When it comes to online study, it's not hard to see why e-Tutor is one of the leading websites. They offer self-guided and assisted study options and a variety of tutoring packages to meet the needs of almost any child.

• Choose independent or guided study services.
• Parent log in allows parents to generate report cards.

That being said, it's important to note that e-Tutor does seem to be geared more towards those looking for "alternative" education rather than strictly tutoring assistance. Their curriculum is accredited and the site seems to be popular for those who wish to home-school their children. If you're looking for a bit of help in a single subject, e-Tutor might not fit your needs.

As far as pricing goes, it depends what you're looking for. If you want your child to stay away from public schools, e-Tutor is more affordable than most home study/private tutor options. If, however, you just want some homework help for your kids, there are much cheaper options out there. Overall, it's great for those looking for a complete curriculum on the Web. For basic tutoring? Look elsewhere. e-Tutor is awarded 5.5 Stars!

Cosmeo definitely gets our enthusiastic recommendation! The website is easy to navigate and visually stimulating, which is good if you want to keep students entertained and involved. The fact that its run by The Discovery Channel is also a huge plus. The Discovery Education company has exclusive access to a number of educational videos, tutorials, and reference materials that are helpful in assisting students with their homework, studying, and project needs.

• Over 30,000 educational video segments.
• 40,000 math tutorials tied to widely used textbooks.

Cosmeo really makes an effort to provide relevant information by organizing its material by state standards and the company makes sure that math tutorials contain material included in widely used textbooks throughout the country. Since school curriculum are not all created equal, the fact that Cosmeo is able to tailor your child's resources to his or her State standards is definitely a huge plus.

We really feel that the Cosmeo website is a great way to help students study material that they might otherwise not be motivated to learn. If you have a kid who just can't stand hitting the literal books, Cosmeo will put them in an entirely different ballgame. In our opinion, the monthly fee of $9.95 is a small price to pay for the incredible value contained within Cosmeo’s website. Cosmeo is awarded 5.0 Stars!

FactMonster provides children of all ages with free access to a wealth of knowledge and information. While the design of the website lacks pizazz, it does offer plenty of homework help and a valuable research venue for school work. Any homework question your child might have could probably be answered by visiting the site.

• FactMonster blogs.
• Monthly news items.
• Games and quizzes.

Another thing that pleased us is the fact that FactMonster is completely free and a login is not required, which means no spam. Advertising can be found on every page, much of it geared toward adults (i.e,. insurance and computer ads). Unfortunately, the first ad we encountered on the home page contained a picture of a young child with a deformed mouth. The advertiser was Smiletrain.com and we did not follow the link but believe some parents might find the imagery objectionable. However, considering the site is free to use and the ads are probably what supports it, the distractions are something you will have to deal with.

Aside from the advertising on the site, we feel that FactMonster is one of the best free homework resource tools we came across. Are the ads annoying and distracting? Probably. But don't let that deter you from enjoying all of the resources FactMonster has to offer.  StarReviews gives them 5.0 Stars!

TutorVista is an online tutoring website offering homework help 24/7. The company says its goal is to make educational assistance affordable and accessible to all students. Affordable? Definitely in comparison to real-life private tutors that charge about $50 an hour, but the $99.99 monthly fee the site charges may still be cost prohibitive to some parents. Accessible? Only if you meet the software's hardware capabilities and have a high-speed Internet connection.

• 24/7 tutor availability.
• Option to work with the same tutor each session.

TutorVista is definitely a worthy online homework resource for those who can access and afford it. It is wonderful that the company provides students with unlimited 24/7 tutoring sessions and gives them the option to work with the same instructor each time. And whether your needs are in something as basic as general grammar or as advanced as chemistry, TutorVista can help.

That being said, we were a bit concerned that the site didn't offer a live support number. For about $100 a month you should be able to contact support via phone, not just email.

Overall, TutorVista is definitely worth a try before hiring a private tutor. If, however, you're looking for more affordable and less personalized homework help website resources, they are definitely out there. The StarReviews team gives them 4.5 Stars!

HomeworkSpot is free to use – and let’s just say that you get what you pay for. The main homepage is confusing, and it is difficult to tell which links lead to informational websites and which just lead to ads.  All of the content blends together, making it hard to find exactly what you’re looking for.

• Free access to libraries, museums, and event listings around the world.
• Educational Study Break activities and games.

To sum it up, HomeworkSpot is little more than an educational Web portal. It does provide a wealth of links within its subject categories and offers a wide range of resources to explore. Some of the resources it directs you to are free, some are not. If you do decide to use this site, you're going to spend a lot of time digging around for what you need.

Of course, being a Web portal, HomeworkSpot offers no customer service. We'd have liked to at least see an email address or contact form. If there is one, we were hard-pressed to find it. That just didn't sit right with us.

If you're looking for a free website that can direct you to educational and informational resources on the Web, HomeworkSpot is the place for you. If, however, you want a full-service homework solution, you're going to have to find it somewhere else.  HomeworkSpot earned 4.0 Stars!