We make Kadoo, one of the apps below. To keep this fair, every fact about another app links to its source, and we've noted where each one is stronger.
The short answer
- For a child who doesn't speak English yet and can't read: Kadoo, Studycat or Les Mini Mondes Explorers (formerly Pili Pop English). All three say no reading is needed.
- For speaking practice: Buddy.ai (an AI tutor that listens and answers), Studycat (voice recognition) or Novakid (live teachers).
- For a broad early-learning app in English: Lingokids or Khan Academy Kids (free).
- For learning to read in English, if your child already speaks it: Duolingo ABC (free).
- For a structured path from babyhood to age 11: Monkey Junior.
- For several languages in one family plan: Dinolingo (50 languages).
- For a small, one-time purchase: Gus on the Go ($3.99, about 90 words).
Compared
| App | Ages | Made for learning English as a new language? | Reading needed? | Speaking practice | Free option | US price a month | App Store privacy label |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kadoo | 4–8 | Yes | No | No | The house, a song, the alphabet, the photo album | $12.00 | Data Not Collected |
| Studycat | 3–8 | Yes | No (stated) | Voice recognition | Limited free version | $14.99 | Some data linked to you |
| Les Mini Mondes Explorers (Pili Pop) | 4–9 | Yes | No (stated) | Speaking activities | Not found | €6.90 (US price not confirmed) | Some data linked to you |
| Buddy.ai | 3–8 | Both (US: school readiness; site: English tutor) | Not stated | AI tutor | Free sample | $14.99 (App Store) | Some data linked to you |
| Novakid | 4–15 | Yes, live teachers | Not stated | Live lessons | Free trial lesson | From $9 a lesson | Some data, not linked |
| Monkey Junior | 0–11 | Yes | Teaches reading | Speech recognition | 7-day trial | Not found ($29.99 a year listed) | Data Not Collected |
| Dinolingo | 2–12 | Yes, 50 languages | No (stated) | Implied | 7-day trial | $19 (website) | Some data, not linked |
| EWA Kids | 5–12 | Yes | Partly (books) | Not stated | Not found | $7.99–$15.99 | Data linked to you, 8 kinds |
| Gus on the Go | Up to 5 | Yes | Not stated | No | No ($3.99 once) | $3.99 once | Data Not Collected |
| Lingokids | 2–8 | Both (US: early learning) | Not stated | Not found | 10 games a day | $14.99–$15.99 (App Store) | Data used to track you |
| Khan Academy Kids | 2–8 | No: early learning in English | Not stated | Not found | Entirely free | Free | Some data, not linked |
| Duolingo ABC | 3–8 | No: learning to read | Teaches reading | Speech recognition | Entirely free | Free | Usage and diagnostics linked |
The details and sources for each app are below. "Some data linked to you" means the developer's App Store privacy label lists data connected to your identity; each section says which.
Apps made for learning English as a new language
Kadoo (ours). Children aged 4 to 8 explore a painted town of 11 places and 43 rooms, find things and hear their English names: nearly 1,000 everyday words, plus letters and their sounds, numbers to 100 and 48 songs. Help comes without words, and parents get help in eight languages. No account, no ads, Data Not Collected, works offline. It doesn't use the microphone, so there's no speaking practice. iPhone, iPad and Mac only. New in October 2026, so no ratings yet. Questions and answers.
Studycat. English taught in English for ages 3 to 8, with games, songs, stories and voice recognition for speaking, in an interface available in 33 languages; ad-free and kidSAFE certified; works offline; also on Android and Apple TV. Privacy label: Contact Info and User Content linked to you. App Store, help center. Compare: Kadoo vs Studycat.
Les Mini Mondes Explorers, formerly Pili Pop English. A French-made app for ages 4 to 9 built around listening and speaking in sessions of at most 90 seconds, with "no reading required" and "zero advertising". Priced €6.90 a month or €49 a year in its description. Privacy label: Contact Info, User Content, Identifiers and Usage Data linked to you. App Store.
