Best Free Reading Apps Children

217+ iOS apps curated and reviewed

4.6 avg rating
19 free apps
Updated May 2026

Out of 217+ free reading apps children apps on iOS, 19 are free and the rest sit in the paid tier. This page sorts them so you can compare both sides before you commit.

Top Picks for Free Reading Apps Children

Epic - Kids' Books & Reading#1

Epic - Kids' Books & Reading by Epic Creations, Inc.

Children’s Learning & eBooks
Editor's Choice
📚 Education
4.7😐(518K ratings)
FreeAdsIn-App Purchases
#46in Education
Epic - Kids' Books & Reading screenshot 1
Epic - Kids' Books & Reading screenshot 2
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Epic - Kids' Books & Reading screenshot 4
Epic - Kids' Books & Reading screenshot 5
Epic - Kids' Books & Reading screenshot 6

Access a vast digital library for children, featuring over 40,000 books, audiobooks, and videos. This app offers interactive learning tools, multilingual content, and personalized reading experiences for kids. It supports both family and educational use, with features to track progress and build reading confidence.

What We Love

  • 🚀 Great for engaging kids
  • 📚 Wide variety of books
  • 🎨 Customizable profiles
  • 🏆 Rewards and achievements

Room to Improve

  • 💰 Subscription required for full access
  • 📚 Limited selection of popular books
  • 🔍 Poor search functionality
SplashLearn: Kids Learning App#2

SplashLearn: Kids Learning App by StudyPad, Inc.

Fun Reading & Math Kids Games
Strong Contender
📚 Education
4.5😊(32K ratings)
FreeAdsIn-App Purchases
#88in Education
SplashLearn: Kids Learning App screenshot 1
SplashLearn: Kids Learning App screenshot 2
SplashLearn: Kids Learning App screenshot 3
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SplashLearn: Kids Learning App screenshot 6

This app offers curriculum-aligned math and reading lessons for children aged 2-11 through interactive games, books, and activities. It adapts to each child's learning level, providing personalized support and challenges to build foundational skills and confidence.

What We Love

  • 👍 Fun and engaging learning experience
  • 💡 Effective for reinforcing math and reading skills
  • 🚀 Constant updates and progress reports
  • 👍 Motivating reward system with coins and achievements

Room to Improve

  • 🐛 Technical issues like crashes, freezing, and loading problems
  • 💰 Expensive subscription model
  • 🔒 Difficulty canceling subscription
Vooks: Read-Aloud Kids' Books#3

Vooks: Read-Aloud Kids' Books by Vooks Inc

Educational, ad-free, animated
Worth Considering
📚 Books
4.6😊(9.4K ratings)
FreeIn-App Purchases
Vooks: Read-Aloud Kids' Books screenshot 1
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Vooks: Read-Aloud Kids' Books screenshot 6

This app brings children's books to life with gentle narration and animation, fostering a love for reading and imagination. It also includes an audio-only library for screen-free listening and a creative tool for kids to make their own stories.

What We Love

  • 👍 Perfect for quiet time
  • 🚀 Great for screen-free stories
  • 👍 Wonderful educational alternative
  • 👍 Engaging and entertaining

Room to Improve

  • 🐛 Frequent crashes and glitches
  • 🐛 Logging out issues
  • 🐛 Subscription and payment problems

More Free Reading Apps Children apps to explore

4
Hooked on Phonics Learning
Hooked on Phonics Learning
Hooked on Phonics Learning
Reading, Math & Spelling Games
Free

This app transforms screen time into educational fun for children aged 3-8. It offers interactive games and activities across reading, math, and spelling, tailored to individual learning needs. Parents receive real-time progress insights and can track their child's development through a comprehensive ebook library and reward system.

Reading, Math & Spelling Games1000+ Educational Activities100+ Ebook Library
📚 Education
(15K)
free with in-app purchases
5
Khan Academy Kids
Khan Academy Kids
Khan Academy Kids
Reading & Math Learning Games
Free

This educational app offers over 5,000 games, books, and activities for children aged 2-8. It covers reading, math, phonics, and more, with engaging characters and content aligned with educational standards. The app is completely free and designed to foster a love of learning.

Reading and math gamesPhonics lessonsInteractive storybooks
📚 Education
(124K)
free
6
Read-Along: Books For Kids App
Read-Along: Books For Kids App
Read-Along: Books For Kids App
Reading with Offline Stories
Free

This app helps children aged 2-11 improve their reading skills with interactive stories. It offers "Read It Myself" and "Read To Me" options, simulating traditional finger tracking for an authentic learning experience. The content is designed to be engaging and educational, with no distractions from ads or games.

Read It Myself and Read To Me modesAuthentic finger-tracking simulationProfessional voice narration
📚 Education
(1.7K)
free with in-app purchases
7
First Grade Learning Games
First Grade Learning Games
First Grade Learning Games
Math & Reading App for Kids
Free

This app offers a comprehensive learning experience for first graders with 24 engaging games covering math, reading, spelling, and science. Designed with input from educators, it uses colorful visuals and audio to make learning fun and effective for children aged 5-8.

24 engaging learning gamesMath curriculum alignmentReading and spelling practice
📚 Education
(47K)
free with in-app purchases
8
Shapes Toddler Preschool
Shapes Toddler Preschool
Shapes Toddler Preschool
The #1 app for learning shapes
Free

This app helps toddlers and preschoolers learn letters, numbers, and shapes through interactive tracing and spelling games. It offers progress tracking and engaging animations to make learning fun and effective for young children.

