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COMPARE · STORY WRITING APPS · UK

Story writing apps for kids: an honest UK list

The best story writing app comes down to what your child will actually do in it. To write and be read, Night Zookeeper (ages 6 to 12) has a tutor comment on every piece, and Storybird has children write around professional illustrations, with a free Basic plan. To make a book from photos, drawings and their own recorded voice, try Book Creator (£3.99 on iPad) or the free Story Creator app. In Litsee (ages 5 to 11), your child decides the next twist and adds ideas of their own to an illustrated story.

What we see in Litsee: when a child types their own idea at the end of a chapter, the next chapter is built on it.

Last checked: Published · Updated We make Litsee, so we are not neutral. How we checked

The apps, by what your child does

Story writing apps ask very different things of a child. Some want every word typed; some are happy with a drawing and a recorded sentence; one lets your child steer while the app writes. Each entry says what your child actually does, the ages the app gives, the price, and what its own pages say about sharing, chat, adverts and data.

Your child writes the story

These two are for children who want to put the words down themselves. The difference is who reads them: a tutor in Night Zookeeper, a community of young writers in Storybird.

Night Zookeeper

What your child does: Draws a character of their own, plays word and grammar games, then writes stories, reports and poems that a tutor reads and comments on.

Ages (as the app states them):
6–12 (its website and app subtitle)
UK price:
£11.99 a month, £27.99 a quarter or £99.99 a year for one child; more for each extra child (UK App Store)
Free option:
No free plan; a 7-day free trial
Devices:
Browser on tablets, PCs and laptops; iOS app for iPad and iPhone
Who sets it up:
A parent, at checkout; each child then has a login
Child safety, as its own pages put it
  • Sharing and publishing: A qualified tutor reads every piece of writing before it is published. Work goes in a portfolio that can be shared with family, friends and a global audience.
  • Chat: No open chat, says its parents' page.
  • Adverts: Ad-free, says its parents' page.
  • Data: Its App Store privacy details list a name, email address and how the app is used as data linked to the account, used for purposes that include the developer's own advertising or marketing.
Who it suits

A child aged 6 to 12 who will write more if a real person reads it, and a parent who wants writing practice with grammar and spelling built in.

Worth knowing
  • The dearest of the five: one child is £11.99 monthly on the UK App Store, with discounts for a second or third child.
  • Its website showed prices in US dollars when we opened it outside the UK; the pound prices are from the UK App Store.

Visit Night Zookeeper

Storybird

What your child does: Picks an illustration from a gallery of artists' work, then writes a picture book, comic, poem, flash fiction or a longer story around it, and can publish it.

Ages (as the app states them):
No age range given; under-13s need a parent's consent by email
UK price:
Individual plan US$4.99 a month or US$29.99 a year; no price in pounds shown
Free option:
Free Basic plan: read the library, use the how-to guides, edit your own books
Devices:
Website, in a browser
Who sets it up:
A parent consents for an under-13; teachers can run a class
Child safety, as its own pages put it
  • Sharing and publishing: Work can be published privately to a teacher or publicly. Public stories and comments are reviewed by its moderation team before anyone else can see them.
  • Chat: Not stated. Readers can comment on published stories; filters aim to block personal information.
  • Adverts: Not stated on the pages we read. Its privacy policy says it never uses or discloses what it collects for third-party advertising.
  • Data: For an under-13 it asks for a nickname, password and a parent's email address, and deletes them if the parent does not consent. A parent can see their child's work and the comments on it.
Who it suits

An older child who likes pictures as a starting point and wants readers, including children who already write a lot and want courses and challenges to push them.

Worth knowing
  • It is still running: the site was live on the day we checked, featuring young writers' books, with more than 700 guides, lessons and challenges.
  • On the free plan, publishing a book publicly needs a moderation ticket, which is paid for; the Individual plan includes it.

Visit Storybird

Your child makes a book

Here the words are only part of it. Children build pages from pictures, drawings and their own recorded voice, which helps a child who isn't yet writing much on their own.

Book Creator

What your child does: Makes a book page by page: types text, adds photos, draws with a pen tool, and records their voice, music or video straight onto the page. Comics too.

Ages (as the app states them):
No age range given; "every age group" (App Store, rated 4+)
UK price:
iPad app £3.99 one-off (UK App Store). Online Premium: no price shown
Free option:
Online Starter plan, free for individual teachers: 1 library, up to 40 books
Devices:
iPad app, offline; Book Creator online in a browser
Who sets it up:
Online: a teacher sets up a library and pupils join it. iPad app: no account
Child safety, as its own pages put it
  • Sharing and publishing: Online, a teacher can see everything a pupil makes, and publishes books or lets pupils publish; shared books open by a private link unless made public. The iPad app keeps books on the device.
  • Chat: Not stated. Teachers and pupils can leave comments on books online.
  • Adverts: Its children's privacy notice says it does not use or share your information for any type of advertising.
  • Data: It does not sell or rent your information, says the same notice.
Who it suits

A school class making books together, or a child at home with an iPad who would rather mix drawing, photos and their own voice than type a lot.

