On-Device Speech Recognition Built for Kids' Apps

Fast, private, on-device speech recognition that captures how children speak, not just what they say

KeenASR SDK brings high-accuracy, kid-optimized automatic speech recognition (ASR for children) directly to your mobile app or device, no internet connection required.

Designed for EdTech and children's interactive experiences, KeenASR helps you build engaging voice interactions that work anywhere, respond instantly, and keep every child’s data on the device.

Trusted by leading education and entertainment companies to power millions of voice interactions.

Built for How Children Actually Speak

Most speech recognition systems are designed to produce clean text, even when a child says something incorrectly. KeenASR is different: it is built as ASR for children, capturing how words are spoken, where pronunciation breaks down, down to the individual phoneme, and how fluently a child is reading. Your app can respond to learning progress, not just input.

Why On-Device Instead of Cloud?

Developers evaluating speech recognition for children's apps often compare on-device and cloud-based options. Here's how KeenASR compares:

KeenASR (On-Device) Cloud ASR
Works offline ✓ Yes ✗ No
COPPA compliant ✓ By design Requires configuration
Children's ASR accuracy ✓ Optimized Generic models
Phoneme-level pronunciation feedback ✓ Built-in Limited or unavailable
Per-request cost None (annual license) Pay per API call

Built for Privacy, Speed, and Children's Voices

Private by Design

All processing happens locally, so children’s speech never leaves the device, ensuring COPPA compliance and removing the need for backend scaling.

Instant, reliable results.

On-device recognition provides real-time feedback and works offline, keeping apps responsive in classrooms, at home, and on the go.

Optimized for Children's Voices & Real-World Environments

Our acoustic models are trained specifically for children's speech and noisy environments, giving you children's ASR accuracy that general-purpose systems often miss.

Made for Learning and Interactive Play

KeenASR powers a wide range of kids' experiences:

  • Reading and phonics apps: Track words read correctly, identify mispronunciations, and support fluency practice
  • Language learning: Provide real-time phoneme-level pronunciation feedback that goes beyond simple right/wrong checks
  • Speech therapy: Run structured exercises with measurable progress, fully offline
  • Interactive entertainment: Power voice-driven games, videos, and navigation with support for fictional or constrained vocabularies

Optimized for Reading Tasks

KeenASR excels at children's reading assessment and practice. The SDK can track reading progress word-by-word, detect insertions, deletions, and substitutions, measure reading pace and fluency, and provide detailed phoneme-level feedback on pronunciation accuracy. Whether you're building a guided reading app or a full literacy assessment platform, KeenASR gives you the signals you need.

Developer Friendly by Design

The SDK provides native support for iOS and Android, and brings the same engine to the browser via a lightweight JavaScript library. Unity integration and cloud-based tools help teams prototype, test, and refine voice experiences quickly using a clean, easy-to-use API.

You can dynamically define what the recognizer listens for, and deploy the same engine consistently across mobile apps, Chromebooks, and browsers. In addition to transcription, the SDK exposes word and phoneme timing, pronunciation, and confidence signals, so you can build richer, more responsive learning experiences.

Get Started

Bring on-device, kid-optimized speech recognition to your next educational or entertainment product.

kidSAFE Seal Program Member

KeenASR On-Device Speech Recognition Solution is a member in the kidSAFE Seal Program. To learn more, click on the seal or go to www.kidsafe.com.

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We provide professional services for SDK integration, proof-of-concept development, customization of language and acoustic models, and porting to custom hardware platforms.

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