Shape Coding Lite vs TD Talk
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Shape Coding Lite
This app uses a visual coding system to help children and young people with language disorders improve sentence structure and grammar. It employs colors, arrows, lines, and shapes to represent word classes, tense, and sentence structure, aiding in understanding and producing English sentences.
- Visual coding system for grammar
- Color-coded word classes
- Arrow indicators for tense
- Line indicators for plurality
- Shape indicators for syntax
- Text-to-speech functionality
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SHAPE CODING® Lite is a free demonstration version of the full SHAPE CODING® app. This is designed for teachers and speech and language therapists / pathologists to use with children and young people who are having difficulties producing and understanding English sentence structure and grammar. As with the full SHAPE CODING® app, it uses the SHAPE CODING® system which has been shown in several research projects to help children and young people with language disorders increase the length and complexity of sentences they can understand and use and improve the accuracy of their sentence production. The SHAPE CODING® Lite app has less functionality and flexibility than the full SHAPE CODING® app but can be used to form simple sentences. The SHAPE CODING® system uses a visual coding system to show the rules for how words are put together in sentences, to develop the child’s understanding of spoken and written grammar and to develop their ability to use grammar successfully to express themselves. The system includes use of colours (word classes), arrows (tense and aspect) , lines (singular and plural) and shapes (syntactic structure). These are all included in the app (although not all are enabled in the Lite version), but the professional controlling the app can choose which features display for the student, so that it is personalised to their current levels and targets. Settings are preserved for the student between uses. The Lite app allows only a single teacher and student, but the full version can have multiple teachers and students. The SHAPE CODING® Lite app is equipped with a basic set of words which can be inserted into those shapes which are enabled to make simple sentences. A much wider range of shape options are enabled in the full version than the Lite version, so more grammatical rules can be taught and more complex sentences created. The app uses text-to-speech, so that students who struggle to read can also use the app. This app assumes a certain degree of familiarity with the SHAPE CODING system. For more information see www.shapecoding.com. Training on how to use the SHAPE CODING(R) system is available from https://training.moorhouseinstitute.co.uk/. For a demonstration of the features of the full version of the app (some of which are also enabled in the Lite version), see: https://shapecoding.com/demo-videos/, and for Frequently Asked Questions see: https://shapecoding.com/app-info/faqs/ Follow us on Twitter @ShapeCoding, Facebook @ShapeCoding and Instagram @shape_coding or if you have any problems or feedback, please contact us at training@moorhouseschool.co.uk Please review our privacy policy https://shapecoding.com/privacy-policy-apple/
TD Talk
This app enables communication for individuals unable to use their voice or hands. It offers text-to-speech functionality through eye-tracking or touch input, supporting a wide range of languages and voices for natural conversation.
- Eye-tracking communication
- Touch input for typing
- Customized predictive sentence construction
- In-sentence editing
- 35+ languages and voices
- Face-to-face conversation mode
- QuickMessages for common phrases
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TD Talk is a text to speech app that empowers people to talk using just their eyes or fingers. It’s designed for literate adults who cannot use their voice, their hands or both, including people with disabilities such as ALS/MND, multiple sclerosis, muscular dystrophy, cerebral palsy and locked-in syndrome. When used with TD Pilot, an iPad-based, eye tracking-enabled speech generating device by Tobii Dynavox, it unlocks the ability to: • talk using just your eyes via the world’s leading eye tracking technology • talk using just your fingers, by typing the words you want to speak • join any conversation with fast, customized, predictive sentence construction • correct typos with in-sentence editing using just your eyes • express yourself in 35+ languages and voices • have face-to-face conversations via the Partner Window on a TD Pilot device Join the conversation TD Talk empowers people to communicate who they are and what they want to say, in the most fluid way possible: Converse naturally • participate naturally in dialogue by displaying your typed text to your conversation partner in the rear-facing Partner Window on a TD Pilot device • select your language of choice and switch to it seamlessly Express yourself quickly • remain an active part of any conversation with the ability to use predicted text and to edit errors directly within a sentence • maintain a more natural speaking pace with QuickMessages, pre-programmed common and custom phrases such as ‘I need help’ and ‘wait please, I’m typing’ Sound like yourself • express yourself more fluidly thanks to phrase prediction, which learns and adapts to your personal communication style • choose from a selection of voices to find one you most identify with • Import a custom synthetic voice that mimics your natural one with voice banking from one of the following vendors: Acapela (my-own-voice), Model Talker, The Voice Keeper, ElevenLabs Using TD Talk without TD Pilot Some people may want to try TD Talk on an iPad without using TD Pilot, such as: • those with progressive degenerative conditions transitioning from touch to eye gaze access • clinicians who want to try TD Talk on behalf of their clients • hospitals and other institutions PLEASE NOTE, using TD Talk on an iPad without the TD Pilot device will mean: • touch access only (no eye tracking access) • a smaller selection of languages and voices For more information Visit: us.tobiidynavox.com/products/td-talk Customer support: us.tobiidynavox.com/pages/contact-us
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: TD Talk at 75% against Shape Coding Lite's 0%. TD Talk also leads on update cadence (every 6 weeks vs every 7 months). Shape Coding Lite's advantage is device support (3 vs 1) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 17.2). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Shape Coding Lite ships an update every 7 months, TD Talk every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 26, 2026 and September 16, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Shape Coding Lite | TD Talk |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | — | 4.1 (10 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 0.0% of reviews | 75.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | — | 10 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 7 months | Every 6 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPad |
| Requires iOS | 12.0 — better | 17.2 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 357 MB | 305 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Moor House School & College | Tobii Dynavox LLC |
Customer experience
Shape Coding Lite
TD Talk
In-app purchases
Shape Coding Lite
No in-app purchases
TD Talk
No in-app purchases







