DropTalk vs CardTalking
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
DropTalk
This app provides a visual communication tool for individuals with autism and language disorders. It allows users to create and share custom communication boards using symbols with accompanying sounds, aiding in spoken language difficulties.
- Symbol-based communication boards
- Customizable canvases
- Audio output for symbols
- Multiple canvas types (communication, schedule, sketch, timer)
- Intuitive drag-and-drop editing
- Built-in 'CoCo' symbol set with Japanese voice
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DropTalk is free to use. You can download and use practical canvases from the Canvas Store to help children who have difficulty communicating. You can also share canvases you have already created. If you want to customize an existing canvas or create a new canvas, you will need to purchase one of the licenses through in-app purchases. License types: - Full version This is a one-time license. You can use all the features. You can create attractive canvases immediately. You can use it forever. - Monthly billing with free trial You can try it for free for one month. After that, you will be charged monthly. You can use all the features. Notes on license purchase: Payment after license purchase will be charged to your iTunes account. Notes on monthly billing: We offer a one-month free trial when you first register. No charges will be incurred during the free trial period. If you do not wish to continue, please cancel your monthly billing before the end of the free period. When the free trial period ends, monthly billing will automatically begin. ・Payment after purchase will be charged to your iTunes account. ・Monthly subscription will be automatically renewed unless cancelled 24 hours before the purchase date. ・You can manage your subscription from your App Store account settings and turn off auto-renewal. ・Automatic renewal fee will be charged 24 hours before the renewal date. ・When you become a paid member, any free trial period will be forfeited. ・You can purchase the full version even if you are registered for a monthly subscription, but please note that we cannot refund the monthly subscription payment. Privacy Policy: https://www.droptalk.jp/privacy_policy.html Terms of Use: https://www.droptalk.jp/toc.html ======== DropTalk is an AAC (Auxiliary and Alternative Communication) software that helps people with autism and language disorders who have difficulty communicating through spoken language. For communication with people with developmental disorders such as autism, it is effective to use visual information such as symbols or a device called VOCA that can express symbols and sounds together. DropTalk is a VOCA app that offers a wide range of functions. DropTalk comes with a built-in symbol set called "CoCo." The symbols come with friendly illustrations and Japanese voice. Symbols are placed on a screen called a canvas. You can choose from four types of canvas: a communication canvas for communicating with others, a schedule canvas for listing work items, a sketch canvas for free drawing, and a timer canvas for timer functions. A communication canvas is a canvas that arranges symbols in a grid. When you tap a symbol, a sound is played, helping you communicate with others. You can add multiple pages to a canvas, and you can switch between them by flicking. You can edit the canvas intuitively, such as swapping rows and columns with drag and drop. In the schedule canvas, you can list the steps of a task by item. Each item has a check box, so you can check off the completed items as you proceed. You can set the time and work time for each item. If you set a work time, you can use it as a timer.
CardTalking
This app provides visual support tools for children with autism, offering customizable boards for schedules, instructions, and choices. Parents and educators can create tailored courseware with built-in and custom cards to aid in training and communication.
- Visual Schedule boards
- First-Then Boards
- PECS Board for language training
- Reinforcer Choice Boards
- Customizable courseware layouts
- User-created cards and classifications
- Card sharing functionality
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CardTalking(former name is Blossoming) is a visual support tool for autism children, include First-Then Board, Visual Schedule, Visual Instruction, Reinforcer Choice Board and PECS Board. Parents or teachers can design special courseware to support or train child based on theire own requirement. There are lots of cards and courseware examples built in the App. And users can expand them unlimitedly. User can share cards after simple register/login. More functions and user guide as below: 1. This App is only support iPad/iPhone. Author have no play to develop version for other platforms. 2. First page is for child. Only courseware in use will be listed. 3. Parents or teacher can enter settings by shake iPhone/iPad, or triple clicking the screen with 3 fingers. Before the settings, one simple question is needed to prevent child to use it by mistake. 4. Materials are orignal version for all cards. Courseware is for sepcial trainning purpose. And the cards in courseware are from materials. 5. There are 5 kinds of coureseware: PECS Board, First-Then Board, Visual Schedule, Visual Instruction and Reinforcer Choice Board. 1) PECS Board is for language training. Child's operation is draging (or pressing, depends on the settings) the card needed to the sentence strip above, and then clicking the check button in top-right. Please read PECS introduction in the end of this page before you use it to train child. 2) First-Then Board to tell child 'xxx firstly, then xxx'. eg: wash hands firstly, then have lunch. 3) Visual Schedule defines the schedules of one day, or steps of some action. eg: steps of washing hands. a) Open the tap; b) Make hands wet... 4) Visual Instruction shows one card and one command to child. 5) Reinforcer Choice Board let child to choose one reinforcer as award in DTT. 6. The times can be used for card in PECS is settable. 'No Limit' means the card will back to box after check button clicked. But cards in 'Daily' can be used only one time everyday. 'Daily' is used to control the quantity of snacks or games child wants. 7. Parents or teachers can set operation mode for PECS courseware . There are two options, 'Drag' and 'Press'. if 'Drag', child need to drag the card to sentence strip. if 'Press', child only need to press the card, and it will fly to sentence strip automatically. 8. The layout of some coursewares is customizable. It can be 1x1, 2x2, 3x3 or 3x5. You can put some blank card into courseware if needed. 9. Teachers can prepare different coursewares for different children. Click the Edit button in courseware list page,and then coursewares will be draggable. The coursewares in not used(hidden) section won't appear in first page. 10. The App has some built-in cards. Parents and teachers can add his own classifications and cards, or edit existing ones. 11. While editing card, click the existing picture can take photo to replace it. 12. Sharing card is appreciated. 13. The built-in cards are from Internet. If it infringe your copyright, please tell me. 14. The coureseware and cards added by you are stored in your device only. Please don't uninstall this App, or they will lost. 15. Please don't use this App for other purpose. More about PECS (Picture Exchange Communication System), please visit: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Picture_Exchange_Communication_System
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: CardTalking at 2.0 against DropTalk's 1.0. CardTalking also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 8) and ratings volume (5 vs 1). DropTalk's advantage is review sentiment (25% vs 0%). On price, update cadence, ads 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
Both are free to download. DropTalk sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $1.49 per month. CardTalking asks for nothing beyond the download.
CardTalking holds the better App Store score, 2.0 against 1.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: CardTalking has 5 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 25% of DropTalk's written reviews are positive against 0% of CardTalking's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
DropTalk ships an update fortnightly, CardTalking every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on August 29, 2026 and September 10, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | DropTalk | CardTalking |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 1.0 (1 ratings) | 2.0 (5 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 25.0% of reviews — better | 0.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 1 | 5 — better |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly — better | Every 2 weeks |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 | 9.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 425 MB | 81 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | HMDT Co., Ltd. | 章晟 潘 |
Customer experience
DropTalk
CardTalking
In-app purchases
DropTalk
- フルバージョン 月額課金1 Month trial3 variants$1.491 Month
- 移行者向けフルバージョンFree
- Dropsシンボル(標準)$11.99
- ベーシックバージョン$12.99
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- フルバージョン2 variants$19.99
CardTalking
No in-app purchases









