Best Apps for Kids in 2026: 10 Apps Compared

Khan Academy Kids is our pick for most families with young children. It covers early reading, math, writing, social skills, and creative play for ages 2 to 8, with characters that guide children through activities. It is free, with no ads and no in-app purchases in recent listings, which removes the most common parent worry.

The limit is age. A child over about eight will outgrow it, and it does not replace school or a teacher. For preschool through early elementary, it is the best free starting point, and it pairs well with a reading app such as Duolingo ABC or Epic.

PBS Kids Games brings familiar characters from PBS Kids shows into short learning games for ages 2 to 8. Math, reading, science, art, and social skills are all covered, and the app is free as a nonprofit offering. Children who already watch PBS shows will recognize the characters and feel at home quickly.

It is not a structured curriculum like ABCmouse. Games are fun and educational, but progress tracking is lighter, and parents may need to guide choices. As a free, safe, and familiar option, it is an excellent second app alongside Khan Academy Kids.

Duolingo ABC focuses on one job: helping young children learn to read. It teaches letter sounds, phonics, and early words through short, playful lessons for ages 3 to 8, and it is free with no ads in recent listings. That narrow focus is a strength, because reading progress is easier to see than in a general app.

It does not cover math, science, or art, so pair it with Khan Academy Kids or PBS Kids Games for a fuller mix. For a child who is just starting to read, Duolingo ABC is one of the clearest and safest choices available.

ABCmouse offers a structured early learning path for ages 2 to 8, with ten levels that move from letters and numbers to more complex reading and math. It covers reading, math, science, art, and music, with games, books, songs, and printable activities. Pricing is listed at $14.99 per month or $45 per year on the web in recent listings, though app store prices can differ.

The subscription is the main drawback, especially when Khan Academy Kids is free. Some parents also find the reward system busy. If you want a clear, step-by-step curriculum and your child responds well to a structured path, ABCmouse is still a strong paid choice. Try the trial first.

Epic is a digital library for children ages 2 to 12, with books, audiobooks, and videos across many topics and reading levels. Read-to-me books help younger readers, while older children can read independently and take quizzes. Pricing is listed at $13.99 per month or $84.99 per year in recent listings.

Epic does not teach math or coding, so it works best as a reading companion to Khan Academy Kids or ABCmouse. For a family that wants to build a reading habit without buying a shelf of books, Epic offers a lot of choice for one subscription.

ScratchJr, from the MIT team behind Scratch, lets children ages 5 to 7 create stories and games by snapping together colorful coding blocks. It teaches sequencing, cause and effect, and creative thinking without requiring reading fluency. It is free, with no ads in recent listings, and it works offline once downloaded.

The scope is intentionally small. Older children will want Scratch itself, which suits ages 8 and up. For a first coding experience, ScratchJr is safe, creative, and easy for a parent to learn alongside a child.

Lingokids offers playful learning for ages 2 to 8, with games, songs, and activities that cover early English, math, and social skills. It is especially popular with families raising bilingual children or teaching English as an additional language. The free plan allows a limited number of activities per day, and the paid plan is listed at $13.49 per month in recent listings.

The cost is the main question when Khan Academy Kids is free. Lingokids earns it for families that want a more playful, song-based style and parent reports. Try the free activities first and watch whether your child returns to it on their own.

Prodigy Math turns math practice into a role-playing game, where children answer math questions to cast spells and progress. It adapts to the child's level and covers grades 1 to 8 in recent listings, with a free core game and optional paid memberships. Teachers can also assign skills, which helps with school work.

Some parents dislike the paid membership perks, because children may ask for game items rather than focus on math. Turn off purchase prompts, set expectations before play, and treat Prodigy as practice, not as a replacement for math lessons.

SplashLearn offers adaptive math and English language arts paths for ages 3 to 10, with games, worksheets, and progress dashboards for parents and teachers. The free plan covers basic use, and paid plans open up the full path. It is a good choice for a child who needs steady practice in math and reading, with a clear level to work toward.

The style is more school-like than PBS Kids or Lingokids, which suits some children and bores others. If your child likes structured practice and you want to see progress by skill, SplashLearn is a solid pick.

Reading Eggs is a structured phonics and reading program for ages 2 to 13, with lessons that build letter sounds, words, and comprehension step by step. It is listed at $9.99 per month in recent comparisons, with a free trial to test it. Parents get progress reports, which help track reading growth.

It is reading only, so it pairs best with a math app such as Prodigy or SplashLearn. For a child who needs a clear phonics path, especially if school has flagged reading progress, Reading Eggs is a focused and proven option.