Editor’s note: app pricing and availability change often. Prices below reflect what was current at last review, double-check before including them in any print material or parent handout.
Best Speech Therapy Apps for SLPs (Updated for 2026)
There are thousands of speech therapy apps that technically fall within our scope of practice. That’s the problem, not the solution. Most SLPs don’t need more apps. They need a short, trustworthy list organized by what each app is actually good for.
This guide is a guest post originally written by Holly, a school-based SLP, organized into 5 categories so you can jump straight to what you need.
How to Evaluate a Speech Therapy App (Before You Download It)
Using apps in therapy has become standard practice over the last decade, but not all apps are created equal. A few questions worth asking before you commit to one:
- Is there any evidence behind it? There’s support for articulation apps used alongside trained clinician feedback (McLeod et al., 2020), but research on other skill areas, like social communication, is still catching up (Griffith et al., 2020).
- Does it target something specific, or is it just engagement? Both have a place in a session, but know which one you’re reaching for.
- What’s the actual cost after the free trial or “lite” version? Many “free” apps come with ads or in-app purchases that add up fast across a caseload.
For more formal guidance, ASHA has a full framework for evaluating procedures, products, and programs.
Before diving in, check out this related post: 9 Tips for SLPs to Use an iPad Like a Pro, useful once you’ve got a stack of new apps to organize.
1. Articulation Apps
Articulation Station — Note: the original Articulation Station has been retired and is no longer available on the App Store. It’s been replaced by Articulation Station Hive, a subscription-based app with an expanded activity set (17 activities from isolation through conversation level, 14-day free trial). iOS only. Download on the App Store (How to use Articulation Station for language therapy)
Erik X. Raj Articulation Apps — Target later-developing sounds (/s, z, r, l/, “sh,” “ch,” “th”) through play-based formats like charades and secret missions. iOS only. Charades Articulation | Secret Mission Articulation | See all Erik X. Raj apps
SCIP (Sound Contrasts in Phonology) — Built for phonological pattern work, with five treatment approaches to choose from (Multiple Oppositions, Minimal Pairs, Maximal Oppositions, Treatment of the Empty Set, Vowel Contrasts). iOS only. Download on the App Store
2. Speech-Language Apps
These were built by SLPs, for SLPs, so they’re designed to target communication skills directly.
CoughDrop — An accessible, easy-to-trial AAC program with strong data tracking and customizable vocabulary sets. iOS and Android. Download for iOS | Download for Android (Our full post on CoughDrop)
Little Stories — Story-based practice for speech sounds, reading fluency, sequencing, and retell, plus built-in coloring pages and scavenger hunts. iOS only (Lite and Pro versions). Little Stories Lite | Little Stories Pro
Tactus Conversation Therapy — Built for older students and adults, this app supports grammar and language generalization through guided conversation topics. iOS and Android. Download for iOS | Download for Android
Word Vault — Stimuli for articulation, phonology, language, and social communication, with unlockable interactive features. iOS only (Word Vault Essential). Download on the App Store
Your Face Learning — Customized worksheets targeting sounds, basic concepts, compare/contrast, story starters, and social skills. Print or annotate digitally. iOS only. Download on the App Store
SLP Now — Not a mobile app in the traditional sense (it’s a web application, so it works on any device with a browser), but included here because it consolidates materials, data collection, and caseload management in one place. Start a free trial to see the full materials library.
3. Language Stimulation and Brain Break Activities
These aren’t built specifically for speech therapy, but they’re excellent for eliciting language or giving a session a natural breather.
