Comparison

Kalinio vs NowGong

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

Head to head
About

Kalinio

This app provides Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) for individuals with speech impairments. It offers various input methods and customizable picture libraries to help users express thoughts, wishes, and needs.

Highlights
  • Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC)
  • Multiple input methods (touch, switch, camera)
  • Picture library with customizable symbols
  • Text-to-speech functionality
  • Customizable appearance and themes
  • Multi-language support
Features
Read full description

Try Kalinio free for two weeks – with all features. A paid monthly or annual subscription is required afterwards. With Apple Family Sharing, you can share your subscription with up to five other members of your family group. Kalinio – a bridge to communication AAC for adults and children Kalinio is an Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) app. It helps people who cannot speak, or have limited speech, because of a neurological condition or injury express thoughts, wishes and needs – even when controlled hand movements are difficult. Kalinio can be adapted for adults and children. Kalinio presents letters, numbers, words and pictures in sequence and reads out the associated text. A single input selects the desired item. Different input methods • Touch, mouse or external switch • Acoustic tongue click • Mouth opening or smiling, detected by the camera • Sticking out the tongue, detected by the camera Input methods can be adapted to individual abilities. Communicating with pictures Alongside letters and words, Kalinio offers a picture library for people who cannot yet read and write, or can no longer do so sufficiently well. • 200 Kalinio pictures and over 3,400 Mulberry symbols • Add your own photos and images • Customize picture labels and spoken text • Organize pictures and messages into your own categories for quicker access • For supported pictures, choose a boy or girl and lighter or darker skin tones Pictures can be combined into simple sentences and spoken aloud. This helps express wishes, needs and feelings without selecting individual letters. Personalized appearance Choose from the classic look, soft colors, sky and meadow, and subtle or more detailed space themes. This can make Kalinio friendlier for children and teenagers without changing how it works. Who Kalinio is for Kalinio may be helpful for people with: • Stroke • Dysarthria • Apraxia of speech • Aphasia • Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) • Limited speech with a tracheostomy • Other neurological conditions affecting speech and hand movement Picture communication may also help children with severe motor impairments. Using letters requires the ability to read and write or spell. Picture communication requires understanding the meaning of the chosen images. In both cases, a suitable input method, such as mouth opening or tongue clicking, must be used reliably. More features • Customizable words and messages • Auditory scanning with adjustable speed • Personal calibration where needed • Diagnostic tools to check recognition • Microphone and camera data processed on the device • Back up and restore personal content and settings • Interface and speech output in eleven languages Try it free Eligible new subscribers can use all features free for two weeks. After the trial, a paid auto-renewing monthly or annual subscription is required. Important information Kalinio is a communication aid. It is not intended to diagnose, treat or cure medical conditions and does not replace medical or therapeutic care. Privacy Policy: https://www.kalinio.app/de/privacy/ Terms of Use (Apple Standard EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

About

NowGong

This app provides a simple, ritualistic practice to interrupt your day with short periods of stillness. It uses random alarms to prompt 90-second pauses, ending with a gong, encouraging mindfulness without complex features.

Highlights
  • Random or fixed daily alarms
  • 90-second stillness periods
  • Gong sound to start and end sessions
  • Integration with Apple Health
  • Streak tracking and joker for missed days
  • Focus filter for notification control
Features
Read full description

Five times a day a real alarm rings – at random times, even when your iPhone is silent. You start 90 seconds of stillness, a gong ends them. That's all. And that's the point. NowGong is not a meditation library. No courses, no voices, no account. Just a ritual that interrupts your day – short enough to always fit, frequent enough to change something. HOW IT WORKS – Real alarms: cut through the silent switch and Focus – Random times inside your time windows – or fixed times if you prefer – 90 seconds of stillness with a gong at the start and the end – A grace period instead of pressure: starting shortly after the alarm still counts – If several alarms fall close together, the sessions wait for you as a stack YOUR RHYTHM – Weekly plan per gong: several time windows with weekdays, even overnight – Gongs: several parallel rhythms with their own sound, color, and times (Pro) – Your intention: a personal line under the timer – write your own or pick one of 24 templates, from gratitude to your future self. Made for manifesting, too: 90 seconds to feel what it’s like when it’s already here. – A pause button for loud days; Focus filter: per iOS Focus the bell rings, reminds quietly, or stays silent – Shortcuts: pause and resume NowGong automatically, for example with the Driving Focus KEEP GOING – Daily ring and streak – strict, mild, or off; a joker repairs a broken day – Widget for Home and Lock Screen – stays current even on days you don't open the app – Weekly card and milestones to share – free – Statistics: minutes, rates, mood, times of day, "from alarm to stillness" (Pro) – Check-in after the gong: mindful minutes and state of mind – on your iPhone and, if you wish, in Apple Health PRIVATE No account, no tracking, no ads. Your sessions, statistics, and check-ins stay on your iPhone. Only when you use the feedback form do you send us a message – voluntarily, without an account, with a diagnostic attachment only if you choose. NOWGONG PRO Buy once instead of subscribing (optional yearly plan): up to 5 gongs, up to 12 sessions a day, a weekly joker, four sound packs, statistics – and everything still to come. Family Sharing included. NOWGONG PRO – PURCHASE OPTIONS NowGong Pro Lifetime: one-time purchase, no renewal. NowGong Pro Yearly: 12-month auto-renewable subscription (price varies by region). The subscription renews automatically for another 12 months at the then-current price unless it is cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Payment is charged to your App Store account. You can manage or cancel your subscription any time in your App Store account settings. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://mahamind.com/datenschutz-nowgong

Screenshots

Kalinio4 screens
NowGong4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is monetization model: NowGong at free with in-app purchases against Kalinio's subscription. Kalinio's advantage is device support (3 vs 1) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 26.0). On price, rating, review sentiment and ratings volume 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. Kalinio sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month and NowGong sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per year. 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 Kalinio against 5.0 for NowGong. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1 and 1 respectively. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 100% and 100% positive.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Kalinio ships an update every 5 days, NowGong every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on October 25, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Kalinio versus NowGong: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterKalinioNowGong
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings11
Update frequencyEvery 5 daysEvery 3 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationSubscriptionFree with in-app purchases — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS15.0 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size181 MB34 MB
Age rating4++4
DeveloperArno Thorsten Muller-HeinemannDaniel Schallmeiner

Customer experience

Kalinio

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

NowGong

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Kalinio

Subscriptions2
  • Monatsabo14 Days trial$4.991 Month
  • Jahresabo14 Days trial$44.991 Year
5 purchases

NowGong

Subscriptions1
  • NowGong Pro Yearly$3.991 Year
One-time4
  • Small Gong$1.99
  • Medium Gong$3.99
  • NowGong Pro$8.99
Show 1 more
  • Large Gong$8.99

Questions

Is Kalinio free?
Kalinio is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is NowGong free?
NowGong is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Kalinio or NowGong?
Kalinio and NowGong are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 1 and 1 ratings respectively.
Do Kalinio or NowGong have ads?
Neither Kalinio nor NowGong shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Kalinio or NowGong?
Kalinio ships an update every 5 days, and NowGong every 3 days. Most recently, Kalinio was updated on October 25, 2026 and NowGong on October 24, 2026.

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