Step & Star vs RomaTalk
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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/
RomaTalk
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RomaTalk’s talking picture cards help autistic children, nonverbal kids and late talkers communicate, and also teens and adults who find speaking hard. Your child taps a picture and the app says the word out loud. It is an AAC app (augmentative and alternative communication) for home, preschool and school: communication cards, a visual schedule, social stories, emotion cards, a token board and practice. Communication board, no reading needed Made for nonverbal kids: no reading or typing needed. Almost 2,000 talking cards in English are sorted by topic: food, things, places, people, daily routine. A few cards make a phrase, like “Mom, I want juice,” and the app says it as one sentence. Key words sit on the “Quick cards” panel, favorite cards in “Favorites,” and “Hard moment” keeps cards for tough times at hand. Your own cards with photo, video and voice Take a photo of a toy, a cup or grandma, type the word and record it in your own voice. You can also film a short video of an action. Without a recording, the word is read by the device voice or by your Personal Voice, if you made one on your iPhone. Cards can be printed. Visual schedule The daily routine in pictures: morning, afternoon, evening. Show one step, a “First → Then” board or the whole plan. A “Wait time” step with a timer shows how long is left. Your child marks each finished step. Social stories in pictures Short stories about new events: a haircut, a visit. Pick one or make your own from photos and phrases, and a voice reads each page. Emotion and feelings cards “How are you?”: your child picks a feeling and shows how strong it is. The answer is saved in the diary. Token board with a reward You choose a goal and a reward, and your child sees how many tokens are left to collect. Visual choice Like a choice board: your child sees 2, 3 or 4 cards and shows what they want. Practice 13 exercises with picture cards, including “Find the card,” “Yes or no,” “Finish the phrase,” “First letter” and “Tidy up.” There is no way to fail: a wrong card disappears and the word is said again. Ready-made sets such as “First words,” your own practice, one-button lesson plans and statistics on which cards your child already knows. Diary, communication passport and summary Mark the time with one tap and add what happened later. It is only a count of your entries: RomaTalk does not look for causes, does not assess anything and gives no advice. The “Communication passport” tells new people how your child communicates, and the “Summary for a specialist” lists the cards your child tapped in a PDF. For the whole family Each child gets a profile, and there are profiles for teens and adults. Card sets, schedules and practice can be sent to another phone. The settings are protected by a PIN. On iPhone and iPad, the app shows you step by step how to turn on Guided Access so your child stays in RomaTalk. Offline, no ads RomaTalk works without internet. No ads, no sign-up and no account. Cards, photos, voice recordings and notes stay only on the device. 21 languages, phone and tablet The interface and the cards come in 21 languages, including English and Spanish. There is a dark theme. It works on iPhone and iPad, upright or sideways. Free and Pro Free: all ready-made cards and exercises, phrases, the schedule, stories, tokens and the diary, plus up to 15 cards of your own, 5 categories, 1 profile, 2 schedules, 2 choice sets, 2 practices of your own, 2 lesson plans and 2 stories of your own. Pro removes these limits and adds an encrypted backup that moves everything to a new phone. Pro is a one-time purchase, not a subscription. RomaTalk is made by one person. You can support it in “Support the project.” RomaTalk is a communication and learning tool. Parents can also keep private notes and see simple counts of what they recorded, and read general information written for parents. It is not a medical device, and it does not diagnose, assess or treat anything.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: RomaTalk at fortnightly against Step & Star's monthly. On price, ads, in-app purchases 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
Both are free to download. Step & Star sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month and RomaTalk sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Step & Star ships an update monthly, RomaTalk fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on November 5, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Step & Star | RomaTalk |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better | — |
| Number of ratings | 1 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Monthly | Fortnightly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Freemium | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.1 | 15.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 27 MB | 151 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Emily Smith | Serhii Lypii |
In-app purchases
Step & Star
- Premium Monthly$3.991 Month
- Premium Yearly$19.991 Year
- Premium Lifetime$49.99
RomaTalk
- RomaTalk Pro$0.99
- Coffee$0.99
- Cake$3.99
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- From the heart$8.99









