119 Free & Lite Versions of AAC Apps + App Selection Resources

If you’ve been following our blog, you know that we have mixed feelings about the AAC app revolution. More specifically, we’ve had concerns about the decision-making process around app selection, the paucity of apps that allow for children to learn true generative language, and a few other things. We continue to advocate for AAC app selection to occur within the context of a feature match process that gives appropriate attention to the full range of AAC options.

In this mega-post we’ve included our most recent update of free and lite versions of AAC apps for iOS and Android plus a variety of additional resources related to AAC app selection.

Tools to Use In Making Decisions About AAC Apps

1. Feature match form developed by Jessica Gosnell at Boston Children’s Hospital
   
2. Feature match checklist created by Scott Marfilius and Kelly Fonner
   
3. Our supplemental rubric covering language and communication features,  RELAAACs

Places to Go to Find AAC Apps and Reviews

1. Comprehensive AAC app list for iPhone and iPad by Jane Farrall
2. AAC Tech Connect’s Apps Assistant
3. OCALI’s listing of apps for individuals with ASD
4. Tech in Special Education
5. Aidis Trust Communication App Reviews

Training Material on AAC Apps, News, Suggestions, etc.

1. The App Academy’s site for app training videos
2. Our PrAACtical AAC Scoop.It collection and Pinterest boards
3. Our post on 5 Things to Do Before you Choose an AAC App

Because this list sometimes gets circulated without the context in which it was originally developed, we decided to include some excerpts from our original post in early 2012.

“Graduate student SLPs are a fairly diverse group, but one thing that is common to almost all of them is that they are on a very limited budget. Although many of the AAC apps are reasonably priced, even that can be a lot for a struggling student. We wanted to put together a list of the free or lite versions of AAC apps for them to explore on their own iDevices.

First, a few caveats:
1. Selection of AAC tools is always made after a thorough assessment. This is as true for apps as it is for SGDs.

2. This list isn’t intended in any way to endorse these apps or suggest that the free/lite version is sufficient. Hopefully, it will give future professionals a taste of what these  apps can do and allow them to begin to think about how to make decisions about this in the context of a feature match assessment. Review sites like the one at Spectronics and OCALI can be very useful when you are trying to see some of the features that apps contain.

3. This list isn’t comprehensive. If you have links to other AAC apps that are free or have lite versions, please send them along and we will update our list.

4. Students, remember what we’ve taught you about AAC. This doesn’t supersede what you’ve learned about AAC and language assessment, symbol selection, multimodal communication, etc.”

And now, on with the show…

iDevice Free or Lite AAC Apps

1. AlexiCom AAC
2. Answers: Yes/No Free
3. Assistive TTS
4. Augie Free (Free version not currently available in US)
5. Autism 5-Point Scale EP (Autism Help)
6. Com App
7. Comunicador Personal Adaptable(Spanish)
8. Communicate Mate Female
9. Communicate Mate Male
10. Connect Cards
11. DIME Lite
12. Fat Cat Fast 20
13. Fat Cat Pirate Chat
14. FreeSpeech
15. Functional Communication System Lite
16. Gabby Tabs Lite
17. Go Talk Now Free (NEW)
18. Grid Player
19. iBlissymbols Lite
20. iComm Education
21. iPhonic Lite
22. iPicto Lite
23. Locabulary Lite
24. MetaTalk Lite
25. My Choice Pad Lite
26. My Talking Phone
27. MyTalk Tools
28. Neo Julie (also Kate and Paul)
29. Noni Lite
30. Nonverbal Communication for Autism-NOCOA (Japanese; NEW)
31. OneVoice-AAC
32. PandaPal AAC
33. PhotoTell Lite(NEW)
34. PhotoVOCA Free (NEW)
35. Phrase Board
36. Pic A Word
37. Pics Aloud Lite
38. Picture Card Maker
39. Picture Board
40. PocketAAC-Lite
41. Point to Pictures Lite
42. Say Hi AAC
43. SayItForMe Lite (NEW)
44. Scan to Pictures Lite (NEW)
45. See and Say Lite
46. Scene & Heard Lite
47. Small Talk Aphasia (Male & Female)
48. Small Talk Conversational Phrases
49. Small Talk Daily Activities
50. Small Talk Intensive Care
51. Small Talk Pain Scale
52. Smart_AAC (NEW)
53. Sounding Board
54. SFY_Speak4Youself Lite (Pulled from iTunes but may be reinstated)
55. Speech Button
56. Speech Buttons Free
57. Sono Flex Lite
58. Speak All
59. Speak for Yourself LAT Kids
60. Spubble Lite
61. Talk Assist
62. Talking Cards Lite
63. Talking Text
64. Talk Tommy
65. Talk to Me 100 (free version has 9 locations)
66. Talk 4 Me
67. Tap to Talk
68. Touch Chat Lite
69. Verbally
70. VocaBeans EN
71. VoiceSymbol AAC

Free or Lite AAC Apps for Android Devices

1. AAC Speech Communicator (French, English)
2. AAC Talking Tabs
3. Alexicomm for Android (30+ free pages)
4. Autism Speech – Diego Says
5. BoxofWords Free (NEW)
6. DroidSpeaker (NEW)
7. Free AAC
8. FalaFacil – DiegoDiz (Portuguese)
9. FreeSpeech
10. Gabby Tabs Lite: AAC for Kids
11. HablaFacil – DiegoDice (Spanish)
12. Help Talk (NEW)
13. iToucan Talk
14. JABTalk
15. LangLearner Speaker
16. MyVoice MyWords Tablet
17. Niki Talk (NEW)
18. PhotoVOCA (NEW)
19. Pic-See Lite (NEW)
20. PictoDroid Lite (Spanish, English)
21. Pictograms (NEW)
22. Plaphoons for Android Beta (NEW)
23. Point Talker Free (NEW)
24. Sono Flex Lite
25. SpeakForMe Free
26. Speaking Pad
27. Speech Assistant (NEW)
28. Talk Android
29. Talk 2 All (for phone communication)
30. Tap Talk Free
31. Tap to Talk
32. Touch and Go Speak
33. Touch-n-Say
34. Two Speak
35. Type and Speak
36. VirtualTEC
37. Virtual Voice (NEW)
38. Vocal Slides

Find some that aren’t on our list? Please let us know and we’ll add them in.