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The kids' software directory

Chatbots and assistants

The general AIs a child might ask anything, with each one's age rule and controls.

  • 30 researched
  • 6 to know about
  • 159 more on G2, not yet researched

Researched by Peabody

Facts from each maker's own pages (terms, pricing, privacy), with our one-line take. A to Z; we rank nothing until we have tried it.

  • Desk researchFree, with paid extras

    ChatGPT

    OpenAI · ages 13-17 in the teen experience; adults

    Most teens will meet it anyway, so link a parent account and turn on Study Mode; families wanting a tutor that never gives answers should look at a purpose-built one.

  • Desk researchFree, with paid extrasNo ads

    Claude

    Anthropic · ages 18+ (adults)

    A tool for parents and adult students, not for children; families wanting a teen chatbot need one whose terms allow teens.

  • Desk researchPaidNo ads

    Curio plush (Grem, Grok, Gabbo)

    Curio Interactive · ages about 3-12

    One of the more careful AI plush toys on paper, but it is still an open chatbot for small children; suits parents who will read transcripts, while families who want no AI conversations should skip it.

  • Desk researchPaidNo ads

    DIY.org (ChatDino, game builder)

    DIY (AstroSafe family) · ages about 8-18 (the maker says 8 to 18)

    Suits kids 8 and up who want to make and share games with a parent watching the portal; skip if you want kids learning to code by hand.

  • Desk researchPaidNo ads

    Echo Dot Kids (with Alexa+)

    Amazon · ages 3-12

    Fine for bedtime stories and quick questions if parents check and delete recordings; skip it if a microphone in the bedroom bothers you.

  • Desk researchPaid

    Explore with Alexa

    Amazon · ages young kids with an Amazon Kids profile

    Fits families already on Echo and Prime who want voice-only curiosity chats; families wary of AI chat or always-on microphones should skip it.

  • Desk researchFree, with paid extrasNo ads

    Flint

    Flint, Inc. · ages grades 3-12 (schools usually start in grade 3)

    A reasonable choice for schools that want an AI tutor teachers can supervise closely; children under 13 can use it only through a school.

  • Desk researchFreeNo ads

    Google AI Edge Gallery

    Google · ages about 13+

    A neat demo of on-device AI for a curious teen; not a homework helper or a filtered kids' chatbot.

  • Desk researchFree, with paid extras

    Google Gemini

    Google · ages under 13 with Family Link; 13+ on own account

    Usable for supervised homework help with a parent nearby; parents of young children should leave it off in Family Link unless they sit with the child.

  • Desk researchFree

    Google Learn About

    Google · ages teens and adults (no age shown on the page)

    Interesting for curious teens and adults who want guided explanations; parents of younger kids should wait for clearer age and privacy rules.

  • Desk researchFree, with paid extrasNo ads

    Google Nest / Gemini for Home (supervised kids)

    Google · ages supervised children and teens

    Usable for families who already supervise accounts in Family Link and want to set limits; parents wary of kids chatting with AI should keep Gemini off.

  • Desk researchFreeNo ads

    Jan

    Menlo Research · ages about 16+ with a parent (no terms found)

    A tidy local AI app for a skilled older teen with a parent involved; not for younger kids.

  • Desk researchFree, with paid extrasNo ads

    LM Studio

    Element Labs, Inc. · ages about 16+ with a parent (no age in terms)

    Fine for a skilled older teen with a parent involved; keep the Bionic agent away from kids and off any shared family computer.

  • Desk researchPaidNo ads

    Loona Petbot

    KEYi Tech · ages not stated (marketed to families with kids)

    Could suit families who want a robot pet and will supervise it, but its camera, ChatGPT chat and thin privacy policy make it a poor fit for unsupervised young children.

  • Desk researchFree, with paid extras

    Memrise

    Memrise Limited · ages 13 and up

    A good fit for teens who want conversational practice in a new language; under-13s are not allowed, and families uneasy about AI training on chats should read the privacy policy first.

  • Desk researchThrough schoolsNo ads

    Merlyn Origin

    Merlyn Mind (Merlyn for Education) · ages used by teachers; students of any grade see it in class

    Of interest to schools wanting hands-free classroom tech; parents should ask how classroom audio is handled, and buyers should confirm the product's future after the reported sale.

  • Desk researchFree

    Meta AI

    Meta · ages 13+

    If your teen is on Instagram or WhatsApp they already have it, so turn on supervision and the stricter setting; it is not a study tool and younger children should not have these apps.

  • Desk researchFree, with paid extras

    Microsoft Copilot

    Microsoft · ages 13+

    A reasonable chatbot for teens on Windows or with a school account; younger children should skip it since the terms set 13 as the floor.

