Comparison

First Phrases Lite vs Speech Therapy 2

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

Head to head
About

First Phrases Lite

This app helps toddlers and children learning basic English phrases to develop language skills. It uses interactive animations and audio to teach verb-noun combinations, encouraging both listening and speaking practice.

Highlights
  • Interactive animations
  • Audio and visual learning
  • Record and playback speech
  • Verb + noun phrase practice
  • Speech therapy support
  • Early literacy development
Features
Read full description

This interactive, beautifully illustrated and animated app for the iPad, iPhone and Mac is perfect for the toddler or speech-delayed child who is learning how to put two-three words together or any child who is learning basic English phrases. Developed by an experienced speech-language pathologist, this app provides many opportunities to both hear (receptive), see, and say/record (expressive) 10 different verb + noun combinations, such as: eat the carrot, drive the train, close the door, drink the juice, sleep on the bed, turn on the light, and more. A delightful cat performs them, with 28 possible animation combinations. It is also a great way to teach the article “the” in a meaningful phrase context. **For more verb and character choices, we suggest upgrading to the full version of this app. First Phrases Lite includes user settings for 1 child and 1 guest player. Only one user can keep data. Hamaguchi Apps is dedicated to the mission of bringing high-quality apps to the general public and professionals for affordable prices. We do not have subscriptions for our apps--you download them and they are yours. How you play: Tell the cat what to do! By touching the illustrated parts of the phrases in order (verb+ object forms: “eat the carrot”) the child hears the pre-recorded spoken phrase modeled. The user has the option to repeat this action once, twice or three times in the settings for maximum auditory input. The child then watches an animation of the cat performing the command to help the child associate the words and their meaning. Now it’s the child’s turn to say it and tell the cat what to do! Touch the microphone and record, listen again, and watch the animal follow your direction. Use the optional visual support by tapping on the shapes above the microphone. An adult can score the parts of the phrases. All correct? The cat gives a thumbs up and we hear a praise phrase such as "Awesome!". Tap on End Session to see the data and replay any missed items. This format is especially powerful for children with speech delays and autism spectrum disorders who need strong visual support with as little background clutter as possible, and for use in speech therapy sessions. The format also is a terrific way to support early literacy for left to right orientation, reading (with text on feature) and word boundaries. Options include text on/text off, recording feature on/off, presentation of the phrase in 3 segments (verb + the + object) or 2 segments (verb + the object). Developed by noted speech-language pathologist Patti Hamaguchi, who is the author of several books in the speech-language pathology field including, "Childhood Speech, Language & Listening Problems: What Every Parent Should Know". Patti is also the author or co-author of several standardized tests including the RESCA-E, the TAPS4, the ELCI and upcoming tests the RESCA-ELD, RESCA-A and the Hamaguchi Speech-Language Screening Test. PRIVACY POLICY: We do NOT collect personal data from our users and have no ads! Personal data regarding user performance on the tasks on this app are self-contained and not transmitted in any way to any third parties including us. It is on your device only. *Please contact our tech support at info@hamaguchiapps.com if you are experiencing any technical issues with our apps. We will always help you troubleshoot it and get back to you generally within one business day. To find out more about this app and our other upcoming projects, visit our website: www.hamaguchiapps.com

About

Speech Therapy 2

This app helps children practice speech articulation through interactive video exercises and AI-powered feedback. It rewards improvements with playtime, encouraging consistent practice for better pronunciation.

Highlights
  • AI-powered pronunciation analysis
  • Video modeling exercises
  • Reward-based playtime
  • Voice-activated learning
  • Progress tracking
  • Offline play
Features
Read full description

