Kids' English comparison

English learning platforms for kids, compared

Live programmes, tutor marketplaces, apps and free websites for ages 2 to 17. Filter by your child's age and format, then compare price per 25 minutes, trials, commitment, parent tools and safety.

Research + first-party information Facts checked 25 October 2026 By the LearnEnglish.life editorial team

The short answer

Choose by age first, then by format, then by price and commitment. From 4 to 12, a live one-to-one programme or a marketplace teacher who works with children gives the most speaking practice with feedback. Under 4, a play app and songs with you fit better than lessons, and from 13 more tutor marketplaces accept teens. Compare prices per 25 minutes, then check the trial, how far ahead you can move a lesson, and whether the plan renews or locks you in.

See the options Get a shortlist for my child

Which kind of option fits your child?

They combine well: for example, one live lesson a week plus an app or free website on other days.

Live programme for children

Good for: A curriculum and teachers who work with children, from age 4.

The catch: Plans renew, and some pick the trial teacher for you.

Marketplace tutor

Good for: Choosing the person, the price and the times.

The catch: Quality varies by teacher, and age rules differ.

App or game

Good for: First words and a daily habit, from age 2.

The catch: No conversation with a person; screen time needs limits.

AI speaking tutor

Good for: Speaking practice at any hour for older children.

The catch: Many set a minimum age (ELSA Speak 13, Praktika 13 without a parent's permission, Loora 16), and AI can be wrong. Tospeak (shares our owner) takes children from about 7 with a parent nearby, but has no parent dashboard. See AI tutors compared.

Free website

Good for: Songs, stories, games and worksheets at no cost.

The catch: Self-study, so it works best with you involved.

Live one-to-one programmes for children

Each has its own curriculum and teachers who work with children. All three sell plans that renew, so read the commitment line before you pay.

Cambly Kids

Ages: 4 to 15
Lesson: 30 min
Per 25 min: $10.42 to $19.17

Format: Live one to one; Cambly says all its tutors are native English speakers. Courses from A1 to C1.
Price: $12.50 to $23.00 a lesson, by lessons a week and plan length (up to 30% off for 12 months). 25 Oct 2026.
Trial: Paid: one lesson for $2.
Commitment: Renews automatically; move lessons 12 hours ahead; no money-back window stated for Kids.
For parents: Parent PIN, lesson recordings, parents may sit in.

Watch out: Unused weekly minutes expire.

Our Cambly Kids page Cambly Kids plans (opens in a new tab)

Novakid

Ages: 4 to 15
Lesson: 25 min live
Per 25 min: From $9 or $17

Format: Live one to one plus optional groups; CEFR course from Pre-A1 to B1. Its terms are written for ages 4 to 12.
Price: US page: from $9 a lesson with a non-native teacher, from $17 with a native one; full prices after sign-up. 25 Oct 2026.
Trial: Free, no card; Novakid picks the teacher.
Commitment: 3, 6 or 12-month plans that renew; move lessons 8 hours ahead.
For parents: Parent app, feedback and a video after every lesson, level certificates.

Watch out: After the 14-day withdrawal period on a first purchase, a plan cannot be ended early unless the law requires it, and unused lessons expire.

Our Novakid page Novakid prices (opens in a new tab)

SpeakyKid

Shares our owner

Ages: 4 to 17
Lesson: 25 min
Per 25 min: $5.00 to $7.40

Format: Live one to one with a human teacher the parent picks and can change; word games between lessons.
Price: From $32.07 a month for one lesson a week; $5.00 to $7.40 a lesson, the same with every teacher. 25 Oct 2026.
Trial: Free, no card; one per child.
Commitment: Monthly plan or 6 or 12-month courses, renewing until turned off; move lessons until 4 hours before; full refund within 14 days if no course lesson took place.
For parents: Progress, teacher messages and an AI report after every lesson.

Watch out: In a 6 or 12-month course, remaining payments continue after you turn off renewal.

Limits: 48 teachers listed; 25-minute lessons only; no groups, exam preparation or certificates; no single lessons or pause; browser only; lessons recorded unless you opt out.

Our SpeakyKid page speakykid.com (opens in a new tab)

Tutor marketplaces with teachers for children

You choose the teacher, who sets the price. Age rules differ: Preply's terms bar anyone under 13, while Outschool is built for children and teens.

