IconSpeak AAC vs I Cannot Speak
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
IconSpeak AAC
This app helps individuals with speaking difficulties communicate by tapping icons to build sentences that are spoken aloud. It offers customization options for icons and layouts, and can print boards for offline use. The core app is free, with an optional Pro subscription for advanced features.
- Tap icons to build spoken sentences
- Customize icon labels, images, and audio
- Printable choice boards and individual icons
- Type to Talk for spelling
- Offline functionality
- Cloud sync and backup
- Multiple user profiles (Pro)
Read full descriptionHide full description
Some people think in full sentences and just can't say them out loud. IconSpeak gives them a way to be heard. IconSpeak is an AAC (augmentative and alternative communication) app for children and adults with speaking difficulties — autism, apraxia, Down syndrome, cerebral palsy, stroke, ALS, and temporary loss of speech. Tap icons to build a sentence, then tap the sentence strip to speak it aloud in a clear, natural voice. It was built by a dad for his son. Everything in it exists because a real family needed it. HOW IT WORKS - Tap icons to build a sentence, then tap the strip to speak it aloud - Or tap a single icon to hear it on its own — no sentence required. Good for early learners and quick answers. - Edit any icon: its label, its image, or what it says out loud - Browse by category, or search when you know what you want - Type to Talk for anyone who spells — type a phrase, hear it spoken - Choice boards for this-or-that questions and structured practice PRINT WHAT'S ON THE SCREEN The digital board and the paper board shouldn't be two different systems. - Print individual icons, or entire choice boards - Set your own print layout and grid — icons per page and how large - Size them for a binder, a classroom wall board, or a lanyard - Send home paper sets that match the app exactly, so a person sees the same symbol at school, at home, and on paper - Print custom photo icons, not just library symbols - A no-tech backup for a dead battery or a device left in the car BUILT FOR REAL DAYS - Works fully offline — no signal needed at school or an appointment - Cloud sync and backup across your iPhone and iPad - Multiple voices and multiple languages - Adjustable grid, colors, and layout so the board fits the person - No ads, ever. No account required to start. FREE FOREVER The core app is free — not a trial, not a countdown. Icon library and categories, single-tap speech, sentence strip, Type to Talk, choice boards, printing with custom layouts, one profile, offline, and sync. ICONSPEAK PRO For families, classrooms, and clinicians who need the board to match a specific person. - Custom icons from your own photos — real faces, real foods, real places - Custom categories, organized your way - Multiple user profiles on one device - Sentence history, so a favorite phrase is one tap away Pro is $4.99 per month or $49.99 per year. FOR SLPs AND EDUCATORS Custom icons and multiple profiles make it practical to run a caseload from one iPad, and printable boards let you send home a paper set that mirrors the digital one — consistent symbols across school, home, and clinic. We'd love to hear from you: wearebubbystudio@gmail.com A NOTE FROM US IconSpeak is made by Bubby Studio, a tiny independent studio named after the nickname of our founder's son, Ezekiel. We built the app we wanted to exist for him. If something is missing, tell us — we read every email. SUBSCRIPTION DETAILS IconSpeak Pro is a monthly ($4.99) or annual ($49.99) auto-renewing subscription. Payment is charged to your Apple Account at confirmation of purchase. It renews automatically unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period, and your account is charged within 24 hours prior to the end of that period. Manage or cancel anytime in your Apple Account settings. Privacy Policy: https://www.bubbystudio.com/privacy-policy Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
I Cannot Speak
Read full descriptionHide 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 — 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 — restaurant, medical, travel, transport, shopping and emergency — 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 — 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 — 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 — 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
Verdict
The clearest difference is iOS requirement: IconSpeak AAC at 16.4 against I Cannot Speak's 18.0. On price, update cadence, 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. IconSpeak AAC sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 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.
IconSpeak AAC ships an update every 6 weeks, I Cannot Speak monthly. Both last shipped on October 31, 2026.
| Parameter | IconSpeak AAC | I Cannot Speak |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 1 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 6 weeks | Monthly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 16.4 — better | 18.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 41 MB | 18 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Scott Davis | Sakib Shaikh |
In-app purchases
IconSpeak AAC
- IconSpeak Pro Monthly$4.991 Month
- IconSpeak Pro Annual$49.991 Year
I Cannot Speak
- I Cannot Speak Pro Monthly14 Days trial$4.991 Month
- I Cannot Speak Pro Yearly14 Days trial$29.991 Year
Questions
Is IconSpeak AAC free?
Is I Cannot Speak free?
Do IconSpeak AAC or I Cannot Speak have ads?
Which is updated more often, IconSpeak AAC or I Cannot Speak?
Other comparisons















