Best First Then Board App for Autism: Free Makers Compared (2026)

If your child melts down at transitions, someone has probably suggested a first-then board. So you searched "first then board app," expecting a tidy list of choices, and instead found a handful of visual-schedule apps, one or two indie apps, and a lot of confusion about which is actually built for this.

Here is the honest version up front. A first-then board is a simple visual that shows just two things: first you do this, then you get that. It works because two steps is small enough not to overwhelm a child who finds transitions hard. But the "app" market for it is thin. Only one app is really built around the first-then idea, and almost everything else is a broader tool with a first-then setting bolted on. Most parents end up using either a wider visual-schedule app or, honestly, a free printable that they laminate and reuse.

So this guide does two things. It gives you the small number of apps that are genuinely worth knowing about, and it is straight with you about when you do not need an app at all. If you want the how and why behind these boards first, our complete guide to first-then boards covers when to use one and how to fade it out.

The Short Answer

For most families, the best first-then "app" is a free maker that prints a physical board, not something you install. Here is the quick version, and the sections below explain each pick.

• Best free option: Spectrum Unlocked First-Then Board Maker. Free, no account, no email. Pick your wording (First/Then, Now/Next, or First/Next/Then), add pictures, and download a printable board plus matching cut-out cards sized for Velcro. It works with PECS cards you already have. You get a reusable physical board in about a minute, which is all a first-then board needs to be.
• Best dedicated app: FTVS HD (First Then Visual Schedule HD). At 14.99 dollars one-time, this is the de-facto dedicated first-then app. It is Apple only, but it does first-then, schedules, timers, and more in one place.
• Best for Android: MyVisualRoutine. The strongest cross-platform pick. It runs on iOS and Android and covers first-then boards, choice boards, and schedules after a 14-day free trial.
• Best for schools: Boardmaker 7. The heavyweight standard for classrooms and speech-language pathologists, built on PCS symbols. Powerful and expensive, and overkill for one family at home.

The pattern here is worth naming. There is no crowded shelf of first-then apps to compare. The category is small, so the real choice is usually between a free printable and one broader app that includes a first-then view. If your child does well with a paper board, you may never need to spend a cent. And a first-then board is not a vocabulary app or a countdown timer, so tools like Time Timer sit next to a board to show how long "first" lasts rather than being makers themselves.

The First-Then Apps Compared

Here are the options side by side, with the free maker first. Prices are typical retail before any sale or school funding.

Tool	Platform	Price	Best for
SU First-Then Board Maker	Web (any device)	Free, no account	A printable, reusable physical board today
FTVS HD	iPad, iPhone, Mac	14.99 dollars, one-time	The de-facto dedicated first-then app
Choiceworks	iPad, iPhone, Mac	Around 15 to 30 dollars (check the App Store)	Routines plus emotion regulation
First Then Board (app)	iPhone, iPad (iOS 26+)	Free, with paid tiers	Purpose-built board with tracking and IEP export
First Then Board (web)	Web, offline	Freemium (check the site)	Interactive digital boards, no app store
MyVisualRoutine	iOS and Android	14-day trial, then around 3.99 dollars a month	The strongest Android-inclusive option
Boardmaker 7	Windows, web	99 dollars a year and up	Schools and speech-language pathologists

The sections below explain who each one fits. When two look close, the tiebreaker is almost always platform (Apple versus Android) and whether you actually want a screen at all.

Spectrum Unlocked First-Then Board Maker (Free)

Best for: getting a real, reusable board in your hands today for zero dollars.

This is the pick for most parents, and it is free with no account and no email gate. You choose the wording that fits your child (First/Then, Now/Next, or First/Next/Then), add pictures from the built-in library or your own photos, and download a print-ready board along with matching cut-out cards sized for Velcro. Laminate the board once, add Velcro dots, and you can swap the cards every day. It also works alongside PECS cards you already own, so it slots into a system you have started.

The honest limitation is that it is a maker, not an interactive app. It prints a physical board. It does not run on-screen timers, play audio prompts, or track how many times your child completed the task. For a lot of families that is exactly the point, because a laminated board never needs charging and never gets closed to open a game. But if you specifically want tracking or audio, you will want one of the apps below. You can build your first board here.

