Best Kids Learning Apps — every ranking, by use case and budget
Every app here was paid for and used by real children for two weeks with a parent watching. Scores are locked before any affiliate link is added.
By use case indexed
In-depth kids learning apps reviews
Khan Academy Kids
Free, ad-free and complete: reading, maths, logic and social-emotional lessons for ages 2–8 from a nonprofit
Read Khan Academy Kids ReviewKhan Academy
Free video lessons and mastery practice from kindergarten to calculus, with Khanmigo AI tutoring as an optional extra
Read Khan Academy ReviewReading Eggs
Systematic phonics that took our 6-year-old from sounding out to reading short books in two weeks; includes Mathseeds
Read Reading Eggs ReviewIXL
Standards-aligned practice in every K–12 subject with the best progress reporting we saw — practice, not lessons
Read IXL ReviewABCmouse
A full preschool-to-second-grade curriculum with 10,000 activities — the most complete paid program for ages 2–8
Read ABCmouse ReviewHOMER
A personalised early-reading program built around the child's own interests, for ages 2–8
Read HOMER ReviewProdigy Math
A fantasy RPG where every spell is a maths question — the app our reluctant 10-year-old asked for every day
Read Prodigy Math ReviewEducation.com
37,000 printable worksheets, lesson plans and games for Pre-K to 8th grade — the homeschooler's and teacher's library
Read Education.com ReviewABCya
400+ browser games sorted by grade, free with ads or ad-free for a small subscription — the classroom-favourite time-filler
Read ABCya ReviewGuides that send readers to these rankings
Which Learning App for Which Age: 2 to 14
Our picks by age band from the nine apps we tested, and the one thing to check at each stage.
Free vs Paid Learning Apps for Kids: What You Actually Get for the Money
Two free apps beat most paid ones in our test. Here is when paying is worth it.