Verithiathe honest score on any app
Updated July 2026 · real, multi-region App Store reviews
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The verdict on

Epic

55
User verdict / 100 High confidence Divided

Epic, while praised for its extensive library and educational value in school settings, faces significant user frustration due to its subscription-based model for home use, frequent login issues, and technical glitches that contradict recent developer claims of minor bug fixes.

4.7★ lifetime (518,403) Free + in-app purchases since 2013 by Epic Creations, Inc. updated 0.3 mo ago recent negative 30% 120 reviews across 4 regions
Subscription Model Account & Login Issues Content & Library Technical Glitches & Performance Billing & Customer Support
5★521
4★92
3★82
2★55
1★250
recent reviews across 4 regions, vs the 4.7★ lifetime average

Epic is a reading app offering a wide selection of books and educational content, highly valued by many for fostering reading in children and even adults. However, recent user sentiment is significantly negative, primarily due to unexpected subscription requirements for home use, account login problems, and various technical issues like glitchy audiobooks and incomplete series.

What users like

  • Extensive library and educational content suitable for various ages, including read-along books and videosR1R9R15R16
  • Appreciated for its ability to engage children in reading and learningR9R16R19R23
  • Some users find the subscription worthwhile for the content providedR10R45

What users complain about

  • Requires a paid subscription for full access at home, despite being advertised as free or free in school, leading to frustration and perceived deceptionR2R4R5R7
  • Users frequently experience issues with signing in, account creation, or accounts being canceled, making the app unusableR1R4R42R48
  • Audiobooks and other content are prone to glitches, freezing, or being incomplete, requiring app restarts or device rebootsR131R214R313R331
  • Lack of robust parental controls, making it difficult to filter content for specific age groups or remove inappropriate materialR71
  • The app may sign users out frequently or fail to maintain an active session when switching between appsR234
  • Some users report double charges or billing issues, with Epic support often redirecting to platform storesR17R34

Latest update · v7.50

What the developer says changed (the verdict above weighs this against what reviewers report):

Fixed minor display bugs

Recurring themes

Subscription Model negative
Many users express strong dissatisfaction with the app's subscription requirement for home use, feeling misled by its 'free' categorization or by its free availability in school settings. They find the pricing, which can be as high as $84.99 annually or $13 monthly, to be too expensive, especially when compared to buying physical books. This is a recurring point across multiple regions.R2R4R5R7
Account & Login Issues negative
A significant number of users report persistent problems with logging in, creating accounts, or having their accounts unexpectedly canceled. This prevents them from accessing content even when they have a subscription, leading to frustration and a poor user experience. The developer's notes mention 'fixed minor display bugs,' but these critical login issues are not addressed and remain prevalent.R1R4R42R48
Content & Library mixed
While many praise the vast selection of books, educational videos, and audiobooks, some users express disappointment over missing or incomplete series (e.g., Wings of Fire, Warriors), the removal of favorite books, or the lack of diverse content. There are also reports of audiobooks glitching or being cut short.R1R3R9R13
Technical Glitches & Performance negative
Users report various technical problems, including the app not opening (black screen, crashing), pages glitching or loading slowly, audiobooks stopping, and the app signing out when switching screens. These issues detract from the reading experience and contradict the developer's recent claim of fixing 'minor display bugs'.R52R73R74R234
Billing & Customer Support negative
Some users have experienced double charges for subscriptions or difficulty resolving billing issues. Customer support is criticized for being unresponsive or unhelpful, often directing users back to platform stores for refunds rather than addressing underlying problems.R17R34R48R50

Who it's for

Epic is for parents and educators looking for a vast digital library to encourage reading in children, especially if they can access it through a school account R36R57. It's also suitable for adult non-native English speakers seeking to broaden their knowledge . However, it is NOT for users who expect a free reading app for home use R2R5 or those who are unwilling to pay a subscription fee . It's also not ideal for users who prioritize robust parental controls R71 or require reliable customer support for billing issues R17R50.