  • Desk researchPaidNo ads

    Miko 3

    Miko (Emotix) · ages about 5-10

    Suits families who want a full-featured talking robot for ages 5-10 and are comfortable with a camera, cloud AI and a subscription; privacy-minded families should look at screen-free, offline robots instead.

  • Desk researchPaidNo ads

    Miko Mini

    Miko (Emotix) · ages about 5-10

    Suits families who want a talking learning robot for ages 5-10 and accept a camera, cloud processing and a subscription; families wary of always-listening devices should skip it.

  • Desk researchFreeNo ads

    NovaPals by Novakid

    Novakid · ages 13+

    Worth a try for a teen who needs low-pressure English speaking practice; not for children under 13.

  • Desk researchFree, with paid extrasNo ads

    Ollama

    Ollama Inc. · ages 18+ (per terms)

    A learning tool for an older teen with a parent nearby, not a kids' chatbot; younger children should not use it.

  • Desk researchFree, with paid extras

    Perplexity

    Perplexity AI, Inc. · ages 13+

    Better for parents and adult learners than for teens on their own; if a teen uses it, check the sources together.

  • Desk researchPaidNo ads

    Pinwheel phone

    Pinwheel · ages first phone through older teens

    Good for families who want a real smartphone with tight, adjustable rules; parents who prefer no AI chat should keep PinwheelAsk off.

  • Desk researchFree, with paid extrasNo ads

    PinwheelAsk (formerly PinwheelGPT)

    Pinwheel (Firepit Inc.) · ages about 5-13 (App Store: made for ages 9-11)

    Fits parents who want a child's first chatbot with full visibility; skip if you want image answers, school-grade tutoring, or a named AI model.

  • Desk researchFree, with paid extras

    QANDA

    Mathpresso Inc. · ages about 11-18

    Can help an older student check their work and see the steps, but it is an answer engine with ads and tracking; younger kids and families wary of data collection should skip it.

  • Desk researchFree

    Rori

    Rising Academies · ages grades 3-9, plus adults relearning basics

    A promising, evidence-backed free tutor for children in its target countries; families elsewhere, or with kids under 13, should weigh the WhatsApp rule.

  • Desk researchFree

    Snapchat My AI

    Snap Inc. · ages 13+

    Not a learning tool; parents of teens on Snapchat should consider disabling it in Family Center.

  • Desk researchFree, with paid extras

    Tasty

    BuzzFeed · ages general audience; terms say 16+

    Fine for a parent and teen cooking together; younger kids should not have their own account, given the 16+ terms, ads and open community.

  • Desk researchPaidNo ads

    Vector 2.0

    Digital Dream Labs (anki.bot) · ages not stated by the maker

    Suits teens and adults who want a desk robot and will pay monthly; younger kids should skip it, since its chat features are general-purpose AI and stop without a subscription.

Know before you buy

Shut down, exposed children's data, or said unsafe things in tests.

  • WarningPaidNo ads

    Bondu

    Bondu · ages about 4-8

    A cautionary tale: the parent controls are real, but full chat histories were once open to anyone, so families should weigh that before giving a young child an AI friend that records everything.

  • WarningFree, with paid extras

    Character.AI

    Character Technologies, Inc. · ages 18+ for open chat; 13-17 limited to guided formats

    Skip it for children and teens; it is a cautionary tale about AI companions, and its future is uncertain.

  • WarningPaidNo ads

    FoloToy Kumma

    FoloToy (FoloToy Creative Pte. Ltd.) · ages not stated by the maker ("for both kids and adults")

    A cautionary tale; families should skip it for children, since its safety fixes are self-reported after independent testers found it gave dangerous and sexual answers.

  • WarningFreeNo ads

    GPT4All

    Nomic AI · ages about 16+ with a parent (no age in license)

    Treat it as a stalled project; families curious about local AI should choose a maintained tool.

  • WarningFree, with paid extras

    Grok

    SpaceXAI (formerly xAI) · ages 13+ by its terms; not recommended for under 18

    Skip for children and teens; there are safer chatbots for every task it does.

  • WarningPaidNo ads

    Moxie

    Embodied, then Moxie Robots, Inc. · ages not stated on the current site (sold as a children's robot)

    Skip it; Moxie is the clearest example of a cloud-dependent companion robot that stops working when the company does.

Also listed on G2

Products G2 files here that we have not researched yet, in G2's order. Most are built for adults or businesses. G2 categories: AI Chatbots Software, Large Language Models (LLMs) Software, Generative AI Software, AI Voice Assistants.