Free homeschool apps: the best free apps by job, checked October 2026

The best free homeschool apps are the ones that do one job well: Khan Academy Kids and Duolingo ABC for early reading, Khan Academy for math and science from kindergarten up, TypingClub for typing, PhET and NASA Space Place for science, Tate Kids and Google Arts & Culture for art, Scratch for coding, and Libby for real library books. Peabody (peabody.kids) wrote this list, and Peabody is on it too: it is free through the end of 2026. None of the other apps are ours, and nobody paid to be listed.

Every fact about another app below was read from its own page (its website or its App Store listing) on 18 October 2026, and each one is linked. Where a page does not say something, we write "not stated", which is not the same as "no". There are no scores and no ranking, the same rule as our free learning apps comparison. Plans change, so treat all of this as true as of October 2026.

Free homeschool apps by job, side by side

A few things this table shows quickly. "Free" covers very different deals: free for everyone (Khan Academy, Scratch, PhET), free with ads and a paid ad-free edition (Typing.com), free through someone else (Libby through your library card), or free for a set time (Peabody, through 2026). And no single app does every job, which is why most homeschool families end up with a small handful.

Free homeschool apps for reading

For children who are learning to read, two free apps stand out for having no ads at all, as their own listings say. Khan Academy Kids covers ages 2 to 8 with phonics, storybooks, math and more, and its listing says it has "no subscriptions". Duolingo ABC is narrower: letters, phonics, sight words and short stories that light up each word as it is read, from preschool to 2nd grade.

For real books, Libby lends your public library's ebooks and audiobooks free with a library card. That one app can carry most of a homeschool's reading list, and it costs nothing if your library takes part.

We compared reading apps in much more detail, including Starfall, Teach Your Monster to Read, Storyline Online and Epic, in the best free reading apps for kids.

Free homeschool apps for math

Khan Academy is the widest free option: math, science, English, social studies, computing and more from kindergarten through early college, run by a nonprofit. It works as a spine for older children who can read the instructions themselves.

The Math Learning Center's apps are different. They are free virtual manipulatives: number racks, number frames, base-ten pieces, fractions, geoboards, clocks and money. They don't ask questions; a grown-up uses them to show an idea, then the child tries it. They are excellent for the "why" behind a method.

For practice and games, see our free math games for kids and the week-by-week free homeschool math plan.

Free homeschool apps for typing

TypingClub says it "is (and will always be) free for both individuals and schools", and a child can start without an account, though a profile keeps progress. Typing.com has a homeschool page with a K–12 curriculum and a parent account to set up classes; its own comparison table shows the free edition has ads and the paid PLUS edition does not. Our homeschool typing guide has a plan by age and a 12-week outline.

Free homeschool apps for science

PhET, from the University of Colorado, makes free interactive simulations in physics, chemistry, biology, earth science and math; its about page says they run online or can be downloaded. They suit children who can read short labels, so roughly the middle grades and up. NASA Space Place is NASA's science site for kids, with games, crafts, activities and videos about Earth, the Sun, the solar system and beyond, plus a monthly art challenge. See the plan in our free homeschool science curriculum.

Free homeschool apps for art and coding

Tate Kids has drawing games, art quizzes, making ideas and short videos about artists such as Frida Kahlo and J.M.W. Turner, plus a gallery of children's art. Google Arts & Culture opens museum collections and stories without a sign-in, and has playful pieces like an art colouring book. Our free homeschool art curriculum turns them into a weekly plan.

For coding, Scratch says it is free for everyone; children drag and snap blocks to make games, stories and animations, and share them in what the Scratch Foundation calls a moderated online community. Decide together whether your child shares. ScratchJr is the iPad version for ages 5 to 7.

Free homeschool apps for planning

This is the job where free is hardest to find. Many homeschool planner apps are paid or trial-only: HomeschoolPlanner.com, for example, showed no free plan on the page we read, only a 7-day trial and plans from $5 a month. A free spreadsheet does the job well. Google Sheets needs only a Google Account; make one tab per child with a row per day and columns for each subject, and you have attendance and a running record in one place. A paper notebook works just as well.

