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Alternatives
A calmer Speech Blubs alternative for first words
Families looking for something other than Speech Blubs usually want one of three things: to stop paying monthly, to practice in a language it doesn’t have, or to be the voice their child copies. Here is what we replace, what we don’t, and who else to consider.
We make Their First Words, so this is our own comparison — written by the two parents who build it, not by a reviewer. The facts about Speech Blubs were checked on October 2, 2026 against its store listings and website, and the sources are listed at the end. Prices are US prices and change. Where another app is the better choice for your family, this page says so.
Why parents look
Why families go looking for a Speech Blubs alternative.
- The subscription. $14.49 a month or $59.99 a year, renewing until you cancel, with refunds only in the first three days under its FAQ.1, 2 Families who wanted sound work for a season end up paying for a year.
- Four languages — maybe not yours. English, Spanish, French and Brazilian Portuguese.1 A Korean, Russian, German or Italian home is out.
- The screen does the modeling. Video modeling is the whole idea of Speech Blubs. Some parents want the opposite: to be the model themselves, with a native voice to check against first.
- It is shaped like therapy. For a child who is simply at the start of talking — not delayed — sections on mouth exercises and therapy-style rewards can be more than the moment needs.
- The data it declares. Its App Store privacy label lists Purchases under data used to track you, and links health and sensitive information to your identity.1 Some parents would rather an app with no ads and no analytics that runs with no account at all.
Their First Words as the alternative
What it replaces — and what it doesn’t.
It does replace
- The everyday naming: 1,000+ illustrated words and 500+ phrases a parent says with a child
- The native voice to copy before you say it — a woman’s and a man’s, in eight languages
- The subscription: one $9.99 purchase, or the free 75 words and 35 phrases forever
- Offline use on a plane or in a waiting room, with nothing to download first
It does not replace
- Video modeling — a child’s face showing how a sound is made
- Speech recognition, stars and filters that keep a child practicing alone
- Anything clinical: a milestone report, an articulation screener, or activities a therapist prescribed
- A child-alone activity — ours is designed for two people
At a glance
Side by side, no adjectives.
| Fact | Speech Blubs | Their First Wordsours |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Speech-practice app: short videos of real children saying sounds and words for your child to copy, with speech recognition and face filters | Parent-led flashcards: illustrated first words and everyday phrases, each spoken by a female and a male native voice |
| Ages | 1–8, as the maker states | 0–5, in three parent-chosen stages (phrases are not split by stage) |
| Price | Subscription: $14.49 a month or $59.99 a year on the App Store (its FAQ says $14.99 a month); 7-day free trial | $9.99 once for everything; no subscription |
| What’s free | The trial. There is no permanent free set; a free AI articulation screener is offered separately | 75 words and 35 phrases, forever, in all eight languages with both voices |
| Languages | Content in US and UK English, Spanish, French and Brazilian Portuguese; the app’s screens in ten languages | English, Spanish, French, Portuguese, German, Italian, Korean and Russian on every card (the app’s own screens are in English) |
| Who holds the phone | The child, copying the on-screen kids; a parent is encouraged nearby | The parent. You say the word; the app is the prop. |
| Works offline | Partly — some activities after they are downloaded | Yes, completely — every picture and clip ships inside the app |
| Ads | None, as the maker states | None, at any tier |
| Account | Required (email, Apple or Google sign-in) | Not needed; optional sign-in only syncs progress between devices |
Speech Blubs facts checked October 2, 2026; sources below. “Who holds the phone” is who the app is designed around: a child playing, or a parent holding it and talking.
If you switch
What you keep, what you give up.
You keep
- Spanish, French, Portuguese and English, spoken by native voices (plus German, Italian, Korean and Russian)
- Separate profiles for siblings (up to four), each with their own language, voice and progress
- An ad-free app with nothing to tap out of
- Use without Wi-Fi
You give up
- The videos of real children
- Feedback on your child’s pronunciation
- The sections built around speech sounds (Early Sounds, Mouth Gym)
- A parent report measured against speech milestones
Not us
Other Speech Blubs alternatives worth a look.
