By Little Words Editorial · Editorial standards · Updated August 10, 2026
What is TouchChat and how does it work?
TouchChat HD is an augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) app from the Saltillo side of PRC-Saltillo. Your child taps symbols or types, and the app speaks. It is a universal app for iPad and iPhone, offers nearly 40,000 SymbolStix symbols for customizing buttons, and speaks six languages with included voices [1].
Two access features stand out. TouchChat integrates head tracking on applicable iPads and iPhones, so children who cannot touch the screen can point with head movement. It also supports configurable switch scanning [1]. If AAC is brand new to you, our AAC basics hub explains the landscape in plain English before you compare apps.
One naming note: TouchChat is an app, not a device. Saltillo also sells dedicated speech-generating devices such as the NovaChat that run related vocabularies. That distinction decides which funding rules apply, so keep it in view.
Which TouchChat version do you need?
There are two main products, and the difference is vocabulary, not features.
| Version | US price (checked August 10, 2026) | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| TouchChat HD - AAC | $149.99 + tax | Core app; WordPower, Gateway, and Pixon vocabularies sold as in-app purchases; PCS symbols also a separate purchase |
| TouchChat HD - AAC with WordPower | $299.99 + tax | Core app plus the WordPower vocabulary suite; runs on iPad, iPhone, and Mac; layouts from 25 to 108 buttons; 45+ button actions |
| TouchChat HD Lite | Preview version | A limited version for exploring the interface before you commit |
WordPower is the word-based vocabulary suite developed by speech-language pathologist Nancy Inman, and it is the reason many SLPs recommend TouchChat in the first place [2]. If your child's therapist plans around WordPower, the bundle at $299.99 is usually the cleaner buy than adding vocabularies piecemeal. If the plan is undecided, the $149.99 version plus an SLP-guided purchase later keeps options open.
This split also explains the conflicting prices you may have seen elsewhere. Pages that quote TouchChat at $299.99 are quoting the WordPower bundle; pages that quote $149.99 mean the base app. Both numbers are real, and we verified both on the maker's pages on August 10, 2026 [1] [2].
What does TouchChat really cost with a device?
The app is the smaller half of the bill if you are starting from zero. A new 11-inch iPad started at $449 on Apple's store when we checked [6]. With the base app that lands just under $600; with the WordPower bundle it is about $750 before a case. A rugged case is not optional for a device a young child carries all day.
Before spending that, know the funded alternative. Dedicated speech-generating devices can be funded by Medicaid, Medicare, commercial insurance, and military insurance [5]. The tradeoff is process: evaluations, paperwork, and waiting, versus a same-day consumer purchase. Our AAC funding guide walks the routes in order.
How do schools fit in, and what does IDEA require?
Under IDEA regulation 300.105, every public agency must ensure assistive technology devices or services are made available to a child with a disability if required as part of special education, related services, or supplementary aids and services. On a case-by-case basis, the IEP team can require school-purchased devices to be used at home when the child needs them to receive FAPE [4].
In practice: request an assistive technology evaluation in writing, get AAC into the IEP if the team agrees it is needed, and ask for home use in the IEP document itself. Our guides on getting the school to provide a device and the IEP support hub cover the exact steps and wording.
When is TouchChat the right choice, and when is it not?
| Your situation | Points toward TouchChat | Points toward something else |
|---|---|---|
| Price and funding | $149.99 base price is the lowest one-time purchase price of the paid symbol apps on this page | You need funded equipment: pursue a dedicated-device evaluation first |
| Access needs | Integrated head tracking and switch scanning matter for your child | Eye gaze is the likely access method: look at TD Snap and dedicated hardware |
| Vocabulary plan | Your SLP recommends WordPower or Gateway | Your SLP plans around Crescendo or LAMP motor plans: compare Proloquo2Go and LAMP vs Proloquo |
| Hardware at home | You already own a compatible iPad or iPhone | Android household: see Android AAC options |
| Try before buying | The Lite version answers your interface questions | You want a long trial: LAMP Words for Life offers a 30-day Discover version |
Do not buy any version yet if your child has not had an AAC evaluation, if the school's assistive technology process is already moving, or if a free app can cover early modeling while decisions get made.
What are the honest limitations?
