Toniebox 2 vs Yoto Player: Which Audio Player to Choose?

Audio Players: Yoto Players Vs Tonieboxes?

Toniebox 2 Release Update

Have you been considering purchasing an audio player for your child? If you have then this is the post for you. It’s likely you will have come across Tonieboxes and Yoto Players. This post compares the the original Toniebox, latest release (coming September and October 2025 – pre ordering available) Toniebox 2 and both the Yoto Player and Yoto Mini Player. This post has been heavily updated in August 2025 to include the new Toniebox 2. If you’d like to understand more about how the Toniebox 2 differs from the original Toniebox then this post will explain and answer FAQs.

Kids story boxes have been a great addition to our home. We’ve had a Toniebox for about 7 years now; a Yoto Gen 2 Player for 3 years (now discontinued); a Yoto Gen 3 Player for around 18 months and Yoto Minis for over four years. I mention this so that you can see how much we understand these players and the incredible amount of hours we have spent listening to audio content. At the end of this post I’ll add some helpful links to direct you to make the most out of whichever player you choose.

Deep Dive into Audio Players for Kids

There’s things we love about each of the players and we do actually still use all of them. This post is comprehensive (pop the kettle on) and will help you answer lots of questions you may have. It should support you in deciding which player is best for your child/ren. The contents section below will help you navigate for specific areas you might be interested in if you’re looking for a quick answer. If you have further questions feel free to ask in the Audio Player Facebook Group.

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Yoto Vs Tonie Blog Post Content

Purchasing Audio Players

I keep on top of offers frequently through the week and update the promotions pages that you can find below. You will also find the year round discount sections on the brands websites linked below.

Where to Buy Yoto Players and Yoto discount codes

I frequently (several times a week) update offers – click on the button below to head to the dedicated page. You will also find year-round discount codes.

Last Chance Yoto Section – Yoto Discounted Card Deals

Are They Just a Fad?

Audio players are still used daily in our home, multiple times and I don’t see that dwindling anytime soon. To think I thought they might be a fad that she’d be over by Boxing Day – how wrong I was. We’re over 7 years in and I truly believe that we’ve set her up with such a valuable skill to be able to relax and self regulate with awesome audio content.

Which Player Is Best?

Let me go through what we love about story boxes for children. This post will explain some of their similarities and differences and will help you navigate making the right choice for your child.

Which Audio Player Should I Choose?

As I’ve already mentioned, we have a Toniebox, Yoto Player and Yoto Mini Player and we think they are all incredible. However, all children are unique. Depending upon how your child enjoys exploring the world will help guide you to which player is likely to be the best for them. You want to think about what the main purpose is for purchasing an audio player.

Why Pick One Over Another?

In this blog post I’m going to go through some of the reasons why I’d pick one over the other. Having had the players for a number of years and my daughter now almost nine I’d say that the age of your child, when they first receive a player, is important to consider.

How Old is Your Child

We’ve had our Toniebox first. A Yoto Mini then came second as we were looking for something even more portable for travel and hospital trips. The Gen 3 Yoto Player was then next to add to our collection. For us this worked well as our daughter Floss really engaged with the physical characters of tonies® right from the start.

Early Start with Audiobooks

She was two years old when we first had the Toniebox and Tonie characters. At this early age she used the Toniebox supervised due to the age being 3 years +. Wonderfully, the Toniebox 2 is suitable for children from 1 year +. There are Tonie characters that can be used from 1 year + but the majority of the collection of Tonies Characters are still 3 years +.

If you’d like to know more about the basic functions of Toniebox – how to use it, what are characters etc. then check out my blog post here.

For me I felt her peak enjoyment time of the Toniebox was from age 2 (this is how old she was when we had it – I think she’d have enjoyed from a younger age) to around 6. She still uses the Toniebox now. However, the Yoto Players have been the main bedtime players since just before she turned 7. I’ll go through more later about why I think this has been the case. If you’ve got a little one in that 1-3 age range then the Toniebox 2 might be the perfect player. You can find out more about the Toniebox 2 player in this post.

Toniebox vs. Yoto Player

As our daughter Floss has got older, now eight, she still frequently enjoys her Toniebox, but mainly during the day. Now she enjoys the range and older stories available on the Yoto Player for bedtime. If you’d like to look more closely at a comparison between the Yoto Player and Yoto Mini check out this post.

