Samio
Comparison

Compare learning apps 2026: Samio vs Duolingo vs Khan vs Lingokids vs ELSA — Samio Learning

Most comparison articles repeat marketing copy. We tested all five with real kids — features, pricing, what held attention, and what didn't.

Samio Learning10 min read
Compare learning apps 2026: Samio vs Duolingo vs Khan vs Lingokids vs ELSA — Samio Learning

Samio Learning vs Duolingo vs Lingokids vs Khan Academy Kids vs ELSA Speak

Choosing the right educational app for your child or classroom means understanding what each app does best — and where it falls short. This guide provides a factual feature-by-feature comparison to help you decide.

Learning-app feature comparison at a glance

Full Feature Comparison

FeatureSamio LearningDuolingoLingokidsKhan Academy KidsELSA Speak
Subjects
Reading & Phonics✅Partial✅✅—
Mathematics✅ FullMath courseBasic✅—
Writing & Grammar✅✅———
Clock & Time-telling✅————
Letter Tracing✅—✅✅—
Fractions & Decimals✅————
Unit Conversions✅————
Pronunciation—Partial——✅
Platform
Target age4–127+2–82–813+
App languages740+Multi11
Adaptive difficulty✅✅—✅✅
Daily goals / Streaks✅✅——✅
Achievement badges✅✅———
iOS✅✅✅✅✅
AndroidComing soon✅✅✅✅
Safety & Privacy
Ad-free✅Paid only✅✅Paid only
COPPA compliant✅✅✅✅—
No personal data✅Account req.Account req.OptionalAccount req.
Schools & Educators
Teacher dashboard✅ Full✅—Basic✅
Student analytics✅ Real-time✅——✅
Custom challenges✅————
Class management✅✅——✅
Device management✅————
Curriculum planner✅————
Data exports✅————

Samio Learning vs Duolingo

Duolingo is the global leader in language learning, supporting 40+ languages with a highly gamified approach. It's ideal for children aged 7+ who want to learn a new language — particularly popular for Spanish, French, and German courses. Its strength is purely in language acquisition.

Samio Learning takes a different approach: it's a multi-subject educational app covering reading, writing, math, grammar, and time-telling. While it supports 7 interface languages (so children can learn in their native language), it's not primarily a language-learning tool — it's a comprehensive primary education tool.

Choose Duolingo if your primary goal is teaching your child a new language. Choose Samio if you want one app covering all core primary school subjects with adaptive difficulty and multi-language support.

Samio Learning vs Lingokids

Lingokids is designed for children ages 2–8, focusing on English language immersion through games, songs, and activities. Its content is developed with Oxford University Press and is excellent for very young learners being introduced to English.

Samio Learning covers a wider age range (4–12) and broader subject matter. Where Lingokids focuses on English vocabulary and basic concepts, Samio provides structured curriculum-aligned exercises in reading, math, writing, and grammar.

Choose Lingokids if your child is under 6 and you want English immersion. Choose Samio if your child is 4–12 and you want comprehensive, multi-subject learning that grows with them through primary school.

Samio Learning vs Khan Academy Kids

Khan Academy Kids is a completely free app from the Khan Academy nonprofit encompassing reading, math, social-emotional learning, and creative activities for children ages 2–8. It's well-structured and aligned with Head Start and Common Core standards.

Samio Learning covers ages 4–12 with deeper content in mathematics (fractions, decimals, unit conversions), grammar, and time-telling. Samio also supports 7 languages — important for multilingual families and international schools — and offers a full teacher dashboard with real-time analytics.

Choose Khan Academy Kids if your child is under 6 and you want a free, broad early-learning app. Choose Samio if your child is 4–12, you need multi-language support, or you want deeper math and grammar content that extends through the primary school years.

Samio Learning vs ELSA Speak

ELSA Speak uses AI-powered speech recognition to help learners improve their English pronunciation. It provides detailed feedback on sounds, stress, and intonation. It's an excellent tool for pronunciation practice — but it's primarily designed for adult and teenage learners.

Samio Learning is designed specifically for children ages 4–12 and takes a completely different approach — covering reading, writing, math, grammar, and time-telling through interactive exercises rather than speech recognition.

Choose ELSA Speak if you're a teen or adult focused on English pronunciation. Choose Samio if you have a child aged 4–12 who needs comprehensive, multi-subject educational practice.

Best For Each Use Case

  • One app for all core subjects (reading, math, writing, time) → Samio Learning
  • Learning a new language → Duolingo
  • English immersion for toddlers → Lingokids
  • Free early-learning for ages 2–8 → Khan Academy Kids
  • English pronunciation for teens/adults → ELSA Speak
  • Classroom use with teacher analytics → Samio for Schools or Duolingo for Schools

For Schools and Educators

Samio for Schools If you're evaluating learning apps for classroom use, Samio for Schools provides the most comprehensive multi-subject teacher toolkit — including real-time student analytics, custom challenges, class group management, a yearly curriculum planner, and device management. It starts at $4.99/month for a homeschool group of up to 10 students, or $19/month for a classroom of up to 60, with a 14-day free trial.

Read our guide: How to improve reading skills in the classroom →

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Samio Learning is a fun educational app for kids ages 4–12 that teaches reading, writing, math, and time-telling through interactive, adaptive exercises in 7 languages.