Best English Learning Apps for Kids (Reading or Speaking?)

Before you pick an English app, decide which problem you are solving. If your child already speaks English and needs to learn to read it, Duolingo ABC and Khan Academy Kids are both free and ad-free, according to their publishers. If your child is learning English as a new language, look for apps that teach words and listening without asking for reading, such as Studycat, Dinolingo and Little Pim, and try Lingokids and the British Council’s free LearnEnglish Kids website.

Everything below comes from each publisher’s own site or store listing, checked on 31 October 2026. Ages, prices and free tiers change, so this page repeats what each publisher says and leaves prices out. Check the current terms before you subscribe.

Learning to read English is not the same as learning English

Roundups tend to lump these together, which is how a child ends up tapping through phonics lessons in a language they cannot yet follow. The Duolingo ABC listing describes an app for English reading: alphabet, phonics, sight words and vocabulary, through more than 700 lessons and interactive stories. That is a literacy tool. A child who has hardly heard English spoken may get more from apps built around spoken words, pictures and songs, and then move to reading apps once the sounds are familiar.

English learning apps for kids compared

Duolingo ABC: free English reading practice

Duolingo ABC is the clearest case of a free kids’ app doing one job well. The App Store listing says it is free, with no ads or in-app purchases, and that it works offline. It teaches reading and writing in English only. The listing gives a few different age cues (preschool to second grade in the description), so judge by your child’s reading level rather than the number. If your child is not yet reading, ABC flashcards on the floor are a cheap warm-up.

Khan Academy Kids: free, ad-free, and built around English

Khan Academy Kids comes from the nonprofit Khan Academy. Its page describes thousands of standards-aligned math, reading and writing activities for ages 2 to 8, calls the app free forever with no ads and no subscriptions, and lists iOS, Android, Amazon tablets and phones and Chromebooks. It says nothing about support for other languages, which makes it a good fit for a child who already understands English and a weaker one for a complete beginner. There is a fuller write-up in this Khan Academy Kids review.

Which app teaches English to a child who is just starting?

Three options are aimed at children who are meeting English for the first time, going by how their publishers describe them.

Studycat offers English, Spanish, French, German and Chinese. Its site says content suits ages 3 and up and that no reading is required. Lessons are games, stories and songs, plus printable worksheets, and parents get weekly progress reports. It runs on Android and iOS and starts with a 7-day free trial.

Dinolingo lists English among 50 languages in one plan, for ages 2 to 14, in a browser and as iPhone, iPad and Android apps. Lessons lean on pictures and sound instead of translation, with videos, songs, games, quizzes and read-along stories. A 7-day free trial comes first.

Little Pim teaches English (listed as English/ESL) among 12 languages, in short videos of about five minutes, for babies, toddlers and pre-K. It is a subscription with a free trial, and it has printable lessons and guides for parents and teachers.

Lingokids is harder to place. It calls itself a kids’ entertainment platform with games, shows, sing-alongs and podcasts, designed by parents and educators, and its site has an English for kids section. The site says no ads, ever, and shows download free as the main button, with a subscribe link alongside. It does not describe what the free version includes, so open the app before you plan around it. It shows download badges for the Apple App Store, Google Play and Amazon.

LearnEnglish Kids: a free website from the British Council

The British Council runs LearnEnglish Kids, which describes lots of free online games, songs, stories and activities for children, plus printable flashcards, worksheets, colouring pages and crafts. There is a parents’ section with articles on supporting children learning English and videos on using English at home. The site also promotes paid English courses for ages 6 to 17, and it lists apps, though the page does not say what they cost. For a family that wants zero risk of a subscription, this is the first place to look.

What English apps cannot do

Apps handle vocabulary, listening and early reading. They do not hold a conversation. A child needs someone to answer back, and the British Council’s parent section includes videos on using English at home. Songs and shows fill some of the gap: try Baby Shark vocabulary for toddlers, Disney movie phrases for older children, and YouTube channels for kids learning English and Spanish for short listening sessions. If a screen game keeps your child engaged, online games that help kids learn English can add practice, though none of them replaces talking.

A guide for Spanish-speaking parents

Parents who read Spanish more comfortably than English can use a Spanish-language guide on the same topic, Las mejores apps para aprender inglés para niños. For families raising a child in both languages, apps to teach kids English and Spanish at home covers both directions.

How to choose an English app for your child

Ask three questions. Does my child read yet? If so, Duolingo ABC and Khan Academy Kids cost nothing, so start there. Does my child understand spoken English? If not, begin with a beginner app and use the trial. Will my child use it without me? Studycat says its apps are designed for independent use; for the others, plan to sit alongside at first. Then compare the full list in the guide to language learning apps for kids before you commit.