ABCya — Educational games spanning Pre-K through 6th grade, many with spatial concepts and curriculum ties. iOS and Android. Download for iOS | Download for Android
Breathe, Think, Do with Sesame — Self-regulation and problem-solving support for younger students. iOS and Android. Download for iOS | Download for Android
ChatterPix Kids — Turns any photo into a talking character. An SLP Now favorite for vocabulary and narrative work. iOS and Android. Download for iOS | Download for Android
Fantastic 4 in a Row Go — Digital board game format, great for maximizing speech trials between turns. iOS only. Download on the App Store
GoNoodle & GoNoodle Games — Movement breaks and mindfulness exercises, good for following-directions practice too. Both apps are on iOS and Android. GoNoodle (videos) for iOS | GoNoodle for Android | GoNoodle Games for iOS | GoNoodle Games for Android
Heads Up! & Heads Up! Kids — Describing and language skills wrapped in a competitive, fast-paced format. Heads Up! is on iOS and Android; Heads Up! Kids is iOS only. Heads Up! for iOS | Heads Up! for Android | Heads Up! Kids for iOS
PBS KIDS Games — Educational, social-emotional focus, familiar characters for buy-in. iOS and Android. Download for iOS | Download for Android
Toca Boca Apps — Open-ended, play-based scenarios (chef, hairdresser, designer) great for basic concepts, directions, and describing. Note: the standalone Toca Life titles (Toca Kitchen, Toca Hair Salon, etc.) were discontinued from sale as of January 2024. Toca Boca’s content now lives in Toca Boca World (free, single all-in-one app) and Toca Boca Jr (a subscription bundle). iOS and Android. Toca Boca World for iOS | Toca Boca World for Android
Toontastic 3D — Students narrate and animate their own stories, a strong fit for grammar goals like compound and complex sentences. Note: Toontastic 3D was removed from the Apple App Store in 2022 and is no longer available on iOS. It remains available on Android. Download for Android
4. Interactive Speech Therapy Tools
Epic — A large digital library of picture and chapter books, making literacy-based therapy easier to access. iOS and Android. Download for iOS | Download for Android
Little Spinner — A customizable spin-the-wheel format for categories, colors, shapes, and more. iOS only. Download on the App Store
Notability — An annotation powerhouse for digitizing worksheets, reading passages, and speech journals. Note: Notability was iOS-only for years, but Ginger Labs launched an Android version in 2026 — it’s now available on both. Download for iOS | Download for Android
Vooks — Animated, captioned storybooks that make read-alouds more engaging. iOS and Android. Download for iOS | Download for Android
YouTube Kids — Useful for quickly building background knowledge on a new topic or concept. iOS and Android. Download for iOS | Download for Android
5. Family Communication Apps
These help bridge what happens in the therapy room with what happens at home.
Class Dojo — Messaging, photo/video sharing, and built-in translation for family communication. iOS and Android. Download for iOS | Download for Android
Remind — Messaging that pairs with existing school platforms like Google Classroom. Note: Remind is now part of the ParentSquare family, though the standalone Remind app is still active. iOS and Android. Download for iOS | Download for Android
SeeSaw — Digital portfolios families can access alongside classroom updates. iOS and Android. Download for iOS | Download for Android
“Having everything all in one place… helps make the job a little more realistic considering all the ‘things’ we do as school-based SLPs and our limited number of ‘work’ hours each week!”
— School-Based SLP, Arkansas
FAQ: Speech Therapy Apps
Do I need a paid subscription for these apps to be useful? Not always. Several on this list (ABCya, GoNoodle, PBS KIDS, ChatterPix, Toontastic) have solid free tiers. Others (Articulation Station Hive, SCIP) are worth the subscription or one-time cost given how much prep time they save.
Are these apps evidence-based? Some have direct research support, particularly articulation apps paired with clinician feedback. Others function more as engagement or reinforcement tools rather than treatment methods themselves. Worth knowing the difference before building a goal around app use alone.
How do I keep from ending up with 30 apps and no system? This is exactly where a lot of SLPs get stuck, more apps doesn’t mean more organized therapy. Pick 1-2 per category that fit your caseload, and build your planning around a consistent system rather than a constantly growing app list.
Looking for a System, Not Just More Apps?
If you’re finding yourself with a phone full of apps but still rebuilding sessions from scratch every week, that’s usually a planning system problem, not an apps problem. SLP Now combines materials, therapy planning, and caseload management in one place.
References
American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. (n.d.). Applications (apps) for speech-language pathology practice. https://www.asha.org/slp/schools/applications-for-speech-language-pathology-practice
American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. (n.d.). What to ask when evaluating any procedure, product, or program. https://www.asha.org/slp/evaluate/
Furlong, L., Morris, M., Serry, T., & Erickson, S. (2018). Mobile apps for treatment of speech disorders in children: An evidence-based analysis of quality and efficacy. PLoS ONE, 13(8), e0201513.
Griffith, S. F., Hagan, M. B., Heymann, P., Heflin, B. H., & Bagner, D. M. (2020). Apps as learning tools: A systematic review. Pediatrics, 145(1).
McLeod, S., Ballard, K. J., Ahmed, B., McGill, N., & Brown, M. I. (2020). Supporting children with speech sound disorders during COVID-19 restrictions: Technological solutions. Perspectives of the ASHA Special Interest Groups, 5(6), 1805-1808.
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