Buyer's guide • Updated

SLP Now Alternatives for Speech Therapy

The verdict, up front

Stay with SLP Now if its planning, session data and Medicaid notes are what you use; otherwise pick Ultimate SLP for a cheaper big library, The Digital SLP or Boom Cards for no-print activities, and SpeechTherapyMagic if you want speech-sound practice that scores each word ($9.99/month or $79.99/year).

SLP Now ($29/month or $249/year) is as much a caseload-management tool as a materials library. Its planner, real-time data, progress graphs and billing summaries are hard to replace. The usual reasons to leave are the price, and that most of its materials are PDFs to print.

We build SpeechTherapyMagic and are not affiliated with any other product here. Prices were checked on each vendor’s own site in October 2026.

Pick by what you actually need

I want a big library for less moneyUltimate SLP
I want curated no-print activities for PreK–8The Digital SLP
I want the largest library of interactive decksBoom Cards
Artic is most of my caseload and I use iPadsArticulation Station Hive
I want each spoken word scored, sound by soundSpeechTherapyMagic
I rely on the planner, data and billing notesStay with SLP Now

The five alternatives, reviewed

1

SpeechTherapyMagic

Best for: Interactive speech-sound practice that records its own data, for small caseloads

A browser-based speech-practice platform: games where the child says the word and gets a score out of 100 with a score for each sound in it, 9,200+ practice words with pictures across all 40 English sounds (24 consonants, 11 vowels, 5 diphthongs) and 30 consonant blends, by word position, printable worksheets, a deck builder (Magic Studio), and progress saved by sound and word position.

Pricing: A 7-day free trial with no card needed, then $9.99/month or $79.99/year ($6.67/month billed yearly). There is no free plan. 3 student profiles included; extra students are $4.99/month each, up to 10 in total.

What works

  • Scores every spoken attempt automatically, so practice between sessions still produces data
  • Runs in any modern browser: Chromebook, iPad, Android tablet, laptop or phone
  • A 7-day trial of everything with no card, then one plan with nothing to buy per activity
  • Build your own interactive decks in Magic Studio and share them by link

What to watch out for

  • A much smaller library than the big materials sites, and speech-sound first
  • 3 students included; extras cost $4.99/month each and the cap is 10, so it is not built for a school caseload
  • The score is practice feedback, not an assessment: it is not validated on disordered child speech and does not detect distortions
  • Needs a microphone, a fairly quiet room and an internet connection. No offline mode
See how it works
2

Ultimate SLP

Best for: A big real-photo materials library for one flat fee

A web-based subscription library of real-photo flash cards, built-in card decks and online games for articulation, language and social communication, preschool through high school.

Pricing: $12.95/month or $139.92/year, after a 14-day free trial. Group quotes for teams.

What works

  • Its homepage claims over 40,000 real-life images, 30,000+ flash cards and 500+ built-in card decks
  • Online games for up to 6 players, useful in groups
  • One flat price with no per-student charge stated

What to watch out for

  • No progress tracking or data collection described on its site
  • No feedback on how a word was said
  • Its own homepage gives two different counts for images (10,000+ and 40,000+) and games (55+ and 100+)
ultimateslp.com
3

The Digital SLP

Best for: Curated no-print activities for PreK–8 school caseloads

A membership of web-based interactive activities, digital games and supplemental homework sheets, covering articulation, fluency, language, phonology and social skills for PreK through 8th grade. It runs on its own web platform.

Pricing: $35/month, $89/quarter or $329/year, with a 30-day free trial (the checkout takes a card). District quotes available.

What works

  • Built for school-based and teletherapy SLPs, with language as its largest area
  • QuickLinks share an activity with a family for home practice (5 to 50 a month by plan)
  • Works on an iPad, computer or SMART Board

What to watch out for

  • At $329 a year, one of the pricier individual plans for a materials library
  • No data tracking yet: its caseload planner is in beta and due in fall 2026
  • No feedback on how a word was said
thedigitalslp.com
4

Boom Cards

Best for: The largest library of interactive decks, for every subject

A platform for self-checking interactive decks written by independent authors. A membership unlocks the platform and reports; the decks themselves are bought separately in the Boom Store with Points, though some are free.

Pricing: Free Limited tier (up to 5 students); Core $29.99/year (up to 30 students, reports); Premium $49.99/year or $6.99/month (up to 150 students); Publisher $69.99/year to sell. Decks cost extra.

