Honest review · Classroom-tested

ESL Library (Now Ellii): Brand History, What Changed, and Whether It's Still Worth It

ESL Library was one of the original ESL lesson-plan platforms on the web. In 2022 it was rebranded to Ellii. This page covers what changed, what stayed the same, and where to go if you want a deeper review of the current product.

The original ESL lesson-plan library, now Ellii

Ready to try ESL Library (now Ellii)?

"A 20+ year catalogue of ESL lessons, flashcards, and videos, rebranded but with the same editorial team and the same library IDs."

Best for

Teachers who knew the platform as ESL Library and want to understand what changed — or new teachers researching whether a 20-year-old library is still worth subscribing to.

Pricing

From ~$14/month

Visit ESL Library (now Ellii)

Pro tip — heads up before you bookmark it

A note on the URL

esllibrary.com is no longer the primary domain — it now 301-redirects to ellii.com. If you came here looking for the original ESL Library, the product is alive and well under its new name. The full platform review lives at /ellii/.

What is ESL Library?

ESL Library was the original name of one of the oldest ESL lesson-plan platforms on the web, founded in the late 1990s. In 2022, the company rebranded to Ellii and moved the product to ellii.com. The catalogue is run today by Red River Press, an independent ESL publisher that also prints classroom books.

The catalogue has four main content buckets:

Lessons — hundreds of ready-made lessons tagged by level (young learners, teens, adults, literacy, advanced) and by skill (grammar, functional English, current events, vocabulary)
Flashcards — 4,500+ cards with an in-platform Flashcard Editor and Player
Videos — 400+ curated videos designed for classroom elicitation and discussion
Resources — a media gallery of high-quality images, a blog, polls, and a Dilemmas speaking-activity section

The full review of the current product lives on our dedicated Ellii review page. This page focuses on what changed during the rebrand and what ESL Library customers can expect when they log in to ellii.com.

How teachers use it (and what changed)

If you knew the platform as ESL Library, here is how to think about the new Ellii version:

Existing subscribers: your login and lesson access carried over automatically. Subscription billing moved to Red River Press but prices have stayed in the same band.
Cataloguing old favorites: lesson IDs and content are unchanged. If you saved links to specific ESL Library lessons, they still resolve to the same content on ellii.com.
School-wide rollouts: the Organization tier adds unlimited student accounts and admin tools. Used in 10,000+ schools worldwide, including NYC Department of Education programs.
AI-assisted planning: newer Ellii features (AI for Teachers, Kanban Lesson Planner, Grade Feed) were added after the rebrand and are not in the legacy ESL Library catalogue.
Comparing with competitors: many of the older ESL Library-style competitors (ISL Collective, English-Teaching resources) have faded or shifted focus, which is part of why the Ellii rebrand matters — the library is now one of the few that has stayed editorially consistent over two decades.

Is it worth your time?

Yes — if you ever used ESL Library and wondered what happened to it, the answer is: it's still there, just renamed. Ellii is the same editorial team, the same catalogue IDs, and a deeper feature set layered on top. For a full breakdown of the current platform see our dedicated Ellii review.

The honest caveats: the rebrand was cosmetic, not structural. The pricing tier (~$14/month for individuals), the lesson-style, and the audience have not shifted dramatically. If you left ESL Library years ago because the lesson style did not fit your teaching, Ellii in 2026 will not feel different.

Honest recommendation: if you are a new teacher evaluating lesson-plan libraries, jump straight to our Ellii review for the full platform breakdown. If you are a former ESL Library user coming back after a few years, this page answers the only question that matters: nothing important changed, the catalogue is intact.

The honest pros and cons

What works

20+ years of content One of the longest-running ESL lesson libraries on the web.
Same editorial team Lesson writers carried over from the ESL Library era.
Used at scale Deployed in 10,000+ schools, including large US districts.
Legacy links still resolve Old ESL Library lesson URLs redirect to the same content on ellii.com.
Wide level coverage Young learners, teens, adults, literacy, and advanced learners.
Print + digital PDF viewer with annotation tools for offline-style use.

What doesn't

Rebrand adds no new lesson style If the old ESL Library style did not fit you, Ellii won't either.
esllibrary.com is gone Domain redirects to ellii.com — no standalone ESL Library brand anymore.
Subscription required No fully free tier with the full library. A limited free sample set exists.
Pricier than print-only competitors At ~$14/month it's more expensive than Teach-This.com or Breaking News English (free).
AI features added post-rebrand If you want AI tutoring, Ellii added AI tools but it's not an AI-first platform.
Less video-driven than competitors ESL Brains and similar competitors lean harder on authentic video.

Best alternatives

If ESL Library (now Ellii) isn't a fit, these are the resources teachers actually switch to:

Ellii (full review)

Read our full review of the current Ellii platform — features, pricing, classroom use.

Breaking News English

3,500+ free news-based ESL lessons across 7 difficulty levels.

ESL Brains

Lesson plans built around TED talks and authentic videos for adults and teens.

Teach-This.com

3,000+ printable ESL worksheets, CEFR-aligned, updated monthly.

Crystal Clear ESL

Ready-to-use PDF lesson plans for adult and teen ESL teachers.

Frequently asked questions

What is ESL Library?

ESL Library was the original name of an ESL lesson-plan platform founded in the late 1990s. In 2022 the company rebranded to Ellii and moved the product to ellii.com. The catalogue, editorial team, and login credentials carried over — the rebrand was a name change, not a new product.

Is esllibrary.com still a working URL?

No. esllibrary.com now 301-redirects to ellii.com. New teachers will land on the Ellii homepage. If you had an old ESL Library login, your credentials still work on ellii.com.

Who runs ESL Library / Ellii?

Red River Press, an independent ESL publisher. The editorial team and lesson writers are largely the same as during the ESL Library era. Red River Press also publishes print ESL books.

Did any content get removed in the rebrand?

All previously published lessons, flashcards, and resources remained in the library. The rebrand added new features (AI tools for teachers, Kanban-style Lesson Planner, Grade Feed) but did not remove legacy materials.

Is the ESL Library content still good for adults vs kids?

Yes. The catalogue covers young learners, teens, adults, literacy, and advanced learners. Grammar sections range from modals and prepositions through noun clauses and gerunds, so A1–C1 teachers all find content.

How much does Ellii (formerly ESL Library) cost?

Individual teacher plans start around $14/month USD billed monthly, with a 14-day money-back guarantee. School and district Organization plans are custom-quoted and unlock unlimited student accounts plus admin tools.

What are the best alternatives to ESL Library / Ellii?

ESL Brains (video-driven lesson plans, subscription), Teach-This.com (3,000+ printable worksheets, low monthly cost), British Council Learn English (free, polished but lighter on teacher materials), and Breaking News English (free news-based lessons).

Want the full breakdown of the current Ellii platform?

ESL Library is now Ellii. Read our detailed review of the platform — features, classroom use, pricing tiers, and how it stacks up against ESL Brains, Teach-This, and Breaking News English.

Visit Ellii (formerly ESL Library)