Comparison

Speech Blubs vs First Words

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

Head to head
About

Speech Blubs

This voice-controlled app helps children aged 1-8 learn new sounds and words through engaging video modeling and interactive exercises. It offers a safe, ad-free learning environment with positive reinforcement and access to a vast library of activities and parent resources.

Highlights
  • Voice-controlled speech therapy
  • Video modeling for learning
  • 1500+ exercises and activities
  • Face filters and mini-games
  • Parent's Academy with articles
  • Positive reinforcement system
  • Multiple language options
Features
Read full description

WHAT DOES SPEECH BLUBS OFFER? Speech Blubs is a voice-controlled speech therapy app designed to help your child learn new sounds and words, and to practice speaking in a stimulating, educational environment. **FEATURED IN** Autism Parenting Magazine, Brisbane Kids, Speech Chick Therapy, Beautiful Speech Life, and The Speech Teacher. Awarded the Social Impact Award and supported by the Facebook Start Program, and winner of the “Safe for Children” certificate, the Mom’s Choice Award, the Parent’s Picks 2020 Award Winner, and techozens.com’s “Best and Trusted Speech Therapy App for Kids. WHY LEARN WITH SPEECH BLUBS? Our app was created with speech therapists, teachers, & parents, and uses video modeling for effective speech development. Our apps have zero ads and no flashy features, thus providing a safe and non-intrusive learning experience. We use ABA therapy-inspired positive reinforcement that rewards kids with fun games and stickers for trying. Having the app at your fingertips makes it easy to practice in a routine that suits you, and helps avoid stressful disruptions that can upset your child. Our apps use multiple child and platform support, so with one sign-in ALL of your kids can use the app, no matter if it's on your device, a partner’s, or grandparents’. One sign-in also includes our new reading app READING BLUBS – designed with over 200 teachers and literacy experts. You can now get access to language versions in US and UK English, Spanish, French, & (Brazilian) Portuguese. KEY FEATURES: Parents’ Academy: A newly-added parent section provides access to an ever-growing content library of 350+ articles on parenting, homeschooling, education, speech therapy, and more. All written by 20+ speech and teaching professionals. Also, check out our practical video tips! Kids’ area: There are over 1500+ exercises, activities, videos, mini-games, and dozens of NEW face filters. We have lions, firefighters, monkeys, giraffes, hats, glasses, and more. Also, the app’s look and feel is even more child-friendly and engaging. There are some new animal characters to guide and motivate kids through exercises to achieve learning goals and make learning fun! Choose from 28 fun sections: Early Sounds, When I Grow Up, Get into Shapes, Living Colors, Yummy Time, This Is My Body, Mouth Gym, Animal Kingdom, Ride Your Wheels, Sing-Along, and many more! SCIENTIFICALLY-PROVEN LEARNING TECHNIQUES Speech Blubs uses video modeling for immersive learning, where children observe their peers as “teachers'' on video. When children watch their peers in real-time, their MIRROR NEURONS fire up! This scientifically proven and effective approach was confirmed in a UCLA study published by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association and showed that kids learn faster and better when learning from other kids. SUBSCRIPTION, PRICING, & TERMS With Speech Blubs membership you get a free personalized report with tips & tricks, plus unlimited access to all the activities to try our app. Your subscription automatically renews unless the auto-renew feature is turned off at least 24 hrs. before the end of the current period. The account will be charged for renewal within 24 hrs. before the end of the current period. Payment will be charged to your iTunes Account at the confirmation of purchase. Subscriptions may be managed by the user and auto-renewal may be turned off by going to the user’s Account Settings after purchase. Any unused portion of a free trial period will be forfeited when the user purchases a subscription to that publication. WE HELP CHILDREN LEARN TO SPEAK & READ! Read our full Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy here: https://speechblubs.com/legal

About

First Words

This app offers a ten-week program to support your baby's language development from infancy to toddlerhood. It provides weekly videos, baby sign language, and engaging activities to help nurture first words and communication skills.

Highlights
  • Ten-week language development program
  • Weekly video tutorials
  • Baby sign language (40 key signs)
  • Interactive book-sharing sessions
  • Hands-on, playful activities
  • Book recommendations for language learning
  • Progress tracking for first words
Features
Read full description

