Buyer's guide • Updated

Speech Blubs Alternatives

The verdict, up front

SpeechTherapyMagic is the alternative for parents and SLPs whose child has moved past first words and needs speech sounds practised and scored, on any device ($9.99/month or $79.99/year); keep Speech Blubs for toddlers who learn by copying other children on video.

Speech Blubs ($59.99/year on its website) is a well-made video-modelling app for ages 1 to 8. People look elsewhere when their child outgrows it, when they want it on a computer, or when they want to know how each sound went rather than whether the word was heard.

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

Pick by what you actually need

My child is past first words and works on specific soundsSpeechTherapyMagic
I want it on a laptop or ChromebookSpeechTherapyMagic or Little Words
I want a structured articulation program on an iPadArticulation Station Hive
I want the cheapest app, or a lifetime priceOtsimo
I want gentle talk practice with no scoresLittle Words
My toddler learns by copying other kidsStay with Speech Blubs

The four alternatives, reviewed

1

SpeechTherapyMagic

Best for: Children past the toddler stage who need speech sounds practised and scored

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 each spoken word out of 100 with a score for each sound, and saves it by sound and position
  • Runs in any modern browser, so it works on a laptop or Chromebook as well as a phone or tablet
  • Games for school-age children as well as young ones, plus social and vocabulary games
  • A 7-day trial of everything with no card

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

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
3

Otsimo Speech Therapy

Best for: A low-cost phone app with speech recognition for young children

A phone and tablet app for children roughly 1 to 8 that says it uses voice and speech recognition to check whether a word was said, with word and sound games.

Pricing: Free download; the US App Store lists subscriptions from $6.99 to $14.99 a month, $41.99 to $53.99 a year, and $119.99 lifetime.

What works

  • Several price points, including a lifetime purchase
  • iOS and Android, phones and tablets
  • Listens to the child rather than leaving every judgment to the adult

What to watch out for

  • Rated 3.4 on the App Store (179 ratings) and 3.1 on Google Play
  • Last updated in May 2025, with only bug fixes in the notes
  • No desktop or Chromebook version, and it publishes no accuracy figures for its recognition
otsimo.com
4

Little Words

Best for: Low-pressure talk practice with an AI voice buddy

A new app and web tool for ages 2 to 8 built around an AI voice companion that chats with the child, plus web speech games, talking flashcards and printable PDFs. It says plainly that it gives no pronunciation score.

Pricing: One free activity; Family Plus $8.99/month or $59.99/year; SLP Pro $14.99/month or $119/year. A 7-day trial needs a payment method.

What works

  • Conversation-style practice that does not demand repetition
  • Works in a browser, with an iPhone and iPad app
  • Built with an SLP, and honest that it is not an assessment

What to watch out for

  • No pronunciation score by design, so it will not tell you how a sound went
  • Very new: the app launched in June 2026 and has almost no ratings
  • No Android app
littlewords.ai

A year for one child

List prices in October 2026, US.

Speech Blubs

Billed yearly
$59.99
Month to month for a year
$179.88 (12 × $14.99, website price)

SpeechTherapyMagic

Billed yearly
$79.99
Month to month for a year
$119.88

Articulation Station Hive (Parent)

Billed yearly
$83.99
Month to month for a year
$119.88 (12 × $9.99)

Otsimo

Billed yearly
$41.99 to $53.99
Month to month for a year
$83.88 to $179.88

Little Words (Family Plus)

Billed yearly
$59.99
Month to month for a year
$107.88 (12 × $8.99)
  • Otsimo also sells lifetime access for $119.99. App Store prices vary by offer and country.

What SpeechTherapyMagic shows after each word

Real screens on a phone: the word, the score, and how each sound went.

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 option was checked on age range, devices, what a year costs for one child, and what it listens for when the child speaks: nothing, whether the word was said, or each sound in it. Facts came from each vendor’s site and its App Store listing in October 2026.

We build SpeechTherapyMagic, so weigh our entry accordingly. For the direct comparison see SpeechTherapyMagic vs Speech Blubs.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best alternative to Speech Blubs?
It depends why you are leaving. If your child has outgrown it or you want a computer version, SpeechTherapyMagic runs in any browser and scores each sound in a word. If you want a structured articulation program on an iPad, Articulation Station Hive. If price is the issue, Otsimo has cheaper and lifetime options. If you want relaxed conversation practice with no scores, Little Words.
Does Speech Blubs work on a computer?
No. Speech Blubs' FAQ says it is made for phones and tablets (iOS and Android) and is not supported on desktop computers; only its screener runs in a browser. SpeechTherapyMagic and Little Words both run in a browser.
What age is Speech Blubs for?
Speech Blubs says it is designed for children 1 to 8. For older children working on specific sounds, a tool built around speech sounds rather than first words fits better.
Does Speech Blubs score pronunciation?
Speech Blubs has a speech-recognition feature that listens for the word and pops a star when it hears it. It does not give a score for each sound. SpeechTherapyMagic scores the word and each sound in it. The score is practice feedback, not an assessment: it is not a clinical measure, it has not been validated on disordered child speech, and it does not detect distortions, so your ear still decides.
How much does Speech Blubs cost?
Its website lists $14.99 a month or $59.99 a year, with a 7-day free trial; the US App Store lists $14.49 a month. SpeechTherapyMagic is $9.99/month or $79.99/year after a 7-day trial with no card.

Sources (checked October 2026)

Keep comparing

SpeechTherapyMagic vs Speech Blubs

The head-to-head, row by row.

Speech Blubs vs Articulation Station

Which one for your child?

Articulation Station alternatives

Six options, including Android and Chromebook.

Hear how each sound went

Say the word and see a score for each sound in it. 7 days free, no card.

Start free trial

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