What works

  • Boom says it has more than 500,000 decks across every subject and grade
  • Runs in browsers and on iOS, Android and Kindle Fire apps
  • Boom Studio lets you build, and on Publisher sell, your own decks

What to watch out for

  • The membership does not include the decks, so the real cost depends on what you buy
  • Needs an internet connection; voice memos are not saved and instructors cannot hear them
  • FastPlay links do not record student data
boomlearning.com
5

Articulation Station Hive

Best for: A rigorous articulation hierarchy on an iPad

Little Bee Speech's subscription articulation app: 17 activities for consonants and vowels from isolation through conversation, over 2,000 real-photo flashcards and over 7,500 minimal pairs, with recordings you can save and score.

Pricing: Professional $14.99/month or $119.99/year (unlimited students, groups of up to 6); Parent $9.99/month or $83.99/year (2 students). 14-day free trial.

What works

  • A full isolation → syllable → word → phrase → sentence → story → conversation hierarchy
  • Responses can be recorded, saved, listened back to and scored
  • Unlimited students on the Professional tier, and a 4.5-star App Store rating from 620 ratings

What to watch out for

  • Apple only: iPhone, iPad, Apple Silicon Macs and Vision Pro. No Android, no browser version
  • You mark each response correct, approximate or incorrect; the app does not evaluate the production
  • Articulation only: no language or social-skills content
littlebeespeech.com

A year of each, for one SLP

List prices in October 2026, billed yearly. SpeechTherapyMagic includes 3 students; each extra is $4.99/month, up to 10.

SLP Now

3 students
$249
10 students
$249

Ultimate SLP

3 students
$139.92
10 students
$139.92

The Digital SLP

3 students
$329
10 students
$329

Boom Cards (Core, before decks)

3 students
$29.99 plus decks
10 students
$29.99 plus decks

Articulation Station Hive (Professional)

3 students
$119.99
10 students
$119.99

SpeechTherapyMagic

3 students
$79.99
10 students
$499.15
  • Above 10 students SpeechTherapyMagic asks you to contact us; the others above charge one price per clinician.

What practice looks like in SpeechTherapyMagic

Real screens on a phone: the child says the word, gets a score, and sees how each sound went. Every attempt is saved to their profile.

Beanstalk Bounce on a phone: a picture of soup, the word soup and a Tap to record button
A game asks for the word…
Pronunciation practice result for the word soap: 94 out of 100
…scores the attempt out of 100…
The sound breakdown for soap: a score for /s/, /ow/ and /p/
…and shows a score for each sound in the word.

How we compared these

Each product was checked on the same questions: what a year costs for a real caseload, whether the materials are printable or interactive, whether it records student data, whether it gives any feedback on a spoken word, and what devices it runs on. Prices came from each vendor’s own pricing or help pages in October 2026.

We build SpeechTherapyMagic, so read our entry with that in mind; its drawbacks are real, and the full limits are on the pricing page.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best alternative to SLP Now?
If you want a big library for less, Ultimate SLP ($139.92/year). If you want no-print interactive activities, The Digital SLP or Boom Cards. If articulation is most of your caseload and you work on iPads, Articulation Station Hive. If you want speech-sound practice that scores each word and saves the result by sound, SpeechTherapyMagic. None of them matches SLP Now's planning and Medicaid billing tools.
How much does SLP Now cost?
SLP Now lists $29 a month or $249 a year, with a 14-day free trial that needs no credit card. Groups and districts get a quote. We checked slpnow.com/pricing in October 2026.
Is SLP Now printable or digital?
Mostly printable. SLP Now's help center says the majority of its materials are PDFs, with a few PowerPoint files, spreadsheets, Google Slides and interactive Smart Decks. If you want everything on screen, a web-based library such as The Digital SLP, Ultimate SLP or Boom Cards fits better.
Which alternative has data tracking like SLP Now?
None has the full planner, billing notes and goal bank. Boom's paid tiers have student reports. Articulation Station Hive graphs each sound from the responses you score. SpeechTherapyMagic saves each scored attempt by sound and word position automatically.
Is there a cheaper SLP Now alternative?
Ultimate SLP is $139.92 a year with no per-student charge. SpeechTherapyMagic is $79.99 a year for up to 3 students, which suits parents and small caseloads but not a school caseload. Boom's Core tier is $29.99 a year, but decks are bought separately.

Sources (checked October 2026)

Keep comparing

Ultimate SLP alternatives

The same field, for people leaving Ultimate SLP.

The Digital SLP vs Boom Cards vs SpeechTherapyMagic

Three ways to go no-print.

Best Boom Cards alternatives

Seven options reviewed with real drawbacks.

Practice that records its own data

Every scored word is saved by sound and position, with nothing to tally. 7 days free, no card.

Start free trial

7 days free • No card needed • Then $9.99/month or $79.99/year