Evidence note: The recent reviews skew heavily negative, primarily focusing on the subscription model for home use and technical issues. This contrasts sharply with the high lifetime rating, suggesting a recent decline in user satisfaction, possibly due to changes in pricing or access policies. The evidence for technical glitches and login issues is strong and consistent across multiple reviews.

Frequently asked

Is Epic truly free?
No, Epic is not truly free for home use; while it may offer previews, a paid subscription is required to access most books and features, with costs reported around $7-$13 per month or $85 annually R2R5R45.
Can I use Epic for free through my school?
Yes, many users report that Epic is free and fully accessible when used through a school account or during school hours R33R36R57R70.
Are there issues with logging into Epic?
Yes, many users report frequent problems with logging in, creating accounts, or having their accounts unexpectedly canceled, preventing them from accessing content R1R4R42R48.
Does Epic have parental controls?
According to reviews, Epic lacks robust parental controls, as users cannot effectively set age levels or filter inappropriate content for their children, even with a paid subscription R71.

What reviewers actually said

Built only from these 120 real reviews (foreign ones translated). Superscripts jump to the quote here. Apple has no per-review links, so [ref] opens that app's reviews on the App Store.

  1. [R1] 3/5 · US Amazing but one thing.: I love epic and they have great books for younger and older kids but one thing when you sign in you have to get a subscription. I had signed up and agreed with terms and stuff but yet it still told me it would only show previews of the books, even though I already got the subscription I keep doing it but it still does the same thing. It might be just me either way if it is
  2. [R9] 5/5 · US Epic epic: This is amazing I definitely recommend if your children like to read but not on books
  3. [R15] 5/5 · US Lots of books that you can read: I like epic it is a cool reading app
  4. [R16] 5/5 · US Kelani statement about epic reading: 10/10 Great for kids great for learning
  5. [R19] 5/5 · US Epic: It’s very fun. It’s great place for kids to start reading. It’s educational. They’re always making new books. That’s why I think this should be 555 stars.
  6. [R23] 5/5 · US epic: epic It’s good for kids and I like it too because I’m a kid and it’s like awesome and that’s why you Should get a big too, because I think you should and epic is so good.
  7. [R10] 5/5 · US Epic: 👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍: No worries I’m subscribed now!
  8. [R45] 5/5 · US Epic: An amazing app for you to read and many more books to read. My favorite book is the dandy and Malcom ghost hunter series. It’s an amazing app and I recommend you buying it. Only $7 a month if you’re downloading it at home!
  9. [R2] 1/5 · US Not free: Subscription based. Only get book previews free. Be careful signing up it’s sneaky about subscribing.
  10. [R4] 1/5 · US Epic is NOT epic at all!: Epic is NOT epic at all! It doesn’t work when you try to get an account, try to get the “epic family” and it doesn’t let you read any books! It only lets you read five/5 pages of a book and then never lets you read anything else! I only had this app for about 30 seconds before it wouldn’t let me read anymore! 5 words: DO NOT GET THIS APP!
  11. [R5] 1/5 · US BLUH: So bad im a amazing reader reader but when I got this app I deleted it because you,have to pay to use the app thats why i gave i star
  12. [R7] 1/5 · US Dumb epic: Every single thing costed money
  13. [R42] 5/5 · US Good but a problem: Hi! I love the books here and HIGHLY recommend! But i keep getting locked out of my account? Every 1 or 2 weeks it says that i am “new” so i have to try to get back in and it’s difficult and now I can’t get in the app because now it says to pay to get in? Can you fix it please? (Please do not ignore)
  14. [R48] 2/5 · US Account got canceled for no reason: We have had a membership for a very long time. Well my oldest just went in to research something for an assignment for us to find out our membership was canceled for zero reason. It was paid back in August 2025 and we do the yearly plan so needless to say I am not happy especially since there is no one to call since epic only communicate by email and that can ta