Where Peabody fits

Peabody is a free reading and learning site for kids, made in Colorado. It is free through the end of 2026 and a child can start with one tap on the front page, no account needed. What it holds, all made and marked by code except the AI-written stories:

• A library of leveled stories, thirteen reading levels from Pre-K to 8th grade, in the free library.
• AI-written stories at the child's level, three new a day, with code checking the level and safety screens before anything is shown.
• Math paths from Pre-K to 8th grade, every part open, listed by grade on the grades page.
• Learning games in the Arcade, where questions are part of the play, plus phonics, sight word and spelling games by skill, such as the phonics games.
• A typing tutor, Math Dojo for fact speed, and a World of facts by subject, all reached from the front page.
• The Art Studio, Cartoons and the Workbench of real things to build at home.

A free family account adds a grown-up view and keeps progress across devices. More on how it fits a homeschool week is on the homeschool hub.

Peabody's honest limits

• It is not a boxed curriculum. It has no standards report, no written work and no test.
• It cannot hear a child read, so reading aloud to you stays with you.
• It doesn't cover the full school day. Writing, history and most science stay with you.
• It has not published an efficacy study.
• Its free period is promised only through 31 December 2026. What happens after that hasn't been decided.

How to pick a small set

1. One reading app and one book source. A reading app for the stage your child is at, and Libby for real books.
2. One math spine and one practice place. Khan Academy or your own curriculum for teaching, and a game or practice site for the extra repetitions.
3. One "make" app. Scratch, an art site or the Workbench, so screen time includes making, not only answering.
4. A spreadsheet or notebook for what got done.
5. Try two for a week and keep the one your child asks for. Drop anything that adds nagging.

Learn more elsewhere

• Khan Academy: about: what the nonprofit offers, from kindergarten to early college.
• Libby help: getting started: how to borrow free ebooks with a library card.
• Math Learning Center apps: the free visual math tools, with ideas for using each.
• PhET: about: how the free simulations are made and tested.

Questions parents ask

What are the best free homeschool apps?

It depends on the job. As of October 2026, good free picks are Khan Academy Kids or Duolingo ABC for early reading, Khan Academy for math and science, TypingClub for typing, PhET and NASA Space Place for science, Tate Kids for art, Scratch for coding and Libby for library books. Peabody adds leveled stories, math to 8th grade and learning games, free through the end of 2026.

Are there homeschool apps that are completely free with no ads?

Yes. As of October 2026, Khan Academy Kids' App Store listing says it has no ads and no subscriptions, Duolingo ABC's says it has no ads or in-app purchases, and Khan Academy is a free nonprofit. Peabody has no ads and is free through 31 December 2026. Typing.com's free edition does show ads; its paid PLUS edition does not.

Is there a free homeschool planner app?

Most dedicated homeschool planners we looked at were paid or offered only a trial. A free spreadsheet such as Google Sheets, which needs a Google Account, works well: one tab per child, one row per day and a column for each subject gives you attendance and a record in one place.

Can free apps be a whole homeschool curriculum?

Some families build one from free pieces, but apps alone leave gaps: writing by hand, discussion, reading aloud together, hands-on science and real books. Khan Academy covers the most subjects for free. Peabody is practice beside a curriculum, not a curriculum itself. Check your state's rules for what a homeschool must cover.

Do kids need an account for these apps?

Not always. TypingClub lets a child start without one. Peabody needs no account to start, and a free family account is optional. Libby needs a library card, Typing.com's homeschool setup needs a parent account, and Google Sheets needs a Google Account. Where a page didn't say, we wrote "not stated".

What age are free homeschool apps for?

Ages vary by app. Khan Academy Kids lists ages 2 to 8, Duolingo ABC preschool to 2nd grade, ScratchJr ages 5 to 7, and Khan Academy kindergarten through early college. Peabody runs from pre-readers to about 8th grade.