Worth knowing
  • Book Creator online is set up for teachers: its pricing page describes plans for teachers and schools, not families.
  • The iPad app works fully offline with no account, which suits a family iPad, but it is iPad only.

Visit Book Creator

The Story Creator

What your child does: Builds a picture book from photos and videos, adds text and a recorded voice to each page, and draws on the pages.

Ages (as the app states them):
Made for ages 6 to 8 (App Store, rated 4+)
UK price:
Free
Free option:
Yes: "100% free", with no in-app purchases listed
Devices:
iPad and iPhone
Who sets it up:
Not stated
Child safety, as its own pages put it
  • Sharing and publishing: Stories are shared by email, and friends can leave comments on stories shared with them. Stories can be backed up online.
  • Chat: Not stated.
  • Adverts: Not stated.
  • Data: Its App Store listing says "No Details Provided": the developer has not given Apple details of how it handles data.
Who it suits

A 6 to 8-year-old making a book about a day out or a family story with a grown-up, using photos and their own voice.

Worth knowing
  • It has not been updated since 2 May 2017 (version 5.0), so check that it runs on your device before relying on it.
  • There is no privacy detail on its App Store listing, so set it up together and decide who stories are emailed to.

Visit Story Creator

Your child chooses and co-writes

Your child is the author of the ideas, and the app writes the chapters around them. This is the one we make.

LitseeOurs

What your child does: Creates the hero, picks the world and the plot twists, then at the end of every chapter picks from three directions or types a twist of their own. The next chapter is written from it, with pictures, and read to them.

Ages (as the app states them):
5–11 (stories written for reading ages 5–9)
UK price:
Standard £4.99 a month (15 stories), Premium £6.99 (unlimited), Book Club £24.99 (plus a printed book monthly)
Free option:
A 7-day free trial; a card is needed to start it
Devices:
In a web browser on phones, tablets and computers
Who sets it up:
A grown-up; each child has their own profile
Child safety, as its own pages put it
  • Sharing and publishing: Book Club posts a printed copy of your child's favourite story home each month.
  • Chat: No open chat.
  • Adverts: No advertising.
  • Data: Litsee keeps only a child's first name and age, and nothing is stored to train AI. No voice recordings are kept. Purchases need the parent PIN.
Who it suits

A child aged 5 to 11 who has big ideas but stalls at a blank page, and likes deciding where a story goes more than writing every sentence.

Worth knowing
  • AI writes and illustrates each chapter from your child's choices and ideas, so your child steers the story rather than writing every word. For writing every sentence themselves, Night Zookeeper or Storybird suits better.
  • It runs in a web browser; for making a book offline on an iPad, Book Creator suits better.

Litsee plans and prices

At a glance

Five story writing apps for children: what the child does, the ages each app gives, UK price, free option, devices and who sets it up. Checked on 6 November 2026; sources are listed below.
AppWhat your child doesAges (as the app states them)UK priceFree optionDevicesWho sets it up
Night ZookeeperWrites stories, reports and poems; tutors give written feedback6–12 (its website and app subtitle)£11.99 a month, £27.99 a quarter or £99.99 a year for one child; more for each extra child (UK App Store)No free plan; a 7-day free trialBrowser on tablets, PCs and laptops; iOS app for iPad and iPhoneA parent, at checkout; each child then has a login
StorybirdWrites around professional artwork, then publishesNo age range given; under-13s need a parent's consent by emailIndividual plan US$4.99 a month or US$29.99 a year; no price in pounds shownFree Basic plan: read the library, use the how-to guides, edit your own booksWebsite, in a browserA parent consents for an under-13; teachers can run a class
Book CreatorMakes a book with text, drawings, photos and recorded voiceNo age range given; "every age group" (App Store, rated 4+)iPad app £3.99 one-off (UK App Store). Online Premium: no price shownOnline Starter plan, free for individual teachers: 1 library, up to 40 booksiPad app, offline; Book Creator online in a browserOnline: a teacher sets up a library and pupils join it. iPad app: no account
Story CreatorMakes a photo book with text, recorded voice and drawingMade for ages 6 to 8 (App Store, rated 4+)FreeYes: "100% free", with no in-app purchases listediPad and iPhoneNot stated
LitseeChooses what happens and adds their own ideas; the story is written and illustrated around them5–11 (stories written for reading ages 5–9)Standard £4.99 a month (15 stories), Premium £6.99 (unlimited), Book Club £24.99 (plus a printed book monthly)A 7-day free trial; a card is needed to start itIn a web browser on phones, tablets and computersA grown-up; each child has their own profile

How to choose by age

These are our suggestions, built from the ages each app gives. Your child's own writing, not their birthday, is the better guide: try the free options first and watch which one they come back to.

