Is Learn to Read - Duolingo ABC safe for kids?

Name: Is Learn to Read - Duolingo ABC safe for kids?
Item: Learn to Read - Duolingo ABC
Rating: 8.6
Author: Sprout & Screen

by Duolingo · iOS + Android · 10,000,000+ installs · 25,762 ratings

8.6/ 10

Free and ad-free to use — but it shares data.

Solid overall — just check the flags below before you download.

Our focus: ages 2-5

Price

Free

Ads to kids

In-app purchases

None

Data shared

Yes

Stranger contact

Not verified

Data collected

8 types

The scorecard

Safety & privacy6shares data w/ third parties (-3); collects device/user IDs (-1)
Age-fit (2–5)10band 0-5 vs wedge 2-5
Quality8.3store-rating proxy 4.2/5
Monetization fairness10free, no ads, no IAP

What we found — safety & privacy

No ads shown to children
No in-app purchases — nothing to accidentally buy
Shares data with third parties
Collects device/user IDs
You can request that collected data be deleted
Contact with strangers / chat — not yet verified (research stage)

Data collected (Android Data Safety): Name, Email address, User IDs, App interactions, Other actions, Device or other IDs, Crash logs, Diagnostics — data is encrypted in transit; you can request that data be deleted; committed to follow the play families policy.

Is it right for a 2–5-year-old?

Store age ratings: 4+ (Apple) · Everyone (Google) — within our ages-2-5 focus.

Cost & availability

Free. No in-app purchases. No ads. Available on iOS + Android.

View on the App Store →View on Google Play →

How it makes money

It makes money through sharing data with third parties.

Set it up safe (60 seconds)

Turn on Guided Access (iOS) or Screen Pinning (Android) so a small hand can’t wander out of the app.
Set an OS-level screen-time limit — it applies no matter what the app does.

Bottom line

Duolingo's learn-to-read app is well-built and genuinely free of ads and purchases, which is rare. The asterisk is privacy: like the main Duolingo, it shares data with third parties, and that's the only reason it doesn't score higher here. Fine for families comfortable with that trade.

Parents also ask

Is Learn to Read - Duolingo ABC free?

Yes — free, with no in-app purchases.

Does Learn to Read - Duolingo ABC have ads?

No third-party ads are shown to children.

Can my child talk to strangers in it?

We haven’t found a chat or social feature, but we flag stranger-contact as “not yet verified” until a human reviewer confirms it directly.

What age is Learn to Read - Duolingo ABC best for?

We focus on ages 2-5. Store age rating: 4+.

How the shelf ranks

Every ages-2-5 app we’ve scored — same rubric, honest numbers.