Ello is your child’s read-along companion who listens, teaches, and transforms them into an enthusiastic reader. For Kindergarten to 3rd Grade.
There are two currently available versions of Ello.
*promotions and coupons vary so you may see a different amount.
If you're looking to start reading today without the AI coaching experience, check out our free public library with 700+ decodable e-books!”
Ello Access is our special discount program designed to support families who are part of government programs. We believe every child deserves the opportunity to become a confident reader, and Ello Access makes our digital reading experience more affordable.
Eligible customers will receive $12 off per month on the Ello Digital subscription, reducing the monthly cost from $14.99 to just $2.99.
HOW TO APPLY:
To apply for Ello Access, please follow these steps:
You qualify if you have an EBT card, or are enrolled in programs such as Supplemental Security Income (SSI), SNAP, Medicaid, Direct Express Debit Card (DE), Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), National School Lunch Program (NSLP), Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), Women, Infants, and Children program (WIC), Tribal assistance eligibility letter (TTANF), or Puerto Rico's Nutrition Assistance Program (NAP).
Ello with E-books:
Ello with paperbacks:
You can add up to 3 reader profiles.
Right now, Ello offers books on reading levels Kindergarten to 3rd grade. We are adding more books all the time so if your child is beyond this or a pre-reader, check back for more updates! Ello is not suited for pre-readers who are not yet decoding basic words.
Generally, Ello works best for children 4–8 years of age but it depends on their reading ability. If they can read the sentence “I am a cat,” they are ready for our earliest level of books!
At the start, your child will have access to an initial digital library with at least 16 books. As they progress through each quest, they’ll unlock an additional 3 to 5 books tailored to their reading level.
Each quest is like a classroom lesson: they give clear instructions, independent reading materials, and practice activities. With each quest, your child unlocks more engaging content to support their reading journey.
Yes! Ello subscribers have the opportunity to refer new customers to the app in exchange for rewards.
Here’s how it works:
Ello helps early readers break down learning barriers by combining artificial intelligence and speech recognition technology to make Ello come to life. Ello is a revolutionary state-of-the-art interactive reading buddy who listens to your child read out loud. Ello provides support when your child needs help reading, gentle corrections when they make errors, and motivation to keep your child engaged. Appropriately leveled books will be automatically loaded into the app for you!
At the simplest level, Ello is just like a game they play on an iPad or other device. It’s designed to be easy for kids to use, and all they need to do is tap a book and start reading. When they get stuck on a word, they just tap it for help from Ello. As they complete quests, Ello will challenge them a little more each time, and they’ll unlock new, engaging content to keep them moving along their journey.
As your child reads, Ello brings the story to life, provides words of encouragement, and helps them if they get stuck so they don't get frustrated.
We use behavioral psychology and a growth mindset paradigm to keep your child encouraged, help their confidence soar, and build a love of reading.
Ello offers a reward system as well. In this system, children collect stars and badges, leading up to a completion prize that is either delivered digitally, included in the next box, or both!
Since children can get easily discouraged, Ello leans on the lenient side. We recommend sitting with your child when they read and helping with some of these corrections yourself.
Ello’s instructional method was developed by reading specialists with backgrounds in dyslexia intervention and uses direct, explicit, and sequential phonics instruction. This is exactly what research shows works for helping children with dyslexia learn how to read. Ello is not a comprehensive curriculum or intervention model for dyslexia, it’s a great supplement and we have numerous children with dyslexia using Ello with great success.
Ello uses proven, phonics-based reading strategies to help your child decode words and develop fluency.
The Ello app works on iPhones and iPads running iOS 14 and newer. For a complete list, click here. Please note that Ello does not currently work on laptops or desktop computers.
Our digital library has different types of books that are based on the Science of Reading to support your child’s literacy development.
Our physical books are mostly favorite classics. We get them from publishers and you might even already own some of them.
Our e-books in the Ello app come from a special team of authors who specialize in reading education. They are created with the science of reading in mind.
Every box of books has to meet three criteria:
We believe that fantastic books create enthusiastic readers and we work with reading specialists to source classic beloved books and new undiscovered gems. The best part is that we take the guesswork out of finding books that are "just right" for your child – ones that are not too easy and not too hard.
It’s easy! We’ll ask you a short series of questions after you sign up, and use the answers to estimate your child’s reading level. As they make their way through the program, Ello will automatically adjust to match their level.
If you ever feel the books are too easy or too hard, you can update your child's reading level here.
If a child is reading on the appropriate level, they should make 1-10 mistakes per book. Any more than this and we find they get frustrated and overwhelmed. Less mistakes and we find they get bored and aren’t engaged.
By answering a few short questions, we can help determine your child’s appropriate developmental reading level. We are also happy to set the reading level to whatever they are reading at school, as determined by their teacher.
No problem! We want each child to have the best experience possible. This means making sure they are reading at the right level for their abilities. You can change your child's reading level here. If you have any trouble, feel free to text Customer Support for assistance.
Yes! The books will stay available in the app so you can enjoy them over and over again.
If you choose to allow it, we process the audio of your child reading so that Ello can provide real-time support and motivation, and so your child can access certain features of the app, such as listening to themselves read. Separately, you can opt-in to give us access to this data so that we can improve Ello.
We also collect data of your child's progress to provide the service (for example the rewards).
Finally, we collect anonymous and aggregated usage data. See our privacy policy for full details.
It is up to you on what data we collect - it is optional. You will be asked if you would like to opt-in to data collection after downloading the app.
All data is anonymous and aggregated and used to improve the product.
No. Never.
No. Never.
It's very secure. We use industry-leading encryption and security.
In most cases, your first Ello box will ship the business day after your order or monthly renewal. Occasionally, we may have some questions about your child’s reading level or your shipping address. If that is the case, we will reach out by email. We will also send an email confirmation with a tracking link so you can watch the shipment of your box. Once sent, you should receive your box within 2-8 business days via USPS Media Mail.