- Otsimo Speech Therapy · Subscription from about $6.99 a month or $41.99–$53.99 a year, or $119.99 once for lifetime access; 7-day free trial · iPhone, iPad (iOS 14+), Apple Vision; Android. The closest like-for-like: a speech-therapy app with articulation and first-words activities, English-only, and the one speech app we found with a one-time lifetime price.
- Khan Academy Kids · Free — no ads, no subscriptions, no in-app purchases · iPhone, iPad (iOS 13+), Android, Amazon Fire. Free, broad and well made. Its vocabulary and reading games are English-only, and it is for a child to play rather than a parent to hold.
- Canticos Bilingual Preschool · Subscription: $6.99 a month or $57.99 a year (other plans listed at $39.99 and $45.99); 7-day free trial · iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Vision; an Android version is listed by the maker. For an English–Spanish home that wants songs and stories rather than cards; a subscription, ages 1–5.
- Gus on the Go · $3.99 once per language app · iPhone, iPad, Mac (M1+); Android for some languages. A tiny one-time-purchase vocabulary app per language — about 90 words — and some language editions have not been updated in years.
Questions
What parents ask us.
My child has a speech delay. Is Their First Words enough?
No. If your two-year-old has fewer than 50 words or no two-word phrases, ask for the free early-intervention evaluation; it costs nothing and needs no referral.6 Our cards are prompts for the talking you do in between, not a treatment.
Is there a free Speech Blubs alternative?
Three worth knowing: Khan Academy Kids (free, English, ages 2–8), the free set in Their First Words (75 words and 35 phrases in eight languages, no account), and Ms. Rachel’s videos on YouTube for watching together.
How do I cancel Speech Blubs?
Through the subscriptions screen of your App Store or Google Play account, not through the app’s maker or us. Its FAQ gives refunds within the first three days of a charge.2
Want the full head-to-head? Read Their First Words vs Speech Blubs.
What this is based on
Sources
- Apple App Store, Speech Blubs: Language Therapy — in-app purchase prices, ages, content languages, privacy label, compatibility. apps.apple.com
- Speech Blubs, FAQ — subscription prices and trial, offline use, account, child profiles, refund window, supported devices. speechblubs.com/faq
- Speech Blubs, home page — “designed to supplement, not replace, professional speech therapy.” speechblubs.com
- Speech Blubs, Privacy policy for applications — what is collected about a child; no voice recordings or photos stored. speechblubs.com
- Kuhl, P. K., Tsao, F.-M. & Liu, H.-M. (2003). Foreign-language experience in infancy: effects of short-term exposure and social interaction on phonetic learning. PNAS, 100(15), 9096–9101. pnas.org
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Concerned about your child’s development? — how to ask for a free early-intervention evaluation in every U.S. state. cdc.gov
- American Speech-Language-Hearing Association & Fairplay (May 2026). Be Tech Wise: Children With Developmental Delays or Differences — use screens together, briefly, and choose calm content. fairplayforkids.org (PDF)
Facts about other apps were checked on October 2, 2026 against the sources above. Store prices are US prices on that day; they change, and the store is the authority for today’s price.
Keep looking
Alternatives to other apps.
Lingokids alternativesLooking for a Lingokids alternative? The usual reasons — the subscription, the size of it, a child playing alone, English first — what Their First Words replaces and does not, and the free and calm options worth a look.Read ›
Khan Academy Kids alternativesLooking for a Khan Academy Kids alternative? There are few good reasons to leave a free app this good — a child under three, a second language, or wanting a parent-led pace are the honest ones. What Their First Words replaces, what it doesn’t, and other options.Read ›
Dinolingo alternativesLooking for a Dinolingo alternative? The usual reasons — $199 a year, a course built for ages up to 14, a child learning from a screen — what Their First Words replaces for the under-fives, what it does not, and other options by language.Read ›
Little Pim alternativesLooking for a Little Pim alternative? Why families move on — the subscription, a screen for a baby, 360 words per language — what Their First Words replaces and doesn’t, and other options for a bilingual home.Read ›
The best app for your familyTen guides by who you are: bilingual homes, late talkers, one-year-olds, travel, no subscriptions.Browse the guides ›
Simple Words, Special Moments
Start with one word.
75 words and 35 phrases are free, forever, with both voices. One $9.99 purchase opens the rest of the 1,000+ words and 500+ phrases, in all eight languages at once. No subscription, nothing renews.