The best reading and story apps for kids with dyslexia (2026)
Full disclosure: we make one of these apps, and it isn't a dyslexia program. It's a story app with a few things that make reading easier. Here's what we'd actually use for a child with dyslexia, starting with the ones that aren't ours.
| App | Best for | Price | What it does for a dyslexic reader |
|---|---|---|---|
| Learning Ally | enjoying grade-level books by ear, with the words highlighted | $135/year for a family; free through many schools; fee waivers available | 80,000+ audiobooks read by people, with each word highlighted as it's read |
| Nessy Reading & Spelling | structured-literacy practice at home, ages 6 to 11 | $15.50/month or $126/year per child; free trial | Lessons built for dyslexic learners, from phonics to spelling |
| Branchlings (ours) | reading for fun, with support when a word gets in the way | From $9.99/month; sample stories free to read, no free trial | A dyslexia-friendly font, words highlighted as the storyteller voice reads, tap any word to hear it |
| Epic | a big library with professionally narrated books | $13.99/month or $84.99/year; 7-day free trial | Read-to-Me books with words highlighted, and some dyslexia-friendly titles |
Apps help, but they aren't the treatment
Groups like the International Dyslexia Association recommend structured literacy: explicit, step-by-step teaching of sounds, letters and words, usually from a trained teacher or specialist. An app can support that. It can't replace it.
If you think your child might have dyslexia, ask their school for an evaluation. In the US, you can ask your child's public school to evaluate them, and the evaluation is free.
Three jobs an app can do
- Teach: structured literacy practice, in order, at your child's pace.
- Open up books: audiobooks with the words highlighted, so your child can enjoy books at the level they think at, not just the level they decode at.
- Make reading feel good: a story they want to finish, with support when a word gets in the way.
1. Learning Ally
- Best for
- enjoying grade-level books by ear, with the words highlighted
- Price
- $135/year for a family; free through many schools; fee waivers available
- What it does for a dyslexic reader
- 80,000+ audiobooks read by people, with each word highlighted as it's read
A nonprofit audiobook library built for people who struggle with print: more than 80,000 books, including grade-level and textbook titles, read by people, with the text on screen and each word highlighted. You can change text size and colors, and listen offline. Learning Ally points to a randomized trial at MIT's McGovern Institute that found vocabulary gains.
It's $135 a year for the whole family, many schools provide it free, and fee waivers are available. A qualified teacher or evaluator has to confirm your child's reading difficulty, but no IEP or 504 plan is needed.
The catch: until that's confirmed, new members can borrow just three books, and reviewers report a buggy app (playback skipping, frequent sign-ins).
2. Nessy Reading & Spelling
- Best for
- structured-literacy practice at home, ages 6 to 11
- Price
- $15.50/month or $126/year per child; free trial
- What it does for a dyslexic reader
- Lessons built for dyslexic learners, from phonics to spelling
Developed at the Bristol Dyslexia Centre, Nessy Reading & Spelling starts with an assessment, then builds an individual plan through 100 lessons, from beginning phonics to advanced vocabulary, with videos, games and printable worksheets, and reports for parents. There's a free trial with no card needed.
The catch: it's $15.50 a month or $126 a year per child, it runs in a web browser and needs the internet, and there's little independent research on it yet.
3. Branchlings ours
- Best for
- reading for fun, with support when a word gets in the way
- Price
- From $9.99/month; sample stories free to read, no free trial
- What it does for a dyslexic reader
- A dyslexia-friendly font, words highlighted as the storyteller voice reads, tap any word to hear it
This is ours. Branchlings stories star your child, and they decide what happens at every fork, which gives a reluctant reader a reason to keep going. There's a dyslexia-friendly font (Lexend), the words light up as the storyteller voice reads the story, and tapping any word reads it. Text follows your phone's text size.
Some children find a font like Lexend more comfortable, but it isn't a treatment, and Branchlings doesn't teach reading or use decodable text. Use it for the fun part, alongside real instruction. It's from $9.99 a month, with no free trial.
4. Epic
- Best for
- a big library with professionally narrated books
- Price
- $13.99/month or $84.99/year; 7-day free trial
- What it does for a dyslexic reader
- Read-to-Me books with words highlighted, and some dyslexia-friendly titles
Epic's Read-to-Me books are narrated by professionals with each word highlighted, and it has a collection of titles with fonts and layouts chosen to help dyslexic readers, plus audiobooks.
The catch: the dyslexia-friendly fonts are on particular books, not a setting for the whole library; text size is pinch-to-zoom; and it's $13.99 a month or $84.99 a year.
Our pick
Start with school: an evaluation, and structured literacy teaching. At home, Nessy for practice, and Learning Ally so your child can enjoy books at the level they think at.
For a story they want to read just because, try Branchlings with the dyslexia-friendly font and read-aloud turned on. It won't teach them to read. It might remind them why they'd want to.
What we'd do today
- If you haven't yet, email your child's teacher and ask about a reading evaluation.
- Ask the school whether it offers Learning Ally free.
- In Branchlings, turn on Settings → Look and sound → Dyslexia-friendly font, and read a sample story together.
- Count listening as reading. It is.
Questions
- Is Branchlings made for children with dyslexia?
- Not specifically. It has a dyslexia-friendly font, read-aloud with words highlighted, and tap-to- hear for any word, which many children find helpful. It doesn't teach reading. For that, look for structured literacy, at school or with a program like Nessy.
- What font is best for dyslexia?
- There's no single best one. The British Dyslexia Association's style guide recommends plain, sans-serif fonts, a comfortable size and generous spacing. Some children like fonts made for easier reading, such as Lexend, which Branchlings offers. Try a couple and let your child pick.
- Do I need an IEP to use Learning Ally?
- No. A qualified educator or evaluator has to confirm a reading difficulty, but Learning Ally says no IEP or 504 plan is needed.
- Is Branchlings free?
- Branchlings is free to download, with in-app purchases. You can read the sample stories before you choose a plan. Painting your character and new stories come with a plan, from $9.99 a month. See pricing.
Try Branchlings
Your child dreams up the story and picks what happens at every fork, and Branchlings writes and paints it. Free to download, with in-app purchases. You can read the sample stories before you choose a plan. Painting your character and new stories come with a plan. Plans start at $9.99 a month, and there's no free trial. For iPhone and iPad in the US.
We checked prices and features for every app here in October 2026. Apps change fast, so double-check on each app's own site before you buy. Names of other apps are trademarks of their owners and are used here only to identify them; we're not connected with any of them.