CoughDrop vs TouchChat HD

CoughDrop is an augmentative and alternative communication platform for people with complex communication needs. It provides customizable vocabulary sets, built-in supports, assessment tools and vocabulary progression, with speech output. Users can share pages, send two-way messages and use remote modeling. Access methods include switches and eye or head tracking. The service runs on Android, iOS, web and Windows, and supports offline use with cloud backup; however, Android app syncing requires an internet connection, so offline syncing is unavailable there. Teams can collaborate on pagesets, and reports and goal-setting tools help practitioners and staff track progress. Site licenses add organization management, license reassignment, centralized reporting and optional single sign-on support. The homepage offers two months to try the product before purchase and describes one-time, annual site-license and month-to-month payment options without prices. The listed Communicator Access plan costs $9 a month per communicator. CoughDrop serves communicators, families, therapists, educators and care teams.

TouchChat HD is an AAC communication app for people who cannot rely on natural speech, including people with autism, Down syndrome, ALS, apraxia, or stroke. It creates words and messages that can be spoken through a built-in voice synthesizer or recorded audio. The WordPower edition adds AAC vocabularies developed by speech-language pathologist Nancy Inman. Pages, button layouts, messages, and symbols can be customized, with more than 45 button actions and nearly 40,000 SymbolStix symbols listed. Access options include touch, configurable switch scanning, adjustable button timing, gestures, and supported-device head tracking. Listed languages are English, Spanish, Canadian French, Arabic, Hebrew, and Mandarin, with language combinations supported. Text can be shared through social media, iMessage, or email. Vocabulary files support iTunes file sharing, Dropbox, and Google Drive, while backups can use iCloud, Google Drive, or Dropbox. It runs on iPhone, iPad, and compatible Mac computers.