Is Elmo Loves ABCs free?

On iPhone and iPad it costs $4.99. On Android and Kindle it is free to download with letters A, B and C, and an in-app upgrade unlocks D through Z.

Upper- and lowercase letter recognition, letter sounds and letter tracing, with songs, coloring and Sesame Street clips for each letter.

Can my child buy things in it?

Extra letter content and holiday surprises are sold in the app. A store lock is on by default, so a parent has to turn it off before anything can be bought.

Is there a numbers version?

Yes. Elmo Loves 123s works the same way for counting and numbers.

Elmo Loves ABCs – WISE Score & Parent Review | Screenwise

Elmo Loves ABCs

Name: Screenwise
Author: Screenwise

game2011Educational, Kids

82%

WISE Score

Elmo walks toddlers through the alphabet with tracing, Sesame Street clips, coloring pages and hide-and-seek, one letter at a time.

Elmo Loves ABCs

game

2011, Educational, Kids

82%

WISE Score

Elmo walks toddlers through the alphabet with tracing, Sesame Street clips, coloring pages and hide-and-seek, one letter at a time.

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Where to Play

App Store

Google Play

Screenwise Verdict

Elmo Loves ABCs has been Sesame Workshop's alphabet app since 2011, and it still does the job well for 2- to 5-year-olds. A child taps a letter, traces it with a finger to unlock it, then finds clips from the show, coloring pages, songs and hide-and-seek games built around that letter.

It teaches letter shapes and letter sounds in both upper- and lowercase, Elmo's voice tells kids what to do so no reading is needed, and parents can record their own photos and videos into it. It won the 2012 Parents' Choice Silver Award.

The catches: it does not get harder as your child learns, so it is outgrown once the alphabet clicks, and the price works differently by device. It is $4.99 on iPhone and iPad; on Android and Kindle the app is free with A, B and C, and the rest of the letters are an upgrade.

Age Fit

Best for 2 to 5. Apple lists it as made for ages 0 to 5 and Common Sense Media says 3+. Two-year-olds will enjoy the clips and coloring with a grown-up nearby; by 5 most kids who know their letters are ready for something like Endless Alphabet that moves on to words.

WISE Breakdown

Wholesome

Elmo, songs and classic Sesame Street clips, all warm and encouraging. Nothing in it is scary or mean.

Imaginative

Coloring pages and adding family photos give kids a little room to play their own way, but most activities follow a set path.

Safe

Made for ages 0 to 5 by Sesame Workshop. The in-app store sits behind a store lock that is on by default, and Apple's privacy label lists only usage data not linked to the child.

Enriching

Solid letter recognition, letter sounds and tracing. It does not get harder as a child improves, so it fits the start of the alphabet more than the end.

Parent Info

✓

Why It Might Be Great

Tracing each letter with a finger ties the shape to the sound before the fun part unlocks.
More than 80 classic Sesame Street clips and 75 coloring pages, all tied to letters.
Elmo gives spoken instructions, so a child who cannot read can play alone.
Parents can add their own photos and videos, which toddlers love to find.
An ABC tracker shows grown-ups which letters a child has explored.

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What to Watch For

On Android and Kindle only A, B and C are free; expect a request for the upgrade once your child finds the locked letters. Leave the store lock on so nothing gets bought by accident.
It does not scale up in difficulty, so a child who knows their letters will tire of it.
Common Sense Media notes that progress is not saved when you exit, and that Elmo's narration can get repetitive for grown-ups.
It is a big download, close to 600 MB on iPad.

Conversation Starters

"Which letter did you trace? What sound does it make?"
"Can you find something in this room that starts with that letter?"
"What was Elmo doing in the video?"

Deep Dive

Trace a letter, unlock a surprise

The app opens on the alphabet. A child taps a letter and traces it with a finger, and when the shape is done, the letter opens up: Sesame Street clips about it, coloring pages, songs and hide-and-seek games where kids slide, swipe and dig to find hidden things. A star button leads to more letter activities. Elmo narrates everything, so a 3-year-old who cannot read can find their way around without help.

A classic, and it shows its age

Sesame Workshop released it in April 2011, and it won a 2012 Parents' Choice Silver Award and a 2012 Webby honor. It is still updated, most recently in 2025 on iOS. What has not changed is the design: it covers letter shapes and sounds well but does not adapt to a child's level, so it is a first-alphabet app rather than an early-reading app. Common Sense Media also notes that it does not save progress when a child exits.

Two prices depending on your device

On iPhone and iPad it is $4.99 with all 26 letters included. On Android and Kindle it is free with A, B and C, and the remaining letters are an upgrade, so a child will run into locked letters quickly. The in-app store sits behind a store lock that is on by default, and Apple's privacy label lists only usage data that is not linked to the child.

The same team made Elmo Loves 123s for numbers. For a child who knows their letters and is starting on words, Endless Alphabet is the natural next step.

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