Comparison

PlayButton vs Boom Cards

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

Head to head
About

PlayButton

This app offers a straightforward way to record and play back single sounds. It's designed for simplicity, with just one record and one play button. An optional lock feature prevents accidental changes, making it useful for users with physical challenges.

Highlights
  • One-touch recording
  • Single sound playback
  • Minimalist interface
  • Optional lock functionality
  • Therapy tool for special needs
Features
Read full description

PlayButton is a simple app that provides the most minimal record and playback experience possible. One record button, one play button, and one sound at a time. If you need a quick way to record a sound and play it back, it doesn't get simpler than this. Used in therapy for special needs students who have physical problems with pressing small buttons, this app allows the user to participate with their sound. For additional control over the interface a "lock" functionality is available from the device's Settings that allows a recorded sound to be locked, removing the record buttons until the app is unlocked. If you choose to support PlayButton through a small in-app annual subscription, the Terms of Service are governed by Apple's standard terms, as specified here: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

Boom Cards

This app allows students to play interactive, self-grading digital flashcards on their iOS devices. It syncs with a teacher's account, enabling assignment of activities and performance tracking. Millions of educators trust this platform for engaging learning experiences.

Highlights
  • Self-grading digital flashcards
  • Synchronizes with Boom Classroom
  • Assign materials to classes
  • Review student performance
  • Access over 500,000 decks
  • Detailed student reports
Features
Read full description

Less prep. Less grading. More actual teaching. Boom Cards are flexible, easy to use, and designed to fit into real classrooms and therapy settings without adding to your workload. With Boom Cards, educators and therapists assign interactive, self-grading digital activities that collect student performance data. Progress is easy to review without extra work. Use the app to assign decks, manage students, and view detailed reports that show accuracy and latency—data that supports differentiation, intervention, enrichment, and data-informed instruction or therapy. A Boom account is required and available at wow.boomlearning.com. Boom Cards also work on most modern desktops, laptops, tablets, phones, and interactive whiteboards. Choose from over 500,000 decks covering a wide range of subjects and grade levels. Boom Cards support general education, special education, and therapy services, including English Language Learners and students receiving related services. Content areas include English Language Arts, Math, Social Studies, Writing, Social Emotional Learning, Character Education, and more. Grade levels include Preschool through Transition and Adult.

Screenshots

PlayButton3 screens
Boom Cards4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: PlayButton at 100% against Boom Cards's 41%. PlayButton also leads on rating (5.0 vs 3.3). Boom Cards's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and update cadence (every 3 months vs every 6 months). On price, 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. PlayButton sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $4.99 per year. Boom Cards asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

PlayButton holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.3. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 2 and 6 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 100% of PlayButton's written reviews are positive against 41% of Boom Cards's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

PlayButton ships an update every 6 months, Boom Cards every 3 months. Both last shipped on October 23, 2026.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
PlayButton versus Boom Cards: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPlayButtonBoom Cards
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (2 ratings) — better3.3 (6 ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews — better40.6% of reviews
Number of ratings26 — better
Update frequencyEvery 6 monthsEvery 3 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple WatchiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS16.413.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size23 MB34 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAardustry GmbHOmega Labs Inc.

Customer experience

PlayButton

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Boom Cards

All ratings110 ratings
Positive53.6%
Neutral5.5%
Negative40.9%
Written reviews32 reviews
Positive40.6%
Neutral6.3%
Negative53.1%

In-app purchases

1 purchases

PlayButton

Subscriptions1
  • Yearly Supporter$4.991 Year
None

Boom Cards

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is PlayButton free?
PlayButton is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Boom Cards free?
Boom Cards is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, PlayButton or Boom Cards?
PlayButton is rated higher. PlayButton averages 5.0 out of 5 from 2 ratings, while Boom Cards averages 3.3 from 6 ratings.
Do PlayButton or Boom Cards have ads?
Neither PlayButton nor Boom Cards shows ads.
Which is updated more often, PlayButton or Boom Cards?
PlayButton ships an update every 6 months, and Boom Cards every 3 months. Most recently, PlayButton was updated on October 23, 2026 and Boom Cards on October 23, 2026.

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