Best types of educational apps you may want to develop

If you ever thought about developing your education app and building a startup around it, now is the right time to do it!

On its own, the learning app may seem like a high-grossing product, but this is only the tip of the iceberg.

In fact, education is the second largest market after healthcare; it accounts for 9% of the U.S. GDP.  Did you hear about those Galaxy-sized student loans? This issue will make the mobile learning industry even more appealing.

Here are some figures on education spending in the U.S. alone:

• Early childhood education: $ 70 billion
• K-12: $60 billion
• HIGHER education: $475 billion
• Adult learning: $ 55 billion

About 20% of all this spending will go to mobile by the end of the year!

Market potential of different educational apps

The smart education software market size is forecast to increase by USD 34,183.5 billion, at a CAGR of 16.6% between 2023 and 2028.

Education software and apps are designed for teaching and education within classrooms and at a consumer level.

This market includes everything from language learning to classroom management software. In the meantime, some companies like Microsoft, and SAP decided to enter the market.

Technology has become an important part of the business with a view to preparing students for professional life; universities have gradually adopted technology-focused learning techniques which eliminate paper assignments and materials. 

With an increasing number of students receiving degrees each year, the potential user base for educational software platforms is consistently increasing.

This statistic shows the number of higher education degrees earned in the United States from 2020/21 to 2024/25.

Simply put mobile apps for education come into play in order to redistribute worldwide knowledge by means of the internet because this is what learning apps are purposed for.

Key trends in the education industry

The education industry is changing constantly. More startups related to education appear and bring new technologies to the learning process every year.

Online academies are gaining popularity because of the interactive atmosphere

While leveraging available interactive multimedia technologies like lifestreaming and video-conferencing, the student can finish their courses online.

Student and teachers communicate and have their discussions in virtual classrooms.

The universities are not left out and develop more programs as well as distance learning models.

They offer online courses to foreign students without any need to leave their native country.

Augmented reality and virtual reality goes beyond the hype

The first one is now being utilized to enhance learning by displaying virtual 3D models in 2D spaces. Faculty members who work in science and engineering can make interactive presentations and models, eliminating the creation of physical models.

Recently, VR has been accessible only on computers, and now it can be used in a Virtual Reality space.

Such an approach allows users to experience the exact conditions as they would in the real world, which is a big stride in educational research and training.

Open-source textbooks and textbook rentals remain popular

In recent years, the rise of open-source textbooks and textbook rental services has reshaped the educational landscape, becoming prominent trends in EdTech.

These alternatives to traditional textbooks offer significant cost savings and greater accessibility for students, aligning with the growing demand for affordable education.

Open-source textbooks, in particular, provide customizable and updatable content, empowering educators to tailor resources to their teaching needs.

Meanwhile, textbook rental services offer a budget-friendly option, allowing students to access required materials without the financial burden of purchasing. These trends foster a more inclusive, flexible, and cost-effective approach to learning.”

These are some key trends in the education industry today, but this list is far from comprehensive.

Key benefits of mobile learning apps

Increasing knowledge penetration speed

You can serve new courses and educate with new skills millions of users by simply updating your app with new content. 95% of users who study at home report it would be impossible without apps for education.

Enhanced engagement rate

Studying can be fun. Moreover, it is perceived as something natural if associated with such an everyday thing as a smartphone.

This is why 72% of students confirmed an increase in engagement while using learning apps.

Better audience reach

61% of students used smartphones to study in 2016, a McGraw Hill Education study showed.

Easy collaborative potential

Mobile apps for education enable close collaboration between students, which increases the average time users spend on the app.

Categories of education apps

Although educational apps include different features and can be upgraded with multiple learning modules, it is common to divide them by the principal tuition purpose those apps are standing for:

• Language Learning Apps
• Corporate Learning Management Systems
• Remote Tuition Platforms
• Educational Mobile Apps for Kids
• Learning Apps for Disabled People
• Learning Apps For Adults
• Test Prep Apps

Here is a chart below with the top education apps for Q3 2020 that students admitted as a technology that helped them manage their education.

Language Learning Apps

Back in 2015, a popular language-learning service called Duolingo raised a $45 million investment round, which gets to its total funding of $83.3 million.

While the monetization method is still unclear, Duolingo states it has over 100 million active users worldwide. Not bad for a company with a valuation of about $450 million.

There are also a bunch of top-rated educational apps in language learning worth mentioning:

• Rosetta Stone
• Lingvist
• Memrise
• Babbel
• Hello-Hello

Each of those mobile apps for language learning is prospering in its own specific niche, and there are no limits to finding a new one for yourself.

