Comparison

First Then Visual Schedule HD vs GoTalk® NOW PLUS

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

Head to head
About

First Then Visual Schedule HD

Create and use a variety of visual supports, including schedules, task analyses, and social stories, all within a single application. This tool offers multiple ways to add images and customize viewing options to suit individual needs.

Highlights
  • Create visual schedules
  • Task analyses
  • Social stories
  • Choice boards
  • Video models
  • Multiple image import options
  • Customizable viewing formats
Features
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The visual supports you can create and use with First Then Visual Schedule (FTVS) HD have proven to be especially beneficial for the following populations: Typically developing children Those learning English as a second language People with developmental disabilities like Autism and Down Syndrome Individuals with learning disabilities like dyslexia People affected by anxiety or attention deficits Anyone with language, hearing or auditory processing deficits Individuals affected by aphasia after a stroke And many more... So, as a parent, teacher, therapist or adult who could benefit from visual supports you want to try them but may be frustrated by how many different apps you seem to need in order to do so? FTVS HD lets you easily and quickly create and use ALL these visual supports in just one app: First Then boards Visual schedules Task analyses Social stories Choice boards Video models FTVS HD is designed to be used anywhere and everywhere with everything you need easily accessible from within the app: It's universal so it will work on any iDevice FTVS HD gives you FIVE different options for adding images: take a picture using your device's camera or grab one from the camera roll, use the Internet search feature to look for an image, use one of the stock images in the app or access one of 10,000 Smarty Ears symbols. All the stock images and Smarty Ears symbols are searchable by name. Set a timer for either an entire schedule or for individual steps within it. Attach a choice board or video to any step. There are FIVE different viewing options: Look at one single image at a time (great for the visually impaired), view two images in a First Then board format, scroll through a checklist, drag and drop an image to another column once a step is complete or drag and drop an image from a strip and put it in an envelope. FTVS HD makes it easy to create, customize and share schedules. You can copy the templates that come with the app or create your own from scratch. Easily edit, move, delete or hide steps within schedules. You can print your schedules and share them with other users via email. Due to size constraints you can currently only email one choice board and cannot email videos. Good Karma Applications are dedicated to providing apps that are powerful, easy to use and affordable. If you have any feedback or questions in relation to any of our apps, please contact us at support@goodkarmaapplications.com

About

GoTalk® NOW PLUS

This powerful app provides a flexible and user-friendly platform for individuals with speech difficulties. It offers customizable page layouts, text-to-speech, and extensive image libraries to create personalized communication books. Users can also share and back up their creations.

Highlights
  • Adjustable page layouts
  • Recorded and text-to-speech capabilities
  • Over 15,000 images from SymbolStix and GoTalk Image Library
  • Ready-Set-Communicate pre-made book for children
  • Three communication page styles: Standard, Express, and Scenes
  • Create and share unlimited communication books
  • Full-feature scanning app
Features
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Attainment has been making augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) tools for 25 years. Our experience is front and center in GoTalk NOW PLUS, a flexible, easy-to-use, yet powerful app for people who have difficulty speaking. GoTalk NOW PLUS shares the same foundation as GoTalk NOW, and has all the essentials of an effective AAC app; adjustable page layouts, recorded and text-to-speech capabilities, and customizable navigation are all featured. So what differentiates PLUS from NOW? PLUS comes bundled with a wealth of extra content to help you get more out of the app. Between both SymbolStix and The GoTalk Image Library you have access to over 15,000 images! Also featured is Ready-Set-Communicate, a pre-made communication book for children ages 3-10. PLUS also contains 7 English text-to-speech voices, including 2 children’s voices. Please note an internet connection is required to download the additional content. GoTalk NOW PLUS offers three styles of communication pages: Standard, Express, and Scenes. In Standard pages, the action occurs when the location is pressed. In Express pages, recorded or text-to-speech messages build in a speech bar and play in sequence when the bar is pressed. Scene pages are built around a single photo or image. When you arrange invisible hotspots over people or objects in the photo, the hotspots play speech, music, or videos! Feel free to mix and match pages within a communication book. Create as many communication books as you need, each with unique settings and unlimited pages. Then share these books with other users via WiFi, and back them up for safekeeping via Dropbox or any Mac/PC. Envision the impact of blending video, music, and jump to actions among your pages. How cool is it to have your own private online galley to store and save your templates (up to five communication pages) for free, and to email these templates to parents and colleagues! Furthermore, GoTalk NOW PLUS is a full-feature scanning app! Features: • Choose 1, 2, 4, 9, 16, or 25 locations per page. • Use images from your iPad camera, photo library, GoTalk Image Library, or SymbolStix symbols. • Search the Internet in-app for the perfect image or icon. • Includes free download for Ready-Set-Communicate, a pre-made communication book for children ages 3-10. • Purchase additional pre-made communication books in-app. • Combine multiple images in a single communication location. • Color pages, borders, and text with any hue. • Move and size text with your fingers so it feels just right. • Record your voice or use our free text-to-speech voice. • Utilize 7 American English text-to-speech voices, available as free download • Buy additional voices for only 99 cents each, available in over 20 languages. • Add spoken labels (auditory cues) to any button. Great for scanning, guiding visually impaired users, and identifying any new or difficult vocabulary. • Trim videos in-app, and play them from any communication location. • Select our alternate video interface to pause or exit the video easily. • Link songs from your playlist to any communication location and control them with Pause/Play, Next, and Previous. • Include a core vocabulary button for extra quick access to important messages. • Share complete communication books via WiFi with any iPad user who has NOW or PLUS. • Back up communication books via Dropbox or to any Mac or PC for safekeeping. • Store and share interactive templates (each including speech, video, text, and jump to links) on our online gallery for free. • Download and edit pre-made templates from Attainment’s collection on the public gallery, also free. • Email links to your templates to parents and colleagues, who can open the template on their iPad by tapping on the link. • Print and save communication book layouts via PDFs. • Access PLUS with single or two-switch scanning. GoTalk NOW PLUS participates in Apple's Volume Purchasing Program for Education in the United States.

