Best for: Parents of 5–9-year-olds who want a tutor that actually listens to their child read
Price: Freemium
Free: Free daily reading and maths activities (Daily Quests)
Platforms: iOS, Android
Made by: Ello Technology, Inc.
App store ratings: iOS 4.3★ (59) · Android 3.2★ (153)

What it is

Ello's AI tutor listens while a child reads one of 1,200+ decodable books aloud, corrects mistakes in real time using speech recognition Ello built for children, and plans the next session from what they mastered. Ello 2.0 adds an adaptive maths tutor and a Story Creation mode where children design their own stories. It is free to start, with an optional paid Unlimited upgrade.

What the AI does

Real-time AI reading tutor with speech recognition built for children
Daily plan built from what the child mastered and where they stumbled
Adaptive maths tutor
AI Story Creation at the child's reading level

Pros and cons

The most complete AI reading tutor here, built on decodable books and phonics
Published AI safety policy: filtered responses, a safety classifier, parent alerts by text
Voice recordings deleted after 30 days unless a safety concern is flagged
No ads; Parent Dashboard shows skills mastered and what comes next

Paid Unlimited price isn't published and reviewers say the upgrade is pushed hard
Story Creation stories are AI-generated in real time and not reviewed by a human first
No independent privacy certification named; Ello 2.0 is rated 3.2 on Google Play

How it scores

Learning quality8.5

Ease of use7.5

Features8.5

Value for money7.5

Platforms6.5

The strongest true AI tutor for early reading with careful safety design; held back by opaque pricing and mixed reviews of the new 2.0 app.

Feature checklist · 7 of 9

Lessons or practice adapt to the child's level as they go (yes)
Listens to the child speak or read aloud and responds (yes)
Reading or phonics practice (yes)
Maths practice (yes)
Progress dashboard or reports for parents or teachers (yes)
No ads in the app (yes)
Works offline (no)
Independent children's privacy certification stated (e.g. kidSAFE, iKeepSafe) (no)
Free plan with ongoing learning, not just a trial (yes)

How we score apps →

Alternatives

See all Ello alternatives, ranked →

Khan Academy Kids 8.3/10Families with children aged 2–8 who want a broad, completely free learning app with no ads or upsells
Read Along by Google 8.1/10Children who know the alphabet and are learning to read, especially in English, Spanish, Portuguese or Indian languages
Prodigy Math 7.6/10Kids in grades 1–8 who need motivation to do regular maths practice
SplashLearn 7.5/10Families wanting one app for both maths and reading across pre-K to grade 5

Khan Academy Kids vs Ello Read Along by Google vs Ello Ello vs Prodigy Math

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Ello review