Comparison

Articulation Station Hive vs Sona

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

Head to head
About

Articulation Station Hive

This app provides a comprehensive suite of tools and activities designed to improve speech clarity for learners of all ages. It offers a wide range of exercises targeting consonants and vowels from isolation to conversation levels, with features for tracking progress and sharing results.

Highlights
  • 17 targeted speech activities
  • Isolation, syllable, word, phrase, sentence, story, and conversation levels
  • Visual and auditory cues
  • Minimal pairs and phonological process practice
  • Custom word and image support
  • Progress tracking and recording
  • Group session support (Pro tier)
Features
Read full description

Articulation Station Hive is the most comprehensive speech therapy app on the App Store. It has all the tools and activities needed to teach learners of all ages how to speak more clearly. To start with, it has 17 different activities to target speech in both consonants and vowels from the isolation level through the conversation level. ARTICULATION STATION HIVE OFFERS: ISOLATION ACTIVITIES: - Hand cues provide a video model with a hand cue for each sound. - Picture cues offer fun animated illustrations for each sound. - Letter cues pair the letter with the sound in a playful way. SYLLABLE ACTIVITIES: - Syllable sliders allow learners to slide 2 sounds together to make a word. - Syllable spinners allow learners to spin 1, 2, and 3 syllable combinations. WORD ACTIVITIES: - Minimal Pairs illustrate the subtle differences sounds in words make. - Flashcards provide a quick and reliable tool for focused repetition. - Matching games (3 levels) keep kids (and adults) engaged in the activity. PHRASE ACTIVITIES: - Rotating phrases allow learners to spin a lead word and a target word for a limitless number of two word combinations. - Unique phrases are three-word descriptive phrases that are perfect for addressing both speech and language goals. SENTENCE ACTIVITIES: - Fixed rotating sentences are like long “carrier phrases” where the sentence stays the same and only one target word changes. - Mixed rotating sentences mix things up. With each spin a new pronoun, verb, adjective and target word spin into position. - Unique sentences are usually longer and at times more complex than the rotating sentences. STORY ACTIVITIES: - Level 1 stories are short, rhyming, and sometimes repetitive stories paired with picture prompts. - Level 2 stories are longer stories with larger vocabulary and even more opportunities to practice the target sound. CONVERSATION ACTIVITIES: - Conversation scenes allow the learner to scroll from right to left to explore the scene. Speech samples can be recorded, saved and scored. - Conversation questions offer four different types of questions. ADDITIONAL ACTIVITIES & RESOURCES: - Phonological processes may be practiced in single words or with minimal pairs. - Multiple sounds allow learners to practice multiple sounds at a time at the word, phrase, or sentence level. - Custom words allow you to add images and words to help personalize the app. - Group sessions allow you to work with groups of students up to 6 at a time. *Pro tier only. - Themes include seasonal themes, holiday themes, just-for-fun themes, and multiple colored backgrounds. *illustrated themes are iPad only. SCORES: - View a summary of all your students’ sessions, and see graphs of your students’ performances on all targeted sounds. - View session details including all the correct, approximate, and incorrect responses. - Write and view notes, listen to recordings, and repeat sessions. - Share progress and notes with parents or adult users. We’re proud to offer Articulation Station Hive as part of the Little Bee Hive membership which includes access to both Articulation Station Hive and Articulation Test Center Hive in the Pro tier. If you are already subscribed to Articulation Test Center Hive you may download and login to Articulation Station Hive with your same login information at no additional cost. SUBSCRIPTION, PRICING & TERMS: Articulation Station Hive offers a 14-day free trial which includes unlimited access to both Articulation Station Hive and Articulation Test Center Hive. The subscription automatically renews unless the auto-renew feature is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Payment will be charged to your Apple account at the end of your 14-day trial period. Subscriptions may be managed by the user and auto-renewal may be turned off at any time.

About

Sona

This app transforms at-home speech practice into engaging games for children, guided by a pediatric speech-language pathologist. It offers various playful activities designed to help children practice specific speech sounds, with a parent-controlled section for progress tracking and customization.

Highlights
  • Playful speech practice games
  • Child-friendly bird character
  • Targeted speech sound practice
  • Age-appropriate game modes
  • Parental control and progress tracking
  • Developed with speech-language pathologist
Features
Read full description

PICK A GAME Open Sona and choose what to play. PRACTICE YOUR SOUND Choose speech sounds to work on, including R, S, L, SH, CH, TH, and more. TRY IT FREE. Subscribers receive a 7-day free trial, followed by US$9.99 per month. Sona is an at-home practice tool. It does not diagnose speech conditions or replace care from a speech-language pathologist. Privacy Policy: https://www.speaksona.com/privacy Terms of Use: https://www.speaksona.com/terms

Screenshots

Articulation Station Hive4 screens
Sona4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Sona at 100% against Articulation Station Hive's 63%. Sona also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.5) and update cadence (every 3 days vs monthly). Articulation Station Hive's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and ratings volume (632 vs 9). On price, in-app purchases, monetization model 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

Both are free to download. Articulation Station Hive sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month and Sona sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Sona holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Articulation Station Hive has 632 ratings behind it against 9, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 63% of Articulation Station Hive's written reviews are positive against 100% of Sona's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Articulation Station Hive ships an update monthly, Sona every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on October 25, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Articulation Station Hive versus Sona: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterArticulation Station HiveSona
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (632 ratings)5.0 (9 ratings) — better
Positive reviews63.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings632 — better9
Update frequencyMonthlyEvery 3 days — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS16.015.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size638 MB53 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperLittle Bee SpeechTravis Wardrop

Customer experience

Articulation Station Hive

All ratings552 ratings
Positive86.6%
Neutral4.9%
Negative8.5%
Written reviews108 reviews
Positive63.0%
Neutral10.2%
Negative26.9%

Sona

All ratings9 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews7 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

Articulation Station Hive

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Login/sign-up issues
  • Compatibility problems with newer iOS versions
  • Data loss or inability to access previous sessions

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add more words and vocabulary
  • Include British accent options
  • Allow one-time purchase option
  • Improve navigation and flow
  • Add more games and interactive activities

Sona

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

4 purchases

Articulation Station Hive

Subscriptions4
  • Hive Parent (Monthly)14 Days trial$9.991 Month
  • Hive Pro (Monthly)14 Days trial$14.991 Month
  • Hive Parent (Yearly)14 Days trial$83.991 Year
Show 1 more
  • Hive Pro (Yearly)14 Days trial$119.991 Year
3 purchases

Sona

Subscriptions2
  • Sona Monthly7 Days trial$9.991 Month
  • Sona Yearly3 Days trial$59.991 Year
One-time1
  • Sona Premium, One Payment$59.99

Questions

Is Articulation Station Hive free?
Articulation Station Hive is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Sona free?
Sona is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Articulation Station Hive or Sona?
Sona is rated higher. Articulation Station Hive averages 4.5 out of 5 from 632 ratings, while Sona averages 5.0 from 9 ratings.
Do Articulation Station Hive or Sona have ads?
Sona shows ads; Articulation Station Hive does not.
Which is updated more often, Articulation Station Hive or Sona?
Articulation Station Hive ships an update monthly, and Sona every 3 days. Most recently, Articulation Station Hive was updated on October 25, 2026 and Sona on October 24, 2026.

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