FTVS HD (First Then Visual Schedule HD)

Best for: Apple families who want a dedicated first-then app on a screen.

FTVS HD, from Good Karma Applications, is the closest thing this category has to a purpose-built first-then app. For 14.99 dollars one-time it gives you first-then boards plus schedules, task steps, choice boards, and video models, with five view modes, a built-in timer, and image sources that include thousands of symbols. If you want the first-then idea living on an iPad with timers and audio built in, this is the one.

The catch is that it is Apple only, so it is off the table if your household runs Android. Its app-store rating sits around three and a half stars, so expect a capable but slightly dated tool rather than a polished modern app. Still, for an Apple family that wants one paid app to cover first-then and more, it is the standard.

MyVisualRoutine

Best for: Android households, or anyone who wants one app across iOS and Android.

Most of the well-known dedicated apps are Apple only, which leaves Android families short on options. MyVisualRoutine is the strongest answer. It runs on both iOS and Android and includes first-then boards, choice boards that double as simple communication support, schedules, and timelines, with a library of activities and offline use. After a 14-day free trial it is a subscription, around 3.99 dollars a month or roughly 34.99 dollars a year.

The trade-offs are that it is subscription-based rather than a one-time purchase, and it is made by a small independent developer. But if you are on Android and want an actual app instead of a printable, this is the clearest pick.

Choiceworks

Best for: families who want routines and emotion regulation in one place.

Choiceworks, from Bee Visual, is not a pure first-then app. It is a broader visual-support app built around schedule, waiting, and feelings boards, and you create a first-then sequence through its schedule board. Pricing varies, so plan on around 15 to 30 dollars (check the App Store), and note it is Apple only. It shines when you want the same app to help with transitions and with naming and managing big feelings, which is a common pairing for autistic kids. If all you want is first-then, though, it is more app than you need.

Boardmaker 7

Best for: schools, classrooms, and speech-language pathologists.

Boardmaker 7, from Tobii Dynavox, is the institutional standard. Built on the widely used PCS symbol set, it can author and print first-then boards, full schedules, and communication supports, with student management on higher tiers. Pricing runs 99 dollars a year for Personal, 199 dollars a year for Pro, and 399 dollars one-time for the Standard edition. That price makes sense for a school standardizing across many students, but for one family making one board at home it is expensive and steep to learn.

Most Parents Just Use a Printable

Here is the part the app lists skip. For a first-then board specifically, a printable is often the right answer, not a compromise.

A first-then board only has to do one thing: show two steps clearly, first this then that. A laminated paper board with Velcro cards does that perfectly. It never runs out of battery, it never gets swapped for a video, a sibling can use it too, and you can keep one in the kitchen and one in the car. Plenty of teachers and therapists use paper first-then boards all day for exactly these reasons.

You would reach for an app instead when you want something paper cannot give you: an on-screen countdown for the "first" task, audio that reads the steps aloud, or logging that tracks completions over time for an IEP. Those are real reasons. They are just not most families' reasons. If none of them describe you, the free First-Then Board Maker will likely be the last first-then tool you need.

How to Choose

You can settle this in three quick questions.

1. Do you want a screen or a physical board? If a printed, laminated board sounds like it fits your child and your day, start with the free maker and stop there. If you specifically want timers, audio, or tracking on a device, look at the apps.
2. What device are you on? If you are an Apple household and want an app, FTVS HD is the dedicated pick and Choiceworks the broader one. If you are on Android, MyVisualRoutine is the clear choice, because most dedicated apps skip Android entirely.
3. Who is this for? One child at home leans toward the free printable or one modest app. A classroom or a caseload of students is where a heavyweight like Boardmaker earns its price.

And keep the bigger picture in view. A first-then board is a starting point, not the destination. Once your child handles two steps comfortably and wants to see more of the day, that is your signal to graduate to a fuller visual schedule. Start small, start free, and let your child's progress, not an app store ranking, decide what comes next.

More Free-Tool Comparisons

Spectrum Unlocked builds free, browser-based versions of the tools autistic kids use every day, then compares them honestly against the paid apps. If this guide helped, these use the same approach:

• Best Social Story Apps and Makers
• Best Visual Schedule Apps
• Best Token Board Apps
• Best PECS Card Makers
• Best AAC Core Board Makers