Custom Boards Elite vs Compass Note
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- Activity creation center
- 21,000+ built-in symbols
- Add custom photos
- Template library (120+)
- Print, save, and email
- Organize with folders
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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!
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.
- Draw circles with digital compass
- Color created shapes
- Load model examples
- Change grid paper size
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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 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
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.
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.
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.
| Parameter | Custom Boards Elite | Compass Note |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free — better | $2.99 |
| Rating | 1.6 (5 ratings) | 2.0 (1 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 55.6% of reviews — better | 0.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 5 — better | 1 |
| Update frequency | Every 7 months — better | Every 28 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Subscription | Paid — better |
| Devices | iPad | iPad |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 — better | 17.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 880 MB | 16 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Smarty Ears | Kouichi INAFUKU |
Customer experience
Custom Boards Elite
Compass Note
In-app purchases
Custom Boards Elite
- Monthly Subscription7 Days trial$9.991 Month
- Six months Access7 Days trial$49.996 Months
- Yearly Access7 Days trial$59.991 Year
- The ant$0.99
- Placemat$0.99
- Tech talk$0.99
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- Weekly$0.99
- Orderly$0.99
- Story Board$0.99
- Purchase 10,000 Smarty Symbols$19.99
Compass Note
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Custom Boards Elite free?
Is Compass Note free?
Which has better reviews, Custom Boards Elite or Compass Note?
Do Custom Boards Elite or Compass Note have ads?
Which is updated more often, Custom Boards Elite or Compass Note?
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