Best Learning Apps for Elementary School 2026/27 Compared
By Gennady editorial team · Published · Updated
learning appselementary schoolcomparisonhomeworkfreeThe short answer
For practice, ANTON is the obvious choice for most elementary school kids, because all learning content is free and ad-free according to the provider (in German). We did not find a function for uploading your own worksheets in ANTON, though: for the sheet from the school bag, your child needs an app that takes exactly that task and explains it. The table below shows which app can do what, what it costs, and where ads or a subscription are waiting.
A parent writes in r/Eltern about the search for a writing app for first grade: "Most of what I found is full of distracting stuff and nothing for them..." (Reddit, r/Eltern (in German)). On top of that come trial periods that turn into a yearly subscription, and apps that a child without solid reading skills cannot use alone. This comparison sorts the well-known options by four questions: What is the app meant for, are there ads, how do you get out of the subscription, and can a child who does not read fluently yet manage it? You can find all of our comparisons in the Guide: Learning Apps Compared.
Which learning app for elementary school? The overview
Gennady is our own product. How we assessed the other options is explained in the next section.
Learning apps for elementary school compared (as of September 2026, prices retrieved on September 27, 2026)
| App | Purpose | Free | Cost | Ads according to provider | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ANTON | Practice following the curriculum, tasks can also come from the teacher | all learning content | ANTON Plus, optional: EUR 7.99 to 14.99 for 12 months | none | App Store (in German), FAQ |
| Schlaukopf | Knowledge quiz for all grades | quiz with ads | Premium EUR 3.99 per month or EUR 23.99 per year | yes, in the free version | App Store (in German), FAQ (in German) |
| sofatutor | Videos, exercises, learning game; AI study companion also accepts questions by photo | 30-day trial | from EUR 11.99 per month with 24 months paid upfront, 1 month from EUR 34.99 | no information found | App Store (in German), Price page (in German) |
| Khan Academy Kids | learning through play, ages 2-8, English only | everything | no subscription | none | App Store (in German) |
| Photomath | Photograph a math problem, get the solution with the steps | core features | Photomath Plus: amounts from EUR 7.99 to 11.49 listed in the App Store, billing period not stated there | no information found | App Store (in German), Google (in German) |
| KIDZCOOL (website) | Help with a photographed worksheet, grades 1-4 | 3 worksheets | e.g. EUR 28 per month for 60 worksheets | no information found | kidzcool.com (in German) |
| ChatGPT | General-purpose AI with a study mode, only from age 13 | basic version | Plus about EUR 20 per month | no information found | Elternguide.online (in German), PH Bern (in German) |
| Gennady | Help with your own worksheet: reads aloud, explains, checks the answer | 7-day trial | Subscription through the App Store | none | our app |
Prices are from the German App Store, from the provider's price page, or (ChatGPT) from Elternguide.online; they may change. "No information found" means: the provider's information did not say anything about it. It does not mean there are no ads.
How to read the table:
- Your child should practice what is covered in school: ANTON. If the school uses ANTON, the teacher can even assign tasks there.
- Your child wants to be quizzed on knowledge before a test: Schlaukopf. Check for yourself beforehand how many ads show up.
- Your child is stuck on the homework from the sheet: an app that works with this sheet and does not just show the solution, such as KIDZCOOL or Gennady.
- You want to quickly check a math problem as a parent: Photomath.
- Your child is at least 13: ChatGPT with study mode is an option, up to 17 only with your consent.
A practice app and a homework app do not rule each other out: one practices what is covered in class, the other helps with the sheet your child is stuck on today.
How we compared
- Basis: the providers' information in the German App Store, on their websites and help pages, retrieved on September 27, 2026.
- Criteria: purpose (practice or homework from the sheet), ads, trial, subscription and cancellation, read-aloud for children who do not read fluently yet, connection to class.
- What we did not do: We did not test other providers' apps with children ourselves and did not survey parents. "Not found" always refers to the providers' information.