Premium Class apps for Chinese/Japanese/Korean language learners are most promising to mention.

Language learning means new word discovery, so an English dictionary app might be a good business idea if you have any significant advantage that Google Translate lacks.

In addition, take a close look at such extinct languages as Latin, Ancient Greek, Sanskrit, and Ancient Egyptian. You may find strong support among academic and amateur communities.

Remote tuition platforms

Chinese tuition platform VIPKID has raised $100 million for the promise to link English native speakers and Chinese children aged 5 to 12 years.

The platform offers 30-minute one-to-one online language lessons with tested native speakers from the U.K. and the U.S.

It wouldn’t be China without direct competitors like ABC360 and VIPABC. You may notice how similar their namings are. One of them is funded by the e-commerce giant Alibaba.

What makes this niche so lucrative is a Chinese obsession with all Americans and Wester-faced.

Such obsession makes the opportunity to connect your child to the Western demigod so precious and highly valued.   

Educational mobile apps for kids

There are many types of kid apps for education, such as alphabet applications, foreign languages, etc. Our expert team has great experience in developing educational apps.

One of them is the LabbaYo language app.

LabbaYo language app is the only kids’ app that works with proprietary LabbaYo Language Flash Cards to allow children to HEAR and SAY the words to practice pronunciation. Beautifully drawn images are designed to engage and captivate children.

The app is initially offered in Spanish, English, and French. The pronunciation module offers rewards when the word is said properly and encourages practice.

It’s a fun new way for children (age 3+) and the whole family to learn new languages using smartphones, tablets and physical flashcards.

School apps are another perspective learning category.

From here, you can start using classes and subjects as a targeting method.

What is great about the apps for schools is the high demand and willingness of parents to pay for such content.

It also integrates other innovations, such as gamification.

Note: Your app should comply with COPA law – U.S. Child Online Protection Act which required all commercial distributors of “material harmful to minors” to restrict their sites from access by minors. COPA only limits commercial speech and only affects providers based within the United States.

By the way, the success recipes of best apps for school always include gamification ingredient.

Learning apps for disabled people

Perhaps the most undeveloped and stealthy mobile learning category.

Also known as Special Education. If you want to succeed in this niche, our suggestion is to cooperate with non-profit organizations or secure government funding, which will provide you access to resources and an audience.

Here’s some suggestion of mobile applications for disabled people and their purposes:

• Apps that encourage shy students to speak more often.
• Picture-based communication apps for children with communication disorders.
• Choice boards for people with disabilities to help them express their wants.
• Apps that help people keep track of their tasks and help them with visual guidelines.

Building an app for disabled people requires a high level of user experience. Consider hiring a skilled UX designer and get a consultation with a specialist working with disabled people.

That allows you to ensure you include all the features covering your audience’s needs and build your app in a manner that is easy for the end users to understand.

Learning Apps For Adults

From here, you have nothing to limit your imagination.

Deadline keepers, homework reminder apps, math hints, proofreading apps, research citations managers, apps for collaboration with classmates, choose any of categories and go ahead!

Unlike educational app development for kids, best apps for students should always have a messaging feature.

Also, you should open your app for additional integration like campus maps, reminder systems, schedule and learning databases.

Test Prep Apps

Introduce yourself to all sorts of quizzes and tests. Starting from basic language memorizing app like Anki, and ending with specialized Aviation Study Guide we’ve made specifically for military aviation pilots.

In our case, we’ve developed Aviation Study Guide as a memorizing app for helicopter pilots.

The app features PDF Reader ware gathered documentation on Apache AH-64D and Blackhawk UH-60A/L helicopters and special quizzes and flashcards that help users to memorize previously covered materials.

We also added a simple admin panel so the client could add a new content, so the client could add new documentation, helicopter models and keep the app up to date.

Note: Think about monetization method before starting making a quiz or testing app. Users of particularly this kind of learning apps do not tolerate mobile ads because they are highly distractive from a memorizing process itself.

Bottom Line

As you can see, the mobile learning industry is gaining strength and becoming more profitable yearly.

Therefore, if you’re about to develop an education app, it’s high time to get enough momentum.

With a deep understanding of educational needs and cutting-edge technologies, Altamira empowers educational institutions, startups, and enterprises to deliver personalized, scalable, and engaging learning experiences.

Our expertise lies in integrating advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, and adaptive learning algorithms to enhance content delivery, automate assessments, and provide real-time analytics.

These solutions help educational providers stay ahead by improving learner engagement, operational efficiency, and content accessibility.

Our commitment to quality, innovation, and customer-centric development enables EdTech organizations to realize their vision and deliver impactful, future-ready educational solutions.

Contact us to learn more!