Looking for an alternative to Avaz? Buddy, which we develop at Pictalk, exists natively in English, with vocabularies adapted to the language, and links communication to the schedule, sequences and notebooks. We are not neutral: we date the prices and say when Avaz may suit you better.
Avaz: who is it for, and at what price?
Avaz is an augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) app published by a company of Indian origin. It works on iPhone, iPad and Android, with SymbolStix symbols, grids of up to 77 cells and word prediction. It suits families who want a complete app on a tablet or phone: £7.99/month, £90.99/year or £199.99 lifetime, one of the most affordable paid plans on the market.
Buddy and Avaz side by side
Prices checked on the UK App Store in October 2026: check them on the day you buy. For an overview, see our AAC app comparison.
| Criterion | Buddy (Pictalk) | Avaz |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Pay what you want, no locked features | £7.99/month, £90.99/year or £199.99 lifetime |
| Platforms | iPhone, iPad, Android, Windows, Mac, Android watch | iPhone, iPad, Android |
| Access | Touch, switch | Touch, eye gaze |
| Languages | 11 | 6 |
| Symbols | ARASAAC, Mulberry, Tawasol, Sclera, ParlerPictos, OpenMoji, Makaton, personal photos | SymbolStix |
| Vocabularies included | Essential 24, Springboard 48, Horizon 80, Quick Core, Vocal Flair, CommuniKate, Sequoia | Avaz vocabulary (3 levels) |
| Vocabularies designed for phones | Yes | Not verified |
| Grammar | Yes | Yes |
| Offline | Yes | Yes |
| Format | Open (OBZ) | Proprietary |
| Beyond AAC | Visual schedule, guided sequences, notebooks, smartwatch | No |
| Publisher | French non-profit association | Company |
Notes
- Platforms: on Windows and Mac, Buddy runs in the browser; the Android watch app works with Wear OS.
- Access: Buddy offers simple switch scanning. Avaz can be used with some eye-tracking devices (Eyetech’s EyeOnAir on Android, according to the publisher); for eye gaze, see also Grid and TD Snap.
- Avaz languages: English, French, Danish, Swedish, Hungarian and Faroese in the main app, plus editions for India and Sri Lanka.
- Phone: Avaz works on phones, but we could not verify that its vocabulary has a layout designed for a small screen; Buddy offers Essential 24 in a phone layout.
What Buddy brings
Vocabularies adapted to English. Essential 24, Springboard 48 and Horizon 80 were designed by Pictalk and adapted to each language, not translated word for word: a word-for-word translation leaves gaps and duplicates (see Which words to put in the tool). They are part of the 17 vocabularies included. The grammar engine conjugates automatically (‘he want cake’ becomes ‘he wants cake’), and the sentence bar shows how the sentence is written.
11 languages. The vocabularies keep the same layout in all 11 languages Buddy supports: ‘eat’ is in the same place as manger, comer or mangiare, and a child in a bilingual family doesn’t have to relearn the paths (see AAC and bilingualism).
An independence companion. AAC boards, schedule, sequences, notebooks and smartwatch are linked together. Smart context learns about family and friends, places and routines to better understand what is said and correct sentences; the communication report can be shared with the speech and language therapist. Buddy also works on older devices, by touch or with a switch, and is pay what you want.
When Avaz may suit you better
- The school or the speech and language therapist uses SymbolStix and you want the same symbols everywhere.
- You speak a language at home that Avaz offers and Buddy doesn’t: Hungarian, Faroese, or Hindi and Tamil in its editions for India and Sri Lanka.
- The person is already comfortable with Avaz: their automatic movements are valuable.
Moving from Avaz to Buddy
Avaz boards, in a proprietary format, can’t be imported directly. Before switching, take screenshots of the key pages and write down the personal words. Choose a similar grid size and keep Avaz alongside for a few weeks. All the steps are in the list ‘Changing apps without losing progress’ in the comparison.
Frequently asked questions
How long should you try Buddy before deciding?
Several weeks: set it up for one priority situation, allow one or two weeks of practice, then observe real use (Beukelman and Light, 2020). Take the person’s preference into account, as it can speed up learning (van der Meer et al., 2011).
Can you use Avaz and Buddy at the same time?
Yes, but the words won’t be in the same places, which means learning twice. A common compromise: keep Avaz for communicating and use Buddy for the schedule and sequences.
Pictalk Buddy brings together AAC boards, a visual schedule, guided sequences and notebooks, with the same symbols, on Android, iOS, the web and the watch. A pay-what-you-want app, developed by a non-profit association. Discover Buddy
Sources
- Beukelman, D. R. and Light, J. C., 2020, Augmentative & Alternative Communication, 5th ed., Paul H. Brookes.
- van der Meer, L. et al., 2011, cited in Beukelman and Light (2020).
- Official Avaz website and Google Play, accessed in September and October 2026; the UK App Store, accessed in October 2026.