---
title: "Best AI Tutor App for Kids (2026): 7 Compared by Age"
description: "The best AI tutor app for kids, by age: Khan Academy Kids, Buddy.ai, Synthesis, Khanmigo, Gemini, Ask Poppy and why ChatGPT is 13+. Parent controls."
canonical: https://learn.askpoppy.ai/best-ai/ai-tutor-for-kids/
last_updated: 2026-11-12
---

# The best AI tutor app for kids in 2026, by age

The best AI tutor app for kids depends on age. Ages 2 to 8: Khan Academy Kids is 100% free but isn't a chat tutor, and Buddy.ai describes itself as a voice-based AI tutor for ages 3 to 8. Ages 5 to 11 maths: Synthesis Tutor. Any subject by voice on iPhone, iPad or Mac: Ask Poppy, rated 4+, with up to three child profiles, parents able to join conversations and memory you can switch off per child. In the US, Khanmigo works through a parent account. ChatGPT is 13+ and Claude 18+, so neither is meant for younger children.

[Try Ask Poppy free](https://apps.apple.com/app/apple-store/id6757080904?pt=124290112&ct=learn-best-ai-tutor-for-kids&mt=8)

**Ask Poppy** is voice-first homework help for kids around 7 to 10, and teens and adults too: it asks what you have tried and gives one hint at a time, so you learn how to find the answer. **Free with 30 messages a day, then $3.99/week or $9.99/month** (US App Store) · iPhone, iPad, Mac

Disclosure: this page is written by the Ask Poppy team, and Ask Poppy is one of the options. Competitor facts come from each company's own pages or its US App Store listing (checked Oct 2026) and are linked so you can verify them. We haven't run a controlled test of any of these tools, ours included.

## AI tutor apps for kids, by age

|  | Ages | What it is | Talk to it? | Parent controls | Price (US) | App Store |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Khan Academy Kids | 2–8 | Games, books and lessons in reading and maths; not an AI chat tutor | No | Parent section in the app | Free ("100% free", per the listing) | 4+; 4.8 (132k ratings) |
| Buddy.ai | 3–8 | "Voice-based AI tutor" with learning games for preschool and early school | Yes, speech | See listing | Free download; in-app purchases | 4+; 4.6 (41.9k ratings) |
| Synthesis Tutor | 5–11 | Adaptive maths lessons | Choices read aloud | Not confirmed on the page we checked | Free trial; "less than $1/day" | Not confirmed |
| Khanmigo | Under 18, added by a parent (US) | AI tutor on Khan Academy's courses | Speech-to-text and read-aloud | Parent tools on the web; up to 10 children | $4/month or $44/year | Chat is web-only |
| Gemini | Under 13 only via Family Link (not EEA, CH, UK) | General AI assistant with a Guided Learning mode | Gemini Live | Family Link | Free | 12+ |
| Ask Poppy | App Store 4+; parent sets up child profiles | Voice-first thinking companion: asks questions and gives hints, any subject; looks up curriculum goals for 7 countries | Yes: hold to talk, it speaks back; 58 languages | Up to 3 child profiles; parent can open or join conversations; memory on/off per child | Free 30 messages a day; $3.99/week or $9.99/month | 4+; 5.0 (4 ratings); new |
| ChatGPT | 13+ (terms); parent permission under 18 | General AI assistant with study mode | Yes | Parental controls for linked teen accounts | Free; paid plans | 12+; 4.8 (11.6M ratings) |

Ratings are US App Store averages and counts on 26 Oct 2026. A big rating count tells you an app is popular, not that it teaches well; Ask Poppy's 5.0 is from only 4 ratings.

## What to look for in an AI tutor for a child

- **An age rule that includes your child.** Check the terms, not just the App Store age rating: ChatGPT is rated 12+ on the App Store but its terms say 13+.
- **Hints before answers.** In a 2025 high-school maths study, unrestricted ChatGPT help lowered later exam scores, while a hint-giving version did not.
- **A parent view you'll actually use:** who can read the conversations, and whether the child knows.
- **Memory you control.** Can you switch it off, see what's saved and delete it?
- **Voice for younger children** who read slowly, with a grown-up nearby.

## Who should pick which

### Under 8

Khan Academy Kids (free) or Buddy.ai (voice), with a parent nearby.

### 5 to 11, maths

Synthesis Tutor.

### Any age with a parent account, any subject, Apple devices

Ask Poppy: talk it through, with profiles for up to three children. No photo-scan-to-solve or course library; you can turn a school plan, photo, PDF or link into a to-do list, and parents get reminders and updates.

### US families wanting structure

Khanmigo through a parent account.

### 13 and over

ChatGPT study mode or Gemini Guided Learning are free; see our [comparison](/compare/chatgpt-study-mode-vs-gemini-guided-learning/).