Screenshots

First Then Visual Schedule HD4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: First Then Visual Schedule HD at $14.99 against GoTalk® NOW PLUS's $94.99. First Then Visual Schedule HD also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 12) and review sentiment (53% vs 40%). GoTalk® NOW PLUS's advantage is update cadence (every 5 weeks vs every 3 months). On rating, ads and monetization model 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

First Then Visual Schedule HD costs $14.99 and GoTalk® NOW PLUS $94.99 up front. GoTalk® NOW PLUS sells 12 one-off in-app purchases. First Then Visual Schedule HD asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 3.1 for First Then Visual Schedule HD against 3.0 for GoTalk® NOW PLUS. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: First Then Visual Schedule HD has 26 ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 53% of First Then Visual Schedule HD's written reviews are positive against 40% of GoTalk® NOW PLUS's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

First Then Visual Schedule HD ships an update every 3 months, GoTalk® NOW PLUS every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 23, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
First Then Visual Schedule HD versus GoTalk® NOW PLUS: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterFirst Then Visual Schedule HDGoTalk® NOW PLUS
Price$14.99 — better$94.99
Rating3.1 (26 ratings) — better3.0 (4 ratings)
Positive reviews52.8% of reviews — better40.0% of reviews
Number of ratings26 — better4
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsEvery 5 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaidPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPad
Requires iOS9.3 — better15.6
Further details — not scored
Size84 MB235 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperGood Karma Applications, IncAttainment Company

Customer experience

First Then Visual Schedule HD

All ratings25 ratings
Positive52.0%
Neutral4.0%
Negative44.0%
Written reviews36 reviews
Positive52.8%
Neutral2.8%
Negative44.4%

GoTalk® NOW PLUS

All ratings4 ratings
Positive50.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative50.0%
Written reviews5 reviews
Positive40.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative60.0%

In-app purchases

None

First Then Visual Schedule HD

No in-app purchases

12 purchases

GoTalk® NOW PLUS

One-time12
  • Ella$11.99
  • Josh$11.99
  • Emilio - English$11.99
Show 9 more
  • Will$11.99
  • Emilio - Spanish$11.99
  • Talk All Day$19.99
  • PCS High Contrast$29.99
  • Participate NOW$49.99
  • Tactile Talk$49.99
  • English (US) Keywords$59.99
  • AAC2go (Girl 3-10)$79.99
  • AAC2go (Boy 3-10)$79.99

Questions

Is First Then Visual Schedule HD free?
First Then Visual Schedule HD costs $14.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is GoTalk® NOW PLUS free?
GoTalk® NOW PLUS costs $94.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, First Then Visual Schedule HD or GoTalk® NOW PLUS?
First Then Visual Schedule HD is rated higher. First Then Visual Schedule HD averages 3.1 out of 5 from 26 ratings, while GoTalk® NOW PLUS averages 3.0 from 4 ratings.
Do First Then Visual Schedule HD or GoTalk® NOW PLUS have ads?
Neither First Then Visual Schedule HD nor GoTalk® NOW PLUS shows ads.
Which is updated more often, First Then Visual Schedule HD or GoTalk® NOW PLUS?
First Then Visual Schedule HD ships an update every 3 months, and GoTalk® NOW PLUS every 5 weeks. Most recently, First Then Visual Schedule HD was updated on October 23, 2026 and GoTalk® NOW PLUS on October 24, 2026.

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