Top 20 Augmentative and Alternative Communication Apps

Augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) apps can help people communicate when speech is difficult, unreliable, or not their preferred way to communicate. They may support autistic learners, people with apraxia, cerebral palsy, aphasia, developmental language differences, and many others. The best AAC app is not simply the one with the most features: it is the one that gives its user reliable, meaningful access to words, choices, relationships, learning, and self-advocacy. This guide highlights 20 well-known options to research with a speech-language pathologist (SLP), educator, occupational therapist, and—most importantly—the AAC user.

20 AAC apps and tools to consider

This is a practical shortlist rather than a universal ranking. Availability, pricing, languages, device compatibility, and features can change, so check the current app listing and consult an AAC professional before making a purchase.

1. AAC Cboard is a picture-based communication tool with customizable boards. Its straightforward layout can make it useful for people exploring symbol-supported communication.
2. Assistive Express offers text-to-speech communication and customizable phrases. It may suit literate users who want quick access to common messages.
3. Avaz AAC is a symbol-based AAC system that includes vocabulary organization and options designed for different communication levels.
4. ChatterBoards AAC lets users create and organize visual communication boards. It can be useful where highly personalized vocabulary and photos are important.
5. CoughDrop is a cloud-based AAC platform with symbol and text options, board sharing, and access across supported devices.
6. GoTalk NOW supports customizable communication pages with recorded speech or text-to-speech. It is often considered when families or schools want to build tailored boards.
7. Grid for iPad provides a range of communication grid sets, including symbol and text-based approaches. It is part of the wider Grid AAC ecosystem.
8. JABtalk is an Android-focused communication app that allows users to create custom speech-output albums and pages.
9. LAMP Words for Life uses a consistent motor-planning approach, with words placed in stable locations. It is associated with the Language Acquisition through Motor Planning approach.
10. LetMeTalk is a picture-based AAC app with customizable cards and sentence-building features. It is often explored as an entry point for visual communication.
11. Lingraphica SmallTalk apps include topic-focused communication supports, such as everyday needs and phrases. Some are particularly relevant for adults with aphasia.
12. MyTalkTools Mobile enables users and supporters to create personalized communication boards with images, audio, and text.
13. Predictable is a text-based AAC app with word prediction, phrase storage, and text-to-speech. It may be appropriate for users who spell or are developing literacy.
14. Proloquo is a symbol-supported communication app designed with different vocabulary paths and customization options for beginning and developing communicators.
15. Proloquo2Go is a robust symbol-based AAC app with customizable vocabularies and multiple grid sizes. It is widely used in school and home settings.
16. Scene & Heard Pro uses visual scene displays, where communication hotspots are placed within meaningful photos or illustrations. This format can be engaging for some early communicators.
17. Speak for Yourself is an AAC app built around a consistent motor plan and high-frequency vocabulary. Its design is intended to provide access to a broad range of language.
18. Speech Assistant AAC provides text-to-speech, saved phrases, categories, and customizable buttons. It can support users who communicate primarily through writing or prepared messages.
19. TD Snap offers symbol-based and text-based page sets, including options associated with core vocabulary and literacy. It can be customized for different access and language needs.
20. TouchChat HD is a customizable AAC app that includes several vocabulary files, such as WordPower. It offers symbol and text supports for a range of communicators.

How to choose an AAC app thoughtfully

AAC is not one-size-fits-all. A learner may need symbols, text, photographs, a keyboard, eye gaze, switch access, keyguard support, or a combination of these. They may also need a system that works at school, at home, outdoors, and during fast-moving conversations. Start with the person’s communication goals rather than with a device or app.

• Prioritize real communication. Look for language that lets a person comment, protest, ask questions, tell stories, joke, and say “no”—not only request snacks or activities.
• Consider vocabulary depth. Core words such as “go,” “more,” “not,” “help,” and “like” combine with personal fringe words to create flexible messages.
• Match the access method. Think about fine-motor control, vision, hearing, fatigue, positioning, and whether the user benefits from touch, switches, scanning, or another access method.
• Check language and voice options. The app should support the user’s home language, dialect, literacy level, and preferred voice where possible.
• Plan for growth. A system should not artificially limit what a learner can say just because they are new to AAC.
• Protect reliability. Consider battery life, a protective case, guided access settings, backups, and a low-tech paper version for times when technology is unavailable.

Trialling an AAC app: a practical process

Whenever possible, trial more than one system in everyday contexts. A brief demonstration is rarely enough to show whether an app will work over time. Ask an SLP with AAC experience to help assess communication, access, and vocabulary needs. If a school team is involved, include teachers, classroom assistants, and family members in the plan.

1. Identify a few meaningful situations, such as morning routines, class discussion, play, meals, and asking for help.
2. Choose words and messages that matter to the user, including names, favorite topics, feelings, and ways to refuse or correct others.
3. Model the app yourself while speaking. This is often called aided language input: communication partners point to or select words on the AAC system as they talk.
4. Record what happens. Note independent messages, frustration points, navigation demands, access challenges, and the kinds of support that help.
5. Adjust the system carefully. Avoid constantly moving buttons or changing layouts without a clear reason, especially when motor planning is part of the approach.

Support AAC use at home and school

An app becomes more useful when people around the user treat it as a genuine voice. Keep it available, charged, and within reach. Pause long enough for responses. Speak directly to the AAC user rather than only to a parent or aide. Respond to all communication attempts, including gestures, facial expressions, signs, typing, and selections on the device.

AAC is not a test the learner must pass. It is a way to participate in everyday life and express what matters.

For students, AAC can also support academic participation: answering questions, sharing ideas, collaborating with peers, and demonstrating knowledge. Teachers can prepare relevant vocabulary before a lesson, display key words during instruction, and offer multiple ways to respond. With an appropriate system, patient modelling, and consistent access, AAC can become part of a learner’s everyday communication—not an activity reserved for therapy time.