StoryRetriever vs Boardmaker
Boardmaker by Tobii Dynavox is the most feature-complete visual support platform on the market. But it is built for clinical teams with institutional budgets, not for individual SLPs or families. Here is how the two tools compare.
The Bottom Line
Choose Boardmaker if you are a school district or clinic with a $299/year budget, you need the Mayer-Johnson PCS symbol library, and your team of clinicians creates shared materials across a large caseload.
Choose StoryRetriever if you are an individual SLP or a family, you need stories to travel between the therapy room and home, you want a child-friendly reading experience, or you need cross-device access on Android and Chromebook.
Feature-by-Feature Comparison
| Feature | StoryRetriever | Boardmaker |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes — 3 stories | No |
| Starting price | $4.99/month | $299/year |
| Built for | SLPs and families | Clinical teams and districts |
| iPad & iPhone | Yes | Partial |
| Android | Yes | No |
| Chromebook | Yes | Partial (web) |
| Child-friendly reading view | Yes | No — clinician UI |
| SLP-to-family sharing | Yes — one tap | Team sharing only |
| Real-time sync | Yes | Partial |
| Offline access | Yes — after first load | Requires download and sync |
| Symbol library (PCS) | No — photos + illustrations | Yes — 45,000+ PCS symbols |
| Templates included | Yes | Community library (800,000+) |
| COPPA compliant | Yes | No |
| School DPA available | Yes | No |
Where Boardmaker Excels
Boardmaker has the largest library of professional symbols in the industry: over 45,000 Mayer-Johnson PCS symbols used by SLPs worldwide. Its community library has more than 800,000 shared materials. For clinical teams that need comprehensive symbol-based communication boards, activity schedules, and curriculum materials, Boardmaker is unmatched.
Where StoryRetriever Wins
StoryRetriever is purpose-built for a different job: getting social stories from the therapy room into the family's hands at home. The child-friendly reading view is designed for independent use on a tablet. Real-time sharing means the SLP creates a story in session and the family has it immediately, with updates syncing automatically.
At $299/year, Boardmaker is priced for institutional buyers. StoryRetriever starts free and costs $4.99/month for unlimited stories. An individual SLP or family can start using StoryRetriever today without budget approval.
Different Tools for Different Jobs
Boardmaker is a production tool for creating clinical materials. StoryRetriever is a delivery tool for getting social stories into the environments where children actually need them. Many SLPs use Boardmaker to create communication boards and visual schedules, and StoryRetriever to create and share narrative social stories with families. The tools are complementary, not competing.
Stories that actually make it home
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