Speech Tutor vs Articulation Station Hive
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Speech Tutor
This app uses advanced animation to visualize tongue and mouth movements for speech sound production. It offers detailed tutorials, sound-specific guidance, and recording features to help users improve their speech or accent.
- Animated transparent mouth views
- Side and front sound production views
- Adjustable playback speeds
- Pause and review animations
- Detailed sound production tutorials
- Palate diagrams
- Self-recording and playback
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***Now with ability to upgrade at a discount*** Whether you’re a speech and language pathologist (SLP), an SLP college student, a parent of children with speech delays, or someone trying to improve their American English accent, you’re going to find this an invaluable application. A first of its kind in the field, Speech Tutor brings the latest in technology and animation to the world of speech. The animations inside Speech Tutor take the areas of the face that impede the view of tongue placement and positioning and make them transparent. Now one can literally see inside the mouth as the sounds are being made! Speech Tutor offers a “Side View” and a “Front View” of each sound production, both of which can be viewed at 3 different speeds (slow, medium, fast). The movies can also be paused any given point. With 132 animations in all, Speech Tutor is sure to offer a helpful view and speed for anyone in need. Speech Tutor does not stop there though. Non SLPs can begin the application by reading an easy to understand “Basics” tutorial which provides the reader with a solid foundation of the basic knowledge needed to know before attempting to improve any/all English consonants. Also provided is detailed text specific to each sound that further describes how each sound is technically made, tips provided by licensed speech and language pathologists, and milestones for when each sound should be acquired and mastered. Along with viewing the animations, one can also view a “Palate” diagram to further demonstrate where on the palate the tongue should be placed. Last but not least, users of the application can choose to record themselves as they practice their target sounds and then choose to play it before and after a correctly modeled production. Animations for the following sounds are provided: P, B, T, D, K, G, N, M, ING, F, V, S, Z, SH, CH, J, L, R (retroflex and bunched), TH (voiced and voiceless) and 4 new vowel animations - /i/, /u/, /a/ and /æ/
Articulation Station Hive
This app provides a comprehensive suite of tools and activities designed to improve speech clarity for learners of all ages. It offers a wide range of exercises targeting consonants and vowels from isolation to conversation levels, with features for tracking progress and sharing results.
- 17 targeted speech activities
- Isolation, syllable, word, phrase, sentence, story, and conversation levels
- Visual and auditory cues
- Minimal pairs and phonological process practice
- Custom word and image support
- Progress tracking and recording
- Group session support (Pro tier)
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Articulation Station Hive is the most comprehensive speech therapy app on the App Store. It has all the tools and activities needed to teach learners of all ages how to speak more clearly. To start with, it has 17 different activities to target speech in both consonants and vowels from the isolation level through the conversation level. ARTICULATION STATION HIVE OFFERS: ISOLATION ACTIVITIES: - Hand cues provide a video model with a hand cue for each sound. - Picture cues offer fun animated illustrations for each sound. - Letter cues pair the letter with the sound in a playful way. SYLLABLE ACTIVITIES: - Syllable sliders allow learners to slide 2 sounds together to make a word. - Syllable spinners allow learners to spin 1, 2, and 3 syllable combinations. WORD ACTIVITIES: - Minimal Pairs illustrate the subtle differences sounds in words make. - Flashcards provide a quick and reliable tool for focused repetition. - Matching games (3 levels) keep kids (and adults) engaged in the activity. PHRASE ACTIVITIES: - Rotating phrases allow learners to spin a lead word and a target word for a limitless number of two word combinations. - Unique phrases are three-word descriptive phrases that are perfect for addressing both speech and language goals. SENTENCE ACTIVITIES: - Fixed rotating sentences are like long “carrier phrases” where the sentence stays the same and only one target word changes. - Mixed rotating sentences mix things up. With each spin a new pronoun, verb, adjective and target word spin into position. - Unique sentences are usually longer and at times more complex than the rotating sentences. STORY ACTIVITIES: - Level 1 stories are short, rhyming, and sometimes repetitive stories paired with picture prompts. - Level 2 stories are longer stories with larger vocabulary and even more opportunities to practice the target sound. CONVERSATION ACTIVITIES: - Conversation scenes allow the learner to scroll from right to left to explore the scene. Speech samples can be recorded, saved and scored. - Conversation questions offer four different types of questions. ADDITIONAL ACTIVITIES & RESOURCES: - Phonological processes may be practiced in single words or with minimal pairs. - Multiple sounds allow learners to practice multiple sounds at a time at the word, phrase, or sentence level. - Custom words allow you to add images and words to help personalize the app. - Group sessions allow you to work with groups of students up to 6 at a time. *Pro tier only. - Themes include seasonal themes, holiday themes, just-for-fun themes, and multiple colored backgrounds. *illustrated themes are iPad only. SCORES: - View a summary of all your students’ sessions, and see graphs of your students’ performances on all targeted sounds. - View session details including all the correct, approximate, and incorrect responses. - Write and view notes, listen to recordings, and repeat sessions. - Share progress and notes with parents or adult users. We’re proud to offer Articulation Station Hive as part of the Little Bee Hive membership which includes access to both Articulation Station Hive and Articulation Test Center Hive in the Pro tier. If you are already subscribed to Articulation Test Center Hive you may download and login to Articulation Station Hive with your same login information at no additional cost. SUBSCRIPTION, PRICING & TERMS: Articulation Station Hive offers a 14-day free trial which includes unlimited access to both Articulation Station Hive and Articulation Test Center Hive. The subscription automatically renews unless the auto-renew feature is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Payment will be charged to your Apple account at the end of your 14-day trial period. Subscriptions may be managed by the user and auto-renewal may be turned off at any time.