Comparison

Boom Cards vs Communication Buttons Expanded

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Boom Cards

This app allows students to play interactive, self-grading digital flashcards on their iOS devices. It syncs with a teacher's account, enabling assignment of activities and performance tracking. Millions of educators trust this platform for engaging learning experiences.

Highlights
  • Self-grading digital flashcards
  • Synchronizes with Boom Classroom
  • Assign materials to classes
  • Review student performance
  • Access over 500,000 decks
  • Detailed student reports
Features
Read full description

Less prep. Less grading. More actual teaching. Boom Cards are flexible, easy to use, and designed to fit into real classrooms and therapy settings without adding to your workload. With Boom Cards, educators and therapists assign interactive, self-grading digital activities that collect student performance data. Progress is easy to review without extra work. Use the app to assign decks, manage students, and view detailed reports that show accuracy and latency—data that supports differentiation, intervention, enrichment, and data-informed instruction or therapy. A Boom account is required and available at wow.boomlearning.com. Boom Cards also work on most modern desktops, laptops, tablets, phones, and interactive whiteboards. Choose from over 500,000 decks covering a wide range of subjects and grade levels. Boom Cards support general education, special education, and therapy services, including English Language Learners and students receiving related services. Content areas include English Language Arts, Math, Social Studies, Writing, Social Emotional Learning, Character Education, and more. Grade levels include Preschool through Transition and Adult.

About

Communication Buttons Expanded

Read full description

Communication Buttons is THE app for simple augmentative communication. Choose sets of 9, 16, 25 and 36 to use for touch communication. Each button can be customized with a picture and will accommodate voice recording – and you’re spontaneously communicating and demonstrating cause and effect. State “yes,” or “no,” sing a song or tell a story. Keep a lookout for additional versions with special options.

Screenshots

Boom Cards4 screens
Communication Buttons Expanded4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Boom Cards at Free against Communication Buttons Expanded's $6.99. Boom Cards also leads on update cadence (every 3 months vs every 27 months). Communication Buttons Expanded's advantage is iOS requirement (11.0 vs 13.0). On ads, in-app purchases and device support 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Boom Cards is free to download; Communication Buttons Expanded costs $6.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Boom Cards ships an update every 3 months, Communication Buttons Expanded every 27 months. The most recent releases landed on November 2, 2026 and November 6, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Boom Cards versus Communication Buttons Expanded: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBoom CardsCommunication Buttons Expanded
PriceFree — better$6.99
Rating3.3 (6 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews40.6% of reviews—
Number of ratings6 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 3 months — betterEvery 27 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS13.011.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size34 MB23 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperOmega Labs Inc.Preferred Mobile Applications, LLC

In-app purchases

None

Boom Cards

No in-app purchases

None

Communication Buttons Expanded

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Boom Cards free?
Boom Cards is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Communication Buttons Expanded free?
Communication Buttons Expanded costs $6.99, with no in-app purchases.
Do Boom Cards or Communication Buttons Expanded have ads?
Neither Boom Cards nor Communication Buttons Expanded shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Boom Cards or Communication Buttons Expanded?
Boom Cards ships an update every 3 months, and Communication Buttons Expanded every 27 months. Most recently, Boom Cards was updated on November 2, 2026 and Communication Buttons Expanded on November 6, 2026.

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