- Reviews: On September 24, 2026, we read public App Store reviews and counted them by topic (numbers in the section on ads and subscriptions).
- Privacy we did not compare. Before signing up, read the privacy policy of the respective app; ours is at Privacy.
- Bias: Gennady is our own app. That is why we also say what Gennady cannot do.
Example: one task, four ways
A self-made example, not a real homework assignment: "Mia has 24 marbles. They distribute them evenly into 4 little bags. How many marbles are in one bag?"
Practice app (ANTON, Schlaukopf): With ANTON, your child can practice division and word problems, among other things, according to the App Store; with Schlaukopf, according to the App Store, quiz questions on math. We did not find a function for uploading your own worksheets in either provider's information: the worksheet problem remains unsolved.
Solver app (Photomath): If your child scans or types in the calculation 24 : 4, Photomath shows the solution with a step-by-step explanation according to the App Store, and your child no longer has to calculate anything. For "problem statements in word problems," the German App Store description points to Photomath Plus, "currently only available for the USA and certain textbooks"; we did not check whether the free version solves a German word problem like this one.
Homework app with hints (KIDZCOOL, Gennady): explains the task from the sheet and gives hints, and your child does the calculating; KIDZCOOL calls this a "4-stage help system" according to the provider. When the solution appears is handled differently by each app (details below).
General-purpose AI (ChatGPT): only from age 13 according to the provider (Elternguide.online). In study mode, according to PH Bern, it leads to the solution with guiding questions instead of delivering it right away; but the mode can be switched off at any time.
Practice apps: ANTON, Schlaukopf, sofatutor, and Khan Academy Kids
Practice apps bring their own tasks, organized by grade and topic. We did not find a function for uploading your own worksheets in ANTON and Schlaukopf. In addition to exercises, sofatutor offers functions for questions about homework.
ANTON
In the German App Store, ANTON has over 318,000 ratings (as of September 27, 2026). According to the description, "all content is free and ad-free," the topics match the curricula of the German states (Bundesländer), and teachers can create classes and assign tasks. With the translation help (in German), all texts can be translated into over 75 languages and listened to in the native language. ANTON Plus is optional: a 12-month subscription for EUR 7.99 to 14.99 (family EUR 19.99 to 49.99), with offline learning among other things; according to the FAQ, progress reports are also among the paid extras. We did not find help for worksheets your child brings along. More in the direct comparison Gennady vs. ANTON.
Schlaukopf
Schlaukopf is a knowledge quiz for all grade levels and school types, with feedback through a grade; for German in fourth grade alone, there are over 2,000 questions according to the App Store. The free version is financed by ads: "To cover the running costs, ads are displayed" (Schlaukopf FAQ). Premium is ad-free and reads aloud, but only first-grade topics. Schlaukopf quizzes; we did not find explanations for the tasks in the provider's information.
sofatutor
sofatutor offers explainer videos, exercises, worksheets, and the learning game Sofaheld. According to the App Store, the AI study companion Sofabuddy accepts "questions by text, voice, or photo" and guides step by step to the solution. According to the App Store, the AI learning tools also let you upload your own photos, PDFs, or documents and have the AI process them. In the teacher chat, you can also upload a photo; subject experts answer there. After a 30-day trial, according to the App Store, the subscription for the chosen period starts automatically. According to the price page, the lowest monthly price is only available with a 24-month term and payment upfront: EUR 287.76 for the basic subscription, effectively EUR 11.99 per month. Premium costs between EUR 14.99 per month (24 months) and EUR 39.99 (1 month).
Khan Academy Kids
According to the description in the App Store, the app is meant for children from 2 to 8 years old, completely free, without ads and without a subscription. But the app is only available in English, with read-aloud books in English and Spanish. It therefore fits German school material only to a limited extent.
