Best Reading Apps for Kids
Only the apps that fit "best reading apps for kids", used by real children for two weeks and scored on the public rubric.
Khan Academy Kids - Free, ad-free and complete: reading, maths, logic and social-emotional lessons for ages 2–8 from a nonprofit Tested Aug 2026 by Team RankingRight
- Completely free with no ads and no in-app purchases
- Adaptive learning path plus a library of books and videos
- Our 6-year-old chose it unprompted on 11 of 14 days
Reading Eggs - Systematic phonics that took our 6-year-old from sounding out to reading short books in two weeks; includes Mathseeds Tested Aug 2026 by Team RankingRight
- Structured, sequential phonics with a placement test
- Library of 3,000+ e-books levelled to the child
- 30-day free trial is the longest here
IXL - Standards-aligned practice in every K–12 subject with the best progress reporting we saw — practice, not lessons Tested Aug 2026 by Team RankingRight
- Skills mapped to each US state's standards by grade
- Adaptive SmartScore; our 10-year-old moved up two grade levels in fractions
- Reports show exactly which standard needs work
ABCmouse - A full preschool-to-second-grade curriculum with 10,000 activities — the most complete paid program for ages 2–8 Tested Aug 2026 by Team RankingRight
- Step-by-step learning path across 10 levels
- Thousands of books, songs, puzzles and games
- Three child profiles
HOMER - A personalised early-reading program built around the child's own interests, for ages 2–8 Tested Aug 2026 by Team RankingRight
- Reading path adapts to the child's stated interests (dinosaurs, space…)
- No ads or in-app purchases
- Short sessions suited to 3–5-year-olds
Education.com - 37,000 printable worksheets, lesson plans and games for Pre-K to 8th grade — the homeschooler's and teacher's library Tested Aug 2026 by Team RankingRight
- Largest printable library we found, searchable by standard
- Guided lessons and games alongside worksheets
- Free tier gives a few downloads a month
ABCya - 400+ browser games sorted by grade, free with ads or ad-free for a small subscription — the classroom-favourite time-filler Tested Aug 2026 by Team RankingRight
- Hundreds of games organised by grade and subject
- Free on the web
- Typing and logic games our 10-year-old kept returning to
What separates the best reading apps for kids on this page?
Price and score don't move together here. Khan Academy Kids is Free and scores 9.1, the top mark on the page. Reading Eggs costs $12.99 and scores 8.7. IXL sits at 8.4 for $9.95, ABCmouse at 8.0 for $14.99, HOMER at 7.8 for $9.99, Education.com at 7.6 for $15.99, and ABCya at 6.8 on a free tier with ads or Premium at $6.99/mo.
The split is teaching versus practice. Reading Eggs runs structured, sequential phonics with a placement test and a library of 3,000+ e-books levelled to the child. IXL is the opposite: skills mapped to each US state's standards by grade, an adaptive SmartScore, and reports showing exactly which standard needs work — but practice questions, not teaching. A child who doesn't understand a concept needs help elsewhere.
Age range decides a lot. Khan Academy Kids stops at second grade. ABCmouse covers preschool to second grade across 10 levels with 10,000 activities and three child profiles. Education.com reaches Pre-K to 8th grade with 37,000 printable worksheets, but it's a resource library more than an app a child uses alone.
What should you check before buying a kids' reading app?
We scored on Learning 30, Engagement 20, Parent tools 15, Safety & ads 15 and Value 20. Run your shortlist against those five.
- Ads and purchases: Khan Academy Kids and HOMER have no ads and no in-app purchases. ABCya's free tier shows ads to children.
- Rewards: ABCmouse's virtual-ticket rewards and shop distract from lessons; Reading Eggs' reward games can take over a session if unmanaged.
- Parent tools: IXL's reports are the strongest here; Khan Academy Kids' parent reports are simpler than IXL's. ABCya has no profiles, no progress and no parent reports.
- Commitment: Reading Eggs runs $89.99 a year and its 30-day free trial is the longest here. ABCmouse cancellation requires contacting support.
- Fit: HOMER adapts its reading path to the child's stated interests and suits short sessions for 3–5-year-olds, but is narrower than Reading Eggs on phonics structure.
Free and ad-free from age 2
Khan Academy Kids. Our 6-year-old chose it unprompted on 11 of 14 days.
Learning to sound out words
Reading Eggs took our 6-year-old from sounding out to reading short books in two weeks.
Standards practice and reporting
IXL. Our 10-year-old moved up two grade levels in fractions.
Printables and homeschool planning
Education.com, with a free tier giving a few downloads a month.
Quick games and typing
ABCya, whose typing and logic games our 10-year-old kept returning to.
Khan Academy Kids suits families who want a free, ad-free start for ages 2–8, while Reading Eggs fits a child ready for structured phonics. IXL is the pick when you need standards-aligned practice and detailed reports, and Education.com works for homeschoolers who print. For quick games, ABCya is the low-commitment option.
Related guides
Questions about best reading apps for kids
*Scores: Learning 30 · Engagement 20 · Parent tools 15 · Safety & ads 15 · Value 20; score = Σ ÷ 10. Prices shown were checked on the date beside each and may change. Affiliate links are added only after a score is locked and can never change it. How we rank.