CoughDrop vs CommBoards
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
CoughDrop
This app provides a modern communication and support tool for individuals with complex communication needs. It offers customizable boards with symbols, images, and audio, along with reporting features for support teams.
- Customizable communication boards
- Rich symbol set and image personalization
- User-recorded audio and speech synthesis
- Cross-device synchronization
- Support team access and collaboration
- Built-in reporting and messaging
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CoughDrop is a simple, modern AAC communication and support tool that empowers individuals and the teams around them. It is a full-featured communication app built for individuals with autism, cerebral palsy, Down syndrome, Angelman syndrome, Rett syndrome, or other complex communication needs. CoughDrop is flexible and configurable enough to accommodate the access and comprehension needs of many communicators. CoughDrop users can install this app to access CoughDrop's communication and reporting features on their mobile device. The app includes starter boards for different levels of communication, and boards with large or small buttons can be personalized using the rich symbol set, user-provided images or camera photos, user-recorded audio, speech synthesis, etc. CoughDrop runs on multiple devices, so you can log in on your tablet, phone and computer and have access to the same communication tools and interface. In addition, users can be linked so parents, therapists and supervisors can access a communicator's boards from their own devices to better facilitate modeling, and to make it easier to modify boards without taking away the communicator's device. The built-in reporting and messaging tools also help the support team have a consistent strategy and know what's working across locations and times.
CommBoards
This communication app helps individuals with speech challenges express themselves using personalized boards. Users can upload personal images and record messages in familiar voices, creating an unlimited number of customizable communication boards. It's designed for individuals, therapists, and educators.
- Personalized image uploads
- Record messages in familiar voices
- Create unlimited communication boards
- Customizable button sizes, layouts, and colors
- User-friendly interface
- Suitable for individuals, therapists, and educators
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Give your nonverbal child a voice. CommBoards turns taps on pictures into spoken sentences: "I want an apple," "my stomach hurts," "I love you, mom." No more guessing what they need. READY IN MINUTES • Ready-made boards for food, drinks, feelings, body, people, places and more • Tap pictures to build a full sentence, then hear it spoken out loud • Simple enough for a first-time AAC user MADE FOR YOUR CHILD • Record mom's, dad's or a sibling's voice on any button • Add your own photos of favorite foods, toys and family • Change any word, picture or color • Grows with your child, from 2 to 11 buttons per row BUILT FOR EVERYDAY LIFE • Works offline, at home, at school and on the go • 15+ languages • Save favorite sentences as quick phrases • iPhone and iPad WHO IT'S FOR Children and adults with autism (ASD), apraxia of speech, Down syndrome, cerebral palsy, speech delay, aphasia and stroke recovery. Used by parents, teachers and speech-language pathologists. Helping families communicate for over 10 years. Start your free trial today. Terms of use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: CommBoards at 4.3 against CoughDrop's 3.7. CommBoards also leads on update cadence (every 4 days vs monthly) and iOS requirement (15.6 vs 17.6). CoughDrop's advantage is review sentiment (52% vs 33%). On price, ratings volume, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. CoughDrop sells 3 one-off in-app purchases and CommBoards sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
CommBoards holds the better App Store score, 4.3 against 3.7. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 63 and 96 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 52% of CoughDrop's written reviews are positive against 33% of CommBoards's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
CoughDrop ships an update monthly, CommBoards every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on October 22, 2026 and October 23, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | CoughDrop | CommBoards |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.7 (63 ratings) | 4.3 (96 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 52.4% of reviews — better | 33.3% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 63 | 96 — better |
| Update frequency | Monthly | Every 4 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 17.6 | 15.6 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 59 MB | 38 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | CoughDrop, Inc. | Dana Fridman |
Customer experience
CoughDrop
CommBoards
In-app purchases
CoughDrop
- Evaluator Access$29.99
- Supporter Access$44.99
- Communicator Access$294.99
CommBoards
- Monthly7 Days trial$9.991 Month
- Annual7 Days trial$79.991 Year
- Lifetime access$99.99









