Verithiathe honest score on any app
Updated July 2026 · real, multi-region App Store reviews
Head-to-head

Epic vs Khan Academy Kids

Epic 4.7★ · Free + IAP 60
Winner Khan Academy Kids
Khan Academy Kids 4.8★ · Free to download 85

Khan Academy Kids is the better choice for early childhood education due to its completely free, ad-free model and strong educational content, while Epic struggles with user frustration over its subscription model and technical issues.

Full reviews: Epic · Khan Academy Kids

Epic offers a vast library of books but faces significant user backlash due to its subscription model and technical glitches. Khan Academy Kids provides a comprehensive, completely free, and ad-free educational platform for younger children, though some users find its content too simple for older kids.

Head to head

Features and Content edge: Khan Academy KidsR3R5R7R9
Epic Epic is praised for its extensive library of books and engaging content like Cat Ninja and Wings of Fire series, with users appreciating it for encouraging reading and offering educational videos R5R9. However, some users report books being cut off or only offering previews without a subscription R3R7.
Khan Academy Kids Khan Academy Kids is lauded for its wide range of educational activities, including books, coloring, and interactive games, which are effective for learning R77R80. Users particularly appreciate the variety and the fact that new content is always being added R77.
Ease of Use and Reliability tieR3R6R7R12
Epic Epic users frequently report issues with signing in, account recognition, and the app not working, leading to frustration R3R7R12R15. There are also complaints about interruptions during reading R6 and the app being cumbersome .
Khan Academy Kids Khan Academy Kids is generally considered user-friendly and calming for children R77. However, some users experience technical issues like activities not loading or the app crashing . There are also complaints about the registration process and email verification not working .
Price and Value edge: Khan Academy KidsR1R7R10R13
Epic Epic faces overwhelming criticism for its subscription model, with many users feeling misled by its 'free' advertising, only to find most content paywalled or requiring a subscription after a few pages or a limited trial R1R7R10R13. Some users also report double charges and difficulty with refunds .
Khan Academy Kids Khan Academy Kids is highly praised for being completely free, with no ads or subscriptions, which is a major draw for parents R71R77R80. Users consistently highlight its excellent value as a free educational resource.
Age Appropriateness and Educational Focus edge: Khan Academy KidsR3R5R9R21
Epic Epic is generally seen as suitable for children who like to read, with content for both younger and older kids R3R5. However, the forced reading times for school accounts are disliked by some children R9R21. The app is also noted to be free during school hours but paid at home .
Khan Academy Kids Khan Academy Kids is highly effective for preschool and early elementary learning, with many parents praising its educational value for toddlers up to 2nd grade R71R77. However, a significant number of reviews indicate that the content is too simple and babyish for older children, even those aged 8 or 9, and many wish it extended to higher grade levels R62R63R66.
Support and Accessibility tieR3R7R12R15
Epic Epic's support is criticized for directing users to Apple for billing issues instead of resolving them directly . Technical problems with accounts and subscriptions are common, suggesting inadequate support or system design R3R7R12R15.
Khan Academy Kids Khan Academy Kids has issues with accessibility, specifically lacking captioning for deaf and hard-of-hearing children . Some users also report difficulties with the registration process and email verification . There are also concerns about the lack of a child lock feature and the inability to change the American accent .
Pick Epic if

you are looking for a wide variety of digital books and videos for your child and are willing to pay for a subscription, especially if your child uses the app at school where it might be free R5.

Pick Khan Academy Kids if

you need a completely free, ad-free, and highly educational app for preschool to early elementary-aged children R71R77R80R106.

Evidence note: Epic's lifetime rating is higher than recent reviews might suggest, largely due to a strong negative skew in recent reviews concerning its subscription model and technical issues. Khan Academy Kids has a slightly higher lifetime rating and more consistent positive feedback, especially regarding its free nature.

Frequently asked

Is Epic truly free?
No, Epic is not truly free; while it offers previews or limited free usage during school hours, most content requires a paid subscription, with some users reporting costs as high as $84.99 annually R1R7R10R31.
What age range is Khan Academy Kids best for?
Khan Academy Kids is best suited for preschool through early elementary children, typically up to 2nd grade, with many users finding its content too simple for kids aged 8 or older R62R63R66R72.
Does Khan Academy Kids have ads or in-app purchases?
No, Khan Academy Kids is completely free, with no ads or in-app purchases, making it a highly valued resource for parents R71R77R80R106.

