Free AAC apps: which ones are actually free
Last updated · · Prices checked 26 August 2026
Several AAC apps are free to download: CoughDrop, Avaz, LetMeTalk, Cboard, Weave Chat AAC and TypeOut. Two things decide which of them can actually help you, and neither is the price tag.
The first is that almost every free AAC app is a symbol grid, built for someone who does not read yet. The second is that "free to download" and "free to use" are not the same thing — in this category, several apps install for nothing and then charge a subscription.
The first question is not price. It is symbols or a keyboard.
AAC covers two kinds of app that share a category name and serve different people.
| Symbol grid | Typing app | |
|---|---|---|
| Who it is for | Someone who does not read yet — often a young child | Someone who can read and spell |
| What you see | A grid of pictures, tapped to build a sentence | A keyboard, and saved phrases |
| Setting it up | The vocabulary layout matters a great deal; a speech-language pathologist usually helps | Open it and type |
| Free to download | Several options | Few options |
The apps that are free to download
All free to download on the US App Store. The descriptions follow how each developer describes their own app on its Apple listing.
| App | Type | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Weave Chat AAC | Symbol grid | Color-coded parts of speech, fully customizable. One of the better-known free-to-download symbol-grid options. |
| CoughDrop | Symbol grid | Aimed at the team around a user — family, therapists, school — with shared boards. |
| Avaz AAC | Symbol grid | Aimed at both children and adults, including aphasia and apraxia. |
| LetMeTalk | Symbol grid | Arrange images to build a sentence. Funded by donations. |
| Cboard | Symbols and text | Open-source, editable boards, also runs in a browser. |
| TypeOut | Typing | Type and the phone speaks; replies come back as large text. Optional paid voices. iPhone only. |
The paid typing apps, for comparison
If you need a keyboard rather than a grid, these are the established options and what they cost. All three are one-time purchases.
| App | Price | Positioned for |
|---|---|---|
| Predictable | $159.99 | ALS/MND and other conditions; multiple access methods, rate enhancement |
| Proloquo4Text | $119.99 | Literate users wanting a polished text-based system |
| Speech Assistant AAC | $24.99 | Aphasia, ALS, stroke; categories and saved phrases on buttons |
These are established paid products with features that free typing apps may not include. Predictable in particular supports access methods that a plain touchscreen app does not.
What TypeOut costs, honestly
TypeOut is a typing app that is free to download, but calling it simply "free" would be misleading in the same way this page warns about. The accurate version is:
- The app itself is free, with no trial period and no unlock fee.
- Typing and speaking with your phone's built-in voice is free, unlimited, and works offline — including in airplane mode. That is a complete way to use it, indefinitely, at no cost.
- More natural-sounding voices are synthesized on a server as you use them, and those are metered. That is what the optional membership pays for: $4.99 per month, or $49.99 per year, which covers 60,000 characters a month. New accounts get 2,000 characters of cloud voice to try, which is roughly 330 words — enough to hear the difference, not enough to live on.
When cloud characters run out, the app keeps speaking through the built-in voice rather than stopping.
What TypeOut does
- You type, the phone says it out loud.
- When the other person answers, their speech turns into large text on the same screen, so the conversation goes both ways without passing the phone back and forth.
- One tap flips your text upside down and moves it to the lower half of the screen, so the person opposite reads it the right way up.
- Phrases you say often are saved and played with one tap.
- Twelve themes, one of them high-contrast for low vision, with text scaling up to 160%.
Common questions
- What is the best free AAC app?
- It depends on whether you need a symbol grid or a keyboard. For symbol grids, CoughDrop, Avaz, LetMeTalk, Cboard, and Weave Chat AAC are all free to download. For typing, TypeOut is free to download on iPhone and free to use with the phone's built-in voice; the established paid alternatives are Speech Assistant AAC at $24.99, Proloquo4Text at $119.99, and Predictable at $159.99, all one-time purchases.
- Are free AAC apps any good?
- Yes. Several free AAC apps are full-featured and used daily by families and speech-language pathologists. The more important question is whether an app is a symbol grid or a typing app, since choosing the wrong type matters more than price.
- Is there a free alternative to Proloquo2Go?
- Proloquo2Go is a symbol grid app costing $249.99. Free symbol grid alternatives include CoughDrop, Avaz, LetMeTalk, Cboard, and Weave Chat AAC. If you need a typing app rather than a symbol grid, AssistiveWare's own Proloquo4Text is $119.99, and TypeOut is free to download with optional paid voices.
- How much does TypeOut cost?
- TypeOut is free to download, and using it with your phone's built-in voice is free and unlimited, including offline. More natural-sounding cloud voices are metered and cost $4.99 per month or $49.99 per year, covering 60,000 characters a month. New accounts get 2,000 characters of cloud voice to try. When cloud characters run out, the app falls back to the built-in voice rather than stopping.
- What is the difference between a symbol grid and a typing AAC app?
- A symbol grid presents picture-based vocabulary that is tapped to build sentences, and is designed for people who do not yet read. A typing app is a keyboard that speaks what you type, and is designed for people who can read and spell. They are built for different users under the same AAC label.
- Do free AAC apps require a subscription?
- Some do. Several apps in this category are free to install and then charge a subscription for full functionality. Check the In-App Purchases section of an app's App Store listing before relying on it.
Type it. Your phone says it out loud.
Free to download on iPhone. Your phone’s built-in voice is unlimited and works offline; natural-sounding cloud voices are optional.