The best educational apps for preschoolers, ages 2 to 5
Start with Khan Academy Kids: it's free forever, has no ads and teaches letters, numbers and stories from age 2. Add Starfall ABCs or Duolingo ABC, both free, when your child is ready for letter sounds. For open-ended play, Sago Mini World or LEGO DUPLO World (paid). To build with real bricks together, Tumbly, which we make.
The comparison table
| App | Ages | What a preschooler does | Price | Ads and purchases | Runs on |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Khan Academy Kids | 2–8 | Letter sounds, counting, shapes, read-aloud books | Free, no subscriptions | No ads | iOS, Android, Amazon, Chromebook |
| Starfall ABCs | 0–5 | Letters and their sounds | Free; Starfall membership $35/yr on the web or $5.99/mo in the Starfall app | No ads, free or paid | Web, iOS, Android |
| Duolingo ABC | Preschool–2nd grade | Letter sounds, tracing, sight words, stories | Free | No ads, no in-app purchases | iOS, Android |
| PBS KIDS Games | 2–8 | 280+ games with PBS characters | Free | No in-app purchases; PBS's policy mentions sponsor messages | iOS, Android, web |
| HOMER | 2–8 | A personal path in reading, plus math and feelings | 30-day trial, then $9.99/mo or $59.99/yr | Ad-free; subscription | iOS, Android |
| Sago Mini World | 2–6 | Pretend play: babies, dinosaurs, a bakery | Piknik plan: 30-day trial, then $14.99/mo for 10 apps | No ads or purchases for subscribers | iOS, Android |
| LEGO DUPLO World | 2–5 | On-screen DUPLO building, vehicles, counting | Free sample; $6.99/mo, $29.99–$39.99/yr or $4.99 a pack | No third-party ads | iOS, Android, Amazon |
| Tumbly ours | 3–12 | Builds from the bricks on your table; picture books read aloud; printable workbooks | Free plan; Family $7.99/mo or $59.99/yr | No ads; purchases need a grown-up | Web; iOS in US, CA, AU, NZ; Android in US |
The eight apps, one by one
Khan Academy Kids
From Khan Academy, a nonprofit: free forever, no ads, no subscriptions. Kids get phonics, counting, shapes and read-aloud books, and books and games download for car trips. Its curriculum is aligned with the Head Start framework.
The catch: it's lessons. For pretend play, add Sago Mini World.
Starfall ABCs
Step 1 of the free Learn-to-Read program from the Starfall Education Foundation, a nonprofit: kids see, hear and tap letters and their sounds, with no internet needed. Starfall shows no ads to anyone. A membership ($35 a year on the website, $5.99 a month in the Starfall app) opens 700+ activities up to grade 5.
The catch: the free part is mostly reading; fuller math needs a membership.
Duolingo ABC
Free, with no ads or in-app purchases. Over 700 short lessons in letter sounds, tracing, sight words and vocabulary, from preschool to 2nd grade. It works offline.
The catch: reading only. Pair it with Khan Academy Kids for numbers.
PBS KIDS Games
280+ free games for ages 2 to 8 with characters from shows like Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood and Wild Kratts. No in-app purchases, and the games also play on pbskids.org.
The catch: separate games, not a path. PBS's privacy policy mentions sponsor ("underwriting") messages.
HOMER
A program for ages 2 to 8 that builds a path from your child's age, level and interests across reading, math, feelings and creativity. $9.99 a month or $59.99 a year after a 30-day free trial, up to 4 child profiles, no ads.
The catch: you pay for reading lessons that Khan Academy Kids, Starfall and Duolingo ABC teach free.
Sago Mini World
Open-ended pretend play for ages 2 to 6: look after babies, meet dinosaurs, run a bakery. Downloaded games play offline. It comes with Piknik, a plan of 10 kids' apps: $14.99 a month after a 30-day free trial on playpiknik.com; App Store plans run $7.99 to $79.99.
The catch: no letter or number lessons, and "no ads or in-app purchases" is promised to subscribers; its Google Play listing says "Contains ads".
