Looking for something other than ABCmouse for a child in kindergarten to 2nd grade? Good options include Khan Academy Kids and PBS KIDS Games, which are free, Starfall, which has a low-cost yearly home membership, SplashLearn for math and reading practice, and Bright Minds Club, which has 109 short skill games that play in a web browser. The best fit depends on your budget, your devices, and the skills your child is working on. The table below lists what each company publishes, with links to where we found it.
Full disclosure: we make Bright Minds Club. We've tried to describe every option fairly, ours included.
The short answer
What are the best alternatives to ABCmouse?
- If cost is the main concern: start with Khan Academy Kids or PBS KIDS Games. Both are free and cover ages 2 to 8.
- If you want a phonics program on a small budget: Starfall's learn-to-read program is free, and a home membership adds more activities for one yearly fee.
- If you want structured math and reading practice up to 5th grade: look at SplashLearn.
- If your child plays on a laptop or Chromebook, or you want short games aimed at one K-2 skill at a time: look at Bright Minds Club.
- If your child loves ABCmouse's big guided path, it may still be the right pick. Its free Basic tier lets you check before you pay.
Side-by-side comparison
Prices and details change. These are what each company's own pages said on October 13, 2026. Check the linked page before you sign up.
| Ages or grades | Cost | Free option | Where it runs | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ABCmouse | Ages 2 to 8 (toddler to 2nd grade) [1] | $14.99 a month after a 30-day free trial on web sign-ups [1][2]. Annual price varies by offer, $45 to $79.99 a year [1][2][3] | Basic: up to 10 activities a day, one child profile [1] | Web and app [3] |
| Khan Academy Kids | Ages 2 to 8 [4] | Free, no ads or subscriptions [5] | The whole app is free [5] | App for phones and tablets, plus Chromebooks with the Google Play Store; no web version [4][6] |
| PBS KIDS Games | Ages 2 to 8 [7] | Free [7] | All 280+ games in the app [7] | iPhone, iPad and Android app, with more free games on pbskids.org [7] |
| Starfall | Pre-K and up (the membership page says Pre-K to 3rd grade) [8][9] | Home membership $35 a year [8] | Learn-to-read program free [9] | Computers and mobile devices [8] |
| SplashLearn | Preschool to grade 5 [10] | Monthly, annual and family annual plans; prices are shown in your account [11] | Free account with one child profile [12] | Website and app [11] |
| Bright Minds Club | Kindergarten to 2nd grade [13] | $9 a month or $79 a year after a 14-day free trial, no card needed [13] | 5 games free, no account needed [14] | Web browser on iPad, Chromebook and laptop |
What each one is good for
ABCmouse
ABCmouse is a large guided curriculum for ages 2 to 8, with more than 13,000 learning activities across reading, math, science and art [1][3]. Premium covers up to three children and is ad-free [1]. Its strength is one long path through many subjects, for a child who likes that. If cost or a narrower focus matters more to you, the options below may fit better.
Khan Academy Kids
Khan Academy Kids is free, from a nonprofit, with no ads or subscriptions [5]. It covers reading, language, math, social-emotional skills and more for ages 2 to 8 [4]. It's an app, so it needs a phone, a tablet, or a Chromebook that can install apps from Google Play. Its help center says there is no web version [4][6]. If you have a tablet and want to pay nothing, start here.
PBS KIDS Games
PBS KIDS Games is a free app for ages 2 to 8 with more than 280 games starring characters from PBS KIDS shows, and more than 50 of them play in Spanish [7]. It's a strong pick for a child who already loves Daniel Tiger or Wild Kratts. The games are short and tied to the shows rather than a set sequence.
Starfall
Starfall is known for phonics. Its learn-to-read program is free [9], and a home membership costs $35 a year for one household on computers and mobile devices [8]. It's a good fit if early reading is your main goal and you want a low yearly cost.
SplashLearn
SplashLearn covers math and English from preschool to grade 5 [10], so it can last past 2nd grade. A free account comes with one child profile, and adding more children means a paid plan. The family plan covers up to three children and is billed yearly [12]. Current prices are shown after you sign in [11].
Bright Minds Club
Bright Minds Club is our club: 109 short games for kindergarten through 2nd grade, each built around one skill [13][14]. The library leans toward math. Money and coins has 13 games, and numbers, counting and addition has 23. There are also games for telling time, shapes, phonics, grammar, science, social skills, music and art [14]. It runs in a web browser on iPad, Chromebook and laptop, so there's nothing to install. Membership includes sibling profiles, a parent dashboard, daily play time limits and no ads [13].
