All history apps compared
Short answer
Side by side, Aurelius, our app, comes out on top with 9.2/10: 127 lessons across 13 eras in chronological order, a quiz after every lesson, credited images, on iPhone, iPad and Android, $9.99 a month after a 3-day free trial. Next by score are Historo (6.4), Histopia (6.3), Learn History: Timeline Quiz (6.0). The best completely free option is Histopia.
One table, 12 apps, facts only, read on October 20, 2026 from the US App Store and Google Play. Prices change by country and over time, so the payment sheet on your phone is the final word.
| App | Score | Best for | App Store rating | Google Play rating | Price (US) | Platforms |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aurelius Our app | 9.2/10 | Learning world history in order, as connected stories, in 5 minutes a day | No ratings yet | No rating shown yet | 3-day free trial, then $9.99/month or $79.99/year | iPhone/iPad, Android |
| Historo | 6.4/10 | AI-generated lessons on any history topic you ask for | 4.5 from 4 ratings | 4.1 from 171 reviews | Historo+: $8.99 to $9.99/month; $34.99 to $59.99/year | iPhone/iPad, Android |
| Histopia | 6.3/10 | Free lessons with history minigames and collectible cards | 5.0 from 2 ratings | 4.2 from 11 reviews | Lessons free; optional Premium $9.99/month or $79.99/year | iPhone/iPad, Android |
| Learn History: Timeline Quiz | 6.0/10 | Free timelines and quizzes on 27 topics, no subscription | 4.5 from 31 ratings | No rating shown yet | 27 of 49 topics free; Plus is a one-time $6.99 | iPhone/iPad, Android |
| Khan Academy | 5.6/10 | School-style world and US history courses, completely free | 4.6 from 112,470 ratings | 4.1 from 173,663 reviews | Free | iPhone/iPad, Android, web |
| Paladin | 4.6/10 | Animated 5-minute stories about famous people | 4.6 from 23,623 ratings | 4.6 from 19,124 reviews | Pro: $12.99/month, $24.99 for 3 months; six yearly prices listed, $29.99 to $99.99 | iPhone/iPad, Android |
| HistoryDays | 4.6/10 | A daily "on this day" history habit | 4.4 from 122 ratings | Not on Google Play | Pro: $4.99/week; monthly $4.99 to $14.99; yearly $14.99 to $69.99; lifetime $49.99 | iPhone/iPad |
| Clio | 4.5/10 | Finding historic sites and museums near you in the US | 4.9 from 101 ratings | 4.3 from 114 reviews | Free (donations) | iPhone/iPad, Android, web |
| World History Encyclopedia | 4.5/10 | Reading reliable history articles, reviewed by historians | 4.8 from 32 ratings | 4.7 from 119 reviews | Free (no in-app purchases listed); optional membership on the website | iPhone/iPad, Android, web |
| Histia | 4.3/10 | Daily world history stories and facts on iPhone | No ratings yet | Not on Google Play | Premium: $3.99/week, $7.99/month, $69.99 lifetime | iPhone/iPad |
| Nibble | 4.1/10 | General knowledge in 10-minute lessons, with history as one topic | 4.3 from 46,870 ratings | 4.3 from 133,722 reviews | Subscription: $19.99/month; annual plans listed from $12.99 to $89.99 | iPhone/iPad, Android |
| History Master | 4.1/10 | Revising for history tests with timelines, mind maps and flashcards | 4.4 from 57 ratings | 3.9 from 1,025 reviews | Premium: $3.99 to $5.99/month; $8.99 to $24.99/year; $29.99 lifetime | iPhone/iPad, Android |
Points per criterion
The 0–10 points each app gets on every criterion, and the rules behind them, are on how we rate history apps.
What each listing says
Every point above comes from one of these lines. If an app does something its listing does not mention, it gets no point for it: tell us and we will re-read the listing.
| App | What the listing says |
|---|---|
| Aurelius | path: "Lessons follow each other in chronological order" span: 13 eras, Ancient Egypt to the Cold War linked: "link to what came before and what came next, so you understand why things happened" credits: "credited on every image" (artist, date and licence on Google Play) review: "Every lesson is fact-checked" corrections: "we correct errors when readers report them" quiz: "A quiz after every lesson" habit: XP, levels, daily streaks, 76 Honors compete: "Trivia battles against the computer and challenges with friends" count: 127 lessons |
| Historo | short: "bite-sized lessons" habit: "Earn XP, maintain streaks" compete: "compete in weekly challenges" path: "Follow structured courses" span: "From prehistory to modern times" corrections: "Human review system for reported AI content" ai: "uses advanced AI to generate personalized history content"; "AI can make mistakes" trialOrFree: "includes access to a selection of learning content" |
| Histopia | short: "bite-sized lessons" path: "Follow a learning path through the past" habit: XP, coins, streaks, badges compete: "Climb leaderboards" isFree: "Learn, earn coins, unlock courses, and enjoy daily challenges for free"; Premium adds no lessons count: six history courses |
| Learn History: Timeline Quiz | path: "a structured path through the major civilizations" span: "from Ancient Egypt to Space Exploration" quiz: "multiple-choice, true/false and chronological-order challenges" habit: Pyramid Challenge with hearts and coins count: 49 topics trialOrFree: "All 27 base topics stay 100% free, forever" |
| Khan Academy | quiz: "Practice exercises, quizzes, and tests with instant feedback" habit: "our mastery system" tracks your level path: courses that "follow along with what you're learning in school" review: "expert-created videos, interactive exercises, and in-depth articles" historyOnly: math, science, economics and humanities; history is one subject |
| Paladin | short: "in just 5 minutes" quiz: "Each lesson is followed by a quiz" habit: "Level up as you learn", collectible characters path: lessons "centered around key figures like Cleopatra, Abraham Lincoln"; no ordered path described onePricePerPlan: 6 different Pro Yearly prices on the listing |
| HistoryDays | short: "Quick, engaging sessions" quiz: "Weekly history quizzes" linked: collections that "help you understand how events unfolded and connect across time" credits: "Links to Wikipedia for deeper exploration of every story" ai: "Ask History AI", "AI-powered audio conversations" trialOrFree: "charged after the trial" |
| Clio | review: "Museum professionals, scholars, and their students contribute most of Clio's content" |
| World History Encyclopedia | review: "Authored by humans, reviewed by experts"; "editorial review by historians" ai: "AI-driven research assistant" eras: Rome, Egypt, Greece, Age of Exploration, Enlightenment, WWII, Americas, Africa, Asia, Middle East |
| Histia | short: "learn history in minutes" quiz: "quick quiz rounds" habit: "streak-friendly sessions" span: "across ancient, medieval, and modern eras" |
| Nibble | short: "interactive 10-min lessons & quizzes" review: "Our content is expert-crafted" historyOnly: Art, math, logic, history, statistics, personal finance, philosophy, biology, literature trialOrFree: "If you start a free trial..." onePricePerPlan: 5 different annual prices on the listing |
| History Master | quiz: "Flashcards with quiz mode" span: "Interactive timeline from prehistory to today" eras: prehistory, Egypt, Greece, Rome, China, India, Middle Ages, Renaissance, Enlightenment, 19th century, World Wars, Cold War trialOrFree: "The app is free to try" |