Apps Every Speech-Language Pathologist Should Check Out

Finding the right tools to support clients in speech therapy can make all the difference in engagement and progress. While no single app can replace a skilled speech-language pathologist, the right ones can enhance therapy sessions, provide structured practice, and offer clients a way to continue their work outside of sessions. However, the growing number of speech therapy apps available can make it challenging to determine which ones are worth integrating into your practice. This article spotlights a selection of quality apps that might benefit you or your clients.

Useful Apps to Expand Your Speech Therapy Toolkit

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 is an augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) app designed specifically for teens and adults, offering a fundamentally different approach from traditional AAC tools. Unlike AAC that uses grids of preprogrammed words or symbols, Spoken adapts dynamically to each user, learning their unique way of communicating and providing personalized word predictions. This allows users to express themselves more naturally, without being restricted to preset vocabulary.

In addition to using predictive text, Spoken's users can also type, draw, or handwrite to enter text and the app will automatically convert these inputs into speech. This flexibility makes it a valuable option for individuals with varying motor and cognitive abilities. While its interface is designed to be intuitive and easy to use, Spoken is a very powerful AAC solution that SLPs should be aware of — especially when working with clients who find traditional AAC apps too rigid or cumbersome.

Articulation Station Hive

Price: Free (with optional premium upgrade for $14.99/month or $119.99/year)
Availability: iOS and Mac

As the name of the app suggests, Articulation Station Hive is specifically designed to help users improve speech articulation. The included activities focus on different areas including syllables, words, phrases, stories, and conversations.

Articulation Station Hive was made by a speech-language pathologist, so it should come as no surprise that its feature set takes other SLPs into consideration. It's easy to view summaries of sessions and graphs of student performance, write or view notes, and share users' progress with their parents or caregivers.

Conversation Therapy

Price: $24.99
Availability: iOS and Android

Conversation Therapy is from the Tactus Therapy suite of apps. Tactus' other apps are primarily geared toward adults with aphasia, but the Conversation Therapy app offers a level of versatility that makes it useful for a wide range of speech therapy clients.

The app provides structured yet natural-feeling conversation starters, eliminating the need for SLPs to generate new discussion prompts every day. With over 2,500 questions across 12 real-world topic categories, it can help clients practice expressive language, problem-solving, and pragmatic skills. Another neat part of the app is that it allows for both one-on-one sessions and group use with up to four participants.

Speak For Yourself

Price: $299.99 with additional in-app purchases
Availability: iOS

Speak For Yourself (SFY) is a robust, symbol-based AAC app designed by two speech-language pathologists with a strong emphasis on motor learning principles. While it is particularly well-suited for younger users, its structured yet expandable design allows it to grow with individuals as their vocabulary and communication skills develop. The app's core layout is designed to promote automaticity, ensuring that users can build language proficiency over time through consistent motor patterns.

One of SFY's standout features is its efficiency — every word in the system can be accessed with a maximum of two taps. This reduces the cognitive and physical effort required for communication, making it a powerful tool for users with a range of needs. Additionally, SFY incorporates features that support language growth, such as its Babble Mode, which encourages exploration of new words. These features make it a highly adaptable choice for those looking for a symbol-based AAC solution that prioritizes ease of use, accessibility, and long-term language development.

Leeloo AAC

Price: Free (with optional premium upgrade for $6.99/month, $59.99/year, or $99.99 for life)
Availability: Android and iOS

Leeloo might be a good choice if one of your younger clients is resistant to using AAC system. Designed with children in mind, it features a bright and approachable interface, fun illustrations, and an intuitive layout that makes communication feel less intimidating. The playful design helps encourage engagement for students who may not want to try AAC otherwise.

With its simple navigation and visually appealing elements, Leeloo makes communication more accessible and enjoyable, reinforcing language development in a way that feels natural and rewarding for young users. However, we would not suggest Leeloo for teen or adult users due to its very limited vocabulary, but it's a great starter option for young children. The app was removed from Google Play for an unknown reason, but Android users can still get the app by downloading the APK on the developer's official website.

Constant Therapy: Brain Rehab

Price: $29.99/month
Availability: iOS and Android

Constant Therapy: Brain Rehab is a cognitive, language, and speech therapy app designed by a team of neuroscientists and speech-language pathologists from Boston University. Unlike other brain strengthening apps, it is primarily focused on improving speech and can be used for a wide variety of neurological conditions. Users can choose from over 500,000 activities tailored to their unique needs.

Speech therapists can feel confident using Constant Therapy because its efficacy is backed by plenty of peer-reviewed research. There is also a separate app specifically for SLPs called Constant Therapy Clinician. This app can help you design personalized exercise programs for your clients, track their progress with Constant Therapy, and create notes and other documentation. It's also completely free to use!