Comparison

Visual Day vs Step & Star

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

Head to head
About

Visual Day

This app helps parents and educators create visual schedules and routines for children. It offers different board types like visual schedules, first-then, and token boards to support predictability and motivation. Features include a distraction-free Kid Mode, custom photo integration, and progress tracking.

Highlights
  • Visual schedules
  • First-Then boards
  • Token boards
  • Kid Mode
  • Custom photo integration
  • Progress tracking
  • PDF export
Features
Read full description

Visual Day helps parents, caregivers, and teachers turn everyday routines into clear, calm, visual steps. Built for children who thrive with predictability — including autistic kids, ADHD, and early learners — it makes "what's happening now and what's next" 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 you get that." • Token Boards — earn tokens toward a reward to build motivation and follow-through. DESIGNED FOR REAL FAMILIES • Kid Mode — a full-screen, distraction-free view with big touch targets, made for little hands. • Hundreds of clear symbols built in plus your own photos (all private -- even we do not store them). • 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. TRACK PROGRESS • See streaks and completions over time to spot what's working. • Manage boards for multiple children from one place. PRINT & GO • Export any board as a clean PDF to cut, laminate, and reuse — perfect for the fridge, classroom, or on the go. WORKS EVERYWHERE • Universal app for iPhone and iPad. 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. Any photos you add are used only on your device and are never uploaded to our servers — they stay with you. Creating a child profile requires your consent, in line with COPPA and GDPR. SUBSCRIPTION Visual Day is free to use with up to 3 boards and 3 children — including all three board types, Kid Mode, reminders, and timers. Upgrade to Visual Day Pro for unlimited boards & children, PDF export, and advanced progress tracking. • Price: $9.99/$39.99 per month/year, billed through your Apple ID. • 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 email].

About

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.

Highlights
  • 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
Features
Read full description

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

Visual Day4 screens
Step & Star4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Visual Day at every 10 days 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Visual Day sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $39.99 per year 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.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

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.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Visual Day ships an update every 10 days, Step & Star monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 6, 2026 and September 30, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Visual Day versus Step & Star: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterVisual DayStep & Star
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (3 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings3 — better1
Update frequencyEvery 10 days — betterMonthly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemiumFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.115.1
Further details — not scored
Size52 MB27 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperVijay ErramilliEmily Smith

Customer experience

Visual Day

All ratings3 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Step & Star

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Visual Day

Subscriptions1
  • Visual Day Pro14 Days trial$39.991 Year
3 purchases

Step & Star

Subscriptions2
  • Premium Monthly$3.991 Month
  • Premium Yearly$19.991 Year
One-time1
  • Premium Lifetime$49.99

Questions

Is Visual Day free?
Visual Day is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Step & Star free?
Step & Star is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Visual Day or Step & Star?
Visual Day and Step & Star are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 3 and 1 ratings respectively.
Do Visual Day or Step & Star have ads?
Neither Visual Day nor Step & Star shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Visual Day or Step & Star?
Visual Day ships an update every 10 days, and Step & Star monthly. Most recently, Visual Day was updated on October 6, 2026 and Step & Star on September 30, 2026.

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