Comparison

Sunspeak vs I Cannot Speak

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

Head to head
About

Sunspeak

Features
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Tap words and symbols to build sentences and speak. Sunspeak is an easy to use and highly customizable AAC (Augmentative and Alternative Communication) app for people who cannot speak or need help being understood. Fully customizable โ€ข Create and edit communication boards โ€ข Drag and drop to move and resize buttons โ€ข Customize layouts, colors, content and more โ€ข Gradually reveal more words as communication improves โ€ข Adapt the app to each individual user Built for real-world use โ€ข Fast, responsive and designed for daily communication โ€ข Works offline for reliability anywhere โ€ข Simple to use Version history and control โ€ข See every change made to a board โ€ข Instantly restore previous versions โ€ข Undo / redo changes while editing โ€ข Experiment freely without losing progress Sync across devices โ€ข Seamlessly sync your boards between devices โ€ข Set up once and access everywhere Progress insights โ€ข See communication improve over time โ€ข Understand patterns like longer messages and faster typing Multiple languages โ€ข Create and use boards in different languages โ€ข Support for bilingual communication Private and secure โ€ข Your data stays under your control โ€ข No ads or invasive tracking Designed for caregivers and users โ€ข Flexible setup for parents, carers and therapists โ€ข Suitable for both children and adults โ€ข Scales from simple boards to advanced setups Who is Sunspeak for? Sunspeak is ideal for people who: โ€ข are non-verbal or have limited speech โ€ข use AAC systems to communicate โ€ข need a flexible, modern communication tool Sunspeak makes communication simple, fast and accessible. https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

I Cannot Speak

Features
Read full description

Two taps to be understood. I Cannot Speak is for people who cannot rely on speech. Type or tap what you need to say, then hold your phone up so the person in front of you can read it โ€” or let your phone say it out loud. No setup. No sign-up. No learning a system of symbols. SHOW IT, LARGE Write a sentence and put the keyboard away. The words grow to fill the screen, big enough to read across a counter, a hospital bed, or a noisy room. Turn the phone around and you have been understood. OR SPEAK IT One tap reads your sentence aloud in a natural voice. Choose the voice you want and how fast it speaks. It works with the ring switch off, so you are heard even on silent. READY FOR WHERE YOU ARE Six situations โ€” restaurant, medical, travel, transport, shopping and emergency โ€” each holding the phrases that place actually needs. Tap the situation, tap the phrase. Edit any of them, or build situations of your own for the places you go. THE THINGS A GESTURE CANNOT SAY A row of everyday icons along the bottom of the home screen: water, a restroom, a charger, a pharmacy, a taxi. One tap shows the icon large with the sentence underneath, ready to speak. MY CARD Your name, conditions, allergies, medications and emergency contacts on one card you can hold up without typing anything. Useful in a waiting room, at a pharmacy counter, or any moment when explaining is the hard part. ACROSS LANGUAGES Show the same sentence in another language, large and clear. Useful abroad, and useful at home when the person in front of you speaks a different one. HELP FINDING THE WORDS Rough notes become a complete sentence. Type "water please" and get "Could I have some water, please?" On iPhone 15 Pro and newer this runs on the device itself. Everywhere else it uses a private connection โ€” and if there is no connection at all, I Cannot Speak falls back to built-in phrases so you are never left with nothing. PLAN A DAY Describe what your day looks like and I Cannot Speak suggests the phrases it will need, ready before you are standing there. BUILT TO BE TRUSTED Your saved phrases, your name and photo, and everything on My Card stay on your phone. What you send to be reworded or translated is not kept โ€” not by us, and not by the company whose model does the work. No ads, no analytics, no tracking, nothing sold. WHO IT IS FOR People living with ALS, aphasia, a stroke, Parkinson's, autism, selective mutism, a laryngectomy, or a throat injury. People recovering from surgery. Anyone whose voice has gone quiet, for a week or for good. SUBSCRIPTION I Cannot Speak is $4.99 a month or $29.99 a year, and starts with a free trial. Every feature is included in both plans โ€” there is no cut-down version. Cancel any time in Settings. Privacy policy: https://icannotspeak.vercel.app/privacy Support: https://icannotspeak.vercel.app/support

Screenshots

Sunspeak4 screens
I Cannot Speak4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Sunspeak at every 2 weeks against I Cannot Speak's monthly. Sunspeak also leads on device support (3 vs 1) and iOS requirement (15.1 vs 18.0). On price, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price ยท Rating ยท Positive reviews ยท Number of ratings ยท Update frequency ยท Ads ยท In-app purchases ยท Monetization ยท Best chart rank ยท Devices ยท Requires iOS

CostPrice ยท In-app purchases ยท Ads ยท Monetization

Both are free to download. Sunspeak sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month and I Cannot Speak sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Sunspeak ships an update every 2 weeks, I Cannot Speak monthly. The most recent releases landed on November 9, 2026 and November 10, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences ยท 3 level
Sunspeak versus I Cannot Speak: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSunspeakI Cannot Speak
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeks โ€” betterMonthly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod โ€” betteriPhone
Requires iOS15.1 โ€” better18.0
Further details โ€” not scored
Size99 MB18 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAlzenwareSakib Shaikh

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Sunspeak

Subscriptions2
  • Pro$9.991 Month
  • Pro$84.991 Year
One-time1
  • Pro Lifetime$199.99
2 purchases

I Cannot Speak

Subscriptions2
  • I Cannot Speak Pro Monthly14 Days trial$4.991 Month
  • I Cannot Speak Pro Yearly14 Days trial$29.991 Year

Questions

Is Sunspeak free?
Sunspeak is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is I Cannot Speak free?
I Cannot Speak is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Sunspeak or I Cannot Speak have ads?
Neither Sunspeak nor I Cannot Speak shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Sunspeak or I Cannot Speak?
Sunspeak ships an update every 2 weeks, and I Cannot Speak monthly. Most recently, Sunspeak was updated on November 9, 2026 and I Cannot Speak on November 10, 2026.

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