Tala vs. GoTalk NOW: An Honest Comparison

GoTalk NOW, from Attainment Company, brings the classic GoTalk communication book to the iPad: pages of buttons you build yourself, with recorded or synthesized speech. Teachers have used GoTalks for decades, and the app version is flexible and familiar. The full version is $119.99; a free Lite version covers one book.

Tala starts from the opposite end: ready-made boards, natural voices, and no building required before a child can speak.

“We’ve spent years trying different AAC apps, both at home and at school, with very limited success. I downloaded Tala a few days ago — within minutes, both my son and I were using it. For the first time in years, I feel like we have a tool that’s designed for families instead of specialists.”

— Aron, dad of an 11-year-old nonspeaking son with autism

	Tala	GoTalk NOW
Price	Free 7-day trial · $9.99/mo or $39.99/yr for everything	$119.99 (Lite free, 1 book)
Free for SLPs & teachers	Yes — free forever	No
Languages	29 (including EN, ES, SV, IT, PT, DE, FR, NO, DA, TR, NL, ZH, HI, AR, KO, JA)	Any — you record or type everything yourself
Whole-phrase cards (GLP)	Yes, by design	No — word-based
Platform	iOS, Android	iOS (iPad)
Best for	Beginning communicators, gestalt language processors, families starting out	Custom page-based books, scene displays, teacher-built activities

Build-it-yourself vs. ready out of the box

GoTalk NOW is a construction kit: you create every page, choose every image, and record every message. That's powerful for bespoke activities — and a real time commitment before the app says its first word.

Tala ships with 10 communication boards covering mealtime, feelings, play, needs, and more, in 29 languages, each phrase pre-recorded with a natural voice. A child can communicate in the first minute; customization comes later, if you want it.

Voice quality

GoTalk NOW relies on your own recordings or standard synthetic voices. Tala uses one professionally natural voice per language — consistent, clear, and humanlike across every card.

Price

GoTalk NOW full is $119.99 one-time. Tala starts with a free 7-day trial, then $9.99/month or $39.99/year, and free for SLPs and teachers.

Who should choose what

Choose GoTalk NOW if you want to hand-build custom communication books or scene-based activities, and you have the time to craft each page.

Choose Tala if you want your child communicating today with ready boards, natural voices, and whole phrases — with a free 7-day trial to start.

The best AAC app is the one your child will actually use every day.