of the Toniebox, you'll likely come across the Tigerbox too.

While these two audio play devices have much in common, they also have some distinct differences.

Using the Tigerbox

The Tigerbox Touch is easy for children to use thanks to its 3.9-inch touchscreen. 📺

They can play audiobooks and songs with Tigercards, Tigertickets, or wildcards by simply touching and scrolling.

A handy feature is the sleep timer, which ensures the box doesn't play all night if you forget to switch it off. 🌛

The night light is also a great feature to help children fall asleep.

Tigercards and Subscription

Children can get entertained with stories and songs on Tigercards.

You can also take out a Tigerticket subscription, which includes a library of child-friendly audiobooks and songs.

Safety Features of the Tigerbox

The new Tigerbox model has a safer volume limit and thus solves a previous problem with the maximum volume.

And the wildcard function allows you to play your content, such as MP3s or self-recorded stories.

Sound Quality

The sound quality of the Tigerbox is impressive.

It's clear and engaging, perfect for little music lovers.

Our Conclusion

The Tigerbox, with its touch display, is the ideal choice for listening to audiobooks and songs suitable for children.

With its outstanding sound quality, it promises a great listening experience. 🚀

Bear in mind, however, that the individual Tigercards come at an additional cost, although they're cheaper than Tonies.

There is also the option of taking out a monthly or annual Tigerticket subscription.

The TIMIO Player is a fun, educational audio device for kids aged between 3 and 8.

Our First Impression

In the starter set, you'll find the player, 5 plastic discs, a small canvas bag for storage, and instructions.

It contains 60 audio activities on 5 themes and offers 100 minutes of playing time per language.

How Timio Works

You can switch on the player with a button on the back.

The volume can be easily adjusted using "quieter" or "louder" buttons.

The player, doubling as a speaker, uses magnetic technology to hold and play the discs, which work no matter how they're placed.

You also don't need to connect your device to wifi.

There is also an automatic switch-off after five minutes to save battery life.

The low battery indicator is a practical feature which lights up all 12 LED lights.

Learning New Languages

Timio is a multilingual player that helps your children learn different languages. 🌎

You can change the player's language by holding down the globe button. It scrolls through English, Spanish, French, German, Chinese and Dutch.

Release the button when you hear the language you want.

Durability

Timio is sturdy and can easily withstand falls and knocks. It was developed for children and can withstand rough handling.

The handy little pouch also keeps the discs well-organised.

Our Conclusion

TIMIO is a great screen time free option for children, with lots of content for different age groups.

The sound quality is impressively clear and not tinny. 🔊

It's portable, battery-powered and doesn't need the internet, making it great travel entertainment.

Voxblock is a kid-friendly audio player, catching the eye with its colourful bumpers and engaging audiobooks.

Our First Impression

It's unique because it doesn't need the internet to work.

You don't have to set it up, download apps or figure out how to connect it to WiFi.

Open the box, switch it on, and it's ready.

Its design is based on simplicity: no screens or lights, just storytelling with a 20-minute timer for bedtime. 😴

Using the Voxblock

Using the Voxblock is really easy.

It has a hidden on/off switch directly behind the book.

When you switch it on, you can see the volume, the battery and the pause button light up.

The light glows green when a story is playing, orange in sleep mode and red when it's time to recharge.

To start a story, simply insert one of the small books into the slot.

It has a big play button that you can use to pause and resume the story, arrows to skip chapters and buttons to change the volume.

There is also a socket for headphones if your children want to listen quietly.

Voxblock Books

Instead of cards or figures, Voxblock uses mini-books for stories that can be stored neatly on a bookshelf.

These books are easy for children to handle and fit into the Voxblock.

Sustainability

Sustainability is the key for Voxblock.

The books and all packaging are made from recyclable cardboard.

The Voxblock player has as few parts as possible to ensure environmental friendliness.

Our Conclusion

In our view, the Voxblock is a well-designed unit.

It's compact, less than 20 cm long, 12 cm wide and 3 cm thick with the bumper attached.

This makes it incredibly light and easy to transport - perfect for travelling.