Buddy.ai. A voice-based AI tutor: children talk with an animated character that listens and answers, covering "more than 1,500 everyday English words and phrases" from beginner to CEFR A2. Ad-free. $12.49 a month or $49.99 a year on its website. Privacy label: Purchases, Contact Info, User Content, Usage Data, Diagnostics and Other Data linked to you. buddy.ai, App Store. Compare: Kadoo vs Buddy.ai.
Novakid. An online English school with live one-to-one lessons of 25 minutes for ages 4 to 15, from $9 a lesson with international teachers or $17 with native English teachers in the US, plus a free trial lesson. A real person, not only an app; it needs scheduled time online. Prices.
Monkey Junior. English from birth to age 11 across six levels, using whole-word flashcards and phonics, with speech recognition. Privacy label: Data Not Collected. Works offline after downloading lessons. A "1-year" plan is listed at $29.99. App Store.
Dinolingo. Fifty languages, English among them, through videos, games, stories and songs with no translation, for ages 2 to 12; "pre-readers can learn just by listening and tapping". $19 a month or $199 a year on its website, for up to six children. Works in a browser too. dinolingo.com, pricing.
EWA Kids. For ages 5 to 12, with adapted children's books that translate in one tap, speaking courses and over 1,000 flashcards; ad-free; 25 interface languages; 4.74 on the US App Store. Privacy label: eight kinds of data linked to you, including Location and Contact Info. App Store.
Gus on the Go: English. A small app for toddlers and preschoolers with nearly 90 words in ten activities, for a one-time $3.99, with no ads, in-app purchases or tracking, and Data Not Collected. App Store.
Apps for general early learning or reading, in English
Lingokids. Thousands of games, songs and shows for ages 2 to 8 across reading, math, science and more, mostly in English, with a free tier of ten games a day and an Apple Editors' Choice badge. Its US listing presents it as early learning; its help center calls it "an English learning experience by design". Requires an account. Privacy label: Identifiers used to track you. App Store. Compare: Kadoo vs Lingokids.
Khan Academy Kids. Free, from a nonprofit, with no ads: reading, math and social-emotional learning for ages 2 to 8, in English. Rated 4.8 from over 132,000 US ratings. App Store. Compare: Kadoo vs Khan Academy Kids.
Duolingo ABC. Free, with no ads, teaching children who speak English to read: phonics, sight words and read-along stories, from preschool to second grade. Its iPhone version was last updated in August 2023. App Store. Compare: Kadoo vs Duolingo ABC.
How to choose
- Is it made for learning English as a new language, or for children who already speak it? If your child doesn't understand English yet, start with the first group.
- Does your child need to read? For a 4 or 5 year old, choose an app that says plainly that no reading is needed.
- Do you want speaking practice? Then you need the microphone, which means voice data; check the privacy label.
- Is help available in your language? It makes the parents' side much easier.
- What does the App Store privacy label say? It's on every app's page, under "App Privacy".
- Can you keep sessions short? Look for a play-time limit, and sit nearby when you can. Our guide to screen time for learning English has the current health advice.
For a fuller checklist, see do English learning apps work for young children?
Sources
All seen on 25 October 2026. Prices are US prices unless shown otherwise; check the App Store before buying.
- Studycat: App Store, help center, site (Internet Archive, 11 Oct 2026)
- Les Mini Mondes Explorers: App Store
- Buddy.ai: App Store, English for kids, prices
- Novakid: US prices, programs
- Monkey Junior: App Store
- Dinolingo: website, pricing, App Store
- EWA Kids: App Store
- Gus on the Go: App Store
- Lingokids: App Store, help center
- Khan Academy Kids: App Store
- Duolingo ABC: App Store
- Kadoo: App Store
We recheck this page every three months. If something here is out of date, write to kadoo@inoviatech.io and we'll correct it.
