Comparison

North Monastery vs Pic

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

Head to head
About

North Monastery

Features
Read full description

The North Monastery Secondary School App gives parents a single point of contact to receive news, updates, and notifications from the school. The calendar allows you to view and copy school events to your personal calendar. The app also provides quick access to the school's social media accounts and direct contact information. History The North Monastery CBS is an all-boys mainstream secondary school incorporating an autism unit, in the north side of Cork city. Founded in 1811 when Brother Jerome O’Connor and Brother John Baptist Leonard were given charge of a school in Chapel Lane by the Bishop of Cork, Rev. Dr. Moylan. Seventeen students attended on the first day. In 1814 a fourteen acre sloping site was acquired from a wealthy Catholic businessman, Sir George Gould Bart, and a new school was built. The North Monastery had found its permanent home. An outbreak of typhus fever in the city in 1816 saw the school being used as a temporary hospital. Br. Gerald Griffin, the celebrated poet and novelist became a member of the North Monastery in 1839. He was a sick man before he arrived and died on 12th June 1840 in his 37th year. His remains are interred in the cemetery in the grounds of the North Mon. It was shortly after the death of Gerald Griffin that Daniel O’Connell visited the ‘Mon’ with the Founder of the Order, Br. Edmund Rice. Ethos From this early stage the ethos of the ‘Mon’ was established and was based on the core values of Edmund Rice, the founder of the Christian Brother’s Schools. Our ethos is one that values and prizes each student as an individual created and blessed by God. Ultimately, the ‘Mon’ is dedicated to the pursuit of excellence in all areas of teaching and learning by means of developing the child’s self esteem and allowing their gifts to flourish, in an environment that promotes personal growth and self accomplishment. Throughout the history of the ‘Mon’ past students have excelled in areas of politics, science, engineering, business, sport and the arts. Just to name a few: In politics, the Mon has had several former students taking the role of Lord Mayors with two of them, Tomas MacCurtain (1884-1920) and Terence MacSwiney (1879-1920). The North Mon is also one of only ten schools that can boast a Taoiseach among its alumni, Jack Lynch (1917-1999). Also prominent, in academic life is Professor Finbar Bradley, Dean of Engineering NUI Maynooth and former professor at both DCU and UCD. Professor Tadhg Begley (past winner of the BT Young Scientist) who is professor of Chemistry at both Cornell University and Texas A & M University; Professor Patrick Fottrell, former Professor of Biochemistry at NUI Galway who between 1996 and 2000 was president of that college, and Dr. Neil Buttimer, lecturer in Irish at University College Cork are all ‘Mon’ past students. In business, Paddy Hayes, who has served as Chairman of Aer Lingus, Waterford Wedgwood, and Ford Ireland. In 2007 John Mullins was appointed CEO of Bord Gais. Dick Lehane, another former student was the senior vice-president of EMC. Joe Crockett, city and county manager in Kilkenny and Seamus Parker, former head of Revenue in Dublin City. In all the North Monastery is very proud of the success students have attained and is fully committed to their students in realising their full potential in an environment that values each and every student both academically and their own personal development.

About

Pic

This communication aid helps non-verbal children with speech and language disorders express themselves using pictures. It offers extensive customization options to tailor the experience to individual needs. Full access requires a subscription.

Highlights
  • Picture-based communication
  • Customization options
  • Supports various speech disorders
  • Subscription access
  • Free trial available
Features
Read full description

Pic-A-Talk is an augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) mobile application for non-verbal kids who have speech and language disorders, like children with autism, speech apraxia, down syndrome, cerebral palsy, and more. Access to all features, including customization, requires a monthly or yearly subscription. - Payment will be charged to your Apple account. - Subscription renews automatically unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current billing period. - Subscription can be managed by going to your App Store Account Settings. - Any unused portion of a free trial period, if offered, will be forfeited when the user purchases a subscription to that publication, where applicable. Terms of Service: https://pic-a-talk.com/terms-and-conditions/

Screenshots

North Monastery4 screens
Pic2 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: North Monastery at none against Pic's 4. Pic's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 19 months). On price, device support and iOS requirement 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. Pic sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $19.99 per month. North Monastery asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

North Monastery ships an update every 19 months, Pic every 3 weeks. Both last shipped on November 7, 2026.

Scorecard3 real differences · 6 level
North Monastery versus Pic: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterNorth MonasteryPic
PriceFreeFree
Rating—1.0 (1 ratings) — better
Number of ratings—1 — better
Update frequencyEvery 19 monthsEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
Monetization—Subscription
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS14.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size40 MB104 MB
Age rating17+4+
DeveloperNorth Monastery Secondary SchoolAdobokashi Systems, Inc

In-app purchases

None

North Monastery

No in-app purchases

4 purchases

Pic

Subscriptions4
  • Family - Monthly7 Days trial$19.991 Month
  • Teacher - Monthly7 Days trial$19.991 Month
  • Family - Yearly1 Year trial$99.991 Year
Show 1 more
  • Teacher - Yearly1 Year trial$99.991 Year

Questions

Is North Monastery free?
North Monastery is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Pic free?
Pic is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do North Monastery or Pic have ads?
North Monastery shows ads; Pic does not.
Which is updated more often, North Monastery or Pic?
North Monastery ships an update every 19 months, and Pic every 3 weeks. Most recently, North Monastery was updated on November 7, 2026 and Pic on November 7, 2026.

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