Through the school: Antolin and bettermarks
Antolin is a book portal with quiz questions about books for grades 1 to 10; according to Westermann (in German), only teachers, schools, and libraries can sign up, and children then use their login details. The math practice system bettermarks is available free of charge in many German states (in German) according to the provider. Whether your child gets access and whether there are costs, you can find out from the teacher.
scoyo is being discontinued: According to scoyo (in German), new subscriptions are no longer possible; existing customers continue to use the platform for the time being.
Homework and AI apps: help with your own worksheet
These apps work with the task your child brings. The most important difference: does the app show the solution right away, or does it lead your child there? What to keep in mind about AI for children in general is in our Guide: AI and Children. A checklist you can use to evaluate AI help yourself is in Which AI Is Suitable for Children?. Which homework apps show the solution right away and which give hints first is compared in Homework App for Elementary School: Solver or Explainer?.
Photomath
Photomath recognizes printed and handwritten math problems by camera and shows step-by-step explanations for every solution (App Store), "for elementary through college" according to the provider, that is, from elementary school to university. According to Google, the core features stay "always free." Photomath Plus brings AI tutorials and additional hints; the App Store lists amounts from EUR 7.99 to 11.49 for it, without naming the billing period. According to Google, the subscription bills monthly, every six months, or yearly and renews automatically. Photomath only helps with math, and the solution is there after the scan: handy for parents who want to check a result. What that means when your child is supposed to do the calculating is covered in the comparison Gennady vs. Photomath. What the app can do and what to watch for with elementary school kids is in Photomath for Elementary School Kids.
KIDZCOOL
KIDZCOOL is aimed at grades 1-4 and runs through the website kidzcool.com; we did not find an app in the German App Store. Your child photographs the worksheet, and according to the provider, the AI helps with a "4-stage help system" instead of ready-made solutions; parents can release the solution "with a PIN." The AI can read answers aloud (in German). 3 worksheets in total are free; further use costs money: packages start at EUR 10 per week.
ChatGPT
According to the provider, ChatGPT is only allowed from age 13, and from 13 to 17 only with parental consent; there is no effective age check (Elternguide.online). The study mode "Studying and Learning" has also been available for free accounts since July 29, 2025, but it can be switched off at any time. ChatGPT is not intended for elementary school kids. More in ChatGPT for Homework.
Gennady (our app)
Gennady is built for children aged 6 to 11. Your child photographs the worksheet, and Gennady recognizes the tasks and reads them aloud, with each word highlighted to read along. Gennady explains the method step by step and checks your child's answer. If the answer is wrong, there are hints first; Gennady shows the correct solution for comparison only on the third try. The last hint leads right up to the result; your child takes the last step on their own. Your child can answer by voice, typing, or photo. This applies to tasks from the worksheet; a question typed in freely gets a direct answer from Gennady. No ads, try it free for 7 days, then subscribe through the App Store. The limits: Gennady is an iPhone app that also runs on the iPad; there is no Android version. Gennady has no practice pool like ANTON. Gennady chooses the calculation method itself, and it may differ from the method introduced in class. And like any AI, Gennady can be wrong.
If a practice app and homework help are not enough because your child is persistently not keeping up with the material, our overview Tutoring in Elementary School can help.
What is really free
"Free" means different things for learning apps (as of September 2026):
| Kind of "free" | What it means | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Everything free, no ads | No subscription needed, no ads according to the provider | ANTON (all learning content), Khan Academy Kids (English only) |
| Free with ads | Ads finance the app, a subscription removes them | Schlaukopf (FAQ, App Store) |
| Basic function free | The most important part costs nothing, extras come with a subscription | Photomath (Google), ChatGPT (only from 13) |
| Only the trial is free | After that, a subscription starts | sofatutor (30 days), Gennady (7 days) |
| Limited free allowance | A fixed number of uses is free, further use costs money | KIDZCOOL (3 worksheets) |
| Through the school | Usable through a school login; whether there are costs, ask the school | Antolin (school license), bettermarks (free in many German states according to the provider) |
For practice, then, you do not have to spend any money. Help with your own worksheet that does not show the solution right away, on the other hand, is not permanently free in this overview for elementary school kids: Photomath is free, but shows the solution and only helps with math; ChatGPT is only allowed from 13; sofatutor and Gennady are free only during the trial, KIDZCOOL only for 3 worksheets.
