Best apps for kids to learn English
For a child of 4 or older who should speak English with a person, Novakid or Cambly Kids: one-to-one video lessons with an English teacher, Novakid from $9 a 25-minute lesson. For a younger child, or for play between lessons, Studycat's Learn English app (from 3) or Dinolingo (2 to 14) teach entirely in English through games, songs and stories. Teenagers can take Busuu or Babbel from 13, or Duolingo's free English course.
Prices checked 6 Sept to 15 Oct 2026 · How we check
What each app allows, by age
The ages each app's own pages give, who your child deals with in it, whether they need to read, what you can see as a parent, how to try it and what it costs.
Made for children
None needs your child to read to start. The three apps teach through pictures, sound and games, with no ads; Cambly Kids and Novakid are English lessons with a live teacher.
- Dinolingo
English is one of its 50 languages: videos, songs, games and read-along stories with no translation. One family plan covers up to 6 children and every language.
- Studycat
Learn English – Studycat is an app of its own: games, stories, songs and speaking challenges entirely in English.
- Cambly
One-to-one English lessons with live tutors who are native English speakers, in courses levelled from A1 upward.
- Novakid
One-to-one English lessons of 25 minutes by video with a teacher who speaks only English, on a curriculum from Pre-A1 to B1, with games and homework in the child's account between lessons.
- Gus on the Go
Gus on the Go: English is an app of its own: ten picture lessons with native-speaker audio for about 90 first words, then games, bought once.
Courses that take teenagers
Courses built for adults, with the minimum age their own terms set.
- Babbel
Under 13, a child may not create an account or use Babbel; under 18, Babbel Speak needs a parent's permission.
- Busuu
Busuu's terms say it is not meant for children under 13. Native speakers in its community can comment on your child's answers.
- Lingopie
Lingopie's terms say whoever subscribes must be 18 or over, and its privacy policy says the site is not meant for anyone younger. The lessons are real TV shows and films: Apple rates the app 12+, for occasional mild violence, swearing and sexual content.
- Rosetta Stone
Rosetta Stone's privacy policy says a learner under 18 may be registered by a parent or guardian, or through a school, and that the service is not meant for children under 13 on its own.
- Duolingo
Under 13, a learner gets a private profile with Duolingo's social features restricted, and Duolingo says parents stay in control.
Apps that connect your child with strangers
Language-exchange apps match learners with each other by text, voice and video, so their makers set higher age limits.
12 apps a child or teenager might use to learn English, with the ages their makers give.
What decides it is whether your child should talk with a person. A teacher in a live lesson gets your child speaking and answers back, and costs the most; an app made for children teaches through pictures, sound and games, which your child can play alone, between lessons or instead of them. Novakid's teachers, Studycat and Dinolingo use only English, with pictures and gestures in place of translation, so the language your child speaks at home doesn't matter.
Every app here, compared
Apps made for children first within each type of app. Sort any column or filter by what matters to you.
No apps match these filters. Clear a filter to see more choices.
| Best for | Free tier | Speech | Tutor | Offline | CEFR | Refund or trial | Where to buy | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Course apps | ||||||||||||
| StudycatCourse app | Children from 3 who cannot read yet | $59.99 a year$5 a month, billed yearly | $14.99 | — | Free trial No | 5 | — | — | Yes | — | A 7-day free trial with no payment required to start; App Store purchases follow Apple's rules. | |
| DinolingoCourse app | Children from 2 to 14, in 50 languages | $199 a year$16.58 a month, billed yearly | $19 | — | Free trial No | 50 | — | — | — | — | A 7-day free trial; cancel before it ends and nothing is charged. | |
| Gus on the GoCourse app | A toddler's first words, bought once | $3.99Gus on the Go: English, bought once | — | — | No | 30 | — | — | — | — | — | |
| DuolingoCourse appSuper in the US App Store: $9.99 to $119.99, depending on the plan. | A free daily habit | Freepaid tier priced in-app | — | — | Free to keep using Full free tier with ads and limits; Super removes the ads and limits, and Max adds AI practice (Video Call and Roleplay). | 40 | Yes | No | Yes · Limited lessons available offline; progress syncs when connected | Up to B2 | 1 week free trial on Super | |
| BusuuCourse app | Corrections from native speakers | $72.99 a year$6.08 a month, billed yearly | — | — | Free to keep using Free account with the complete course in each language, community feedback and basic progress tracking; Premium adds review tools, offline mode and no ads. | 14 | Yes | No · Live Lessons are exclusive to Busuu for Business, outside the consumer subscription | Yes | A1 to C1 | 14-day money-back guarantee on the initial Premium payment; no renewal refunds. Apple and mobile-operator purchases require a refund from that provider. | |
| BabbelCourse app | A structured course with grammar explained | $107.40 a year$8.95 a month, billed yearly | $17.99 | $299.99 | Free sample Free account; the first lesson of every course is free, and up to 80 free lessons depending on the language. | 14 | Yes | No · Babbel Live is no longer available to individual consumers | Yes · Downloaded lessons, vocabulary review and podcasts in the mobile app | A1 to C1 | Bought from Babbel in the US: no refund promised if you cancel early. Outside the US: 14 days to change your mind, less what you have used. App store purchases: the store's rules. | |