Alphabet tracing (block & cursive)Uppercase and lowercase lettersNumbers 1-10
📚 Education
(2.5K)
free with in-app purchases
9
Reading.com: Phonics for Kids
Reading.com: Phonics for Kids
Reading.com: Phonics for Kids
Phonics & Reading App for Kids
Free

This app offers a guided, co-play experience for parents and children aged 3-8 to learn reading skills. It uses research-backed phonics lessons, interactive storybooks, videos, and games to build foundational reading abilities.

99 step-by-step phonics lessons67 interactive digital storybooks42 educational videos
📚 Education
(55K)
free with in-app purchases
10
Bible App for Kids
Bible App for Kids
Bible App for Kids
Bible stories for children
Free

This app offers interactive Bible stories and animations for children, designed to make learning engaging and fun. It aims to foster a love for God's Word through colorful illustrations and touch-activated animations, with special challenges and rewards.

Interactive Bible storiesBeautiful animationsKid-friendly navigation
📚 Education
(9.1K)
free with in-app purchases
11
Fairy Tales ~ Bedtime Stories
Fairy Tales ~ Bedtime Stories
Fairy Tales ~ Bedtime Stories
Interactive Books for Children
Free

Explore a collection of classic fairy tales and interactive mini-games designed to make reading fun for children. Features include read-to-me modes, animated characters, and offline access. Perfect for toddlers and preschoolers to develop early literacy skills.

Interactive mini-gamesRead to Me modeRead it Myself mode
📚 Books
(9K)
free with in-app purchases
12
Bedtime Stories: Learn To Read
Bedtime Stories: Learn To Read
Bedtime Stories: Learn To Read
Storytime Story Books for Kids
Free

This app offers a digital library of over 240 stories for children, including fables, fairy tales, and early reading books. It features interactive elements and two reading modes to enhance literacy and listening skills, making storytime an engaging learning experience for young children.

240+ stories including fables and fairy tales'Read By Myself' and 'Read For Me' modesInteractive animations and characters
📚 Education
(17K)
freemium
13
Reading Eggs - Learn to Read
Reading Eggs - Learn to Read
Reading Eggs - Learn to Read
Reading & Math for Ages 2–13
Free

This program helps children aged 2-13 develop reading and math skills through interactive games, lessons, and e-books. It offers a comprehensive curriculum based on scientific research, designed by educators to foster phonics, comprehension, and numeracy.

Interactive reading gamesGuided reading lessonsOver 4,000 e-books
📚 Education
(6.8K)
free with in-app purchases
14
Booka: Kids' Books and Stories
Booka: Kids' Books and Stories
Booka: Kids' Books and Stories
Reading App for Children
Free

This app offers a vast library of children's books and narrated stories for ages zero to nine. Features like "Booka Reads" and "Read to Me" create engaging reading experiences, promoting literacy and education in a fun, stress-free way.

Huge selection of children's booksNarrated novelsBooka Reads for personalized book discovery
📚 Books
(695)
free with in-app purchases
15
Novel Effect: Read Aloud Books
Novel Effect: Read Aloud Books
Novel Effect: Read Aloud Books
Fun Interactive Stories
Free

This app enhances children's storybook reading by adding interactive music, sound effects, and character voices that respond to your voice. It aims to make reading time magical, promote literacy, and spark imagination for kids up to 12 years old.

Voice-activated music and sound effectsCharacter voices respond to readingHundreds of curated children's books
📚 Books
(9.5K)
freemium
16
Sight Words Reading Games ABC
Sight Words Reading Games ABC
Sight Words Reading Games ABC
Learning Game Word Flash Cards
Free

This educational app helps young children aged 2-7 learn essential sight words through six engaging games. Developed with educational specialists, it covers the Dolch list and common nouns, preparing preschoolers and early elementary students for reading success.

220 Dolch sight words94 additional nouns6 educational games
📚 Education
(68K)
free with in-app purchases
17
Learning games for toddlers.
Learning games for toddlers.
Learning games for toddlers.
Kids apps childrens girls boys
Free

This app offers fun ABC puzzles and games for toddlers and preschoolers to learn letter names, shapes, and basic spelling. It provides a gentle introduction to early reading skills through interactive activities and positive reinforcement.

ABC puzzles for letter recognitionSpelling basic wordsMatching uppercase and lowercase letters
📚 Education
(245K)
free with in-app purchases
18
ReadingIQ
ReadingIQ
ReadingIQ
Digital Books for Kids 2-12
Free

This app offers a vast digital library for children aged 2-12, featuring thousands of books from popular publishers and the ABCmouse library. It intelligently organizes titles by interest and reading level, providing a safe and engaging way for kids to develop reading skills anywhere, anytime.

Thousands of digital books for kids 2-12Aligns with reading ability and grade levelAward-winners and childhood classics
📚 Education
(21K)
free with in-app purchases
19
Teach Your Monster to Read
Teach Your Monster to Read
Teach Your Monster to Read
Learn Reading with Fun Phonics
$8.99

This app offers fun, phonics-based reading games for children aged 3-6. It helps build essential literacy skills through interactive play, allowing children to create their own monster and embark on a reading adventure. Designed by experts, it's a safe and trusted tool for home and school.

Interactive reading games for ages 3-6Improve letter sound recognitionLearn to read sentences
📚 Education
(21K)
free
20
Superbook Kids Bible
Superbook Kids Bible
Superbook Kids Bible
Videos, games, audio & more
Free

This app brings the Bible to life for families with a full Bible, engaging videos, interactive games, and audio stories. Explore biblical narratives, learn through fun activities, and discover answers to common questions from a biblical perspective.

Full Bible text68 free Superbook video episodes20+ Bible-themed games
📚 Books
(18K)
free with in-app purchases