At a Glance
MDM Academy
AI-generated stories personalized to each child — infinite, never repeated
Most Competitors
Static libraries of pre-written books shared across all students
MDM Academy
Class code + first name only — no student emails or passwords
Most Competitors
Often requires student emails, parent accounts, or district SSO
MDM Academy
Stories generated and narrated in 34 languages with native pronunciation
Most Competitors
Mostly English-only, some with limited Spanish translations
Head-to-Head
Raz-Kids is the most widely adopted leveled reading platform in U.S. schools, and for good reason — its 29-level system and running records are the gold standard. Here's where MDM Academy offers something different.
| Feature | MDM Academy | Raz-Kids |
|---|---|---|
| Content Type | AI-generated, unique per student | Static library of pre-written books |
| Child's Name in Stories | Yes — personalized protagonist | No |
| Reading Levels | Pre-K to 3 with auto-progression | 29 levels (aa-Z2) |
| Decodable Text | AI-generated decodable mode (8 levels) | No |
| Speech Recognition | My Turn to Read + Word Practice | No |
| Teacher Voice | Voice cloning via ElevenLabs | No |
| Language Support | 34 languages | English + limited Spanish |
| Phonics Tracking | Heatmap + mastery by pattern | No phonics tracking |
| Comprehension Quizzes | Yes | Yes |
| Running Records | Not yet (planned) | Yes — gold standard |
| Smartboard Mode | Yes — fullscreen with sync | No |
| Small Group Mode | Yes — with discussion prompts | No |
| Rewards System | Stars, badges, pets, streaks, leaderboard | Raz Rockets rewards |
| Printable Worksheets | 6 types (word search, sequencing, etc.) | Yes |
| COPPA / FERPA | Yes / Yes | Yes / Yes |
Our honest take: If your school already uses Raz-Kids and values running records above all else, it remains an excellent choice. MDM Academy is a strong complement or alternative for schools that want AI-personalized content, deeper phonics tracking, speech recognition practice, and multilingual support — features that Raz-Kids doesn't currently offer. Many teachers use both: Raz-Kids for leveled reading benchmarks and MDM Academy for personalized, engaging literacy practice.
Full Comparison
A feature-by-feature look at the most popular K-3 literacy apps used in schools today. Data sourced from public product pages and documentation as of April 2026.
| Feature | MDM Academy | Epic! | Raz-Kids | Reading Eggs | Lexia Core5 | Lalilo | HOMER | Amira | Readability | Starfall |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AI-Generated Stories | ||||||||||
| Personalized (Child's Name in Story) | ||||||||||
| Decodable Text Mode | Partial | Partial | Partial | |||||||
| Phonics Scope & Sequence | 8 levels | |||||||||
| Student Read-Aloud (Speech Rec.) | ||||||||||
| Teacher Voice Cloning | ||||||||||
| Vocabulary Pre-Teaching | ||||||||||
| Comprehension Quizzes | ||||||||||
| Writing Prompts (Write About It) | ||||||||||
| NJSLA-Style Questions (EBSR) | ||||||||||
| Color-Coded Word Display | ||||||||||
| 34 Language Support | ||||||||||
| Bilingual (EN/ES) | Partial | Partial | Partial | Partial | ||||||
| Teacher Dashboard | ||||||||||
| Intervention Flags | ||||||||||
| Phonics Heatmap | Partial | Partial | ||||||||
| Small Group Mode | ||||||||||
| Smartboard Read-Aloud | ||||||||||
| Printable Worksheets | ||||||||||
| Weekly Class Report (PDF) | Partial | Partial | ||||||||
| Reading Level Auto-Progression | ||||||||||
| Rewards / Reading Passport | ||||||||||
| Standards Alignment (NJSLS/CCSS) | Partial | Partial | ||||||||
| COPPA Compliant | ||||||||||
| FERPA Compliant |
= Yes = No Partial = Limited support Source: Public product pages & documentation, April 2026
Best For
MDM Academy
Schools wanting AI-powered, personalized literacy instruction with full classroom tools
Epic!
Independent reading library / free reading time
Raz-Kids
Leveled reading with running records
Reading Eggs
Structured home reading program
Lexia Core5
District-wide RTI / intervention programs
Lalilo
K-2 phonics instruction
HOMER
Home use for ages 2-8
Amira Learning
Oral reading fluency assessment
Readability
1:1 reading practice with AI tutor
Starfall
Budget-friendly phonics basics
Science of Reading
The Science of Reading identifies five essential components of effective reading instruction. MDM Academy addresses each one with purpose-built features.
Decodable Text Mode with phoneme-level word analysis
Strong8-level scope & sequence, color-coded words, phonics heatmap
StrongMy Turn to Read (speech recognition), Read Aloud mode, teacher voice cloning
StrongVocabulary Pre-Teaching, Word Practice pronunciation lab, 315 Dolch sight words
StrongComprehension quizzes, text comparison activities, discussion prompts
StrongPricing
Pricing varies widely across literacy platforms. MDM Academy offers a free pilot so you can evaluate before committing.
| Platform | School Pricing | Home Pricing | Free Tier |
|---|---|---|---|
| MDM Academy | $4.99/student/yr ($75 min classroom, $499 min school) | Part of family subscription | Free pilot available |
| Epic! | Free basic / School Plus (quote) | $13.99/mo | Free basic for educators |
| Raz-Kids | ~$125-170/yr per classroom | N/A | 14-day trial |
| Reading Eggs | Quote-based (per student) | $167/yr (up to 4 kids) | 30-day trial |
| Lexia Core5 | District licensing (quote) | $175/yr | No |
| Lalilo | Subscription (quote) | N/A | No |
| HOMER | N/A (home-focused) | $12.99/mo | 30-day trial |
| Amira Learning | $18-25/student/yr | N/A | No |
| Readability | Quote-based | $19.99/mo | No |
| Starfall | $195-355/yr per classroom | $35/yr | Limited free content |
Start with a free pilot — no credit card required
Set up your class in under 3 minutes. Evaluate MDM Academy with your students before making any commitment.
"My students are so excited to see their own names in the stories. The engagement difference compared to our old reading program is night and day."
— K-2 Teacher, NJ (Pilot Program)
"The phonics heatmap alone saved me hours of assessment time. I can see exactly which patterns each student needs to work on."
— 1st Grade Teacher, NJ (Pilot Program)
Testimonials from early pilot participants. More coming as our pilot program expands.