| Rosetta StoneCourse app | Immersion without translation | $159 a year$13.25 a month, billed yearly | $19.99 | — | Free sample Free sample lessons on its site and a one-time 7-day free trial in the app; no lasting free plan. | 25 | Yes | Coaching sessions with a Rosetta Stone certified tutor. | Yes | — | A one-time 7-day free trial in the app. Bought from Rosetta Stone: a 14-day money-back guarantee, refunded by its Memberships team by email or phone. App Store purchases go through Apple; a retailer's follow that retailer's policy. | |
| Learning from real video, text and audio | ||||||||||||
| LingopieImmersion (video, reading) | TV and film with interactive subtitles | $83.88 a year$6.99 a month, billed yearly | — | $229 | No | 15 | Yes · Say It pronunciation practice | Live group lessons on their own monthly or quarterly plan, for subscribers who pay by card; the first lesson is free. | Yes · iOS only; up to 10 downloadable videos | — | 7-day free trial; yearly subscription is charged after the trial and cannot be refunded | |
| Tutors and live classes | ||||||||||||
| NovakidOnline English school for children | Children from 4 learning English with a live teacher | From $9 a lesson25 minutes with a teacher who speaks English fluently, on a 6- or 12-month plan; from $17 with a native English-speaking teacher | — | — | Free trial No | 1 | — | Every lesson is live and one to one, 25 minutes with a teacher; Novakid also runs 45-minute speaking groups. | — | A1 to B1 | A free trial lesson first. Novakid's US price list promises money back within 14 days on a 3-month plan, 28 days on 6 months and 48 days on 12 months; its terms give 14 days to withdraw from a first plan if no class has been taken, and a part refund, by the classes taken, if some have. | |
| CamblyTutor marketplace | English conversation with a tutor | Shown after you sign upCambly Kids' plans | — | — | No | 1 | — | Every lesson is live: one to one, or in a small group on the cheaper plans. | — | — | $1 trial lesson; 7-day money-back guarantee on a first plan; after that, cancel any time and pay only for days used, with long-term discounts forfeited on early cancellation | |
| Language exchange | ||||||||||||
| TandemLanguage exchange | Language exchange with native speakers | $39.99 a year$3.33 a month, billed yearly | — | — | Free to keep using Free account with many features; Tandem Pro unlocks the rest | 300 | No | No | — | — | Google Play purchases refundable within 14 days of a 1-month subscription or 30 days of a 3-month or 12-month subscription; iOS refunds requested from iTunes within 14 days | |
| HelloTalkLanguage exchange | Chatting with native speakers | $79.99 a year$6.67 a month, billed yearly | $12.99 | — | Free to keep using Free account with ads and daily limits (for example ten translations a day); occasional randomly offered 3-day VIP trials | 260 | — | No | Yes | — | Occasional randomly offered 3-day free VIP trial; refunds handled by Apple or Google for in-app purchases | |
Which to choose
Your child should speak English with a teacher
Novakid or Cambly Kids
Novakid is an online English school for children from 4: 25-minute lessons, one to one, with a teacher who speaks only English, on a curriculum from Pre-A1 to B1, with games and homework in your child's account between lessons. A lesson costs from $9 with a teacher who speaks English fluently or from $17 with a native English speaker, on a 12-month plan; plans run 3, 6 or 12 months, and the first lesson is a free trial with no card.
Cambly Kids takes children from 4 to 15, with tutors who are native English speakers, in courses levelled from A1 upward. Free games, quizzes and workbooks come with signing up, and its plans are shown after you sign up.
Your child is 2 to 7 and should play in English
Studycat or Dinolingo, or Gus on the Go to start
Studycat's Learn English is an app of its own, for children from 3: games, stories, songs and speaking challenges entirely in English, after a 7-day free trial. Dinolingo teaches English among its 50 languages, for children from 2 to 14, with one family plan of $19 a month or $199 a year for up to 6 children. Gus on the Go's English app teaches about 90 first words for $3.99, bought once.
Your child is a teenager
Busuu, Babbel or Duolingo, before any exchange app
Busuu and Babbel take learners from 13. Duolingo's English course is free and lets children use it, with a private profile and its social features restricted under 13. Tandem takes no one under 16 and HelloTalk no one under 12, because both connect learners with strangers.
Questions people ask
What is the best app for kids to learn English?
To speak with a person, Novakid (from 4) or Cambly Kids (4 to 15): one-to-one video lessons with a teacher. To play in English without a teacher, Studycat's Learn English (from 3) or Dinolingo (2 to 14), with no ads and no reading needed. For teenagers, Busuu or Babbel from 13, or Duolingo's free English course.
Novakid or Cambly Kids?
Both are one-to-one video lessons. Novakid publishes its prices, from $9 a 25-minute lesson with a teacher who speaks English fluently and $17 with a native speaker, on plans of 3, 6 or 12 months, and starts with a free trial lesson. Cambly Kids' tutors are all native English speakers, and its plans are shown only after you sign up.
Does my child need to know some English first?
No. Novakid's curriculum starts below A1 and its teachers explain with pictures, gestures and movement rather than translation; Studycat and Dinolingo teach entirely in English with pictures and sound, so a child who knows no English and cannot read can start.
Is there a free English app for kids?
Duolingo's English course is free, for an older child who reads. Studycat and Dinolingo start with a 7-day free trial, Novakid with a free trial lesson, and Cambly Kids with free games, quizzes and workbooks when you sign up.