5 Great Apps for Autistic Users to Improve Daily Life

Finding technology to support your needs can make a huge difference in daily living. Whether you need help with communication, organization, or self-care, there are many apps designed to make things easier and help improve your quality of life. In this article, we'll explore five standout tools that are easy to use, adaptable, and genuinely helpful in everyday situations.

1. Spoken - Tap to Talk AAC

Availability: Android, iOS, and Mac
Price: Free (with optional premium upgrade for $12.99/month, $99.99/year, or $249.99 for life)

Spoken - Tap to Talk AAC is popular among autistic teens and adults who have trouble with verbal communication. It can be used as an alternative to speech for fully nonspeaking individuals or as a supplement for people with unreliable speech. Using a tool like this instead of forcing yourself to speak can help you avoid autistic burnout.

With Spoken, you can tap on intelligent word suggestions, type, handwrite, or even draw to enter text. It can understand all of these inputs and convert them into speech at the tap of a button! The app also offers a wide selection of realistic-sounding voices covering a diverse range of identities, with the ability to customize speed and pitch for each, ensuring a natural and personalized communication experience.

The simple, user-friendly design of Spoken lets you start talking right away. It's quick to figure it out and there's no set up required. The more you use the app, the better it will get at predicting what you want to say, making communication get easier and faster over time.

2. Goblin Tools

Availability: iOS and Android
Price: $1.99

Goblin Tools is designed to make everyday tasks simpler for neurodivergent users. For example, the Magic ToDo tool takes a task that feels too big and automatically splits it into smaller, actionable steps, making it easier to get started. If you have trouble figuring out how to phrase something appropriately, the Formalizer can adjust your text to sound more formal, sociable, or concise, depending on the situation.

Understanding tone in written communication can be tricky, so the Judge helps by analyzing messages and giving insight into the sender's intent. If your thoughts feel scattered, the Compiler turns a “braindump” into an organized list of tasks. And for those who struggle with meal planning, the Chef can take a list of ingredients and suggest a recipe, eliminating the stress of figuring out what to cook.

Whether you need help structuring your day, managing social interactions, or just getting started on a task that feels too big, Goblin Tools provides simple, effective solutions tailored to different challenges.

3. Tiimo: Planning, Focus & To Do

Availability: iOS
Price: Free (with optional premium upgrade for $10/month)

Tiimo is another great app for autistic individuals. At its core, Tiimo is a daily planning app that uses a visually pleasing design to help organize your day.

Tiimo makes it easy to establish structure. It offers a color-coded daily overview of your plans, a focus timer to help stay on task, AI-powered checklists, and a library of pre-set tasks to help get you on your way. Additional tools include a library of neuro-inclusive courses on topics like productivity and daily body-doubling sessions for users with AuDHD.

An Android version of Tiimo also exists, but it seems to have been abandoned by the developers. Users report frequent crashing and other serious bugs. For that reason, we only suggest the iOS version of the app.

4. Finch: Self-Care Pet

Availability: iOS and Android
Price: Free (with in-app purchases)

Finch can help you build a self-care routine in a way that feels rewarding instead of overwhelming. Self-care can be hard to keep up with, especially if you struggle with executive functioning, sensory sensitivities, or sudden changes in routine. Finch makes it easier by turning self-care into a game — you take care of a digital pet by completing real-life tasks.

Not interested in the gamified aspect? The app also includes practical tools like a habit tracker, mood journal, breathing exercises, self-care quizzes, and motivational quotes. There's something for everyone in this app.

This app is highly rated and loved by many autistic users. If you struggle with motivation or need a structured, engaging way to build better habits, Finch might be worth checking out.

5. Sweepy: Home Cleaning Schedule

Availability: iOS and Android
Price: Free (with in-app purchases)

Keeping your space clean and organized can be difficult, especially if you struggle with task initiation, decision-making, or feeling overwhelmed by clutter. It can be hard to know where to start, how often things need cleaned, or how to break big tasks into smaller ones. Sweepy helps by providing structure and turning cleaning into a game, making it easier to stay on top of chores without feeling overwhelmed.

The app allows you to set up a cleaning schedule, prioritize tasks, and receive reminders. Instead of trying to clean everything at once, Sweepy helps you focus on what needs attention first. It also tracks when something was last cleaned so you don't have to rely on memory alone. Sweepy can even help split chores fairly and avoid miscommunication about who is responsible for what. The app also has a leaderboard, adding an optional competitive element that can make cleaning feel more rewarding.

If you find cleaning stressful, confusing, or hard to keep up with, Sweepy provides the structure and motivation to make it more manageable.