Comparison

Readability vs Read with Ello

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Readability

This app uses AI-powered voice technology to provide personalized reading tutoring for children. It listens as kids read aloud, offers pronunciation correction, and assesses comprehension through interactive questions. The app also builds vocabulary and allows parents to track progress.

Highlights
  • AI-powered voice recognition for reading practice
  • Real-time pronunciation correction
  • Interactive voice-based comprehension questions
  • Personalized vocabulary lists
  • Parent dashboard for progress tracking
  • Engaging grade-level stories with illustrations
Features
Read full description

Readability’s award-winning Smart Reading & Comprehension Learning App gives your child the effectiveness of 1-on-1 tutoring. Our breakthrough voice-based technology LISTENS while your child READS, highlighting, and correcting any problem words. Kids from kindergarten to 6th grade will improve their reading, vocabulary, and comprehension skills all in the convenience of a mobile app. IMPROVE READING WITH 1-ON-1 TUTORING Readability prompts your child to read aloud and listens while providing reading help and real-time pronunciation correction as your child reads. If they get stuck, they can tap on the speaker icon to have Readability read the selected passage or word aloud. Readability automatically selects the right reading material for each child to maximize improvement and minimize the reading struggle. Your child will be eager to learn as these fun and educational grade-level stories come to life with bright illustrations. IMPROVE CRITICAL THINKING SKILLS Our industry-first comprehension with Interactive Voice-based Questions & Answers (IVQA™) asks your child questions verbally about the story they just read to improve their critical thinking skills. Your child then is prompted to answer the question verbally to ensure they fully understand what they read. Comprehension is as important as reading fluency, we deliver both in our smart reading app for kids. IMPROVE VOCABULARY Readability makes it easy to learn new words and their meaning with a personalized vocabulary list for your child. Your child can long-press on any word while reading to learn its pronunciation, meaning, and add it to their vocabulary list. Their vocabulary list is neatly organized A-Z and by book to further practice, review, and perfect new or difficult words. SET AND TRACK READING GOALS Set goals and follow your child’s progress with your very own Parent Dashboard detailing what they have read, reading duration, accuracy, comprehension, and speed. It also provides daily and weekly reading reports for accountability that can be shared with a teacher. ENGAGING BOOKS A massive selection of age-appropriate stories and educational works keep kids engaged and learning. Readability is the perfect reading app for kids. Getting started is easy with a 30-day free trial. Just download the app to sign up for your free trial. Cancel anytime. SUBSCRIPTION TERMS To access all app features, please subscribe to the 30-day free trial. Your subscription automatically renews unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24-hours before the end of the current period. Your account will automatically be charged at the subscription price for renewal, within 24-hours prior to the end of the current billing period. You can manage your subscription and/or turn off auto-renewal by visiting your Account Settings after purchase. • Visit https://www.readabilitytutor.com/payment-policy/ for payment terms • Visit https://www.readabilitytutor.com/terms-of-use/ for terms of use Copyright 2023 Readability

About

Read with Ello

This app uses advanced AI to act as a personalized reading coach for children. It listens, provides feedback, and guides young learners through a library of decodable books to build reading confidence and skills.

Highlights
  • AI reading coach
  • Personalized 1:1 instruction
  • Library of 700+ decodable books
  • Speech recognition technology
  • Science of Reading principles
  • Adaptive learning system
Features
Read full description

Build confident, independent reading with Ello. Learn to read with the most advanced AI reading coach, Ello. Your child’s read-along companion who listens, teaches, and transforms them into a confident reader. Ello is a transformative reading companion that goes beyond just teaching – Ello listens, corrects, and guides your child as they learn to read. Recognized as one of Time Magazine's top inventions of 2024, and featured on Good Morning America, Ello stands out as an award-winning reading program. More than just an app, Ello acts as a personal reading coach, using speech recognition technology and evidence-based reading instruction to provide immediate assistance when your child gets stuck. Key Features: 1:1 reading companion personalized to your child's needs Library of more than 700 decodable books Crafted by literary experts Uses principles backed by the Science of Reading Trusted by more than 30,000 parents Powered by our AI Adaptive Learn system Built for Pre-K through 3rd Grade What the experts say: "AI reading tutor shines as a responsible AI application" – Common Sense Media "Ello aims to eradicate childhood illiteracy by leveraging artificial intelligence and child speech recognition technology." – TechCrunch Parents love us: "I love this app so much. My granddaughter is struggling with reading. I heard about this app, gave it a try. We both love it so much. When my granddaughter gets stuck on a word, she just taps the screen and the elephant helps her. For those who don’t have patience with helping kids read, this app will help and be patient. I highly recommend this app. The books are also very interesting. She’s eager to read them all." – Kathy J. "She is 6 and has struggled with reading, but Ello makes reading fun. Coupled with us encouraging and making reading fun, it becomes a great partnership and now she comes to me and asks if she can read one of her Ello books. This is a great thing after only one month. Definitely recommend. Give them a try. Our daughter has really flourished this month and made some real progress in her reading." – Jamie M. "My daughter struggles with reading but since we downloaded Ello she enjoys reading, and it has helped her build confidence in her reading!" – Brandie D. How it works: To subscribe to the service, parents sign up for a free trial and then pay $14.99/month for a digital subscription. The subscription includes full app access to Ello’s 1:1 instruction, an exclusive library of digital books, and digital prizes weekly. Ello is recommended for children in preschool, kindergarten, first grade, second grade and third grade. Privacy Policy http://ello.com/privacy Terms of Service http://ello.com/terms