Outschool

Marketplace of classes and tutors

Ages: 3 to 18
Lesson: Varies by class
Per 25 min: Varies by class

Format: Live small-group classes and one-to-one tutoring on Zoom, plus self-paced classes, including ESL. Its help centre says ages 1 to 18.
Price: Set by the teacher, plus a fee at checkout. ESL examples: $10 for a 30-minute group class, $30 for 60 minutes (teens), tutoring $20 to $40 a session. 25 Oct 2026.
Trial: None described; one-time classes let you try a teacher.
Commitment: Refund if cancelled within 24 hours of buying; weekly classes are charged every Sunday until stopped; no refund for missed classes.
For parents: The parent holds the account and sees all messages.

Watch out: The fee is a percentage you see only at checkout.

Outschool ESL classes (opens in a new tab)

Preply

Ages: 13 to 17
Lesson: 25 or 50 min
Per 25 min: From about $1.50

Format: Independent tutors, one to one. Its terms bar under-13s, and 13 to 17-year-olds need a parent's supervision.
Price: Preply says children's lessons "start from $3 per hour, with an average price of $14 per hour"; an hour means 50 minutes, and 25 minutes costs half. Fees extra. 25 Oct 2026.
Trial: Paid, with up to two free replacements.
Commitment: Subscription per tutor every 28 days; move lessons 12 hours ahead or lose them.
For parents: Tutor feedback after each lesson.

Watch out: Its terms say Preply "may or may not" run background checks.

Our Preply page Preply tutors for children (opens in a new tab)

See Guru

Shares our owner

Ages: 4 to 17
Lesson: 25 or 55 min
Per 25 min: From $2.78

Format: Independent teachers, one to one, in its browser room or on Zoom; profiles show the ages each teacher teaches.
Price: Teachers set prices; cheapest English teacher: $4.63 for 25 minutes, $2.78 a lesson in a 100-pack. 25 Oct 2026.
Trial: Three free lessons with different teachers; no card.
Commitment: Packs that never renew, valid a year; move lessons 1 hour ahead; refund requests within 14 days.
For parents: A parent creates and manages the child's account.

Watch out: Its terms disclaim a standard curriculum, so ask how each teacher plans children's lessons.

Limits: Quality varies by teacher; no group classes or accredited certificates; the prices above are its cheapest teacher's; audio of lessons in its own room is always recorded.

Our See Guru page see.guru (opens in a new tab)

Apps and games

Novakid also has a self-study app, Novakid Jr, for ages 2 to 6 (price not checked). Duolingo's terms do not state a minimum age, so it is not listed; see its child-account rules under safety.

Lingokids

Ages: 2 to 8
Lesson: Short games
Per 25 min: No lessons

Format: Play app with games and songs across 18 subjects, English among them; not based on the CEFR.
Price: Free Basic tier (10 games a day); Plus $13.49 a month on the website. 25 Oct 2026.
Trial: 7 days free on Plus, then paid unless cancelled.
Commitment: Refunds, case by case, within 7 days (monthly) or 30 days (yearly) of the first payment; Apple and Amazon handle their own.
For parents: Progress Center, screen-time limits, up to 4 child profiles on Plus.

Watch out: No live teacher, and no computer version: phones and tablets only.

Our Lingokids page lingokids.com (opens in a new tab)

Free resources

Two free British Council sites. For more songs, stories and worksheets, see our free English resources for kids.

LearnEnglish Kids

British Council website

Ages: 5 to 12
Lesson: Self-paced
Per 25 min: Free

Format: Songs, stories, videos, games and printable worksheets, plus apps.
Price: Free; you need an account to post comments.
For parents: Articles and videos on helping at home.

Watch out: Self-study, so it works best with you alongside.

LearnEnglish Kids (opens in a new tab)

LearnEnglish Teens

British Council website

Ages: 13 to 17
Lesson: Self-paced
Per 25 min: Free

Format: Grammar and vocabulary by level, skills practice, exam tips and a level test.
Price: Free; a free account lets teens comment.
For parents: Not described.

Watch out: Self-study only, so pair it with conversation practice.

LearnEnglish Teens (opens in a new tab)

Prices side by side, per 25 minutes

Lesson lengths differ, so we converted each published price to 25 minutes of lesson time (our arithmetic). Prices as shown on 25 October 2026, in alphabetical order.