UPDATE (29th October 2024): Just when you think the Toniebox is possibly on the way out Floss has decided it’s the player of choice for bedtime over the last couple of week! I think KungFu Panda release and the new Pocket Tonies have made this change. In 2025 we’re firmly back on Yoto being the players of choice for bedtime but Toniebox still has its time during the day a couple of times a week. She also now uses a Voxblock during the day.

When Will You Be Using The Audio Player?

Firstly, it’s important to think about when your child might be using the audio player. They’re great for a wide range of circumstances such as car journeys, anytime during the day, rest time, meal times and of course bedtime. Tonies have a range of accessories for their box both in the home and on your travels. Find out more in my blog post here. Of course the Yoto Mini is the perfect companion if you’re out and about lots. It fits easily into small bags and can travel anywhere.

Audio Players at Bedtime

For us, bedtime has been completely changed with the use of audio players. Our daughter, like many children, has always found it difficult to get to sleep on a night. I’m sure lots of you can relate! Whether she’s been using her Toniebox or Yoto Players we get her to select a card/ Tonie Character before she gets into bed that she will have on that night. We have changed this up a little – you can find out more in this post.

For me this was an amazing change when we first introduce audio players. I was able to get on with the household chores while she’s happily entertained gently before she falls asleep. The other time we’ve found an audio player to be very effective is if Floss wakes in the night. She always used to call for us. Now she pops on an audio story independently while she falls back to sleep. Genius!

Yoto Perk

One thing we’ve found very helpful is that you can control the Yoto Player and Yoto Player Mini from the Yoto app on your phone. This means you can play Yoto Cards and Yoto Make Your Own (MYO) Cards from the app without needing to have the physical card present if you’re on WiFi. I also love that I can control the volume from the app.

Tonie Characters and Yoto Card Choices

We’ve found that sometimes, especially at bedtime, it can be helpful to use choices to support leaving her room. For example, rather than saying it’s bedtime now and then finding leaving the room to be tricky. Instead we might say which Tonie/ Yoto Card would you like to choose out of these two to play while you rest before sleep.

Bedtime Tips with Audio Players

There’s two key tips here. Firstly, don’t say bedtime or go to sleep, just say rest. You’ll often find they’ll have nodded off whilst resting to an audio book. Secondly, it may be helpful to reduce the number of choice options before bed so you are not there forever going through your entire Tonie Character or Yoto Card collection! Too many can be overwhelming.

Bedtime Routine Night Light

If a night light is important to your child then the Yoto Player or Toniebox 2 would be good choices as they are the players with this function. The Yoto Mini does not have this function.

Audio Players Out & About

Yoto Mini Player

If you’re mainly going to be using the player out and about it might be worth considering Yoto’s Yoto Mini. We’ve had our mini over four years. We got this mainly as my daughter loves anything miniature and being able to take her toys around in little bags and baskets everywhere.

Hospitals, Appointments and Trips

We’ve also found the Yoto Mini Player essential when we’ve had hospital stays and lots of hospital appointments. It’s small enough to pop in my bag. It certainly saved us and helped soothe with many A&E unexpected trips.

Yoto Mini Comparison

Yoto Mini Player is a compact version of the Yoto Player – you can still use the same cards for both Yoto Player and Yoto Mini Player. Check out this post for a comparison of the Yoto Player and Yoto Mini.

Yoto Card and Tonie Character Storage Away From Home

The Yoto cards can fit nicely into a little wallet holder for easy transportation. Although, as I’ve mentioned you can play cards from your library from an app on your phone without needing the card if you have connectivity.

Saying that, we’ve travelled with our Toniebox lots over the years. They do some cute little storage cases for your Tonie characters and the Tonie Box and storage cases are lovely and robust.

Adventuring and Robustness!

If you’re the adventuring family then both Yoto Players have the handy Adventure Jackets you can get to make your player more portable. These do not come with the players and are available to purchase separately. Personally, I would always recommend purchasing an adventure jacket for your player. If you buy at the same time as your player you get a discount off the adventure jacket. The adventure jacket on the Gen 3 player has a handle to make the player more portable. The Yoto Mini is the perfect size for out and about.