  15. [R131] 3/5 · US I love this app but…: I love this app but I am currently reading the book “Darkness of Dragons” book from the Wings of Fire series and I noticed that for one, the book is only 3 hours long when it’s supposed to be 10, and most chapters are cut off🫩 Please fix this immediately!!
  16. [R214] 3/5 · US Okay… Intill you pay attention to the bad stuff: Ok so I’m not gonna lie, I’ve been using epic for years now, listening to the wings of fire audiobooks. I love wings of fire in general, but here’s the thing: THEY DON’T EVEN HAVE THE WHOLE SERIES! I understand that the 15th book was released in 2022, which is considered “recent” in publishing terms or something, but it’s REALLY GETTING ON MY NERVES
  17. [R313] 3/5 · GB Wide selection, Glitchy audiobooks: Overall, the selection of books is pretty good, but the audio books sometimes glitch out and I have to restart the app for them to work. Edit: They are REALLY glitchy. Sometimes I have to restart my whole device just to get Epic to work
  18. [R331] 3/5 · GB We need to talk: I have used epic a lot it is cool but it needs more books I got bored so I started to listen to the audiobooks wings of fire on epic which are cool and I am n the 11 book and I am really sad because it has stopped working 😭. I can’t do anything about it really annoys me but also makes me sad 😔 . Pls fix this problem it has only been book 11 although sometimes the other books did s
  19. [R71] 1/5 · US No parental controls: You cannot decide an age level, nor appropriate reading level for this app. Even when you are paying, there was just “set an age” but they can still access anything. There’s no way to remove things you don’t want your 4 year old reading. If I’m going to pay for something, that is marketed as family friendly and safe for kids, there should be a way to set what your child is al
  20. [R234] 3/5 · US App signs out as soon as I switch screens: Good app overall, but it’s really frustrating that I get signed out every time I switch to another app. I have to log back in and locate my book again each time. I hope the developers can update this so the session stays active.
  21. [R17] 2/5 · US Double charges: My kid genuinely loves Epic for the read-along books and craft videos, so I wanted this to work. But the billing has been a constant headache. For months I was charged twice for the same monthly subscription. Every time I caught it, I had to go request a refund through Apple myself. Epic support just pointed me back to Apple instead of fixing anything on their end. I finally bough
  22. [R34] 1/5 · US Stop charging me: Please stop trying to charge me! I even removed the app from my phone. Never renewed or anything. I don’t even have you under my subscriptions, but you still continue trying to charge me $85. Please stop. Thank you.
  23. [R3] 1/5 · US Where is time buddies 20 😡: Epic please make time buddies 20 and Cat ninja 48
  24. [R13] 5/5 · US Great but needs more badges: When I first got all the badges, I only had three more left I really want more badges. I still give five star reading because your app is amazing. I love it.
  25. [R52] 1/5 · US The worst app Ever: Sorry but it has a giant bug
  26. [R73] 1/5 · US Doesn’t let me open the app: The app won’t open just shows a black screen and then it kicks me out to my other apps.
  27. [R74] 1/5 · US octonoto: unusable, app flash quit after logging in
  28. [R50] 1/5 · US Horrible customer service: I purchased an annual subscription but I do not have anything more than “preview only”. Trying to get help and it is impossible to contact Epic. I filled out the form TWICE for support but each time it says to check my email to confirm it before they will accept the request. No emails were sent and I am left with no recourse.
  29. [R33] 2/5 · US Reasons why I don’t like it: Every single book I mean every book you need a subscription to read📚 unless your on school and all the books are interesting but it also gives you previews📺 of the book then it asks you to get an adult so I recommend you to go on school or don’t download 💗sent with love🥰
  30. [R36] 1/5 · US MONEY: WHY DO WE HAVE TO PAY. I have the same app on my school computer and you do not have to pay. IT IS SO ANNOYING!!!
  31. [R57] 4/5 · US WhY: Yes I gave this a 4 but I only wanted you to see this. At school it's free but at home you have to pay LIKE WHY!?
  32. [R70] 5/5 · US Why: I can't read the i survived book every time I click on one it says I have to subscribe to read a book about war and I love to read about war like at school when my teacher says to on epic and I read about war

Synthesized from 120 recent App Store reviews · updated July 2026 · View on the App Store