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Articulation Station Hive at Free against Speech Tutor's $24.99. Articulation Station Hive also leads on rating (4.5 vs 3.6) and ratings volume (552 vs 57). Speech Tutor's advantage is chart position (#184 vs unranked) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 16.0). On review sentiment, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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
Articulation Station Hive is free to download; Speech Tutor costs $24.99 up front. Speech Tutor sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Articulation Station Hive sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Articulation Station Hive holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 3.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Articulation Station Hive has 552 ratings behind it against 57, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 64% of Speech Tutor's written reviews are positive against 63% of Articulation Station Hive's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
Speech Tutor ships an update every 3 weeks, Articulation Station Hive monthly. The most recent releases landed on September 19, 2026 and September 21, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Speech Tutor | Articulation Station Hive |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $24.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 3.6 (57 ratings) | 4.5 (552 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 64.1% of reviews — better | 63.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 57 | 552 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks — better | Monthly |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | #184 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 12.0 — better | 16.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 1.5 GB | 638 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Synapse Apps, LLC | Little Bee Speech |
Customer experience
Speech Tutor
Articulation Station Hive
User reviews
Speech Tutor
From 57 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Great visualization of mouth movements
- 👍 Helpful for teaching sound production
- 👍 Useful for articulation therapy
- 👍 Good for clients with apraxia and dysarthria
- 👍 Engaging for children
Room to improve
- 😞 Lacks essential therapy features (progress tracking, goal setting)
- 😞 Rudimentary and ineffectual tools
- 😞 Exorbitant cost for limited features
- 😞 Misleading advertising
- 😞 App is broken/unusable
Articulation Station Hive
From 552 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Comprehensive articulation app
- 🚀 Efficient and easy to use
- 💡 Great variety of activities
- 👍 Engaging for students
- 👍 Helpful for SLPs and parents
Room to improve
- 💰 Expensive subscription model
- 🐛 Occasional app crashes or bugs
- 🔒 Difficulty transferring previous purchases
- 💰 Unaffordable for some SLPs and parents
Bugs and requests
Speech Tutor
Reported bugs
23 issues- App doesn't work anymore
- Requires internet connection when it shouldn't
- App can't connect to the internet
- Upgrade was more like a downgrade
- Sagital view hidden under videos
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- App doesn't support the latest iOS version for iPad
- In-app upgrade does not work properly
- Charged twice for basic instead of upgrade
- Upgrade did not change anything
- No site for help
- App downgraded significantly after upgrade
- App blinks off immediately
- Can't play sounds that once appeared
- Animations are glitchy
- Animations are poorly timed
- Animations are sometimes inaccurate
- Requested URL is not found
- App won't work unless I purchase the upgrade
- App is unusable unless I pay for an upgrade
- Downgraded version lists VL 'th' as voiced 'th'
- Video of visual representation of sounds is black/white screen
- App is stuck with an initializing icon
- App is not working
Requested features
8 requests- More flashcard pictures, especially for /Th/
- More specific phonetic chart sounds (vowel, diphthong, consonant)
- Lite version for trial
- More updates
- Ability to switch off to different students in a group
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- Student progress tools
- More materials in Pro version
- Advanced analytics dashboard
Articulation Station Hive
Reported bugs
3 issues- Login/sign-up issues
- Compatibility problems with newer iOS versions
- Data loss or inability to access previous sessions
Requested features
5 requests- Add more words and vocabulary
- Include British accent options
- Allow one-time purchase option
- Improve navigation and flow
- Add more games and interactive activities
In-app purchases
Speech Tutor
- Speech Tutor Pro Upgrade$24.99
Articulation Station Hive
- Hive Parent (Monthly)14 Days trial$9.991 Month
- Hive Pro (Monthly)14 Days trial$14.991 Month
- Hive Parent (Yearly)14 Days trial$83.991 Year
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- Hive Pro (Yearly)14 Days trial$119.991 Year
Questions
Is Speech Tutor free?
Is Articulation Station Hive free?
Which has better reviews, Speech Tutor or Articulation Station Hive?
Do Speech Tutor or Articulation Station Hive have ads?
Which is updated more often, Speech Tutor or Articulation Station Hive?
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