Free learning apps for kids: a fair comparison
Khan Academy Kids and Khan Academy are free and run by a nonprofit; Teach Your Monster's web games are free; Prodigy and Boddle are free for students or educators with optional paid family plans. Peabody is free through the end of 2026 with no sign-up. Here is each one's own page, side by side.
| Product | Cost to a family | Subjects | Grades | How it says it adapts | Evidence its page shows |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Khan Academy Kids | Free app with no subscriptions and no ads; schools can buy a version with a teacher dashboard | Early literacy, reading, writing, language, math, social-emotional growth and creative play | Ages 2 to 8 | Offers "a personalized path" that adjusts as a child grows, or free exploring | Not shown on the page we read |
| Khan Academy | Free; a 501(c)(3) nonprofit supported by donors | Math, science, English language arts, social studies, economics, computing, life skills and test prep | K–12 and early college | Not described on the page we read | Not shown on the page we read |
| Teach Your Monster | The web games are free; apps are linked from the page and their prices are not shown there | Reading and phonics, reading for pleasure, early math | No age range stated on the page we read | Not described on the page we read | Says the games are "designed with leading academic experts" |
| Prodigy | Free for teachers and for students at school or home; optional paid family memberships add features | Math and English | Not stated on the home page (it names Common Core and TEKS standards) | Calls its games "adaptive"; the home page does not explain how | Figures from surveys it commissioned, and a school district's results |
| Boddle | Free for educators; parents can sign up for Premium (its features and price are not on the page we read) | Math and English language arts; science in the parent section | K–6 | An adaptive path, or content assigned by a teacher or parent | Lists an ESSA Level 3 badge and links a research article and case studies |
| Peabody | Free through the end of 2026, with no sign-up | Reading (13 levels, a library of stories), math from Pre-K to 8th grade, and a World of facts | Pre-readers to about 8th grade | A practice brain that picks the next question and brings facts back on a schedule; the rules are published | No efficacy study yet; the science page says what has not been shown |
Every fact about another product below was read from its own public page on 2026-10-18 (linked in the table). Where a page does not say, we write that, which is not the same as "no".
Free can mean free for everyone, free for teachers only, or free with an upgrade. Each row says which, as the product's own page words it.
What each does that Peabody does not
Khan Academy Kids. A nonprofit's free, ad-free app for the youngest children, covering early literacy, math and social-emotional growth. Aimed at: young children and their parents; teachers through a paid school version.
Khan Academy. Free courses across K–12 and early college in many languages, far wider than Peabody. Aimed at: students, teachers and parents.
Teach Your Monster. Free web games for early reading, phonics and early math, run by a charity. Aimed at: young children, parents and schools.
Prodigy. Standards-aligned content (it names Common Core and TEKS) with lesson plans and tools for teachers. Aimed at: kids, teachers and parents.
Boddle. Standards-aligned K–6 math and ELA with tools for teachers and parents to assign work. Aimed at: students, teachers and parents.
What Peabody does not do
- It has no classroom or teacher product.
- It does not map lessons to state standards or produce a standards report.
- It cannot hear a child read, so it cannot measure fluency; it does not give a Lexile, a reading age or a grade equivalent.
- It has no written work, no test and no score that compares a child to others.
- It has not published an efficacy study.
- Its free period is promised only through the end of 2026.
- Its subjects are reading, math and a World of facts, not the full school day.
Which to choose
- Choose Khan Academy Kids for children from 2 to 8 and a nonprofit's free app with no ads.
- Choose Teach Your Monster for early reading and number games on the web.
- Choose Peabody for a free library of leveled stories, math to 8th grade and learning games, with no account, while it is free through 2026.
Try two for a week and keep the one your child asks for. The rubric behind this table is on the compare page.
Other comparisons
- Games like Prodigy: a fair comparison
- IXL alternatives for kids: a fair comparison
- Free homeschool math plan by grade
- How to choose an AI learning tool for your child
Questions parents ask
What is the best free learning app for a 5-year-old?
It depends on the child. Khan Academy Kids is made for ages 2 to 8 and Teach Your Monster for early reading. Peabody starts at the very first books and counting. Try two and keep the one your child asks for.
Is Peabody free?
Yes, free through the end of 2026, with no sign-up. Its free period is promised only to that date.
Checked against how Peabody works on 18 October 2026. Written with help from AI, from Peabody's own code and library. Peabody is a learning app, not an assessment: if you're worried about your child's learning, talk to their teacher.