Live lesson prices normalised to 25 minutes, 25 October 2026
Option	Lesson	Price as listed	Per 25 minutes	How we worked it out
Cambly Kids	30 min	$12.50 to $23.00 a lesson	$10.42 to $19.17	Price × 25 ÷ 30
Novakid	25 min	From $9 (non-native) or $17 (native)	From $9 or $17	Same length; US "from" prices
Outschool	Varies by class	$10 (30-min group), $30 (60-min group), $40 (30-min tutoring)	$8.33, $12.50, $33.33	Price × 25 ÷ minutes; examples, plus fee
Preply (13 to 17)	25 or 50 min	From $3, average $14, per 50 minutes	From about $1.50 (about $7.00 at the average)	Half; plus fees and taxes
See Gurushares our owner	25 or 55 min	$4.63 single, $2.78 in a 100-pack (cheapest teacher)	$2.78 to $4.63	Cheapest English teacher only
SpeakyKidshares our owner	25 min	$5.00 to $7.40 a lesson; from $32.07 a month	$5.00 to $7.40	Same length and price with every teacher

Apps are priced by the month: Lingokids Plus costs $13.49 a month on its website, and Basic is free. Prices differ by country, and on marketplaces they depend on the teacher.

Try it: turn any price into a price per 25 minutes

The rule: price × 25 ÷ lesson minutes. Try these, then check the answers.

Cambly Kids lists $21.50 for a 30-minute lesson (two a week, monthly plan). What is that per 25 minutes?
Preply gives an average of $14 for a 50-minute lesson with a children's tutor. What is that per 25 minutes?
An example plan (not a real offer) costs $78 a month for two 25-minute lessons a week. What does one lesson cost? A month has about 52 ÷ 12 = 4.33 weeks.
You pay for 8 lessons at $17.92 each, unused lessons expire, and your child misses one. What did each lesson taken cost?

Show the answers

$21.50 × 25 ÷ 30 = $17.92.
$14 × 25 ÷ 50 = $7.00.
2 × 4.33 = 8.67 lessons a month, and $78 ÷ 8.67 = $9.00 a lesson.
8 × $17.92 = $143.36 for 7 lessons, so $20.48 each: 14% more than the list price.

Which option for which child

A shy child

Start one to one and stay nearby. Cambly Kids lets parents sit in. Choosing the teacher helps: SpeakyKid lets parents pick and switch, and See Guru offers three free trials with different teachers (both share our owner).

An exam goal

Cambridge's Pre A1 Starters, A1 Movers and A2 Flyers have no pass or fail, and every child gets a certificate (Cambridge English). Novakid gives level certificates and says its level 2 prepares for Starters; SpeakyKid has no exam preparation. Teens: see Cambridge English exams.

A tight budget

Start free with LearnEnglish Kids or Teens, or Lingokids' free tier. The lowest one-to-one prices per 25 minutes here: Preply from about $1.50 (13 and over), See Guru from $2.78 in a 100-lesson pack and SpeakyKid $5.00 to $7.40 (both share our owner).

You want a native speaker

Cambly Kids says all its tutors are native speakers ($10.42 to $19.17 per 25 minutes); Novakid's native teachers start at $17, against $9 for non-native ones (US page). A patient teacher who keeps your child talking matters more.

Under 4

Most live programmes start at 4. Lingokids is built for ages 2 to 8, Novakid Jr for 2 to 6, and Outschool lists classes from 3. Songs, books and games with you are a good start; keep apps short.

A teenager

Preply (supervised), See Guru (teen age band 12 to 17), SpeakyKid (both share our owner), Outschool and LearnEnglish Teens all take teens. Let them help choose. See English for teens online.

By level: Novakid's course runs from Pre-A1 to B1, Cambly Kids' from A1 to C1 and SpeakyKid's from Pre-A1 to B2+; a marketplace teacher can work at any level. For teenagers, our English level test gives a quick estimate of reading and grammar, not speaking.

Safety and privacy: what each provider says

From each provider's pages, terms and privacy policies on 25 October 2026. "Not published" means we found no public statement, not that no checks happen.

