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Best Reading Apps That Work Offline in 2025

Download and read anywhere—perfect for road trips, flights, and limited connectivity.

SpellingJoy TeamSpellingJoy Team
•Last Updated: January 15, 2025
Child reading on road trip

Road trip? Flight? Cabin with no WiFi? You need reading apps that work offline. The best apps let you download content in advance so kids can read anywhere, anytime—no internet required.

We've tested which reading apps offer the best offline experience, including download limits, storage requirements, and offline functionality.

✈️ Travel Tip

Download books the night before your trip while on WiFi. Most apps let you queue multiple downloads. Don't forget to download audiobooks for car rides!

Our Top Picks:

1

Epic!

Epic! provides access to a library of 40,000+ children's books, audiobooks, and educational videos. $84.99/year or $13.99/month.

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Best for - Download unlimited books for offline reading
Price - $84.99/yr
Grades - Pre-K-6 (Ages 2-12)
Platforms - iOS, Android, Web, Apple TV

Pros

  • ✓ 40,000+ books from quality publishers
  • ✓ Read-To-Me and audiobooks
  • ✓ Offline reading available

Cons

  • ✗ Free tier very limited (1 book/day)
  • ✗ Price increased recently
  • ✗ Not spelling-focused
2

Sora (OverDrive)

Sora (by OverDrive) gives students free access to eBooks and audiobooks through their school or public library. The modern library card for digital readers.

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Best for - Download free library books
Price - Free (library)
Grades - All ages
Platforms - Web, iOS, Android

Pros

  • ✓ Free through school/public library
  • ✓ Thousands of eBooks & audiobooks
  • ✓ Works with library card

Cons

  • ✗ Requires library participation
  • ✗ Popular books have wait times
  • ✗ Setup varies by school/library
3

Amazon Kids+

Amazon Kids+ bundles books, educational apps, games, and videos for kids ages 3-12. Best experienced on Amazon Fire tablets with built-in parental controls.

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Best for - Books, games & videos all downloadable
Price - $48-96/yr
Grades - Ages 3-12
Platforms - Fire tablets, iOS, Android, Kindle

Pros

  • ✓ Books, games, videos, apps combined
  • ✓ Parental controls included
  • ✓ Works best on Fire tablets

Cons

  • ✗ Not focused solely on reading
  • ✗ Best value requires Fire tablet
  • ✗ Screen time concerns
4

Reading Eggs

Reading Eggs provides a comprehensive reading program for children ages 2-13 with lessons, games, and books.

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Best for - Some lessons available offline
Price - $70-100/yr
Grades - Ages 2-13
Platforms - All platforms

Pros

  • ✓ Wide age range
  • ✓ Comprehensive program
  • ✓ Includes spelling component

Cons

  • ✗ Expensive
  • ✗ Can be overwhelming
5

Teach Your Monster to Read

Teach Your Monster to Read uses a game-based approach to teach systematic phonics. Free on web, $4.99 mobile app. Covers first 2 years of learning to read.

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Best for - Full game works offline (iOS/Android)
Price - Free (web) / $4.99 (app)
Grades - Pre-K-1 (Ages 3-6)
Platforms - Web (free), iOS ($4.99), Android ($4.99), Amazon

Pros

  • ✓ Completely free on desktop
  • ✓ BAFTA award-winning
  • ✓ Systematic synthetic phonics

Cons

  • ✗ Limited age range (3-6)
  • ✗ British accent audio
  • ✗ Mobile apps not free
6

Khan Academy Kids

Khan Academy Kids offers free, comprehensive early learning content covering reading, math, and more for children ages 2-8.

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Best for - Download lessons for offline (limited)
Price - Free
Grades - Ages 2-8
Platforms - iOS, Android, Amazon

Pros

  • ✓ Completely free
  • ✓ Comprehensive curriculum
  • ✓ No ads

Cons

  • ✗ Only goes to age 8
  • ✗ Not specialized for spelling
  • ✗ No web version

Frequently Asked Questions

Epic! and Sora let you download books for fully offline reading. Amazon Kids+ allows downloading books, videos, and games. Teach Your Monster to Read works fully offline on iOS/Android. Most apps require initial internet for setup and downloads.

Our Verdict

Best offline library: Epic! lets you download unlimited books from their 40,000+ title library.

Best free offline: Sora lets you download library books for free—just need a library card.

Best for variety: Amazon Kids+ offers books, games, AND videos all downloadable for offline use.

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About the Author

SpellingJoy Team

The SpellingJoy team is dedicated to creating free, high-quality spelling resources for K-6 students and their families. We test every app we review and provide honest assessments to help parents make informed decisions.

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