Spoken vs TouchChat HD

Spoken is an augmentative and alternative communication app for people who cannot use speech because of nonverbal autism, aphasia, stroke, or other speech and language disorders. Users compose messages on a mobile device, and the app reads them aloud with text-to-speech. It predicts words and can offer suggestions that adapt to a user’s communication. Access methods include touch, typing, handwriting, drawing, eye tracking, VoiceOver, and TalkBack. The free base version includes an attention button, large text display, large print mode, dark mode, and phrase sharing. Premium adds saved phrases, customizable lifelike voices, and a quiz that tailors suggestions to familiar people, pets, and places. Spoken runs on iOS and iPadOS 11 or later, Android 5.1 or later, and Apple Silicon Macs. Internet access is needed for all features, though limited functions work offline. The automatic Premium trial lasts around 600 words. The base app remains available afterward; Premium costs $12.99 a month, $99 a year, or $249, paid once website purchase.

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.