The base app's biggest surprise is that WordPower is not in it; families budget $149.99 and then discover the vocabulary their SLP wanted costs more. PCS symbols are also a separate purchase [1]. Like every major symbol app except Avaz, TouchChat has no Android version. And like every robust AAC system, it depends on adult modeling: ASHA describes partner modeling, called augmented input, as a core implementation strategy, and it is weeks of work before independent use [3].
None of that is disqualifying. It is the difference between a price tag and a plan.
What this page can and cannot tell you
This page gives you the two real TouchChat prices with the date we checked them, the funding rules as written, and where TouchChat sits against its rivals. It cannot tell you which vocabulary or access method your child needs. That is feature matching, done in an AAC evaluation by an SLP [3]. There are no prerequisites for starting AAC, so ask for that evaluation as soon as communication is a concern [3]. Apps and home practice supplement professional care; they never replace it.
How Little Words fits alongside TouchChat
Little Words is not an AAC app and is not a TouchChat alternative. It is a voice-first speech-practice companion, built by a dad, for kids ages 2 to 8 with support through age 10. Some families pair it with an AAC system: the device carries communication, and Buddy makes spoken practice feel like play between sessions.
Questions parents ask about TouchChat
Is TouchChat a one-time purchase or a subscription?
One-time. On August 10, 2026 the maker listed TouchChat HD at $149.99 USD plus tax, and TouchChat HD with WordPower at $299.99 USD plus tax. There is no subscription requirement for either version.
Does the $149.99 TouchChat include WordPower?
No. The maker's page states the WordPower suite is not included in that version; WordPower, Gateway, and Pixon are sold as in-app purchases. If your SLP wants WordPower from day one, the $299.99 bundle is usually the cleaner buy.
Why do some sites say TouchChat costs $299.99?
Because there are two products. TouchChat HD is $149.99, and TouchChat HD with WordPower is $299.99. Comparison pages that list a single TouchChat price are usually quoting the bundle without saying so. We verified both prices on the maker's pages on August 10, 2026.
Does TouchChat work on Android?
No. TouchChat HD is a universal app for iPad and iPhone, and the WordPower bundle adds Mac. For Android families, real options include Avaz AAC and Cboard AAC, or a funded dedicated device such as the NovaChat, which runs on an Android platform.
Does TouchChat support head tracking?
Yes. The maker lists integrated head tracking on applicable iPads and iPhones, plus configurable switch scanning. That built-in head tracking is a genuine differentiator among the major symbol-based AAC apps.
Will insurance or Medicaid pay for TouchChat?
Rarely for the app alone. US funding rails are built around dedicated speech-generating devices, which can be funded by Medicaid, Medicare, commercial insurance, and military insurance. Schools must provide AAC under IDEA when the IEP team determines it is needed. Saltillo's dedicated devices are the usual funded route to TouchChat vocabularies.
Will my child outgrow TouchChat?
The app scales. WordPower page sets run from 25 to 108 buttons per layout, and vocabulary can grow with your child. Outgrowing usually means changing access method or moving to a funded dedicated device, and an SLP can plan both transitions.
Sources
How this page was checked: we re-verified every price and product fact against the maker's own pages on August 10, 2026, and linked every clinical statement to its source below. Anything we could not verify, we removed or flagged in the text.
- TouchChat HD - AAC product page: $149.99 USD + tax, universal iPad and iPhone app, nearly 40,000 SymbolStix symbols, PCS as separate purchase, WordPower not included in this version, integrated head tracking, switch scanning, six languages. Accessed August 10, 2026.
- TouchChat HD - AAC with WordPower: bundle price $299.99 USD + tax, WordPower developed by speech-language pathologist Nancy Inman, layouts from 25 to 108, 45+ button actions, iPad, iPhone, and Mac. Accessed August 10, 2026.
- ASHA Practice Portal: Augmentative and Alternative Communication: no prerequisites for AAC, multimodal AAC may help natural speech, augmented input, feature matching. Accessed August 10, 2026.
- IDEA regulation 34 CFR 300.105: Assistive technology: schools must make AT available when the IEP requires it; case-by-case home use. Accessed August 10, 2026.
- PRC-Saltillo: NovaChat: speech-generating devices can be funded by Medicaid, Medicare, commercial insurance, and military insurance. Accessed August 10, 2026.
- Apple: iPad: 11-inch iPad from $449. Accessed August 10, 2026.
- PRC-Saltillo: LAMP Words for Life: 30-day Discover trial. Accessed August 10, 2026.