Epic! is essentially the Netflix of kids' books — a subscription service ($12.99/month or $79.99/year) with access to 40,000+ books, audiobooks, comics, and educational videos for kids 12 and under. It's been around since 2013 and has become hugely popular with elementary schools and homeschooling families.

The app works on iOS, Android, and web browsers. Kids get their own profiles (up to 4 per subscription), and the library includes everything from picture books to early chapter books to graphic novels.

Epic! hits a sweet spot that's rare in kids' apps: it's genuinely ad-free (not "ad-free except for promos for our other stuff"), has zero social features (no chat, no friend requests, no comments), and requires no additional purchases once you're subscribed.

The content library is legitimately impressive. You'll find popular series like Dog Man, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Wings of Fire, and tons of National Geographic titles. There's also a solid collection of diverse books and bilingual options.

For reluctant readers, the app's gamification can be motivating — kids earn badges for reading streaks and completing books. The "Read-To-Me" feature is clutch for emerging readers who need support.

Epic!'s parental controls are refreshingly simple because the app doesn't need to protect against most of the stuff that keeps parents up at night. No strangers can contact your kid. No one can post anything. There's no algorithm pushing questionable content.

When you create a profile for each child, you enter their age. This is critical — Epic! uses this to filter the entire library. A 6-year-old will see different content than an 11-year-old. The age-based filtering is automatic and actually works well.

You can create up to 4 kid profiles per subscription, which is perfect for families with multiple children at different reading levels.

This is where you monitor activity. The dashboard shows:

You access the dashboard through the parent section of the app or via email reports that Epic! sends weekly. The weekly email is actually useful — it's not spam, it's a genuine summary of what your kid read that week.

Beyond the automatic age-based filtering, you can:

Adjust the age range: If your 8-year-old is reading at a higher level, you can manually adjust their profile age. This opens up more advanced books. Be thoughtful here — reading level and emotional maturity aren't the same thing.

Turn off videos: This is huge. Epic! added educational videos a few years ago, and while some are great (lots of National Geographic content), it can turn reading time into video time fast. You can disable videos entirely in each kid's profile settings. Many parents do this immediately.

Collection curation: You can create custom collections of books you've pre-approved. This is especially useful for younger kids — instead of letting them browse the whole library, you can build a curated shelf of books you've vetted.

You can't block individual books without contacting customer support. There's no "never show this" button. For most families, this isn't an issue because the age filtering works well and the content is generally appropriate.

You also can't set daily time limits within the app itself. If you want to limit Epic! time, you'll need to use your device's built-in parental controls (iOS Screen Time or Android Family Link).

The addition of videos to Epic! is... controversial among parents who specifically wanted a reading app. The videos are educational — think science explainers, book trailers, how-to-draw tutorials — but they're still videos. And kids, being kids, will often default to watching videos instead of reading.

The fix: Turn off videos in each kid's profile. Seriously, if you want Epic! to be a reading app, just disable the videos. You can always turn them back on for specific educational purposes.

Ages 3-5: Epic! works great for this age with parent involvement. Use the "Read-To-Me" feature together, or let them listen to audiobooks. The picture book selection is excellent. Keep videos off — at this age, you want to build reading habits, not screen habits.

Ages 6-8: This is Epic!'s sweet spot. Early readers can use "Read-To-Me" for support, then graduate to reading independently. The badge system is genuinely motivating for this age group. Monitor what they're choosing — kids this age will often pick books that are too easy because they want to rack up badges quickly.

Ages 9-12: Older elementary kids can browse more independently, but you should still check the weekly reports. Kids this age might try to game the system (opening books without reading them to earn badges). The graphic novel section is massive and popular with this age group — Dog Man, The Bad Guys, Amulet, etc.

Epic! provides reading level recommendations, but they're not super sophisticated. The app uses a combination of Lexile levels and age ranges, but it's not as nuanced as, say, a school reading assessment. Use it as a starting point, not gospel.

While 40,000 books sounds like a lot, you'll notice that newer releases and super popular titles often aren't available. Epic! has to license content, and publishers don't always play ball. If your kid is obsessed with a specific series, check if it's actually on Epic! before subscribing.

If your kid uses Epic! at school (many schools have licenses), their home account will be separate. You can't see what they read at school, and vice versa. This is actually good for privacy, but it can be confusing for parents who expect one unified account.

Epic! doesn't make you jump through hoops to cancel. You can cancel anytime through your account settings, and you'll keep access through the end of your billing period. No customer service calls required.

If Epic! doesn't feel like the right fit, check out:

Epic! is about as safe as digital reading gets. The parental controls are straightforward, the content is curated for kids, and there are zero social features to worry about. The biggest "safety" concern is actually whether your kid is reading or just watching videos — and you can solve that by turning videos off.

For families trying to build reading habits, Epic! is a solid tool. It won't replace physical books or library trips, but it's a legitimate supplement, especially for long car rides, waiting rooms, or quiet time at home.

Set it up right: Create accurate kid profiles, turn off videos if you want reading-only time, and check the weekly reports to see what your kid is actually engaging with. That's it.

If you want to dig deeper into building healthy reading habits with screens or explore other educational apps worth the subscription, Screenwise can help you figure out what works for your family.