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Alternatives
A Khan Academy Kids alternative for the youngest, and for two languages
There are not many good reasons to leave an app that is free, ad-free and this well made. The honest ones: your child is too young to drive it, your home speaks a language it doesn’t, or you want something a parent holds rather than a child plays. Here is what we replace, what we don’t, and who else to consider.
We make Their First Words, so this is our own comparison — written by the two parents who build it, not by a reviewer. The facts about Khan Academy Kids were checked on October 2, 2026 against its store listings and website, and the sources are listed at the end. Prices are US prices and change. Where another app is the better choice for your family, this page says so.
Why parents look
Why families go looking for a Khan Academy Kids alternative.
- English only. The games and the app are English; only a shelf of books comes in Spanish.1, 4 A home teaching Korean, Russian, German, Italian, French or Portuguese gets nothing for it.
- Too much for an eighteen-month-old. It says 2–8, and it is a library with a path through it. A child who is still pointing and babbling needs a parent, a picture and a word.
- The account. An adult with a verified email creates it, and the first setup needs Wi-Fi.3 Some parents want an app that just opens.
- A child playing alone. That is what it is for. The 2026 pediatric guidance leans the other way for the youngest: play alongside, favor conversation.6
- Wanting one thing. No library, no Kodi, no path — a picture, a word, your voice.
Their First Words as the alternative
What it replaces — and what it doesn’t.
It does replace
- First words for the under-threes, held by a parent: 1,000+ illustrated words with a female and a male native voice
- The languages Khan Kids doesn’t speak: Spanish, French, Portuguese, German, Italian, Korean and Russian, on every card
- The phrases after the words: 500+ everyday ones in nine kinds of moment
- The account and the download: nothing to sign up for, everything inside the app
It does not replace
- A curriculum — reading, math, logic, social-emotional learning
- Books, videos and games a child does alone
- Teacher tools or a classroom dashboard
- Free everything: our full library is $9.99 once (75 words and 35 phrases stay free)
At a glance
Side by side, no adjectives.
| Fact | Khan Academy Kids | Their First Wordsours |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | A free early-learning library: 5,000+ games, books and videos across reading, writing, math and social-emotional skills, guided by Kodi Bear | Parent-led flashcards: illustrated first words and everyday phrases, each spoken by a female and a male native voice |
| Ages | 2–8, as the maker states | 0–5, in three parent-chosen stages (phrases are not split by stage) |
| Price | Free — no ads, no subscriptions, no in-app purchases | $9.99 once for everything; no subscription |
| What’s free | Everything | 75 words and 35 phrases, forever, in all eight languages with both voices |
| Languages | English, with a section of books translated into Spanish | English, Spanish, French, Portuguese, German, Italian, Korean and Russian on every card (the app’s own screens are in English) |
| Who holds the phone | The child, following an adaptive learning path; teacher and parent dashboards | The parent. You say the word; the app is the prop. |
| Works offline | Partly — books and some activities after they are downloaded | Yes, completely — every picture and clip ships inside the app |
| Ads | None | None, at any tier |
| Account | Required — an adult with a verified email creates it | Not needed; optional sign-in only syncs progress between devices |
Khan Academy Kids facts checked October 2, 2026; sources below. “Who holds the phone” is who the app is designed around: a child playing, or a parent holding it and talking.
If you switch
What you keep, what you give up.
You keep
- No ads, ever
- Working offline
- Several child profiles
- A maker with no interest in keeping your child on the screen
You give up
- Thousands of activities and the adaptive path
- Reading and math (for phonics, our free web app Their First Reading is separate)
- The books and videos
- Zero cost for the full library
Not us
Other Khan Academy Kids alternatives worth a look.
- Duolingo ABC · Free — no ads, no in-app purchases · iPhone, iPad (iOS 13+), Android. Free, ad-free English reading: phonics, sight words and stories. Its listing showed no update since 2023 when we checked.
- Lingokids · Subscription (Lingokids Plus): about $14.99 a month or $71.99–$89.99 a year on the App Store, depending on the plan offered; 7-day free trial · iPhone, iPad, Mac (M1+), Android. If what you want is more games, songs and shows than Khan Kids has, and a subscription is fine.
- Canticos Bilingual Preschool · Subscription: $6.99 a month or $57.99 a year (other plans listed at $39.99 and $45.99); 7-day free trial · iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Vision; an Android version is listed by the maker. Bilingual English–Spanish songs, books and games for ages 1–5; a subscription.
- Gus on the Go · $3.99 once per language app · iPhone, iPad, Mac (M1+); Android for some languages. A $3.99 one-time vocabulary app per language, about 90 words each; small, and some editions are years old.
Questions
What parents ask us.
Is there anything as good as Khan Academy Kids for free?
For a broad preschool curriculum, not that we know of. For English reading, Duolingo ABC is free. For first words in eight languages, our free set is 75 words and 35 phrases with no account.
Does Their First Words teach reading or math?
No. Words and phrases only. We make a separate, free browser app for phonics, Their First Reading, and free counting apps, but they are not inside this one.
Can a two-year-old use Khan Academy Kids?
Its maker says from two. In practice a child needs to navigate a library and follow a path; many two-year-olds are happier with one picture and a parent’s voice, which is what we built.
Want the full head-to-head? Read Their First Words vs Khan Academy Kids.
What this is based on
Sources
- Apple App Store, Khan Academy Kids — free, no ads, ages 2–8, 5,000+ activities, offline downloads, privacy label. apps.apple.com
- Khan Academy Kids, official page — subjects, standards, teacher tools. khanacademy.org/kids
- Khan Academy Kids, Privacy policy — account requirement, what is collected, no advertising. khanacademy.org
- Khan Academy support — the app is English-only; Spanish books in the Library. support.khanacademy.org
- Kuhl, P. K., Tsao, F.-M. & Liu, H.-M. (2003). Foreign-language experience in infancy: effects of short-term exposure and social interaction on phonetic learning. PNAS, 100(15), 9096–9101. pnas.org
- American Academy of Pediatrics (2026). Helping kids thrive in a digital world: the AAP policy explained — play alongside your child; under 18 months learn best from real-world interaction. healthychildren.org
Facts about other apps were checked on October 2, 2026 against the sources above. Store prices are US prices on that day; they change, and the store is the authority for today’s price.
Keep looking
Alternatives to other apps.
Speech Blubs alternativesLooking for a Speech Blubs alternative? What families usually want instead — no subscription, more languages, a parent-led pace — what Their First Words does and does not replace, and other options worth a look.Read ›
Lingokids alternativesLooking for a Lingokids alternative? The usual reasons — the subscription, the size of it, a child playing alone, English first — what Their First Words replaces and does not, and the free and calm options worth a look.Read ›
Dinolingo alternativesLooking for a Dinolingo alternative? The usual reasons — $199 a year, a course built for ages up to 14, a child learning from a screen — what Their First Words replaces for the under-fives, what it does not, and other options by language.Read ›
Little Pim alternativesLooking for a Little Pim alternative? Why families move on — the subscription, a screen for a baby, 360 words per language — what Their First Words replaces and doesn’t, and other options for a bilingual home.Read ›
The best app for your familyTen guides by who you are: bilingual homes, late talkers, one-year-olds, travel, no subscriptions.Browse the guides ›
Simple Words, Special Moments
Start with one word.
75 words and 35 phrases are free, forever, with both voices. One $9.99 purchase opens the rest of the 1,000+ words and 500+ phrases, in all eight languages at once. No subscription, nothing renews.