The developer of the only clinically-validated language therapy application MITA that was downloaded by over 3 million families, brings you a series of Speech Therapy apps: Speech Therapy Step 1 – Preverbal exercises Speech Therapy Step 2 – Learn to sequence sounds Speech Therapy Step 3 – Learn to say 500+ words Speech Therapy Step 4 – Learn to say complex words Speech Therapy Step 5 – Record your own model words and exercise articulation _______________ Speech Therapy Step 2 is for children who already learned many words and want to exercise on their articulation. HOW IT WORKS? Speech Therapy Step 2 uses 500+ prerecorded video exercises. These videos encourage children to mirror words’ pronunciation. A proprietary AI algorithm measures similarity between model words and children’s vocalizations. Improvements are rewarded with reinforcers and PlayTime. This technique was demonstrated to improve speech production in toddlers, late talkers (speech delay), children with Apraxia of Speech, Stuttering, Autism, ADHD, Down Syndrome, Sensory Processing Disorder, Dysarthria. Video exercises are followed by a PlayTime. Improvements in performance are rewarded with reinforcers and a longer PlayTime. In order to achieve a longer PlayTime, children try to improve their articulation. In this way the app works autonomously all the time encouraging children to improve articulation. LEARN WITH SPEECH THERAPY STEP 2 - The only speech therapy app that rewards your child proportionally to the improvement of their articulation. - Uses scientifically proven video modeling for effective speech development. - Voice-activated functionality provides a fun, interactive learning experience. - The app basic version is completely FREE! - No ads. SCIENTIFICALLY-PROVEN LEARNING TECHNIQUES Speech Therapy Step 2 uses video modeling to create an immersive learning environment. When children watch model videos in real time, their MIRROR NEURONS are engaged. This is scientifically proven to be highly effective in speech development. FROM THE DEVELOPERS OF THE CLINICALLY-VALIDATED LANGUAGE THERAPY APPLICATION MITA Speech Therapy Step 2 is developed by Boston University neuroscientist Dr. A. Vyshedskiy, Speech and Language Therapist Y. Bolotovsky, Harvard-educated early-child-development specialist R. Dunn, MIT-educated J. Elgart, and a group of award-winning artists and developers.

Screenshots

First Phrases Lite4 screens
Speech Therapy 24 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Speech Therapy 2 at 5.0 against First Phrases Lite's 3.7. Speech Therapy 2 also leads on update cadence (monthly vs every 4 months) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 16.6). First Phrases Lite's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1). On price, ratings volume, 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Speech Therapy 2 sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. First Phrases Lite asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Speech Therapy 2 holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.7. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 3 and 3 respectively.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

First Phrases Lite ships an update every 4 months, Speech Therapy 2 monthly. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 4, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
First Phrases Lite versus Speech Therapy 2: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterFirst Phrases LiteSpeech Therapy 2
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.7 (3 ratings)5.0 (3 ratings) — better
Positive reviews86.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings33
Update frequencyEvery 4 monthsMonthly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaidFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS16.612.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size612 MB165 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperHamaguchi Learning & Development, LLCImagiRation LLC

Customer experience

First Phrases Lite

All ratings3 ratings
Positive66.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative33.3%
Written reviews50 reviews
Positive86.0%
Neutral10.0%
Negative4.0%

Speech Therapy 2

All ratings3 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

First Phrases Lite

Reported bugs

6 issues
  • Upgrade credit issue
  • App doesn't work right anymore
  • Same verb every time
  • App is slow to recognize touch
  • Record button freezing on launch
Show 1 more
  • Phrases need tapping multiple times

Requested features

7 requests
  • Credit for light version upgrade
  • App to improve articulation
  • Longer recording time
  • Option for British narrator
  • Detect speech for animation
Show 2 more
  • Disable pause button
  • Disable screen touch pause

Speech Therapy 2

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

First Phrases Lite

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

Speech Therapy 2

One-time1
  • Speech Therapy Step 2 Lifetime$29.99

Questions

Is First Phrases Lite free?
First Phrases Lite is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Speech Therapy 2 free?
Speech Therapy 2 is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, First Phrases Lite or Speech Therapy 2?
Speech Therapy 2 is rated higher. First Phrases Lite averages 3.7 out of 5 from 3 ratings, while Speech Therapy 2 averages 5.0 from 3 ratings.
Do First Phrases Lite or Speech Therapy 2 have ads?
Neither First Phrases Lite nor Speech Therapy 2 shows ads.
Which is updated more often, First Phrases Lite or Speech Therapy 2?
First Phrases Lite ships an update every 4 months, and Speech Therapy 2 monthly. Most recently, First Phrases Lite was updated on November 6, 2026 and Speech Therapy 2 on November 4, 2026.

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