# Toniebox

7 Hacker News commenters recommended Toniebox and 2 criticized it, November 2025 to November 2026. It was recommended in 4 of 13 months.

**Verdict:** Kids' audio player with no account lock-in, so boxes can be resold or lent. Critics cite high audio play prices and data tracking.

## Why people recommend it

- No account lock-in, easy to hack (2 comments): "Nothing is tied to a specific account or box, so there are no restrictions on resale or lending." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46594840)) "The toni boxes are also quite hackable" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46598216))

## What people warn about

- High price per audio play (1 comments): "Prices are crazy (like EUR30 for a 45min audio play)" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47119419))
- Privacy concerns and data tracking (2 comments): "I was so upset about this locked and privacy nightmare I brought it back to the seller for a refund" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50314736)) "how much data gets tracked by the original firmware" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46716439))

## Alternatives hackers recommend

- [Yoto Player](https://hackerapproved.com/p/yoto-player.md): 24 recommend
- [Marelleo story box](https://hackerapproved.com/p/marelleo.md): 14 recommend

## Where to get it

- [See price on Amazon](https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Tonies+Toniebox+starter+set&tag=hackerapprove-20) (affiliate link)
- [Official site](https://us.tonies.com/)

## Cite as

Hacker Approved, "Toniebox", https://hackerapproved.com/p/toniebox/ (counts from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026).