Screenshots

Readability4 screens
Read with Ello4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Read with Ello at 78% against Readability's 56%. Read with Ello also leads on rating (4.8 vs 4.6). Readability's advantage is chart position (#164 vs unranked) and ratings volume (24K vs 2.8K). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Readability sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $19.99 per month and Read with Ello sells 7 in-app purchases, starting at $14.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Read with Ello holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Readability has 24K ratings behind it against 2.8K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 56% of Readability's written reviews are positive against 78% of Read with Ello's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Readability ships an update fortnightly, Read with Ello every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 30, 2026 and September 28, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 7 level
Readability versus Read with Ello: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterReadabilityRead with Ello
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (24K ratings)4.8 (2.8K ratings) — better
Positive reviews55.9% of reviews78.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings24K — better2.8K
Update frequencyFortnightlyEvery 2 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationSubscriptionSubscription
Best chart rank#164 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.114.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size264 MB639 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developere4site Inc.Ello Technology, Inc.

Customer experience

Readability

All ratings23,740 ratings
Positive90.6%
Neutral4.0%
Negative5.4%
Written reviews358 reviews
Positive55.9%
Neutral9.8%
Negative34.4%

Read with Ello

All ratings2,766 ratings
Positive94.8%
Neutral1.5%
Negative3.7%
Written reviews205 reviews
Positive78.0%
Neutral6.3%
Negative15.6%

User reviews

Readability

From 24K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Helpful for struggling readers
  • 🚀 Improves reading fluency
  • 💡 Engaging for kids
  • 👍 Useful data and progress tracking

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Voice recognition issues
  • 🐛 Inaccurate comprehension tests
  • 💰 Expensive subscription
  • 🐛 Glitchy performance

Read with Ello

From 2.8K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Helps with reading progress
  • 👍 Engaging and fun for kids
  • 👍 Builds reading confidence
  • 👍 Customized book selection
  • 👍 Motivates kids to read

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Voice recognition issues
  • 🐛 Frequent app crashes and freezes
  • 🐛 Inconsistent performance
  • 🔒 Concerns about subscription model and pricing

Bugs and requests

Readability

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • App charges for free trial
  • Subscription cancellation issues
  • Inconsistent app behavior
  • Compatibility problems on some devices

Requested features

4 requests
  • More customization options for text and background
  • Improved voice recognition accuracy
  • Expanded book selection
  • Better comprehension testing

Read with Ello

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Books not loading properly
  • App skipping pages during reading
  • Incorrect word recognition

Requested features

5 requests
  • Ability to repeat words/sentences
  • Larger font size options
  • More book variety and levels
  • Sibling profiles and shared books
  • Progress tracking and reporting for parents

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Readability

Subscriptions2
  • Readability Tutor1 Month trial$19.991 Month
  • Readability Tutor Annual1 Month trial$139.991 Year
7 purchases

Read with Ello

Subscriptions7
  • Read with Ello Subscription14 Days trial$14.991 Month
  • Read with Ello Monthly Plan7 Days trial3 variants$14.991 Month
  • Read with Ello Subscription14 Days trial$25.001 Month
Show 4 more
  • Read with Ello Annual Plan7 Days trial$99.001 Year
  • Read with Ello Subscription14 Days trial2 variants$139.001 Year
  • Read with Ello Annual Plan7 Days trial$139.001 Year
  • Read with Ello Annual Plan14 Days trial$139.001 Year

Questions

Is Readability free?
Readability is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Read with Ello free?
Read with Ello is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Readability or Read with Ello?
Read with Ello is rated higher. Readability averages 4.6 out of 5 from 24K ratings, while Read with Ello averages 4.8 from 2.8K ratings.
Do Readability or Read with Ello have ads?
Neither Readability nor Read with Ello shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Readability or Read with Ello?
Readability ships an update fortnightly, and Read with Ello every 2 weeks. Most recently, Readability was updated on September 30, 2026 and Read with Ello on September 28, 2026.

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