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. [R3] Epic 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. [R5] Epic 5/5 · US Epic epic: This is amazing I definitely recommend if your children like to read but not on books
  3. [R7] Epic 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!
  4. [R9] Epic 3/5 · US The adds are stupid: If a kid likes reading, but doesn’t want her 15 minutes of reading, they like reading count that for their 15 minutes a day they’re gonna read naturally don’t force them to read for certain amount of time when you know they’re already gonna read they like reading other than that great app ninja cats great series sorry I mean cat ninja
  5. [R6] Epic 3/5 · US Good but something: Good but I HATE WHILE I WAS READING I got interrupted by blah blah bah I don’t wanna talk about it
  6. [R12] Epic 3/5 · US It's okay but more updates 2 to: I like it, but I try to go in it and it keeps saying that I don’t have an account, but I already do and it makes my brother very mad because he was trying to read a book, but they kept telling me to buy it
  7. [R1] Epic 1/5 · US Not free: Subscription based. Only get book previews free. Be careful signing up it’s sneaky about subscribing.
  8. [R10] Epic 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
  9. [R13] Epic 1/5 · US Dumb epic: Every single thing costed money
  10. [R21] Epic 3/5 · US Good App but I don’t like Reading for 20 every Mon, Tue, Wed, Thurs.: The app is a good app for reading but it can get boring if you read for like a hour every single day, so when I have to read for 20 minutes each day I get sad so it is a good app though. 👍
  11. [R15] Epic 3/5 · US Epic fail: My daughter loves this game at school but it doesn’t seem to work at home.It sends me on an infinite loop when trying to sign up.
  12. [R31] Epic 1/5 · US I hate it: Why dose it cost so much it cost 84.99$ so much money.
  13. [R62] Khan Academy Kids 4/5 · US Age is annoying: So the game is really fun but the age range is to small I like it and I’m 11 so the highest it goes is 2nd grade even though older kids like it too. Just try to put the age range a little higher like maybe up to middle school, thats all I’m asking.
  14. [R63] Khan Academy Kids 3/5 · US Too Simple: I’m homeschooling my daughter and the exercises are tedious and far below her ability. I raised her grade level to see if the activities would move faster and expect more from her and they were too slow paced. If you have a child that struggles to understand the basic problem solving process, this will be good for you.
  15. [R66] Khan Academy Kids 3/5 · US Don’t get unless your a baby: So I downloaded this game thinking it would give me harder work since I’m older well it didn’t it made me do little math equations and match the word to the picture and things like that idk if I just got me started but idk unless your five or under I think you should get the game but if your older than that I don’t think you should get the game I know it’s disappointi
  16. [R72] Khan Academy Kids 3/5 · US Not good enough!!😡: I think khan kids should teach you about art and animals and khan kids is to babyish!
  17. [R71] Khan Academy Kids 5/5 · US outstanding and free!: In 2022 we looked for a free app when our son was traveling cross-atlantic for the first time. He was then just 18 months old, and it was the first ‘thing’ to teach him a word that was not me! Now at 5 3/4 we still use it and love it, so educational and fun, and learned it goes all the way through AP! App of the year is a truly well deserved accolade, well done!
  18. [R77] Khan Academy Kids 5/5 · US The Best!: This is the best app for preschool learning! My 3 year old granddaughter enjoys the interactive activities and the story reading. It’s a calming app for her, it’s free, there is always something new, and, best of all, there are no ads
  19. [R80] Khan Academy Kids 5/5 · US The best kids app ever made: My daughter absolutely loves it and can spend hours learning in it without getting bored. It’s been a lifesaver during long road trips and flights, when there isn’t much else for kids to do. I also love that she’s learning instead of just watching cartoons or playing random games on a tablet. And the fact that it’s completely free, with no ads or subscriptions, makes i
  20. [R106] Khan Academy Kids 5/5 · US Amazing!: This is our kids go to App- so many activities and endless fun! We appreciate that its layout and activities are very well structured for kids- plus everything is included at no cost!

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