Best Study Apps for Kids in 2026: 8 Apps Compared

Khan Academy Kids fits families who want a safe first learning app without a subscription. Children follow guided paths led by animated characters, with read-along books, drawing activities, phonics games and early maths puzzles that adapt to their level. Parents can create profiles for each child, and the absence of ads and in-app purchases removes two common worries for younger users.

The honest limit is age. The app is designed for ages 2 to 8, so a child in upper primary school will need a different tool for school subjects. Its early learning focus is also broad rather than deep in one subject, so a child who needs intensive reading help may benefit from pairing it with a focused reading app.

ABCmouse fits children who like a clear path and parents who want a full curriculum in one place. Its step-by-step learning path moves through reading, maths, science, art and music, with games, books, songs and puzzles that build on earlier lessons. A free Basic tier lets families try a limited set of activities before paying, and premium covers up to three children, which helps families with siblings close in age.

The catch is price and style. Premium costs $14.99 per month on web sign-ups in the sources we checked, with a 30-day free trial, and annual offers vary, so check the current offer before you subscribe. A child who prefers free exploration may also prefer Khan Academy Kids, while a child who likes structure and rewards will often thrive on ABCmouse.

PBS KIDS Games fits families who want free, playful learning without a curriculum commitment. Children can play games featuring characters they already know from PBS shows, covering early maths, reading, science and social skills in short sessions. That familiarity helps younger children start independently, and parents do not need to manage a subscription or worry about purchase prompts in the core app.

The trade-off is structure. PBS KIDS Games is excellent for exploration and reinforcement, but it does not offer the same guided progression or detailed parent reports as ABCmouse or IXL. Use it as a fun supplement to school learning or to another app, rather than as the only tool for closing a specific skill gap.

Prodigy Math fits primary school children who will practise maths more willingly inside a game. Players explore a fantasy world, battle characters and earn rewards by answering maths questions matched to their level, covering grades 1 to 8 in the sources we checked. Teachers and parents can set assignments and view progress, which makes it useful for homework practice as well as home learning.

The honest weakness is upselling. The core maths questions are free, but memberships add game rewards and features that children may ask about, so parents should check purchase settings and explain the difference between game items and learning progress. A child who is easily distracted by game rewards may also need shorter sessions with a clear maths goal.

IXL fits families and schools who need to target a specific skill gap. It covers maths, language arts, science and social studies from Pre-K to Grade 12, with adaptive practice that adjusts to a child level and detailed reports that show which skills are secure and which need work. That breadth makes it useful across school years, especially when a teacher or tutor has identified exact skills to practise.

The catch is motivation. Its SmartScore system rewards accuracy and can drop after a mistake, which some children find discouraging, especially when practising at home without a teacher nearby. Parents should set short sessions, celebrate effort and progress rather than score alone, and try the limited free questions before subscribing, since full access starts at $9.95 per month for one subject in the sources we checked.

Duolingo ABC fits preschool and early primary children learning to read. Its short lessons teach letter sounds, phonics, sight words and basic reading through interactive games, with a gentle pace that suits short daily sessions. The Duolingo style, with stars and encouragement, helps young children stay engaged without long blocks of screen time.

The limit is scope. Duolingo ABC is an early literacy app, not a full reading programme for older children, and it does not cover maths, science or writing in depth. Use it to build early reading confidence, then move to a broader library app such as Epic or a school reading programme as reading level grows.

Epic fits children who read more when they can choose their own books. Its library covers ages 4 to 12, with picture books, chapter books, non-fiction, Read-To-Me titles and audiobooks, plus quizzes and badges that encourage regular reading. That choice matters, because a child who picks a book about dinosaurs, space or football is more likely to finish it than a child assigned a generic reader.

The honest weakness is cost and balance. Full home access requires a paid subscription, with prices varying by plan and region, so check the current offer and any free school access first. Epic also works best beside print books, not instead of them, especially for younger readers who benefit from shared reading with a parent.

ScratchJr fits young children taking their first steps in coding. Children snap together colourful blocks to make characters move, speak and interact, creating stories and simple games without needing to type code. That block design teaches sequencing, cause and effect, and creative problem solving, and it works well for ages 5 to 7, the range its makers target.

The limit is age and depth. ScratchJr is intentionally simple, so an older child will quickly want Scratch itself, which suits ages 8 and up with more blocks and features. ScratchJr also has no detailed parent dashboard, so parents should sit with younger children at first, talk about what they made, and save favourite projects together.