SoundingBoard vs RadSounds Cause/Effect
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
SoundingBoard
Create custom communication boards quickly using pre-made symbols or your own words. This app provides a powerful tool for individuals needing alternative communication methods. It supports switch access for enhanced usability.
- Customizable communication boards
- AbleNet symbol integration
- User-added words
- Switch access support
- Compatible with AbleNet Blue2 Switch
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SoundingBoard transforms your iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad into the latest in communication technology. In just minutes, you can create custom boards using AbleNet symbols or your own words. Perfect for children in special education, persons on the autism spectrum, and adults with disabilities. SoundingBoard includes switch access and is compatible with the AbleNet Blue2 Switch.
RadSounds Cause/Effect
This music program allows users to create custom playlists by recording, importing, or using provided songs. It offers multiple playback modes and is switch-friendly for individuals with physical challenges.
- Customizable music playlists
- Record or import audio
- Momentary playback mode
- Timed playback mode
- Advanced playlist cycling
- Switch-friendly access
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RadSounds is the world's greatest cause/effect music program for special needs learners. You can customize your playlist by recording or singing new music to your iPad, importing from your iPad's music library, or use the many great songs that we provide, from many types. There is Momentary mode, where the music plays for only the time you hold your finger on the iPad, Timed mode, where the music plays for a specified number of seconds upon each activation, or an advanced mode where the user chooses songs by cycling through their playlist. RadSounds is *switch-friendly*, that is, for those with physical challenges, a switch (or button) can be plugged into our iPad Switch Interface for cordless access to switch-friendly apps.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: SoundingBoard at Free against RadSounds Cause/Effect's $1.99. SoundingBoard also leads on update cadence (every 3 months vs every 11 months) and ratings volume (34 vs 1). RadSounds Cause/Effect's advantage is rating (5.0 vs 3.5) and in-app purchases (none vs 10). On ads 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
SoundingBoard is free to download; RadSounds Cause/Effect costs $1.99 up front. SoundingBoard sells 10 one-off in-app purchases. RadSounds Cause/Effect asks for nothing beyond the download.
RadSounds Cause/Effect holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: SoundingBoard has 34 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 48% of SoundingBoard's written reviews are positive against 78% of RadSounds Cause/Effect's.
SoundingBoard ships an update every 3 months, RadSounds Cause/Effect every 11 months. The most recent releases landed on October 6, 2026 and October 2, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | SoundingBoard | RadSounds Cause/Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free — better | $1.99 |
| Rating | 3.5 (34 ratings) | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 48.2% of reviews | 77.8% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 34 — better | 1 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months — better | Every 11 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases — better | Paid |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPad |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 9.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 26 MB | 121 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | AbleNet | RJ Cooper & Associates, Inc. |
Customer experience
SoundingBoard
RadSounds Cause/Effect
Bugs and requests
SoundingBoard
Reported bugs
19 issues- App crashing on startup after purchase
- Folders not saving changes
- Created boards disappearing
- Edit lock not working, student can edit pictures
- Cannot record voice over preloaded boards
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- App crashes after in-app purchase
- App crashes every time going into the app
- User created boards not showing up correctly
- Cannot record voice, does not save
- Cannot create new boards with new symbols, save button does nothing
- Sound quit working on iPad 2 with OS 6
- Two touches needed to activate icon/button
- Last time content was added, it didn't work
- Recordings play back very quietly
- Audio does not work at all
- Does not work on iPod touch
- Images are small, cells are small, does not utilize entire screen
- Difficult to get back to the home screen
- Losing new pages after saving
Requested features
20 requests- Large button icons for board selection
- Login system to save boards across platforms
- Ability to log in and save boards across devices
- User login system for shared boards
- Ability to erase pre-made boards
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- Choose a default board to open with
- iPad version to avoid magnification issues
- Sentence strip option
- Improve picture library search
- Facility to play music tracks directly
- More picture cards for school-related content
- More choices for layout on initial screen
- Option to change background color
- Improve navigation for board design
- Basic pre-formatted pages
- Editing options for pics and boards (size, placement)
- Basic communication symbols (yes/no, alphabet)
- More PX available on a page
- Better contrasting pictures with black background
- Universal or iPad version
RadSounds Cause/Effect
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
SoundingBoard
- Mealtime_MaleFree
- Mealtime_FemaleFree
- Getting Dressed_MaleFree
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- Getting Dressed_FemaleFree
- General Conversation_MaleFree
- General Conversation_FemaleFree
- Fast Food Restaurant_MaleFree
- Fast Food Restaurant_FemaleFree
- Movies_MaleFree
- Movies_FemaleFree
RadSounds Cause/Effect
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is SoundingBoard free?
Is RadSounds Cause/Effect free?
Which has better reviews, SoundingBoard or RadSounds Cause/Effect?
Do SoundingBoard or RadSounds Cause/Effect have ads?
Which is updated more often, SoundingBoard or RadSounds Cause/Effect?
Other comparisons
