GoTalk® NOW LITE vs BDI
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
GoTalk® NOW LITE
This communication app helps individuals with speech difficulties create personalized pages for expression. It offers adjustable layouts, recorded speech, text-to-speech, and an included symbol set. Additional features and unlimited pages are available through in-app purchases.
- Personalized communication pages
- Adjustable page layouts
- Recorded and text-to-speech capabilities
- Included symbol set
- Multiple page styles (Standard, Express, Scene)
- Multimedia integration (video, music)
- Full-feature scanning
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Attainment has been making augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) tools for 25 years. Our experience is front and center in GoTalk NOW LITE, a communication app that introduces you to the flexibility, ease of use, and power of Attainment’s popular GoTalk NOW. GoTalk NOW LITE is a fully functional augmentative communication app for those who have difficulty speaking. Create up to three personalized communication pages in this free app! GoTalk NOW LITE has all the essentials of an effective AAC app, like adjustable page layouts, customizable navigation, recorded and text-to-speech capabilities, and an included symbol set. If you need more Communication Pages or the ability to share, simply upgrade your GoTalk NOW LITE to full GoTalk NOW Features via an in-app purchase. The new LITE offers three styles of communication pages: Standard, Express, and Scene. In Standard pages, the action occurs when the location is pressed. In Express pages, recorded or text-to-speech messages build in a speech bar and play in sequence when the bar is pressed. Scene pages are built around a single photo or image. When you arrange invisible hotspots over people or objects in the photo, the hotspots play speech, music, or videos! Feel free to mix and match pages within a communication book. Create a communication book with unique settings and up to 5 pages in length. Envision the impact of blending video, music, and jump to actions among your pages. Plus, GoTalk NOW LITE is a full-feature scanning app! Features: • Choose 1, 2, 4, 9, 16, 25 or 36 locations per page. • Use images from your iPad camera, photo library, or the GoTalk Image Library. • Search the Internet in-app for the perfect image or icon. • Purchase SymbolStix, PCS, or Widgit Symbols libraries in-app. • Crop, scale, or rotate an image using your fingers. • Combine multiple images in a single communication location. • Color pages, borders, and text with any hue. • Move and size text with your fingers so it feels just right. • Record your voice or use our free text-to-speech voice. • Add spoken labels (auditory cues) to any button. Great for scanning, guiding visually impaired users, and identifying any new or difficult vocabulary. • Trim videos in-app, and play them from any communication location. • Select our alternate video interface to pause or exit the video easily. • Link songs from your playlist to any communication location and control them with Pause/Play, Next, and Previous. • Include a core vocabulary button for extra quick access to important messages. • Create multimedia social stories and step-by-step instruction layouts by linking pages with an after action. •In-app purchase allows for back up of communication books via Dropbox or to any Mac or PC for safekeeping. • Ability to create multiple books with unlimited pages via in-app purchase. • Store and share interactive templates (each including speech, video, text, and jump to links) on our online gallery via in-app purchase. • Download and edit premade templates from Attainment’s collection on the public gallery available via in-app purchase. • Print and save communication book layouts via PDFs. • Access LITE with single or two-switch scanning. Attainment is well known for top-notch customer service. Email us with questions or comments and check our website for free webinars. And yes, we're happy to talk to you on the telephone!
BDI
This application assists in administering clinical assessments for child development. It offers guided digital support for scoring, timers, and reporting, functioning both online and offline. Users can manage student data and sync assessments for web-based access.
- Online and offline assessment administration
- Guided digital scoring assistance
- Basal and ceiling indicators
- Built-in timers
- Modular reporting options
- Student data management
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BDI-3 Mobile Data Solution (MDS) is an online and offline application to assist with the administration of the Battelle® Developmental Inventory 3rd Edition™ suite of products. The Battelle Developmental Complete, BDI-3 Screening Test, and the Battelle Early Academic Survey are clinical assessments that may be assessed through the BDI-3 MDS. The application provides guided digital assistance with the administration of each of the three products. The guided digital assistance includes basal and ceiling indicators, tallied scoring, built in timers, scoring rubrics, and modular reporting options. Within the application the user will be able to add students, administer all three types of BDI-3 assessments, and run reports both online and offline. It also allows the user to sync mobile record forms that they can then access on the riversidescore.com website.
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: GoTalk® NOW LITE at 4.2 against BDI's 2.3. BDI's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 20) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.6). On price, ratings volume, update cadence and ads 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. GoTalk® NOW LITE sells 20 one-off in-app purchases. BDI asks for nothing beyond the download.
GoTalk® NOW LITE holds the better App Store score, 4.2 against 2.3. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 17 and 6 respectively.
GoTalk® NOW LITE ships an update every 5 weeks, BDI every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 12, 2026 and October 5, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | GoTalk® NOW LITE | BDI |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.2 (17 ratings) — better | 2.3 (6 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 52.6% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 17 — better | 6 |
| Update frequency | Every 5 weeks — better | Every 2 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Devices | iPad | iPad |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 | 13.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 235 MB | 208 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Attainment Company | RiversideInsights |
Customer experience
GoTalk® NOW LITE
BDI
In-app purchases
GoTalk® NOW LITE
- Kenny$0.99
- Nelly$0.99
- Ryan$0.99
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- Tracy$0.99
- Will$0.99
- Rod$0.99
- Lizzie$0.99
- Tiana$0.99
- Owen$0.99
- Rodrigo$0.99
- Malik$0.99
- Ella$11.99
- Josh$11.99
- Ready-Set-Communicate$19.99
- Talk All Day$19.99
- SymbolStix$49.99
- English (US) Keywords$59.99
- AAC2go (Girl 3-10)$79.99
- AAC2go (Boy 3-10)$79.99
- Upgrade to GoTalk NOW Features$119.99
BDI
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is GoTalk® NOW LITE free?
Is BDI free?
Which has better reviews, GoTalk® NOW LITE or BDI?
Do GoTalk® NOW LITE or BDI have ads?
Which is updated more often, GoTalk® NOW LITE or BDI?
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