The Best Kids' Audio Players of 2026

• Size: 4.3 x 4.3 x 4 inches
• Battery life: Up to 10 hours
• Weight: 2.44 lbs
• Best for ages: 3 to 12

Editor's Note: We previously tested the first generation of the Yoto Player, and are currently working on testing the current, third generation of the Yoto Player. We will update the full review and this roundup as soon as testing has been completed.

Our absolute favorite kids’ audio player, the Yoto Player is a multi-tasking kid’s music player, podcast player, mini-radio, and storybook reader that is bursting with kid-friendly features. It—and the Yoto Player Mini—also stood out as being the two best grow-with-them options for audio players that kids would truly use from ages 3 to 12.

This futuristic-looking audio player was up against some seriously stiff competition. What set it apart as our must-have choice, however, was that it seems to do everything—and it does it well—and that it has the best selection of content of all the audio players we tested.

Designed for kids ages 3 to 12, the Yoto Player works with preloaded content cards that you can purchase separately. Once you play the cards while connected to Wi-Fi they are forever loaded into your Yoto, so you can access them even when you are far from the internet. If you lose the cards, never fear! They are also loaded onto your Yoto app, so you can play them via Bluetooth.

The Yoto Player also delivers a lot of usefulness beyond its content card-reading function. When connected to Wi-Fi you can access a curated list of popular kid-friendly podcasts, many of which your child may already be a fan of. There are also Yoto-only offerings, like the Yoto Daily Podcast, evening meditations, and Yoto Radio. Also available through the app is a monthly rotation of free stories that you can download to blank Yoto cards, load onto your device, and own forever.

We also loved that the Yoto Player functions as a Bluetooth speaker that you can connect to your phone to play any kid-friendly content you may have on it. What’s more, the Yoto Player also has a nightlight function, as well as a big, bold digital clock face that transforms into a pixel display screen that displays images while stories play, which elevates it from a static speaker to a mini entertainment system for kids.

Our one complaint with the Yoto Player and the Yoto Player Mini are confusing controls. They aren't marked in any way, so they take a dip into the online directions and a bit of trial and error. I found them to be annoying the first month of owning the Yoto, but six months in I'm feeling like a pro.

Read the full Yoto Player review.

• Size: 7.5 x 5 x 2 inches
• Battery life: Up to 8 hours
• Weight: 15.7 ounces
• Best for ages: 3 to 11

If you’re missing the days of the mixtape and want to expose your kid to that kind of magic, you’re going to like the Jooki. It was our favorite choice for listening to music and for budding audiophiles.

Primarily a kids' music player, this device is a sturdy little beast and truly feels indestructible. Unlike all of the other kids' music players and kids' audio players tested, the Jooki does not have any pre-loaded content. Instead, it allows you to create and upload either Spotify or MP3 playlists to “tokens” or figurines. The figurines are geared towards little kids, while the tokens are great for older kids. We like that the tokens are compact and portable and resemble keychain tiles.

The only real issue we had with the Jooki is we missed having some options for pre-loaded content, but the ease of being able to create and load playlists so easily was fun for our testers and made it great for older kids who want to take a bit of ownership in creating the content they listen to.

• Size: 8.62 x 6.69 x 6.54 inches
• Battery life: Up to 7 hours
• Weight: 2.07 lbs
• Best for ages: 3 to 8

The snuggliest of all the speakers we tried, Storypod is a soft, pillow of a speaker, with rounded and cushiony edges. It plays stories, games, trivia, and more by way of cuddly “Crafties,” which are knit figurines that include a preprogrammed content chip. Like the Yoto, once content is loaded onto Storypod it can be played again without WiFi, so this is another great choice for long car rides and is a perfect foil for the “are we there yet" whines. Unlike with the Yoto, however, if a Crafty gets lost its content can't be replayed or reloaded—so keep track of those toys. The only way to access that content again is by purchasing a new Crafty.

What sets this speaker apart is not only the cuddly, perfect-for-bedtime feel and aesthetic, but the highly interactive content Storypod offers. There are certainly plenty of options for passive listeners, but for kids who want to dive in and be a more engaged part of the listening process, there are loads of knowledge-building Crafties with interactive quizzes and games. For kids who might not have the attention span to listen to long passages from books, this speaker will keep them engaged and entertained.

This is also a terrific audio player for early readers. Their quiz card sets and read-a-long books are reminiscent of the read-along book and record sets we had in the 80s and would be a great way to help establish pre-reading skills and encourage reluctant readers.

• Size: 4.7 x 4.7 x 4.7 inches
• Battery life: Up to 7 hours
• Weight: 21 ounces
• Best for ages: 3 to 8

Colorful, cute, and easy to use, the Toniebox is a great choice for kids who love a tactile experience. A vibrant, squeezable, cloth-covered cube, Toniebox is fun to hold and fun to control for smaller kids. Volume is lowered or raised by squeezing rubbery ears on the top of the unit while tapping the sides of the Toniebox allows listeners to rewind or skip ahead.

We have very few complaints about the Toniebox, but the large charging port was not only bulky, it has a peg sticking out that made it tougher to pack for travel than most. The other thing that we didn’t love is—like the Storypod's Crafties—if you lose one of the Tonies, you’ve lost the content of that Tonie until you repurchase it.

Because the Tonies are so beautifully crafted and attractive to kids, we experienced little testers taking them for outings around the playroom. We can see this being a problem: It’s hard to keep your hands off of them, so we recommend storing them on a high shelf.

Read our full Toniebox review.