Although the Toniebox doesn’t have a handle, it’s more than capable of dealing with rigorous play and being taken out and about! Tonies are tough! The original Toniebox 1 and Toniebox 2 are designed with play in mind and have a soft but robust cover that is integral to the player design.

Toniebox and Rigorous Times

I ABSOLUTELY wouldn’t advise it, but our Toniebox accidently took a tumble down the stairs and still worked perfectly fine after. If you have a child who is a little more rough with their play and toys then the Toniebox 1 or Toniebox 2 might be more what you’re looking for with its padded exterior. Neither the Yoto or Yoto Mini are going to be happy with a tumble down the stairs in my opinion.

Independence

All players we love for the independence it gives to our daughter on making her own choices. There can be lots of times when children don’t get to make their own choices and for us anything that promotes Floss’s autonomy is a positive thing.

Both the Yoto Players and Toniebox 1 can be used independently by children aged three plus but content for both are suitable from birth – you’ll find age suggestions on each Tonie character and for each Yoto Card. The Toniebox 2 is suitable for 1 year +.

From a practical point of view much younger children do find the Toniebox easier to use as they just place the selected character on the box. For Yoto you need to insert the card into the slot which can be a little more fiddly for very young children.

Track Switching

We’ve found that the Yoto Player is easier to change tracks with as the Toniebox you tap on the sides to do this and it can be a bit (pardon the pun) hit and miss! If you have a child who constantly tells you to skip the song on Alexa/ Spotify I’d be more inclined to go with a Yoto for ease of track switching.

Audio Player Safety

Do ensure you read all the safety information for whichever player that you get.

Yes, you need a WiFi connection to be able to set up both players, but once you have your content connected and downloaded you can then use both without WiFi. As a family we like the fact we are in control of what our daughter could listen to and wouldn’t accidently stumble on content we were unaware of. If you are looking for an audio player that you don’t need WiFi for at all then it may be worth checking out Voxblock.

Yoto WiFi Needed for Radio and Podcasts

Yoto do have Yoto radio which can be accessed from the Yoto when connected to the internet as well as the Yoto Daily show. My daughter isn’t that fussed about the radio but she does love the Yoto Daily. She particularly loves the draw alongs and jokes. Lots of families enjoy the new content and music available on the radio. Also if you are a family planning to access podcasts you will need WiFi. Check out this post to learn all about podcasts and Yoto.

Audio Volume

The Toniebox allows you to adjust the volume percentage that comes from the box and we’ve found this particularly useful at bedtime to promote a more tranquil, sleepy environment. The volume can be adjusted on an app from your phone. This is the same for the Yoto and you can set a daytime and nighttime audio limit.

Headphones

Headphones can be purchased for Yoto Player and the original Toniebox 1; these can have the volume limits set to ensure they are safe for children. The Yoto Player and Yoto Mini can use wireless Bluetooth headphones. Check out this post on my safety tips and recommendations for headphones for Yoto Players here. The Toniebox 1 needs wired headphones. Currently, I can’t see that the Toniebox 2 has a jack port so I’m left to believe that it’s not possible to connect headphones. Once I have a definite on this I’ll update.

Power Cables

Yoto Player and Yoto Mini use a USB C charger although the Yoto Player you can purchase a charging dock for. I wish I’d purchased this when I bought the player as there is a significant discount when you do.

It’s worth noting that a specific cable is needed for the Yoto Mini. There was a safety recall on Yoto Minis purchased before 2024. You can find out more information here.

The Toniebox 1 comes with a specific charging dock. A great upgrade for the Toniebox 2 is that it uses a USB C charging cable. The included cable is said to be small due to the age range for the device. However, you can choose to change to a longer cable if appropriate for your circumstances.

Yoto Player vs Toniebox Apps

Both audio players can be controlled using apps. Something I’ve found brilliant with the Yoto Player app is that it stores all of our content on my phone. So, if I need a super quick distraction or a little entertainment I don’t need to have the player with me and still have access to the audio content in my hand!

The tonies® app stores all your purchased content on the app but you can’t play directly from the app. The Toniebox 2 suggests more integration with the app so I’m interested to see what this will be like.