LEGO DUPLO World
StoryToys' app for ages 2 to 5: build with on-screen DUPLO bricks and count on the Number Train. A sample is free; the rest is $6.99 a month or $29.99 to $39.99 a year in the App Store, or $4.99 a pack. Downloaded content plays offline, with no third-party advertising.
The catch: the free part is a sample, and the bricks stay on screen.
Tumbly (made by us)
Four engineering games for kids 3 to 12. Tumbly Blocks designs a build from the bricks on your table (LEGO, DUPLO or wooden blocks), down to 2 or 3 steps with up to 10 big bricks for ages 2 to 3, and every screen talks. Its AI features (new builds, books, spoken answers) run only after a grown-up agrees. Tumbly Inventors reads true picture books aloud, with a "Read to me" level for 3 to 5. Tumbly also makes printable workbooks for each kid. No ads; purchases need a grown-up.
The Free plan has every ready-made build and book plus 20 new builds a day. Tumbly Family is $7.99 a month or $59.99 a year, with a 7-day free trial.
Where it loses: it isn't a letters-and-numbers course. Its pages don't say it plays offline (Tumbly Drive's says it needs a data connection). It's new, with no App Store ratings; the iPhone app sells only in the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand (Android: US; web: anywhere).
Pick by age
- Age 2: short, play-first apps you sit beside: Khan Academy Kids, PBS KIDS Games, Sago Mini World, LEGO DUPLO World.
- Age 3: Starfall ABCs for a first look at letters. Tumbly Blocks for a short build from a few big bricks.
- Age 4: a reading path with Duolingo ABC (free) or HOMER (paid), and Khan Academy Kids for numbers.
- Age 5: Duolingo ABC, Starfall's next steps and Khan Academy Kids run into the early grades. Then see our picks by age.
How to choose for a preschooler
- It talks. Preschoolers can't read instructions. Khan Academy Kids has a narrator, Duolingo ABC reads words aloud, Tumbly Blocks talks on every screen.
- Lessons or play. Khan Academy Kids, Starfall, Duolingo ABC and HOMER teach in steps; Sago Mini World and LEGO DUPLO World are open play.
- Plan for the car. Khan Academy Kids, Duolingo ABC, Starfall ABCs, Sago Mini World and LEGO DUPLO World say downloaded content plays offline.
- Note the trial's end. HOMER and Piknik give 30 days, Tumbly Family 7, then they bill until you cancel.
How much screen time at this age?
The World Health Organization's 2019 guidelines for children under 5 say sedentary screen time, playing games included, isn't recommended for 1-year-olds and should be no more than 1 hour for ages 2 to 4. Less is better. When young children sit still, the WHO encourages reading and storytelling with a caregiver.
Questions parents ask
What is the best educational app for a 3-year-old?
Khan Academy Kids is the strongest free first pick: no ads, no subscriptions, made for ages 2 to 8. Add Starfall ABCs, also free, for letters.
What is similar to ABCmouse but free?
Khan Academy Kids is the closest: a guided path in reading and math for ages 2 to 8, free with no ads. Starfall's Learn-to-Read program is free too. ABCmouse has a free Basic Access; its full plan is $14.99 a month (30 days free on a monthly web signup) or $79.99 a year.
Which free preschool apps have no ads?
Khan Academy Kids, Duolingo ABC and Starfall say they show no ads. PBS KIDS Games has no in-app purchases, though PBS's privacy policy mentions sponsor messages. Some paid apps promise no ads only to subscribers.
Does Tumbly teach letters and numbers?
Not as a course. Tumbly is about building and how things work; it also makes printable workbooks for each kid. For a step-by-step path, use Khan Academy Kids (letters and numbers) or Starfall ABCs (letters).
About this guide
Published by Winding AI, Inc., the company that makes Tumbly. We read each maker's pages and US store listing on November 9, 2026. No ratings, paid listings or affiliate links; check prices before you buy. Ten apps for every age are on our home page. Corrections: support@winding.ai.