Many families utilize the aac applications Proloquo2Go and Cboard to help their children and clients interact better. Many persons with autism use one of these applications as their primary communication instrument. Deciding between Proloquo2Go and Cboard can be overwhelming. Pricing, motor planning features, and device compatibility are all different (like android tablets vs iPads). Many families prefer Proloquo2Go because of its extensive customizability, while others prefer Cboard because they value including members of their care team in the language learning process. Choosing the right app to use as a communication tool might be difficult. Continue reading to learn how both applications compare in terms of vocabulary levels, parent onboarding, customer support, and more.
Cboard |
Proloquo2Go |
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| Good for Early Communication |
Requires a log-in to access, which means younger kids must rely on caregivers to access their voice.
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The Proloquo2Go app has a complex system that can be overwhelming for new and/or young AAC users.
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| Affordable Pricing |
Free. But CBoard depends on charitable donations, which means the future of CBoard may not be certain.
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Price: $249.99. There is no free trial. Proloquo2Go provides little ability to see if the AAC talker app is a good fit before having to invest. It also does not include any option for dedicated hardware.
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| Easy to Get Started |
Set-up is simple (under 15 minutes). However, there is little support for customizing and learning more about its functionality. CBoard has an extensive FAQ page on their website but offers little more than that.
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Estimated time of Proloquo2Go's basic set up is 3 or more hours. Proloquo does not expect parents to succeed unless they watch several hour long videos, read multiple blog articles, and review information in numerous links.
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| Behavior Supports |
CBoard offers no behavior supports. It is language-focused only.
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There are no behavior supports included, leaving mom and dad to seek such tools elsewhere.
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| Multiple Device options |
CBoard is a web-based app. This means that while it can be used on any device that has access to the internet, it is essentially restricted to the settings of individual browsers.
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There is no ability to share beyond the apple ID of th user. Teachers, other parents, therapists, etc. can not have direct access if they do not share the apple ID of the account.
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| Easy Parent Modeling |
There is no apparent way to search for a word while web-based app is active.
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The Proloquo app only works on IOS devices and does not offer a dedicated device for their app. This can be costly for users who have to buy expensive hardware just to use the app.
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| Incentives to practice |
There is no attached reward system that encourages new users to learn a new way to communicate.
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While there is a search option on the user's proloquo app that walks through the navigational path, Pprents are left high and dry to learn where all the symbols are for themselves to effectively model it.
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| Natural voices and language availability |
CBoard offers natural voices in 33 languages.
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There is nothing included to encourage users to practice their talker, which is important for actually developing language skills.
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| Customer Support |
Offline support is only available on android or desktop via google chrome.
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Proloquo offers natural voices in dozens of languages and accents. Yet, the voices are much less natural-sounding than many other AAC talkers.
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| Motor Planning |
Users can drag pictograms/symbols or folders to wherever they want by "unlocking" them. This can make it difficult for AAC users to learn where words are if they keep getting moved around.
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Only offers support via email and FAQ articles. Proloquo2Go does not give their customers live support.
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| Simplicity of screen |
Words and images are big and easy to find. CBoard also has scrolling. However, the movement of words when adding vocabulary can get confusing!
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Yes- and no. Although they have predictable word positions, Proloque allows users to move buttons around. This makes it hard for kids to remember where words are.
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| Affordable dedicated device option |
Cboard does not offer a device. It is web-based only, meaning protection of hardware is the sole responsiblity of parents or caregivers.
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Proloquo's extreme customization can make the talker complicated very quickly. The screen gets scrunched and buttons are often hard to find.
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| Communication with spelling |
No- CBoard functions with symbol-based words and does not have a separate keyboard to type out words letter-by-letter.
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Outside of using the talker to communicate that they are in trouble, Proloquo2Go offers no way to ensure your child’s safety.
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| Built-In Safety and 9-1-1 Calling features |
There is no built-in safety feature outside of the AAC functionality itself. Because CBoard is limited to web-based browsers, there is little guarantee that users would have reliable access to a communication device in emergencies.
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No visual schedule features included. Remembering to practice AAC is solely on caregivers’ shoulders.
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| Reminders to Practice |
There is no reminder feature or visual schedule included in CBoard.
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| Image and Symbol Quality |
CBoard is open source, meaning there were many different contributors to its content. User can upload any images they would like, as well as record their own audio for symbols.
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Uses SymbolStix, a library of symbols that revolve around stick people that mostly have no gender, age, etc. While simple, many symbols lack context and are not very clear. They are also not open source.
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| Fun Games to Build Skills |
CBoard does not provide strategies to improve finger dexterity.
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There are no games or strategies to improve finger dexterity included in Proloquo2Go's aac app.
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| Levels of vocabulary |
While there is a lot of customization that can be done, there are no specific levels for users to work through as they grow in language capability
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Proloquo2Go is only an app with no device included. The only way to get Proloquo2Go on a distraction-free device is to go through another company and pay for both services.
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| Care team access |
CBoard has community board sharing and is always accessible from the web.
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Proloquo allows users to type out unique words, a feature created mainly for older, more advanced AAC users.
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Discover why Goally’s AAC talker app is equipping kids to learn language faster and more effectively than CBoard or Proloquo2Go.
Goally's language learning apps are just $12 a month. If it does not work for your family, you can cancel at any time.
