Smart Steps Mobile vs Weave Chat AAC
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Smart Steps Mobile
This app guides individuals with disabilities through challenging everyday situations with step-by-step instructions and helpful prompts. It offers customizable decision trees, safety tips, and emergency contact features to foster independence and reduce anxiety.
- Step-by-step decision trees
- Read-Aloud buttons
- Profile screen for information sharing
- Map button for directions
- Emergency contact features
- Customizable decision trees with images (upgrade)
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Take the next step with confidence. Smart Steps helps teens and adults with disabilities handle tricky moments—one tap at a time. Whether it’s starting a new job, getting around campus, or asking for help, this app walks you through what to do. Designed by a teacher, Smart Steps is built for neurodivergent users, including those with autism, ADHD, intellectual and developmental disabilities, Down syndrome, or brain injuries. With simple Decision Trees and just-in-time tips, it’s like having a calm coach in your pocket. How it works: Pick a Decision Tree and follow one step at a time. You’ll get reminders, social cues, and safety tips when you need them most. End with a Success screen—or call for Backup if you need extra help. Features include: • Read-Aloud buttons (great for speaking out loud too!) • A Profile Screen to share helpful info • A Map Button for directions • Emergency Contacts for calls/texts (with upgrade) • A Decision Tree Maker to customize steps and add images (with upgrade) Plans available: Free Plan – Try it out! Includes built-in Decision Trees, Profile Screen, Map, and Read-Aloud. Monthly/Annual Plan – Unlock tree editing, image uploads, contact storage, and color customization. Group Plans – Share trees with a classroom, workplace, or family (2+ licenses). Build independence, reduce stress, and support problem-solving—one small win at a time. Learn more or sign up at SmartSteps4me.com Watch a quick intro: bit.ly/SmartStepsMobileIntro
Weave Chat AAC
This app provides a customizable Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) system. It features a wide range of vocabulary with color-coded categories and allows users to add their own images, phrases, and voices. Users can also modify board layouts and lock customization settings.
- Customizable AAC boards
- Extensive vocabulary with weekly updates
- Add custom images and categories
- Create and save custom phrases
- Select synthetic voice
- Modify board layouts
- Passcode lock for customization
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Weave Chat AAC is a free, dynamic, and completely customizable AAC app that is available to a variety of devices. There are over 3,500 pre-configured words with a symbol library including more than 65,000 symbols that you can choose from. Weave Chat AAC offers a large variety of verbs (green), pronouns (yellow), questions (purple), nouns (tan/orange), adjectives (blue), and conversational words (pink). All color choices were made based on the Fitzgerald Key and new vocabulary is added weekly. Users can add their own custom images and categories in Settings —> Manage Custom Images. In addition, users can add their own custom phrases that can easily be accessed from their board; to add phrases, go to Settings —> Manage Phrases. Users can select a synthetic voice (dependent on their device settings) from Settings —> Change Voice Settings - here you can select your voice, vocal pitch, and rate of speech. Image and text size can be personalized from Settings —> Change Image & Text Size (select from default - small, medium, and large). Settings —> Configure Image Keyboard allows the user to turn on/off features that allow for the category text to be read aloud (synthetic voice for categories), to keep the user in the category after a image has been selected (stay on category after image selection), and disable the speech output for individual words so that it only reads aloud when the white text screen is touched (synthetic voice disabled for individual words). The AAC board can be modified in Settings —> Manage Board Builder. Here, the user can select from the default board (you must make a copy to edit it - to do this select “Add new keyboard” and then select “Hide Images” for Type of Keyboard); grid position boards (ranging in size from 1x2 - 7x15 rows/columns); and Board Builder (gives you the option to build a board from scratch). All boards are completely editable and all custom images and categories can be used from all boards. Lastly, Manage Pin Configuration allows the user to set a pin over all (or just some) aspects of customization to lock down features as needed. Feature List: - Dynamic, customizable, AAC boards - Large variety of verbs, nouns, and adjectives with additional vocabulary added weekly - Add custom images and custom categories - Create and save phrases - Select a synthetic voice (as available per your device settings) - Copy & Paste AAC picture icon messages via “share” - Create and/or modify AAC boards via 3 options: grid position boards (ranging from 1x2 - 7x15), hide images, and/or create a new board from scratch - “Text” others who have the app using AAC picture icons - Set a passcode to lock down features as needed - Weave Chat AAC currently only has English buttons/images
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Weave Chat AAC at 80% against Smart Steps Mobile's 0%. Weave Chat AAC also leads on update cadence (every 8 days vs every 8 months) and rating (4.7 vs 4.3). Smart Steps Mobile's advantage is iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.1). 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Weave Chat AAC holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Weave Chat AAC has 523 ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 0% of Smart Steps Mobile's written reviews are positive against 80% of Weave Chat AAC's.
Smart Steps Mobile ships an update every 8 months, Weave Chat AAC every 8 days. The most recent releases landed on September 20, 2026 and September 25, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Smart Steps Mobile | Weave Chat AAC |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.3 (3 ratings) | 4.7 (523 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 0.0% of reviews | 79.8% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 3 | 523 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 8 months | Every 8 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Freemium | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 — better | 15.1 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 23 MB | 115 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | SmartSteps | Weave Chat, LLC |
Customer experience
Smart Steps Mobile
Weave Chat AAC
Bugs and requests
Smart Steps Mobile
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
Weave Chat AAC
Reported bugs
3 issues- Syncing issues causing long loading times
- Inability to receive verification token during signup
- Freezing when trying to share between devices
Requested features
5 requests- Easier custom button editing from main board
- More age-appropriate voice options
- Increased custom button capacity
- Pre-made vocabulary for sensitive topics
- Improved volume and audio quality control
In-app purchases
Smart Steps Mobile
No in-app purchases
Weave Chat AAC
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Smart Steps Mobile free?
Is Weave Chat AAC free?
Which has better reviews, Smart Steps Mobile or Weave Chat AAC?
Do Smart Steps Mobile or Weave Chat AAC have ads?
Which is updated more often, Smart Steps Mobile or Weave Chat AAC?
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