SoundingBoard vs Verbal Me Sampler
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.
Verbal Me Sampler
This communication aid app allows non-verbal children to express themselves by tapping buttons that speak text aloud. It features pre-set screens with text and pictures for easy participation, and offers voice options. This sampler version provides a limited selection of common communication boards.
- Text-to-speech functionality
- Buttons with text and/or pictures
- Pre-set communication screens
- Choice of boy or girl voice
- Screen navigation options
- Spanish language version available
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This is a sample version of Verbal Me, a basic AAC and choice board app designed by special needs teachers for their students. Non-verbal kids can tap a button and the iPad will speak the button text aloud in either a boy's or girl's voice. This limited version includes 14 screen choices: yes-no, A-B-C, 1-2-3-4-5, Happy-Mad-Sad-Calm, Day-Night, bullying, weather, colors, fruits, letter sounds. Buttons contain text and/or picture so non-reading students can participate. By default, left- and right-arrow buttons allow students to switch screens. Optionally, the screen-switching buttons can be hidden and the adult switches screens by sliding one finger from the upper right to the lower left of the screen. Choose one of 18 screens and girl or boy voice. On the Settings screen, there is a link to the full version Verbal Me app with over 100 screen choices. A Spanish-language version is also available.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Verbal Me Sampler at 4.2 against SoundingBoard's 3.5. Verbal Me Sampler also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 10) and review sentiment (70% vs 48%). On price, ratings volume, update cadence and 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
Both are free to download. SoundingBoard sells 10 one-off in-app purchases. Verbal Me Sampler asks for nothing beyond the download.
Verbal Me Sampler holds the better App Store score, 4.2 against 3.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 34 and 14 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 48% of SoundingBoard's written reviews are positive against 70% of Verbal Me Sampler's.
SoundingBoard ships an update every 3 months, Verbal Me Sampler every 5 months. The most recent releases landed on October 15, 2026 and October 1, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | SoundingBoard | Verbal Me Sampler |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.5 (34 ratings) | 4.2 (14 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 48.2% of reviews | 70.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 34 — better | 14 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months — better | Every 5 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — better |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 12.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 26 MB | 5 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | AbleNet | fishdog.net |
Customer experience
SoundingBoard
Verbal Me Sampler
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
Verbal Me Sampler
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
Verbal Me Sampler
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is SoundingBoard free?
Is Verbal Me Sampler free?
Which has better reviews, SoundingBoard or Verbal Me Sampler?
Do SoundingBoard or Verbal Me Sampler have ads?
Which is updated more often, SoundingBoard or Verbal Me Sampler?
Other comparisons
