Visual Day vs Step & Star
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Visual Day
This app helps adults create clear, visual step-by-step routines for children who benefit from predictability, such as those with autism or ADHD. It offers different board types for schedules, first-then scenarios, and token rewards, with a distraction-free kid mode and progress tracking.
- Visual schedules for step-by-step routines
- First-Then boards for immediate rewards
- Token boards for motivation
- Kid Mode for distraction-free use
- Customizable symbols and photos
- Progress tracking and completion streaks
- Shareable view-only links
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Visual Day helps parents, caregivers, teachers, and therapists turn everyday routines into clear, calm, visual steps. It's built for adults who support children that thrive with predictability — including autistic children, children with ADHD, and early learners — so "what's happening now and what's next" is easy to see. THREE KINDS OF BOARDS • Visual Schedules — lay out a full routine step by step, and check tasks off as you go. • First-Then — the simplest way to show "first we do this, then we do that." • Token Boards — earn tokens toward a reward to build motivation and follow-through. DESIGNED FOR REAL FAMILIES AND CLASSROOMS • Kid Mode — a full-screen, distraction-free view with big touch targets for little hands, while editing stays with you. • A built-in library of clear symbols, plus your own photos — kept private on your device and never uploaded to our servers. • Drag to reorder tasks, set optional countdown timers, and add gentle routine reminders. • Optional voice output reads tasks and rewards aloud. • Celebrate finishing with satisfying confetti. SHARE WITH YOUR TEAM • Send a view-only link to a co-parent, teacher, therapist, or babysitter. They don't need an account, and they can save their own copy. Names and personal photos are never included, and links expire after 7 days. TRACK PROGRESS • See streaks and completions over time to spot what's working. • Manage boards for multiple children from one place. PRINT & GO (PRO) • Export any board as a clean PDF to cut, laminate, and reuse — for the fridge, the classroom, or on the go. WORKS EVERYWHERE • Universal app for iPhone and iPad, plus the web at visual-day.com. Your boards sync to your account so they're ready on every device. Visual Day is a supportive tool for building routines and independence. It is not a medical or therapeutic device. PRIVACY & SECURITY Your family's data stays yours. Boards and progress are tied to your private account and synced over encrypted connections — never sold, with no third-party advertising. Photos you add stay on your device and are never uploaded. Creating a child profile requires a parent's or guardian's consent, in line with COPPA and GDPR. SUBSCRIPTION Visual Day is free with up to 2 boards and 3 children — including all three board types, Kid Mode, sharing, reminders, and timers. Visual Day Pro adds unlimited boards and children, PDF export and printing, and full progress history. • Pro is available as a monthly or annual subscription, billed through your Apple ID. Current prices for your region are shown in the app before you subscribe. • Your subscription renews automatically unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Manage or cancel anytime in your App Store account settings. Terms of Use: https://visual-day.com/terms Privacy Policy: https://visual-day.com/privacy Questions or feedback? We'd love to hear from you at support@visual-day.com.
Step & Star
This app helps create visual schedules for children and adults with predictable routines. It uses "First, Then" picture cards to guide users through tasks, offering audio prompts and celebrations upon completion. It's designed to build independence and reduce anxiety through clear, step-by-step guidance.
- First-Then visual schedule creation
- Step-by-step auto-advancing cards
- Built-in symbol library and custom photos
- Text-to-speech and custom voice recording
- Optional countdown timers
- Celebrations for task completion
- Multiple user profiles
- Offline functionality
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Step & Star turns everyday routines into simple "First, Then" picture cards — show what to do now, and the good thing that comes next. Step & Star is for kids and adults who do their best when they can see what comes next — and for the parents, teachers, and therapists who cheer them on. Predictable routines bring calm, confidence, and a lot more "I did it!" moments — whether it's one child at home or a whole classroom. Setting up a board takes seconds. Then they see one big, friendly card at a time — tap to hear it read aloud, finish the step, and watch it advance with a little celebration. WHY FAMILIES AND CLASSROOMS LOVE IT Predictable routines ease anxiety Builds independence and confidence Works at home, school, and in therapy FEATURES First-Then boards that auto-advance step by step Cards from a built-in symbol library, your own photos, or safe web image search Every card reads aloud, or record your own voice Optional countdown timers with a gentle chime Celebrations when a reward or the finish is reached Multiple profiles to keep each child or student separate Caregiver PIN lock so the board can be handed over safely Works offline, with data stored privately on your device FREE AND PREMIUM Free to use with one profile, multiple boards, the symbol library, photos, text-to-speech, timers, and celebrations. Premium unlocks unlimited profiles and boards, safe web image search, and custom voice recordings, available monthly, yearly, or as a one-time Lifetime purchase. Made with care for the people who need it most. Step & Star Premium is available as an auto-renewable subscription or a one-time purchase: Monthly — $3.99 per month Yearly — $19.99 per year (includes a 7-day free trial) Lifetime — $49.99, one-time purchase Payment is charged to your Apple ID at confirmation of purchase. Subscriptions automatically renew unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period, and your account is charged for renewal within 24 hours prior to the end of the period. You can manage or cancel anytime in your device's App Store account settings. Privacy Policy: https://myday-support.com/step-%26-star-privacy Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: Visual Day at every 2 weeks against Step & Star's monthly. Visual Day also leads on ratings volume (3 vs 1). On price, rating, ads and in-app purchases 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
Both are free to download. Visual Day sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month and Step & Star sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Visual Day against 5.0 for Step & Star. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 3 and 1 respectively.
Visual Day ships an update every 2 weeks, Step & Star monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 31, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Visual Day | Step & Star |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (3 ratings) | 5.0 (1 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 3 — better | 1 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks — better | Monthly |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Freemium | Freemium |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.1 | 15.1 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 52 MB | 27 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Vijay Erramilli | Emily Smith |
Customer experience
Visual Day
Step & Star
In-app purchases
Visual Day
- Visual Day Pro14 Days trial$9.991 Month
- Visual Day Pro14 Days trial$39.991 Year
Step & Star
- Premium Monthly$3.991 Month
- Premium Yearly$19.991 Year
- Premium Lifetime$49.99
Questions
Is Visual Day free?
Is Step & Star free?
Which has better reviews, Visual Day or Step & Star?
Do Visual Day or Step & Star have ads?
Which is updated more often, Visual Day or Step & Star?
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