Ads, subscriptions, cancellation: what to watch for
What App Store reviews say
On September 24, 2026, we read 381 German App Store reviews of scoyo (in German), sofatutor, and Schlaukopf. 35 complained about ads, almost all about Schlaukopf, five of them about ads that do not suit children. From a Schlaukopf review from 2019: "when a first grader is sitting at the tablet and suddenly ads for war games, tanks, shooters,... show up, that is not okay!" 14 of the 381 described a subscription trap: automatic renewal, unclear prices, or difficult cancellation. For AI solver apps such as Question.AI (in German) and Solvely (in German), 55 of 684 reviews read, mostly from the US store, reported that the subscription could not be canceled, that charges continued after cancellation, or that money was not refunded. The numbers show what users complain about, not how common a problem is overall.
Subscription through the App Store
If you buy ANTON Plus, Schlaukopf Premium, Photomath Plus, or Gennady in the app on the iPhone, the subscription runs through the App Store. According to Apple (in German), you can cancel on the iPhone under Settings, your name, "Subscriptions," then choose the subscription and "Cancel Subscription." According to Apple, you cancel a trial subscription at least 24 hours before the trial ends if it should not continue. If your child has their own account in Family Sharing, "Ask to Buy" is, according to Apple (in German), turned on by default for children under 13. For purchases and downloads covered by Ask to Buy, you then receive a request and can approve or decline it.
Subscription directly with the provider
If you sign up on the website (for example with sofatutor or KIDZCOOL), the provider's terms apply. Watch the initial term; with sofatutor it is up to 24 months. For consumer contracts for regular services, such as a subscription, concluded on or after March 1, 2022, the Federal Ministry of Justice (in German) says: a tacit renewal through general terms and conditions is only valid if the contract continues for an indefinite period and you can then cancel it at any time with a notice period of no more than one month. The ministry also names July 1, 2022 as the date the rule on the cancellation button for consumer contracts concluded in electronic commerce took effect.
Checklist before downloading
- Purpose: Should your child practice, or do they need help with homework from the sheet?
- Try it yourself: Ten minutes before your child gets the app. Do ads show up, and where do they lead?
- Trial and subscription: When does the trial end, which subscription starts afterward, and for how long? Set a reminder two days before the trial ends.
- Cancellation route: App Store or directly with the provider?
- Reading hurdle: Can your child get to the task and back without being read to?
- Solution: Does the app show the solution right away, or does your child have to think first?
- Age and privacy: Is the app intended for your child's age, and can the account be deleted?
For children who do not read fluently yet
Especially in grades 1 and 2, check whether your child understands the controls and the task texts. A single sofatutor review from June 2026 describes problems with this for a second grader: "First and second graders barely read yet and just tap on everything" (App Store); an adult had to sit next to them the whole time.
| App | Read-aloud according to provider |
|---|---|
| ANTON | Translation help: translate texts and listen to them in the native language (anton.app) |
| Schlaukopf | only in Premium and only for first-grade topics (App Store) |
| Khan Academy Kids | read-aloud books in English or Spanish (App Store) |
| KIDZCOOL | the AI can read answers aloud (kidzcool.com) |
| Gennady | reads tasks and explanations aloud, each word highlighted; answer by voice as well |
| sofatutor | explainer videos to listen to; we did not find a read-aloud function for tasks (Sofabuddy also accepts questions by voice; App Store) |
| Photomath | no read-aloud function found in the provider's information (App Store) |
With every app, try out whether your child can move forward without reading: do they find their way to the next task, and do they understand what to do when they only hear the task? Sit with your child the first few times and then step back gradually. How read-aloud works in Gennady is shown on the page Read Aloud.
Frequently asked questions
Which learning app is the best for elementary school?
