Readigo vs Read with Ello: the paper-book question
Ello ships five paper books a month and listens while your child reads them, for ages 4-9 at $14.99/mo. Readigo is $9.99/mo, all digital, ages 6-12, in five languages. Honest comparison.
Quick answer: Ello mails your child five real books a month and its elephant listens while they read them aloud, for ages 4 to 9 at $14.99 a month. Readigo is $9.99 a month, entirely on the iPad or iPhone, aimed at 6 to 12, and available in five languages. The honest split: Ello if your child is young and you want paper in their hands, Readigo if they are older, or you do not want a monthly box, or they do not read in English.
Ello is one of the few apps that genuinely competes with Readigo, because it does the same hard thing: it listens to a child read out loud and helps when they get stuck. Time named it one of the best inventions of 2024, it holds about 4.8 stars from roughly 2,900 App Store ratings, and it deserves the attention.
But the two products are shaped differently, and the difference is physical. Ello is a book subscription with a listening app attached. Five printed books arrive each month; you return them free or keep each for $5. Readigo has no shipping, no returns and no box - the stories live in the app.
At a glance
Readigo
- Pricing
- $9.99 per month or $59.99 per year. No free trial, no shipping, no box. iOS only.
- Age range
- 6 to 12, with the core of the library aimed at 7 to 10.
- Best for
- Children who are past the first decodable readers and need to get faster and smoother, families who do not want another subscription box, and anyone reading in Spanish, French, Polish or Ukrainian.
Read with Ello
Reading coach for ages 4-9 that mails five decodable paper books a month and listens while the child reads them aloud.
- Pricing
- $14.99 per month, or roughly $99-139 a year. Physical books are included; keep one for $5 or return the box free. A discounted plan exists for families on SNAP/EBT. iOS only.
- Age range
- 4 to 9, which is Pre-K through about 3rd grade.
- Best for
- Early readers, and families who want their child holding a real book rather than a screen. The library is large and properly decodable - 700+ titles built on reading science. The elephant waits until the child finishes a page before reviewing the words they missed, which is closer to what reading research recommends than apps that cut in mid-sentence. Points convert into real prizes that arrive in the post, and younger children take that seriously.
- Where it falls short
- The age ceiling is the main one: by 9 or 10 most children have outgrown it. Reviews report glitches and book tracking that misses titles, thin parental controls, and children logging themselves out of an account the parent then cannot get back into. The bigger warning is commercial rather than educational: Ello sits around 4.8 stars on the App Store but roughly 2.8 on Trustpilot, where the complaints are about cancellation flows, unanswered support tickets and unexpected charges. Five books also tend to run out well before the next box arrives.
Side-by-side comparison
| Feature | Readigo | Read with Ello |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | $9.99/mo or $59.99/yr | $14.99/mo, about $99-139/yr |
| Physical books | None - stories are in the app | Five paper books a month, keep for $5 or return free |
| Age range | 6-12 | 4-9 (Pre-K to 3rd grade) |
| Listens to child read aloud | Yes | Yes |
| When it corrects | Scores the passage, no mid-sentence interruption | Reviews missed words after the page |
| What it scores | Accuracy, fluency, pace, clarity | Words the child found tricky, reading level |
| Library | Leveled stories in five languages, plus manga mode | 700+ decodable titles, English only |
| Story languages | English, Spanish, French, Polish, Ukrainian | English only |
| Rewards | Sparks, dragon eggs, unlockable worlds, streaks, badges | Points and badges that convert to physical prizes |
| Parent reports | Weekly email plus in-app dashboard | Progress report with tricky words |
| Cancelling | In the App Store, Apple handles it | Through Ello - a recurring complaint in reviews |
When to choose each
Choose Readigo if
Your child is 8 or older, or already past the first decodable readers and needs speed and smoothness rather than help sounding words out. You do not want a monthly box to manage, return or pay $5 a title to keep. You want to cancel in two taps in the App Store rather than negotiate with support. Or your child reads in a language other than English.
Choose Ello if
Your child is 4 to 8 and still learning to decode, and you would rather they held a paper book than a screen for reading practice. The decodable library is genuinely good and properly sequenced, and for a young child the physical prizes are a stronger motivator than anything on a screen. Just set a calendar reminder before the renewal date.
Using both, if your children are different ages
This is the one case where two subscriptions make sense: Ello for the five-year-old who is still sounding words out, Readigo for the nine-year-old who reads fine but flatly. They are aimed at different stages rather than competing for the same child.
What you actually get each week
The weekly recap and the parent view - what shows up after an ordinary week of five-minute sessions.
Little Reader's Report
Last 30 days
Progress Summary
SUNDAY RECAP
Sofia, age 7
Apr 15–21
This week
+12% ↗What she read
Charlie the Chef
Tue · 5 min
Boots and the Puddle
Wed · 6 min
The Time-Traveling Library
Fri · 8 min
Words that were tricky
All three landed on retry.
Frequently asked
Is Ello or Readigo better for my child?
Age decides it more than anything else. Ello is built for 4 to 9 and its strength is helping a child who is still decoding, with paper books and physical rewards. Readigo is built for 6 to 12 and its strength is making a child who can already decode read faster, smoother and more clearly. A 5-year-old is an Ello child; a 10-year-old is a Readigo child.
Does Ello really send physical books?
Yes. Five printed books arrive each month as part of the subscription. You can return them free or keep any of them for $5. The app listens while your child reads those paper books aloud. Readigo has no physical component at all, which is cheaper and means nothing to post back, but also means no paper in your child's hands.
Which is cheaper?
Readigo, at $9.99 a month or $59.99 a year against Ello's $14.99 a month and roughly $99-139 a year - and Ello's price rises if you keep books at $5 each. Ello does run a discounted plan for families on SNAP or EBT, which is worth knowing about if you qualify.
Why do Ello's App Store and Trustpilot ratings differ so much?
Because they measure different things. The App Store rating, around 4.8, reflects what children and parents think of using the app, and it is a good product. The Trustpilot score, around 2.8, is mostly parents writing about billing: difficulty cancelling, support tickets going unanswered and charges they did not expect. Worth reading both before subscribing, and worth setting a reminder ahead of your renewal date.
Does either app interrupt while the child is reading?
Neither cuts in mid-sentence, and that matters more than it sounds. Ello's elephant waits until the page is finished and then reviews the words the child missed. Readigo scores the passage rather than interrupting it. This is the design choice reading research supports: give a child about three seconds to work a word out before stepping in, because most of them get there on their own.
$9.99/mo or $59.99/yr. Cancel anytime.
Last updated 2026-09-11.