Talkable is a Speech Therapy app to help you support your baby’s first words through weekly videos and baby sign language. Give your little one the best start to life and maximise your baby or toddler’s learning. The Talkable speech therapy app offers a comprehensive ten-week program designed to enrich your baby’s language development journey from infancy through toddlerhood (0 to 3 years). Every week, you'll discover new strategies to nurture your little one's first words through easy-to-understand video tutorials, interactive book-sharing sessions, baby sign language, and engaging activities. With the Talkable speech therapy app, you can expect to: - Access a diverse toolkit tailored to support first words for your baby or toddler. - Embrace the world of baby sign language, with an introduction to 40 key signs that help first words for babies and toddlers. - Explore the joy of reading and bonding with your child, while also fostering first words for your baby or toddler. - Engage in a variety of hands-on, playful activities that captivate your little one's interest and curiosity. - Discover a range of books ideal for encouraging your baby or toddler’s first words. - Keep track of your baby’s first words effortlessly. - Learn ways to support your little one with autism or speech delay. Whether you're a parent, caregiver, or childcare worker, the Talkable speech therapy app caters to your needs in nurturing the language skills of babies and toddlers - particularly in the development of their first words. It's also a valuable resource if your toddler is experiencing delays and needs speech therapy. The Talkable speech therapy app has been developed by Karen Nitsche, a Speech Therapist and child development researcher with over 20 years’ experience. Baby Sign Language Learning baby sign language with your little one is a great way to communicate with them before first words. Baby sign language also helps reduce your toddler’s frustration. It can even stop toddler tantrums because your little one can communicate with you in a way that you understand. This speech therapy app is also great when starting baby led weaning with your little one. Use baby sign language to help your baby communicate what foods they like and when they are “all done”. Best Books for Babies and Toddlers Through this speech therapy app you will discover weekly book ideas that will help your baby learn their first words. Research tells us that babies and toddlers who are read to learn first words quicker. Little ones who are read to also develop phonics and literacy skills and learn to read quicker. Speech Therapy We know that early intervention speech therapy is the best way to help when: - your baby is not babbling at 6 months - your toddler is not saying first words at 1 year - your little one is not speaking sentences at 3 Early intervention speech therapy helps because in the first 5 years of life your child’s brain is developing and growing rapidly. Speech Therapy at Home The Talkable speech therapy app is great for all parents because it shows you what to do every day with your little one to support the development of their first words. Training for Childcare Workers This speech therapy app is perfect for childcare workers because: - childcare workers can learn in their own time - videos show you exactly what to do - baby sign language can be used at your childcare centre Who else will benefit from this speech therapy app? If you have: - A child with Down Syndrome who is late to talk - A child with autism not saying any words yet - A child with global developmental delay who is not talking Talkable is the best speech therapy app for you.

Screenshots

Speech Blubs4 screens
First Words4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Speech Blubs at Free against First Words's $19.00. Speech Blubs also leads on update cadence (every 8 days vs every 8 months) and ratings volume (57K vs 1). First Words's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 12) and ads (none vs shown). On 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

Speech Blubs is free to download; First Words costs $19.00 up front. Speech Blubs sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $14.49 per month. First Words asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

First Words holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Speech Blubs has 57K ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 67% of Speech Blubs's written reviews are positive against 100% of First Words's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Speech Blubs ships an update every 8 days, First Words every 8 months. The most recent releases landed on September 27, 2026 and September 16, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard10 real differences · 1 level
Speech Blubs versus First Words: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSpeech BlubsFirst Words
PriceFree — better$19.00
Rating4.6 (57K ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews67.4% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings57K — better1
Update frequencyEvery 8 days — betterEvery 8 months
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationSubscriptionPaid — better
Best chart rank#37 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS16.613.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size305 MB25 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperBlub Blub Inc.Karen Nitsche

Customer experience

Speech Blubs

All ratings56,514 ratings
Positive90.7%
Neutral3.7%
Negative5.6%
Written reviews2,032 reviews
Positive67.4%
Neutral5.5%
Negative27.2%

First Words

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews4 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

Speech Blubs

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • App crashes and freezes
  • Microphone and camera issues
  • Inconsistent functionality across devices
  • Billing and subscription problems

Requested features

6 requests
  • More diverse and age-appropriate content
  • Ability to focus on specific speech sounds
  • Offline mode
  • Better volume and audio controls
  • Improved parental controls and child lock
Show 1 more
  • Syncing across multiple devices

First Words

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

6 purchases

Speech Blubs

Subscriptions6
  • Show of Support - Monthly5 variants$14.491 Month
  • Boost your child's speech!$14.491 Month
  • Show of Support - Monthly7 Days trial$14.491 Month
Show 3 more
  • Show of Support - Monthly1 Month trial$14.491 Month
  • Show of Support - Annual$29.491 Year
  • Show of Support - Annual7 Days trial2 variants$59.991 Year
None

First Words

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Speech Blubs free?
Speech Blubs is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is First Words free?
First Words costs $19.00, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Speech Blubs or First Words?
First Words is rated higher. Speech Blubs averages 4.6 out of 5 from 57K ratings, while First Words averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do Speech Blubs or First Words have ads?
Speech Blubs shows ads; First Words does not.
Which is updated more often, Speech Blubs or First Words?
Speech Blubs ships an update every 8 days, and First Words every 8 months. Most recently, Speech Blubs was updated on September 27, 2026 and First Words on September 16, 2026.

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