Where it's weaker: there are far fewer activities than ABCmouse, it stops at 2nd grade, and there are no videos or storybooks, just games.
Which one should you pick?
| If this sounds like your family... | Try |
|---|---|
| We don't want to pay anything | Khan Academy Kids or PBS KIDS Games |
| Reading is the main goal | Starfall, or Khan Academy Kids |
| My child is moving past 2nd grade soon | SplashLearn or Starfall |
| We use a laptop or school Chromebook, not a tablet | Bright Minds Club, Starfall, or the free games on pbskids.org |
| My child needs practice with one K-2 math skill, like coins or telling time | Bright Minds Club |
| My child loves ABCmouse but we want to spend less | Check ABCmouse's annual plan and its free Basic tier first |
Try the free Bright Minds Club games first
Five games are free with no account, so you can see whether the style suits your child before you start a trial:
- Piggy Bank Coin Counting (coins, K-1)
- Which Is Worth More? (comparing money, K-2)
- Shape Safari (2D shapes, kindergarten)
- Word Builder (compound words, K-1)
- Tick Tock Time (telling time, grades 1-2)
Play the 5 free games, browse all 109 games by skill and grade, or start the 14-day free trial, no card needed.
If you're working on a specific skill, our parent guides go deeper: how to teach kids to count money, how to teach telling time and is my kindergartner ready for addition?
Questions parents ask
Is there a free alternative to ABCmouse?
Yes. Khan Academy Kids is free, with no ads or subscriptions, for ages 2 to 8 [5]. PBS KIDS Games is also free, with more than 280 games [7]. ABCmouse itself has a free Basic tier with up to 10 activities a day [1].
How much does ABCmouse cost?
ABCmouse lists $14.99 a month after a 30-day free trial for web sign-ups [1][2]. The annual price varies by offer, $45 to $79.99 a year, on ABCmouse's own pages checked October 13, 2026 [1][2][3]. Check the price at checkout.
Is there an ABCmouse alternative for math?
SplashLearn covers math from preschool to grade 5 [10]. Bright Minds Club has 109 K-2 games, including 13 money games and 23 number and addition games [14].
Which ABCmouse alternatives work on a Chromebook or laptop?
Khan Academy Kids works on Chromebooks that can install apps from Google Play, but it has no web version [4][6]. Starfall runs on computers [8], PBS KIDS has free games on pbskids.org [7], and Bright Minds Club runs in the web browser on iPad, Chromebook and laptop.
What grades does Bright Minds Club cover?
Kindergarten through 2nd grade. Every game is tagged by grade on the games page.
Sources
Checked October 13, 2026.
- ABCmouse, "Early Childhood Learning Program": https://www.abcmouse.com/learn
- ABCmouse Support, "Signing Up for an ABCmouse Subscription": https://support.abcmouse.com/hc/en-us/articles/34385366687383-Signing-Up-for-an-ABCmouse-Subscription
- ABCmouse Support, "Subscription Pricing Options for ABCmouse": https://support.abcmouse.com/hc/en-us/articles/34385411866391-Subscription-Pricing-Options-for-ABCmouse ; and ABCmouse, "ABCmouse Free Access": https://www.abcmouse.com/learn/abcmouse/abcmouse-free-access/81040
- Khan Academy Kids Help Center, "Learning Topics: Using Khan Academy Kids in Educational Settings": https://khankids.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/360014856151-Learning-Topics-Using-Khan-Academy-Kids-in-Educational-Settings
- Khan Academy Kids on Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.khankids.android
- Khan Academy Kids Help Center, "Does Khan Academy Kids work with my device?": https://khankids.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/360007054791-Does-Khan-Academy-Kids-work-with-my-device
- PBS KIDS Games on Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.pbskids.gamesapp
- Starfall Education Store, "Membership": https://store.starfall.com/membership
- Starfall home page: https://www.starfall.com/h/
- SplashLearn home page: https://www.splashlearn.com/
- SplashLearn Help, "What are different plans and features available in SplashLearn?": https://support.splashlearn.com/hc/en-us/articles/12275090822418-What-are-different-plans-and-features-available-in-SplashLearn
- SplashLearn Help, "How can parents add another child profile?": https://support.splashlearn.com/hc/en-us/articles/12275178452370-How-can-parents-add-another-child-profile
- Bright Minds Club home page and pricing: https://www.brightmindsclub.org/
- Bright Minds Club games page: https://www.brightmindsclub.org/learn/