That depends on the purpose. For practice following the curriculum, ANTON is a good choice, because all learning content is free and ad-free according to the provider. For homework from your own worksheet, your child needs an app that explains this sheet and gives hints, such as KIDZCOOL or Gennady. Gennady also checks your child's answer.
Which ad-free learning app is suitable for first grade?
According to the provider, ANTON and Khan Academy Kids are ad-free, though Khan Academy Kids is only available in English. Schlaukopf shows ads in the free version. In first grade, also look at whether the app reads tasks aloud.
Which math app makes sense for elementary school?
For practice, a practice app like ANTON is suitable. Photomath shows the solution with the steps after a photo and is more of a tool for parents who want to check a result. If your child is supposed to solve a task from the worksheet on their own, an app that gives hints instead of the solution right away helps.
Is there an app that explains a photo of the task?
Yes. Photomath explains math problems after a photo, but shows the solution right away. KIDZCOOL helps with the photographed worksheet for grades 1 to 4 with graduated hints. With sofatutor, according to the provider, the AI study companion also accepts questions by photo. Gennady reads the task aloud, explains the method, and checks the answer; for tasks from the worksheet, the correct solution for comparison comes only on the third try.
Is it worth paying for a learning app?
For practice, usually not, because ANTON offers all learning content for free. What costs money is mainly help with your own worksheet and platforms with videos such as sofatutor. Use the trial before buying, check the term, and note down when the trial ends.
From what age may my child use ChatGPT?
According to the provider, from age 13, and from 13 to 17 only with parental consent. There is no effective age check. ChatGPT is therefore not intended for elementary school kids.
Help with your own worksheet
Gennady reads the task aloud, explains the method step by step, and checks your child's answer. If the answer is wrong, there are hints first; the correct solution for comparison comes only on the third try. Try it free for 7 days.
Open in the App StoreSources
- solocode GmbH: ANTON in the App Store (as of September 27, 2026). apps.apple.com
- solocode GmbH: Is ANTON free? (as of September 27, 2026). anton.app
- solocode GmbH: ANTON, home page with translation help (as of September 27, 2026). anton.app/de
- Annette Roder: Schlaukopf in the App Store (as of September 27, 2026). apps.apple.com
- Schlaukopf.de: FAQ (as of September 27, 2026). schlaukopf.de
- sofatutor GmbH: sofatutor in the App Store (as of September 27, 2026). apps.apple.com
- sofatutor GmbH: Price list (as of September 27, 2026). sofatutor.com
- Khan Academy: Khan Academy Kids in the App Store (as of September 27, 2026). apps.apple.com
- Westermann: Antolin school license (as of September 27, 2026). westermann.de
- bettermarks: Prices (as of September 27, 2026). bettermarks.com
- scoyo: Notice on discontinuation (as of September 27, 2026). scoyo.de
- Google: Photomath in the App Store (as of September 27, 2026). apps.apple.com
- Google: Photomath Plus overview (as of September 27, 2026). support.google.com
- Photomath: Home page (as of September 27, 2026). photomath.com
- KIDZCOOL: AI homework help for kids (as of September 27, 2026). kidzcool.com
- KIDZCOOL: Accessibility (as of September 27, 2026). kidzcool.com/barrierefreiheit
- Elternguide.online: ChatGPT (as of September 27, 2026). elternguide.online
- PH Bern, Think Tank Medien und Informatik: New "Study Mode": Studying & Learning with ChatGPT (2025). ttim.phbern.ch
- Apple: Cancel a subscription from Apple (as of September 27, 2026). support.apple.com
- Apple: Set up parental controls to manage your child's iPhone or iPad (as of September 27, 2026). support.apple.com
- Federal Ministry of Justice: Tacit renewal of a contract through general terms and conditions? New rules for consumer contracts apply from March 1 (2022). bmjv.de
- Reddit, r/Eltern: Learning app German writing first grade (2025). reddit.com
- Gennady Team: own count of public App Store reviews (September 24, 2026), for example for Schlaukopf and Question.AI