Lesson recordings, teacher checks and child privacy by provider, 25 October 2026
Option	Lesson recordings	Teacher checks	Child privacy and controls
Cambly Kids	Every lesson; deleted 12 months after the account goes inactive	Not published	kidSAFE Seal; COPPA children's privacy policy; parent PIN
LearnEnglish Kids	No lessons	No teachers	Comments moderated; no private messaging
Lingokids	No lessons	No teachers	Says it complies with COPPA and is a kidSAFE member; no ads
Novakid	Video and photos (its terms)	Not published	Claims COPPA compliance; only a parent registers; no kidSAFE-type seal found
Outschool	All live classes, kept 90 days	Identity and criminal checks, renewed yearly	Children-only classes; parents see all messages
Preply	Not checked	Optional: Preply "may or may not" use them	No one under 13; no children's safety policy found
See Gurushares our owner	Audio in its own room, deleted after about 30 days; no set deletion period for Zoom	Kids page says "background-checked"; not verified	Parent creates the account; some AI processing in China
SpeakyKidshares our owner	For reports and quality checks; deleted after 30 days, it says; opt-out via support	"Approved to teach children"	No messaging with others; grown-up check on payments; AI only with parental consent

Duolingo's privacy policy (26 May 2026) gives child accounts (under 13 in the US) no real name or contact details, lessons without mature words, family-safe ads that are not personalised, and no third-party tracking.

Before you sign up, ask who can watch recordings, when they are deleted, who checks the teachers and whether anyone can message your child directly.

Choose in two weeks

Days 1 to 7: pick two options from different groups and book both trials. Sit nearby and use our trial lesson checklist.
Days 8 to 10: read your favourite's terms: renewal, notice to move a lesson, refunds and unused lessons.
Days 11 to 14: start on the shortest commitment on offer, then review after four weeks before a longer, discounted plan.

Want a shortlist for your child's age, goal and budget? The quiz takes about two minutes and needs no email.

Quiz for a child Quiz for a teenager

Frequently asked questions

What is the best English learning platform for my child?

None is best for every child. Under 4, a play app such as Lingokids, or songs with you. From 4 to 12, a live programme (Cambly Kids, Novakid, or SpeakyKid, which shares our owner) or a marketplace teacher. From 13, Preply opens up too. Take a trial first, then read the cancellation rules.

How much do online English lessons for kids cost?

Per 25 minutes on 25 October 2026: Preply from about $1.50 (13 and over), See Guru from $2.78 (cheapest teacher, 100-lesson pack), SpeakyKid $5.00 to $7.40, Novakid from $9 and Cambly Kids $10.42 to $19.17. See Guru and SpeakyKid share our owner. Lingokids has a free tier.

Can a child under 13 use Preply or other tutor marketplaces?

Not Preply: its terms bar under-13s, and teens need a parent's supervision. Outschool is built for children and runs identity and criminal checks on its teachers. On See Guru, which shares our owner, a parent creates the child's account and teachers mark the ages they teach.

Which kids' English platforms have a free trial?

Free, without a card: Novakid, SpeakyKid and See Guru (account needed). Paid: Cambly Kids ($2) and Preply (the tutor's price, with up to two free replacements). Lingokids is free for 7 days, then charges unless you cancel. SpeakyKid and See Guru share our owner.

Is a native-speaker teacher worth paying more for?

Not automatically: a clear, patient teacher who keeps your child talking matters more. If you want one, Cambly Kids says all its tutors are native English speakers, and Novakid's native teachers start at $17 a lesson, against $9 for non-native ones (US prices, 25 October 2026).

Are children's online English lessons recorded?

Often. Cambly Kids records every lesson, Novakid records video and photos, and Outschool keeps class recordings for 90 days. SpeakyKid, which shares our owner, records for its reports and says it deletes them after 30 days, with an opt-out. Ask who can watch recordings before you sign up.

How we compared

We read the providers' pricing pages, help centre articles and, for most, their terms or privacy policies on 25 October 2026, including price widgets that load with JavaScript. We did not sign up, buy anything or take lessons, so this is research, not a hands-on review. Prices can differ in your country. Novakid's "Membership" terms link returned an error, so we used its General Terms (20 October 2026). We did not verify Engoo Kids or italki's lessons for children, so they are left out, as is GoStudent, which tutors all school subjects; we could not check which of its tutors teach English as a foreign language.