Comparison

ASL Handshape Games vs Visual LightPad

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

Head to head
About

ASL Handshape Games

Interactive penguin-themed games designed to enhance ASL handshape recognition and build sign and print vocabulary. These dual-language games are co-designed with Deaf children to foster early language and literacy skills.

Highlights
  • ASL handshape recognition
  • Sign and print vocabulary learning
  • Interactive penguin-themed games
  • Dual language (ASL-English)
  • Progressive difficulty levels
  • Memory and matching challenges
Features
Read full description

Co-designed with Deaf children, these dual language (ASL-English) games target ASL handshape recognition and sign and print vocabulary learning! This bundle includes 3 interactive penguin-themed games that encourage ASL handshape recognition, awareness of visual language patterns, and sign and print vocabulary learning - all important early language and literacy skills! Endless Waddle: Players must help the penguin move through 3 lanes on an icefield and select one picture/text (from a choice of 3) that matches a target ASL handshape. Beware of ice holes! Hungry Penguins: Penguins are standing along a shore and are waiting to be fed! But these penguins are picky eaters! They'll only eat fish whose picture/text matches the ASL handshape on their belly. Memory Match: Test your ASL handshape knowledge with this game of memory and concentration. Build your memory skills while improving your sign vocabulary and/or your print vocabulary. Hungry Penguins and Memory Match feature 2 gameplay options: Picture mode or Text mode supporting sign and/or print vocabulary learning and practice! Note: This app does not contain any audio.

About

Visual LightPad

Features
Read full description

Visual LightPad creates a bright illuminated surface for developing visual perceptual and visual motor skills in people with visual impairment. It's a cheaper alternative to expensive, dedicated hardware visual impairment light boxes. Think of it as a digital light box! Adjust Visual LightPad's brightness and color, then place semi transparent toys, numbers or letters on the iPad's screen. Where colors become difficult, open the color picker and change the background color to something that accentuates the toys. Where hardware light boxes can be associated with work, iPads tend to be associated with play. Visual LightPad helps develop awareness to color and light, but using objects also helps in the development of visual perceptual skills, hand eye coordination, and both visual scanning and tracking. Visual LightPad can also be used for; - Reading content printed onto acetate - Providing a reading backlight when paper documents are placed on top of it - Photo negative illumination - Sensory / mood lighting Visual LightPad is purposefully easy to use and relatively low on features. It supports presets for easy saving and recall of preferred settings. It is designed to run on iPad, but also runs on iPhone - meaning you can keep a small light box in your pocket at all times.

Screenshots

ASL Handshape Games4 screens
Visual LightPad1 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Visual LightPad at Free against ASL Handshape Games's $2.99. Visual LightPad also leads on update cadence (weekly vs every 32 months). ASL Handshape Games's advantage is iOS requirement (15.6 vs 17.0). 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

Visual LightPad is free to download; ASL Handshape Games costs $2.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

ASL Handshape Games ships an update every 32 months, Visual LightPad weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 6, 2026 and October 4, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
ASL Handshape Games versus Visual LightPad: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterASL Handshape GamesVisual LightPad
Price$2.99Free — better
Rating4.0 (1 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings1 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 32 monthsWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaid—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.6 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size316 MB3 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSign2Read Literacy Initiatives, Inc.AW Games

In-app purchases

None

ASL Handshape Games

No in-app purchases

None

Visual LightPad

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is ASL Handshape Games free?
ASL Handshape Games costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Visual LightPad free?
Visual LightPad is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do ASL Handshape Games or Visual LightPad have ads?
Neither ASL Handshape Games nor Visual LightPad shows ads.
Which is updated more often, ASL Handshape Games or Visual LightPad?
ASL Handshape Games ships an update every 32 months, and Visual LightPad weekly. Most recently, ASL Handshape Games was updated on October 6, 2026 and Visual LightPad on October 4, 2026.

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