Free for families: [AI house rules generator](/house-rules/) · [Best AI tutor for homeschool](/best-ai/homeschool-ai-tutor/) · [Best voice AI tutor apps](/best-ai/voice-ai-tutor/)

**Sources (checked Oct 2026):** [Khan Academy Kids on the App Store](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/khan-academy-kids/id1378467217) · [Buddy.ai on the App Store](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/buddy-ai-kids-learning-games/id1255783056) · [synthesis.com/tutor](https://www.synthesis.com/tutor) · [khanmigo.ai](https://www.khanmigo.ai/learners) · [Khan Academy Help](https://support.khanacademy.org/hc/en-us/articles/13982530363533-Where-can-I-access-Khanmigo-while-working-on-Khan-Academy) · [Gemini Help: children](https://support.google.com/gemini/answer/16109150) · [Gemini on the App Store](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/google-gemini/id6477489729) · [OpenAI terms](https://openai.com/policies/row-terms-of-use/) · [OpenAI: parental controls](https://openai.com/index/introducing-parental-controls/) · [ChatGPT on the App Store](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/chatgpt/id6448311069) · [Anthropic consumer terms](https://www.anthropic.com/legal/consumer-terms) · [Ask Poppy on the App Store](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/ask-poppy-ai-tutor-mentor/id6757080904?pt=124290112&ct=learn-best-ai-tutor-for-kids&mt=8). Ask Poppy facts are from the current app (version 1.8.3) and its App Store listing. US prices; they vary by country and platform. Spot something out of date? Email [simon@askpoppy.ai](mailto:simon@askpoppy.ai).

**A tutor your child can talk to, with you in the loop** Ask Poppy is voice-first homework help, built first for kids around 7 to 10 and their parents. Your child talks the question through, and Poppy asks what they've tried and gives one hint at a time instead of handing over the answer, so they learn how to find it. Parents set up each child's profile and can see their conversations, and memory can be turned off per child. Teens and adults use it too. A one-button, screen-free Poppy device is in development.

**Free, 30 messages a day** on iPhone, iPad and Mac. Optional subscription. (Disclosure: this site is made by the Ask Poppy team.)

[Try Ask Poppy free](https://apps.apple.com/app/apple-store/id6757080904?pt=124290112&ct=learn-best-ai-tutor-for-kids&mt=8) [See the screen-free device](https://askpoppy.ai/?utm_source=learn&utm_medium=site&utm_campaign=best-ai-tutor-for-kids&utm_content=end)

## Questions

### What is the best AI tutor app for kids?

It depends on age. For ages 2 to 8, Khan Academy Kids is free (though not a chat tutor), and Buddy.ai is a voice-based AI tutor for ages 3 to 8. For maths at 5 to 11, Synthesis Tutor. For any subject by voice on Apple devices, Ask Poppy, which is rated 4+ and lets a parent set up child profiles. In the US, Khanmigo via a parent account.

### Can my 10-year-old use ChatGPT?

Not under OpenAI's terms: ChatGPT requires users to be at least 13, and under-18s need a parent or guardian's permission. Claude requires users to be 18. Gemini allows under-13s only through a parent-managed Family Link account, which isn't available in the EEA, Switzerland or the UK.

### Can I see what my child talks about with an AI tutor?

In Ask Poppy, a parent can open or join each child's conversations, and the child sees when a parent is there. Khanmigo has parent tools on the web. Check each app's parent settings before handing it over.

### Does the AI tutor remember my child?

Ask Poppy remembers interests and projects so later sessions build on them, and parents can turn memory off for each child and view or delete saved memories. Other apps differ; check their settings.

### Should young children use an AI chatbot at all?

We think the youngest children are better served by structured apps and a grown-up nearby than by an open chatbot. Whatever you choose, sit with them for the first sessions and agree simple rules.

## Related comparisons

- [AI house rules for your family](/house-rules/)
- [Best homework help apps in 2026](/best-ai/homework-help-app/)
- [Socratic AI tutor apps compared](/best-ai/socratic-ai-tutor-app/)
- [Best AI tutor app for iPhone](/best-ai/ai-tutor-iphone/)
- [AI tutors for IB students](/best-ai/ib-ai-tutor/)
- [Best voice AI tutor apps](/best-ai/voice-ai-tutor/)
- [Best AI tutor for homeschool](/best-ai/homeschool-ai-tutor/)
- [ChatGPT study mode vs Gemini Guided Learning](/compare/chatgpt-study-mode-vs-gemini-guided-learning/)
- [Is ChatGPT study mode good for homework?](/guides/is-chatgpt-study-mode-good-for-homework/)
- [Best screen-free AI and audio tools for kids](/best-ai/screen-free-ai-for-kids/)
- [Voice AI for young kids (5 to 9)](/best-ai/voice-ai-tutor-for-young-kids/)
- [Yoto vs Toniebox vs an AI voice companion](/compare/yoto-vs-tonies-vs-ai-voice-tutor/)
- [AI tutors with parent controls, compared](/best-ai/ai-tutor-with-parent-controls/)
- [Homeschool AI apps for several kids](/best-ai/homeschool-app-multiple-kids/)
- [RevisionDojo alternatives](/compare/revisiondojo-alternatives/)
- [NotebookLM vs ChatGPT study mode](/compare/notebooklm-vs-chatgpt-study-mode/)
- [All AI tutors side by side](/compare/)
- [Best AI tutors that don't just give you the answer](/best-ai-tutors-that-dont-give-answers/)
- [What the research says about AI and learning](https://research.askpoppy.ai/)

## Research behind this

- [AI tutoring systems in schools: review of 28 studies (Létourneau et al., 2025)](https://research.askpoppy.ai/papers/letourneau-2025-intelligent-tutoring-systems-k12-review/)

Plain-language summaries at [research.askpoppy.ai](https://research.askpoppy.ai//)

By **Simon Dreyer**, founder of Ask Poppy · Last updated 12 November 2026 · [How we write these pages](/about/)

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