Creative Tonies and Make Your Own Cards

Whichever audio player you choose you can upload your own content using the apps or through a web browser. This is one of our favourite aspects of the players. Note that for Tonieboxes the Tonie Creative characters are limited to 90 minutes of audio. If you’re looking for more time then Yoto is the player for you as Yoto Cards can store up to 100 tracks or 500 MB. You can find free audio content for Yoto here and Tonie here.

Keeping in Touch – Friends and Family

Particularly, during Covid lockdowns it was a great way to be able to get grandparents and other family and friends to keep in touch through telling stories and singing songs which we were then able to upload onto our daughter’s player. It would be an ideal way to keep in touch with relatives and friends from across the world too or send seasonal messages.

More About Audio Player Age Range

For us the Yoto Player was a natural progression as Floss got older and we wanted more depth of content to stories for her. However, as I say, she still ADORES her Toniebox, so the two work very well together for us.

Toniebox Perfect for Little Ones (1-3 years old)

With the age of the Toniebox 2 now being suitable for 1 year + then I’d be very tempted to start your child’s journey into the world of audio players very early with a Toniebox 2. This post explains why I’d choose the Toniebox 2 over the original Toniebox 1.

We found the Toniebox perfect for when Floss was younger. The characters were really engaging and she would use them in her play even without the player. She really enjoyed having the character while reading we read the actual book to her too.

Generally, we found the tonies® content lots of fun with shorter stories, stories interspersed with songs, music, movie characters where it’s the original cast and familiar content. I believe this helped get Floss engaged with the audio player world from a very young age and it’s become part of her routines.

If you purchase a Toniebox from a young age then you’ll get good, daily use from it until around 6 – would be my opinion. A toy having a lifespan of 5 years is pretty impressive in this current world we live.

Is Yoto Player Better for Older Children? (6 years +)

Floss is at that stage where she’s exploring the world of early chapter books as her passion for reading thrives. With this we’ve found that the Yoto Player was a great aid with this progression; giving her that slightly longer content that she was looking for. tonies® are now starting to introduce some more meatier content but Yoto are still leaps ahead on this front.

UPDATE: (October 2024) tonies® have begun to put up a fight for the older audio player audience. The new Pocket Tonies have really captured our eight year old’s attention. However, if you have a voracious reader like we do then the tonies® content still doesn’t compare unless you have a child who is very much into movies and dancing; in which case, tonies® original cast content is still a winner.

Depending upon what age your child is would definitely impact upon which player I would choose. As I’ve already mentioned, before my daughter turned 7 she had fully transitioned onto the Yoto Player being her bedtime player of choice (still using the Toniebox during the day). Therefore if your child is 6/7 then my recommendation would be to go for a Yoto Player and decide between the standard player and the Yoto Mini depending upon your circumstances.

4-5 Year Old Dilema!

If a child is 4 or 5 I think this becomes a much harder choice and you’d need to consider carefully what your child enjoys most and whether financially you have the option to go for Toniebox first and then transition more quickly (in around 1-2 years) to a Yoto Player.

What Does Your Child Like?

Floss is a total bookworm and adores a wide range of book genres in both physical and audio books. Depending upon how your child engages with stories may help you to decide on a suitable audio player.

Disney Content

Both players have Disney content. Although, tonies® is generally original cast and songs whereas Yoto cards are often narrated by an audio narrator. If you have a real Disney fan then the Toniebox would be my top recommendation.

Games & Interaction

If your child loves interaction then both players are vying for your attention. The Toniebox 2 boasts Tonieplay, a totally new way to interact with a Toniebox using a Tonieplay Controller and special Tonieplay Game packs. Find out more in this post. tonies® have likened it to board game play with a twist. Yoto have cards where you can make choices to join in with the story – Spy Club is one such example.

Songs and Singing Along

Again, tonies® and Yoto both have songs. If Disney songs are important I’d go Toniebox. Yoto have started to release some awesome old school music – think ABBA Greatest Hits amongst others. I feel this is an area where Yoto are looking to move further into. Both players have music to sing along to.

Familiar Story Characters eg. The Gruffalo, The Tiger Who Came to Tea

This is another head to head where both Yoto and tonies® seems to be eager to keep up with each other. There is certainly huge appeal to the magnificent hand painted Tonie Characters.

Bookworms & Longer Content

If like us, you have a complete bookworm on your hands then Yoto have much lengthier stories to enjoy. We’ve also found we can use resources like BorrowBox and not have to worry about the Tonie Creative 90 minute restriction with a Yoto Card.

