Best Learn to Read Apps

ABCmouse.com is one of the most well-known learn to read apps for children. With its expert-curated curriculum, the program offers endless hours of content for children ages 2 to 8 and is used in schools across the globe.

There’s a reason ABCmouse.com is a longtime favorite for families with young children who are learning how to read. The interactive app (also available on the web via a browser) offers thousands of activities to help develop this crucial skill, with lessons that expose students to math, arts, and science at age-appropriate levels too.

Although ABCmouse.com does have a sub-section called Adventure Academy for children ages 8 to 13, its crown jewel is its learn-to-read program for kids ages 2 to 8. More than 850 lessons span 10 levels in the company's signature "Step-by-Step Learning Path." Each step builds on the previous one to help kids master reading skills through fun, colorful activities.

The program offers a 30-day free trial, but the cost after that is around $13 per month. Families who purchase a full year’s subscription can get almost 50% off the price. ABCmouse.com is a robust and fairly affordable option that makes learning fun for young kids.

Starfall is a free or low-cost educational program that provides a fun environment for children (preschool to fifth grade) to learn to read and understand basic mathematics concepts. It's especially effective for children with learning differences, homeschoolers, and English language learners.

Starfall, a nonprofit that’s been teaching reading on its website since 2002, has transformed its curriculum to the app format. While much of the content is free, full access runs about $35 for a year.

"Zac the Rat" shepherds young children through their first phonics lessons, starting with vowel sounds and super simple examples. Along with straightforward reading sessions, there are fun games and activities for kids to play, further reinforcing their learning.

Kids can "meet" and read with a variety of charming animal characters, with each lesson teaching a different sound or language skill. Plus, they don’t have to stop using Starfall after they’ve graduated past basic phonics and alphabet lessons.

It also offers "It’s Fun to Read" and "Let’s Read" for elementary school students, both of which gradually increase in difficulty to help students continue learning. By the time they’re at the most advanced levels, kids get reading tips and are introduced to fables, myths, nonfiction, and more genres of literature.

Homer provides a customizable learning path for children ages 2 to 8. Children will learn reading, math, ESL, creative thinking, and problem-solving skills in a fun and engaging way. For families with multiple children in elementary school, this program is very cost-effective.

Homer helps toddlers to elementary school students (specifically, ages 2 to 8) learn to read, but it takes a slightly different approach. Instead of a one-size-fits-most approach, Homer customizes learning plans and allows students to take the lead in deciding what they want to work on.

The system starts out by teaching toddlers the basics of identifying letters and numbers and works up through early elementary reading passages. Kids get to choose from over 20 topics they’re interested in, and the app combines their reading needs with their favorite topics to produce a customized learning plan.

Homer uses a game-like interface to keep kids engaged and interested. Users can either work through the lesson plan that the app has put together, or the "practice" mode, which allows students to revisit their favorite activities or spend a little extra time on specific concepts. The price point is in line with similar apps at about $10 per month after a free trial, or roughly $60 for a full year.

Hooked on Phonics is an exceptional tool for homeschoolers, with a large catalog of lessons, games, and fun activities. Depending on the membership you choose, you may also receive workbooks that are mailed to your home to help with reading, writing, spelling, and math.

Hooked on Phonics is one of the most popular brands for teaching kids to read, and its integrated system makes it an ideal option for homeschooling students.

The company has been around since the pre-internet days when it mainly focused on physical learning materials like books, flashcards, and worksheets. Now, it’s a multimedia learning platform that still uses the same tried-and-true techniques for teaching kids to read, but with more interactive options than ever.

The Learn to Read app is just the baseline when families subscribe to Hooked on Phonics. They also get workbooks, books to read, questions and activities, and more. Children are introduced to each new concept through a series of fun activities, videos, and even songs. Then, interactive games and puzzles help the, practice before they try their hand at reading the corresponding text.

There’s even a built-in reward system to encourage more learning. The system is a little bit pricier than other apps, at about $16 per month after a trial month for roughly $1. But, the higher price point gets you more than just the app itself: It also includes workbooks shipped to your door and access to the full catalog of subjects.

While other programs on this list offer flashy interfaces and multiple subjects, Reading Raven proves that sometimes just the basics are all you need. This app-only program puts the focus on not only learning to read, but also on learning to love reading.

The interactive app Reading Raven is designed not just to teach the basics, but to also help kids ages 3 to 7 get a strong start with reading. It’s a phonics-based curriculum that starts out with interactive games teaching kids to recognize and trace letters.

As a bonus, the games' multi-sensory approach builds hand-eye coordination, listening, and reading skills. It’s a multifaceted way to create a strong foundation for reading comprehension from the very beginning.

By choosing which "adventures" kids can go on, families can customize the learning experience for each grade level. A 3-year-old, for instance, can play games focused on letter sounds and work up to word matching, while a 5-year-old might try an activity putting word groups together.

It’s all interactive and all customizable for what each student needs to practice or wants to play. The original app is about $3, and families can get the second volume—with more activities for the same levels—for roughly $2.

Lessons, curated books, fun activities, and video field trips hosted by LeVar Burton from "Reading Rainbow" offer non-stop learning fun in this jam-packed app.

Skybrary, formerly known as Reading Rainbow, has the benefit of being affiliated with Reading Is Fundamental, a major non-profit organization focused on children’s literacy.

The concept is simple: an interactive digital library within a playful framework that allows young readers to explore topics of their choosing. Experts have curated a wide selection of children's books, and along with the books themselves, there are plenty of supplemental video "adventures" and read-along narration options.

The app focuses less on the technical part of reading and more on giving kids a constant supply of new reading material. More importantly, the variety the app provides—and the opportunity for young readers to choose books about things they’re actually interested in—helps foster a genuine love for reading at an early age.

Pricing currently sits at about $5 per month or roughly $40 for an annual subscription. Keep in mind that the app is listed as "free" in app stores, but with "in-app purchases."

FarFaria invites children to join in on a magical adventure that includes island hopping and the choice between reading the story or having it narrated completely with fun, magical animation. While the free membership offers one story a day, the premium membership unlocks access to unlimited adventures (stories).

The setup of FarFaria is charming for young readers. Across several magical "lands" on a map, readers can explore different topics and themes to find new stories to practice their reading skills.

It gives readers more control over what they read and places reading skills into practical contexts, rather than full-fledged games or structured lessons. Readers can either read the books themselves or take advantage of the "read to me" option to have stories read aloud by professional narrators.

FarFaria has two membership tiers, free and paid. At the free level, users get one new story every day. Paid subscribers get unlimited stories, with new stories added every week and the ability to access favorite stories even while offline.

Subscription options include a monthly plan at roughly $5 per month, a yearly plan at approximately $50 per year, or $100 for a lifetime subscription. It means that no matter your price point, you can access new stories to encourage a love of reading.