Ages 5 to 7

When a child is not yet writing much on their own, start with apps where they can talk and draw. The Story Creator is made for ages 6 to 8, and Book Creator lets a child record their voice instead of writing. Litsee starts at 5: your child makes the choices and the story is read aloud, with each word highlighted. Sit with them for the first few goes.

Ages 7 to 9

Some children this age want to write more but tire of a blank page. Night Zookeeper (from 6) mixes short games with longer pieces a tutor reads. Litsee suits a child who loves making things up out loud: they type their own twist and see it in the next chapter. Book Creator still suits mixed-media projects.

Ages 9 to 12

Older writers often want readers and a challenge. Night Zookeeper runs to 12, and Storybird has longer forms, courses and a moderated public library; children under 13 need a parent's consent to join it. Book Creator's comics suit children who think in pictures.

Stuck for a first line? Our free story starters by year group and story mountain template work alongside any of these apps.

Who each one suits

Start from your child. Litsee is the answer to only one of these.

  • Writing every word themselves, with feedback

    Night Zookeeper

    A qualified tutor reads each piece and writes back.

  • Writing for readers, from a picture

    Storybird

    Pick an artist's illustration and write the story it suggests.

  • A class book, or one made on an iPad offline

    Book Creator

    Free for teachers online; £3.99 for the iPad app, which needs no account.

  • A free first book with photos and their voice

    The Story Creator

    Free on iPad and iPhone, made for ages 6 to 8.

  • Lots of ideas, but the blank page puts them off

    Litsee

    They pick the twists or type their own, and see them come true in the next illustrated chapter.

Litsee's decision screen: a girl runs through a glowing forest, with three story choices and a box to type her own idea.
A real Litsee screen: three ways the story could go, and a box for your child's own idea.

Questions parents ask

What is the best story writing app for kids in the UK?

That comes down to what your child will do in it. For a child who wants to write and get feedback, Night Zookeeper (ages 6 to 12) has a tutor read each piece. For writing to an audience, Storybird. For making a book from drawings, photos and their own voice, Book Creator or The Story Creator. For a child who prefers choosing what happens and adding their own twists, Litsee.

Is there a free story writing app for kids?

Yes. The Story Creator is free on iPad and iPhone, though it has not been updated since 2017. Storybird's Basic plan is free for reading, how-to guides and editing your own books, and Book Creator online is free for individual teachers (one library of up to 40 books). On litsee.com, Make your own story is a free choose-your-path story for ages 5 to 8, with no account.

Is Storybird still going?

Yes. When we checked on 6 November 2026, Storybird's site was live, with a free Basic plan and an Individual plan at US$4.99 a month or US$29.99 a year. Its pricing page shows no price in pounds.

Are story writing apps safe for children?

Check four things: who can see what your child writes, whether there is chat or comments, whether there are adverts, and what data is kept. Night Zookeeper says it has no open chat and a tutor reads writing before it is published; Storybird's moderators review public stories and comments; Book Creator's children's notice rules out advertising; Litsee has no open chat and no advertising. The Story Creator gives no privacy details on its App Store listing.

Does my child need to type to use these?

Not always. Book Creator and The Story Creator let a child record their voice on each page and draw. In Litsee your child can pick one of three choices instead of typing, and every story is read aloud. Night Zookeeper and Storybird are built around writing.

How we checked

We make Litsee, so we are not neutral. We have tried to be fair: we say where another app suits a child better, and every fact links to the company's own website, privacy notice or UK App Store listing. If something here is wrong or out of date, email info@litsee.com and we will fix it.

On we opened each app's own website, privacy notice or UK App Store listing and wrote down what the child does, the ages it gives, its price and free option, its devices, who sets it up, and what it says about sharing, chat, adverts and data. Where a page did not say something, we write "Not stated" rather than guess. Prices are in pounds where the app showed them; Storybird showed only US dollars, and Night Zookeeper's website showed US dollars outside the UK, so its pound prices are from the UK App Store. Prices and features change, so check before you subscribe.

Let your child write the next twist

In Litsee, your child creates the hero and the world, then chooses what happens after each chapter or types their own idea. Every family starts with a 7-day free trial; a card is needed to start it, and nothing is charged if you cancel before it ends.

Start your free trial