Clever Pocket Tonies

As I mentioned above tonies® have just started to forge more into content for older children but also with this is a range of Clever Pocket Tonies that are non-fiction based.

Non Fiction & New Yoto Club

If your child prefers non-fiction texts to fiction then Yoto has a much bigger selection of non-fiction titles including activity cards. We particularly love the Flags of the World card. Yoto have just had a big update on their Yoto Club and one of the Club options gives free access to Yoto Original content which has lots of non fiction.

Yoto Club Top Tip

If you plan on joining the Yoto Collector or Collector Plus club option then do this BEFORE you purchase your player. These Yoto Club options give you 10% discount which you can then use with other discounts to purchase players, cards and accessories on the Yoto website.

Free New Yoto Club Two Week Trial

You can trial the Yoto Club Explorer plan for two weeks currently – use the links below for your region.

Active Child?

If your child loves sitting and listening to stories then either audio player is likely to be a win. However, if your child isn’t one for sitting with stories then the Tonies Characters might be a great way to help your child engage with audio content. Check out my blog post here on incorporating Tonie characters with small world play.

Yoto Player Creativity

Let’s Talk Money – Yoto Players or Tonieboxes?

[Prices are in £’s but usually there is a proportional amount between other currencies so pounds should give you a bit of a comparison idea wherever in the world you are.]

The Players

With the launch of the Toniebox 2 it has just become the most expensive player at £94.99. Not to mention that to get full functionality with Tonieplay you need to have a controller and the Tonieplay games are one of the more expensive products – more details here.

The Yoto Player Gen 3 comes in close behind and currently retails at £89.99. Although, as I’ve said I’d highly recommend purchasing the Adventure Jacket at the discounted price of £15 when you purchase a player.

The original Toniebox 1 is next in at £79.95. Here’s my thoughts on why I’d go for the Toniebox 2 if you don’t already have a Toniebox 1 even if you don’t plan on using the new Tonieplay features.

Finally, the Yoto Mini comes in at £59.99 (I’d definitely go for the Adventure Jacket add on for £14.99). If price is your top consideration then my recommendation would be to go for a Yoto Mini as player cost and ongoing content would work out cheaper with this option.

Ongoing Costs: Tonies Characters & Yoto Cards

However, it’s important to consider ongoing costs of cards and characters before basing your decision solely on the cost of the players.

Tonies Characters Variety, Releases and Prices

Generally, we’ve found Toniebox have around four to six new characters a month added including popular Disney stories with original sound tracks and voices from original cast and stories such as Fireman Sam, Oi Frog series, Miffy and Paw Patrol, Gabby’s Dollhouse etc. Creative Tonies are from £11.99 and pre-loaded content Tonies are from £14.99.

Yoto Player Cards and Yoto Club Prices

Yoto Player have lots more new releases that arrive weekly on a Thursday. They also have Yoto Club that we are a member of. Yoto cards have increased significantly in price since their launch but still cheaper than Tonies Characters. They also do many bundle offers. Therefore, if ongoing costs are an important factor for you then a Yoto Player might be your preferred choice. Yoto Make Your Own (MYO) Cards can significantly bring down the ongoing costs whilst giving you access to lots of fresh content. Find out about free options here.

Yoto Player or Toniebox – Still Unsure?

I’m very happy to answer any specific questions you have. Each family is unique and different and knowing your personal circumstances can really help to make an informed choice. Just drop me a message in comments, join the Facebook Group or send me an email to lisa@busybusylearning.com and I’ll happily help answer any specific questions you have for your family.

Buy Yoto, Toniebox or Voxblock including Discount Codes & Offers

Thank you so much if you do use one of my links. You are supporting a very small, spoonie blogger business and I’m incredibly grateful.

Where to Buy Yoto Players and Yoto discount codes

I frequently (several times a week) update offers – click on the button below to head to the dedicated page. You will also find year-round discount codes.

Last Chance Yoto Section – Yoto Discounted Card Deals

Where to Buy Voxblock Players and Voxblock discount codes

Discount Code: BUSYBUSY for 20% off one purchase – limited to one transaction per customer

Further Helpful Audio Resources

Access the Audio Player Homepage here for lots more audio player support, tips and information.

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