Comparison

Now and Next vs Colourful Semantics Classic

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

Head to head
About

Now and Next

This app provides a visual communication tool to articulate current and upcoming activities. It helps build cognitive skills and encourages speech and language development through engaging visuals and custom activity creation.

Highlights
  • Visual activity sequencing
  • Custom activity creation with own images
  • Over 60 pre-loaded activities
  • Timeline feature with automatic card progression
  • Optional sound notifications for activity changes
  • Supports early years and special education needs
Features
Read full description

Show a child what is happening now, and what is happening next. Now and Next takes the part of the day that is hardest to explain and makes it something a child can see. Put the current activity on one side of a card and the one that comes after it on the other, and β€œwe're leaving the playground after this” stops being an argument and becomes a picture to point at. Teachers and therapists usually call it a first-then board. It is the same idea, and the app does both. It was built by parents, and it is used at home, in preschool and elementary classrooms, and in therapy sessions: with autistic children, with children who have ADHD, with children whose speech and language is still developing, and with any young child whose day goes better when they can see it laid out. NOW AND NEXT CARDS Pick two activities and the card is made. Tap a picture to hear the activity read aloud. If your family or your classroom says something other than β€œNow” and β€œNext,” change the wording to the words you already use. CHOICE CARDS, WITH TWO OR THREE PICTURES Ask with pictures instead of words. A choice card is a visual choice board: a question and two or three activities to choose from β€” milk or water, playground or backyard, which book at bedtime β€” so a child can pick one by pointing. TIME LINE Put your cards in order and the Time Line runs the routine for you: a morning, the hour after school, a whole school day. Each card stays up for as long as you set, then moves on by itself, with an optional friendly sound as it changes. 60+ ACTIVITIES, AND ROOM FOR YOUR OWN More than 60 illustrated activities come with the app, covering home and school from breakfast and brushing teeth to school, nap time and the dentist. Your own are just as easy to add: take a photo, choose one from your library, or create a picture with Image Playground on supported devices. Name them in your own words, and organize them into categories that match your day. ACTIVITIES THAT SPEAK Activities and questions can be read aloud when they are tapped, in the voice you pick, so a card works for listening as well as looking. IN YOUR LANGUAGE The app follows your device language in English, German, French, Spanish, Dutch and Italian, including the names of the built-in activities. Anything you typed yourself stays exactly as you wrote it. BACKUP AND RESTORE Export everything you have built β€” activities, cards, choice cards, categories and the Time Line β€” and restore it on another iPhone or iPad, or on a new device. PRIVATE BY DESIGN No account, no sign-in and no ads. Your photos, activities and cards are kept on your device; nothing about them is collected or shared. A backup goes only where you choose to send it. ONE PURCHASE Now and Next is bought once. There is no subscription and nothing else to unlock, it works on both iPhone and iPad, and Family Sharing lets up to six family members use it.

About

Colourful Semantics Classic

Features
Read full description

Unlock the Power of Sentence Building with Colourful Semantics Classic! Get ready to boost sentence-building skills through fun, interactive activities! Using vibrant images and symbols, you can create a variety of scenarios that make learning engaging and enjoyable. Designed by a certified Speech-Language Therapist, these dynamic resources are perfect for speech and language therapy, classroom use, or even at home. Help learners improve sentence structure with ease! What is Colourful Semantics? It’s a proven approach to help learners master sentence construction and develop stronger writing skills in a way that's both fun and effective. So Simple, So Fun! Dive right inβ€”select an activity, and drag the right answers into place. Each activity is designed to be intuitive and entertaining, making learning feel like play. Tailored Just for You! Customise your experience by adjusting the TTS voice, choosing between American or British English, and modifying the activity length. You can even control which semantic elements appear, allowing you to tweak the difficulty level to fit your needs. Start building better sentences today with Colourful Semantics Classicβ€”where learning meets fun!

Screenshots

Now and Next4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Now and Next at $6.99 against Colourful Semantics Classic's $8.99. Now and Next also leads on device support (3 vs 1). On update cadence, ads, in-app purchases and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price Β· Rating Β· Positive reviews Β· Number of ratings Β· Update frequency Β· Ads Β· In-app purchases Β· Monetization Β· Best chart rank Β· Devices Β· Requires iOS

CostPrice Β· In-app purchases Β· Ads Β· Monetization

Now and Next costs $6.99 and Colourful Semantics Classic $8.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 14, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences Β· 6 level
Now and Next versus Colourful Semantics Classic: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterNow and NextColourful Semantics Classic
Price$6.99 β€” better$8.99
Positive reviews100.0% of reviewsβ€”
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 2 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidβ€”
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod β€” betteriPad
Requires iOS15.615.0 β€” better
Further details β€” not scored
Size25 MB260 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperPeter StanleyTherapy Box Limited

In-app purchases

None

Now and Next

No in-app purchases

None

Colourful Semantics Classic

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Now and Next free?
Now and Next costs $6.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Colourful Semantics Classic free?
Colourful Semantics Classic costs $8.99, with no in-app purchases.
Do Now and Next or Colourful Semantics Classic have ads?
Neither Now and Next nor Colourful Semantics Classic shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Now and Next or Colourful Semantics Classic?
Now and Next ships an update every 2 months, and Colourful Semantics Classic every 2 months. Most recently, Now and Next was updated on October 24, 2026 and Colourful Semantics Classic on October 14, 2026.

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