Comparison

Custom Boards Elite vs Compass Note

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

Head to head
About

Custom Boards Elite

Create custom visual support materials using a vast library of symbols or your own photos. Design boards, schedules, and worksheets for communication and learning. Print, save, or email your creations directly from the app.

Highlights
  • Activity creation center
  • 21,000+ built-in symbols
  • Add custom photos
  • Template library (120+)
  • Print, save, and email
  • Organize with folders
Features
Read full description

The Ultimate Visual Support & Activity Creator Empower communication and learning with Custom Boards Elite! Designed specifically for speech therapists, special education teachers, and parents, Custom Boards Elite is an evidence-based app that revolutionizes how you create visual supports. Whether you need a daily schedule, a communication grid, or an engaging articulation game, Custom Boards gives you the tools to build professional, customized materials in minutes. UNMATCHED SYMBOL LIBRARY Say goodbye to stick figures and limited clip art. Custom Boards includes over 29,000 high-quality, diverse symbols from the renowned Smarty Symbols library. Need something specific? You can easily upload and integrate your own photos directly from your device! 120+ READY-TO-USE TEMPLATES Stop starting from scratch. Choose from over 120 expertly designed templates categorized into six core areas: Activities & Games: Bingo, Dominoes, Board Games, and more. Devices & Switches: Perfect for AAC device overlays. Signs & Labels: Create classroom rules, labels, and directional signs. Grids & Boards: Standard communication grids from 1x1 up to complex layouts. Schedules & Calendars: First-Then boards, weekly schedules, and daily routines. Worksheets: Ready-made educational printables. DEEP CUSTOMIZATION Make every board your own. Our intuitive editor allows you to: Customize background and text colors for every single cell. Tweak border styles (solid, dashed, circular) to highlight specific targets. Easily edit text labels to match your student's specific vocabulary. BUILT FOR SPEECH THERAPISTS Save hours of prep time with our advanced search filters. Target specific speech goals by filtering the entire 21,000+ symbol library by Initial, Medial, or Final letter positions! EXPORT & ORGANIZE When your masterpiece is complete, you are ready to PRINT, SAVE, or E-MAIL the final template. Print directly from your iPad to any AirPrint-ready printer. Creating boards for a whole caseload? Keep your finalized templates neatly organized into custom folders inside the app's Archive. Join the revolution in special education and start creating beautiful, effective visual supports today!

About

Compass Note

This app allows users to draw circles and other shapes using a digital compass. You can color your creations, load example models, and adjust the grid paper size for precise drawing.

Highlights
  • Draw circles with digital compass
  • Color created shapes
  • Load model examples
  • Change grid paper size
Read full description

It is an application that can draw figures using compass Drawing a circle · Tap the center of the circle you want to draw · Tap the starting point of the circle you want to draw · Drag to the end point and speak your finger to complete the shape Function · You can paint colors on the created shape · You can load a model example · You can change the size of the grid paper

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Custom Boards Elite at 56% against Compass Note's 0%. Custom Boards Elite also leads on price (Free vs $2.99) and update cadence (every 7 months vs every 28 months). Compass Note's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 10) and rating (2.0 vs 1.6). On 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

Custom Boards Elite is free to download; Compass Note costs $2.99 up front. Custom Boards Elite sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. Compass Note asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Compass Note holds the better App Store score, 2.0 against 1.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Custom Boards Elite has 5 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 56% of Custom Boards Elite's written reviews are positive against 0% of Compass Note's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Custom Boards Elite ships an update every 7 months, Compass Note every 28 months. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and October 1, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard8 real differences · 2 level
Custom Boards Elite versus Compass Note: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCustom Boards EliteCompass Note
PriceFree — better$2.99
Rating1.6 (5 ratings)2.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews55.6% of reviews — better0.0% of reviews
Number of ratings5 — better1
Update frequencyEvery 7 months — betterEvery 28 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationSubscriptionPaid — better
DevicesiPadiPad
Requires iOS15.0 — better17.6
Further details — not scored
Size880 MB16 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSmarty EarsKouichi INAFUKU

Customer experience

Custom Boards Elite

All ratings5 ratings
Positive20.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative80.0%
Written reviews9 reviews
Positive55.6%
Neutral11.1%
Negative33.3%

Compass Note

All ratings1 ratings
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%

In-app purchases

10 purchases

Custom Boards Elite

Subscriptions3
  • Monthly Subscription7 Days trial$9.991 Month
  • Six months Access7 Days trial$49.996 Months
  • Yearly Access7 Days trial$59.991 Year
One-time7
  • The ant$0.99
  • Placemat$0.99
  • Tech talk$0.99
Show 4 more
  • Weekly$0.99
  • Orderly$0.99
  • Story Board$0.99
  • Purchase 10,000 Smarty Symbols$19.99
None

Compass Note

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Custom Boards Elite free?
Custom Boards Elite is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Compass Note free?
Compass Note costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Custom Boards Elite or Compass Note?
Compass Note is rated higher. Custom Boards Elite averages 1.6 out of 5 from 5 ratings, while Compass Note averages 2.0 from 1 ratings.
Do Custom Boards Elite or Compass Note have ads?
Neither Custom Boards Elite nor Compass Note shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Custom Boards Elite or Compass Note?
Custom Boards Elite ships an update every 7 months, and Compass Note every 28 months. Most recently, Custom Boards Elite was updated on September 24, 2026 and Compass Note on October 1, 2026.

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