Comparison

Talking Typer vs VO Starter

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

Head to head
About

Talking Typer

This accessible typing program helps students improve their keyboarding skills through lessons and a fun game. It is designed for blind and visually impaired students but is beneficial for all learners, offering progress tracking and customizable lessons.

Highlights
  • 35 built-in typing lessons
  • Customizable lessons for teachers/parents
  • Progress tracking for speed and accuracy
  • Hurry Scurry typing game
  • Self-voicing and VoiceOver accessible
  • Supports refreshable braille displays
Read full description

Talking Typer finally makes its way to iOS. Help students make typing progress with this fun-to-use self-voicing app! Talking Typer An accessible typing and computer keyboard tutorial app with a keyboard game to help increase speed and accuracy in a fun environment! Learn to type or improve your skills with drills, practice lessons, keyboard explorer, and an entertaining game. It is designed for blind and visually impaired students, but can be used by sighted students too. This makes it a great tool for the whole class. 35 Built-in Lessons Talking TyperTM for iOS devices comes with 35 built-in lessons at levels 1-10. Teachers and parents can create new lessons, edit lessons, and assign lessons to individual students or groups. Speed, accuracy, and typing level can also be set for individual students or groups. The app saves the results of each drill allowing students, teachers, and parents to monitor improvement. Hurry Scurry Game The app also includes the exciting game Hurry Scurry, where students earn points by typing letters before the ball drops. It’s fun for all ages and skill levels! Self-Voicing and Apple® VoiceOver Accessible The app is both self-voicing and accessible with Apple’s VoiceOver. The onboard keyboard of your device can be used with Talking Typer, but an external keyboard is recommended. The app can also be used with a refreshable braille display, like APH’s Refreshabraille 18TM Bluetooth®-enabled device, making it accessible for students who are deafblind as well. Recommended ages: All.

About

VO Starter

This app offers a step-by-step guide to help new blind and visually impaired iOS users learn to navigate their devices using VoiceOver, Apple's built-in screen reader. Lessons are designed to be quick and easy to understand, making the learning process manageable.

Highlights
  • VoiceOver training
  • Step-by-step iOS guide
  • Quick and easy lessons
  • For blind users
  • For visually impaired users
Read full description

VO Starter teaches new blind and visually impaired iOS users how to use their device with Apple's built in screen reader, VoiceOver. Learning a new device can be challenging, and learning a new device and a new screen reader can take time and patience. VO Starter provides a step by step guide to learn to use the iPhone, while keeping lessons quick, and easy to learn.

Screenshots

Talking Typer4 screens
VO Starter2 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: VO Starter at every 2 days against Talking Typer's every 11 months. VO Starter also leads on review sentiment (67% vs 50%). Talking Typer's advantage is rating (3.9 vs 3.5) and ratings volume (10 vs 2). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Talking Typer holds the better App Store score, 3.9 against 3.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Talking Typer has 10 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 50% of Talking Typer's written reviews are positive against 67% of VO Starter's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Talking Typer ships an update every 11 months, VO Starter every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on September 15, 2026 and October 9, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Talking Typer versus VO Starter: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterTalking TyperVO Starter
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.9 (10 ratings) — better3.5 (2 ratings)
Positive reviews50.0% of reviews66.7% of reviews — better
Number of ratings10 — better2
Update frequencyEvery 11 monthsEvery 2 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS12.0 — better14.0
Further details — not scored
Size18 MB26 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAmerican Printing House for the Blind (APH)Techopolis Online Solutions, LLC

Customer experience

Talking Typer

All ratings10 ratings
Positive50.0%
Neutral50.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews6 reviews
Positive50.0%
Neutral50.0%
Negative0.0%

VO Starter

All ratings2 ratings
Positive50.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative50.0%
Written reviews3 reviews
Positive66.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative33.3%

In-app purchases

None

Talking Typer

No in-app purchases

None

VO Starter

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Talking Typer free?
Talking Typer is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is VO Starter free?
VO Starter is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Talking Typer or VO Starter?
Talking Typer is rated higher. Talking Typer averages 3.9 out of 5 from 10 ratings, while VO Starter averages 3.5 from 2 ratings.
Do Talking Typer or VO Starter have ads?
Neither Talking Typer nor VO Starter shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Talking Typer or VO Starter?
Talking Typer ships an update every 11 months, and VO Starter every 2 days. Most recently, Talking Typer was updated on September 15, 2026 and VO Starter on October 9, 2026.

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