Visual schedule apps for autistic and ADHD children, compared
Choosing an app for routines? Here’s how Now & Next compares with three apps parents often look at: Choiceworks, Goally and Tiimo. We make Now & Next, so we’ve stuck to facts you can check.
What to look for
- It runs on the phone or tablet you already have, and on the other parent’s phone too.
- Pictures your child already knows. The same picture for the same thing, at home and at school.
- Grown-ups decide what changes. Little fingers shouldn’t be able to delete breakfast.
- A timer they can see, so “five more minutes” means something.
- Privacy. Check whether you need an account and what’s stored about your child.
- What it costs over a year, not just the first month.
Side by side
| Now & Next | Choiceworks | Goally | Tiimo | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| What it is | A picture schedule app for autistic and ADHD children: routines, now and next, a visual timer, stars, picture stories and calm tools | A picture schedule app with schedule, waiting and feelings boards | A dedicated tablet for the child, with routine and learning apps, run from a parent app | A visual daily planner for neurodivergent people, built mainly for planning your own day |
| Devices | Any phone, tablet or computer (it runs in the browser and installs to the home screen) | iPhone and iPad (App Store) | The Goally tablet, plus a parent app on your phone | iPhone and Android |
| How you pay | Free to start. Family plan £3.99 a month (£2.99 a month for life if you join in November 2026), 7 days free | A one-off purchase, and a free Lite version with a one-time upgrade | Buy the tablet, plus a membership | A subscription, with a free trial |
| Account needed | No | No | Yes (parent app) | Yes |
| Two grown-ups’ phones | Yes, with the Family plan | iCloud sync between devices on the same Apple ID | Yes, through the parent app | Check the app |
| Picture stories about your child | Yes: 20 stories with their name in (6 free) | Not the main focus | Not the main focus | Not the main focus |
| Made for | UK-made, UK/US/Australian words, 16 languages | US-made, English and Spanish | US-made | Made in Denmark, many languages |
Checked on 28 October 2026 from each app’s own store or website. Prices and features change and differ by country, so check the app’s store page before you buy. Choiceworks, Goally and Tiimo are the names of their owners’ products; we’re not connected with them.
Try Now & Next
Open it on your phone now: no sign-up, one child, every everyday tool, 27 ready-made routines and 6 picture stories free. See everything it does.
Questions
Which visual schedule app is best for an autistic child?
The one your child will actually use, on the phone or tablet you already have. If you have an iPad and want to pay once, Choiceworks is well known. If you want a separate device just for routines, Goally is built for that. Tiimo suits older children, teens and adults planning their own day. Now & Next works on any phone, needs no account, and is free to start.
Is there a visual schedule app that works on Android and iPhone?
Yes. Now & Next runs on both, and on tablets and computers, because it opens in the web browser. Add it to your home screen and it works offline like any other app.
Can both parents use the same visual schedule?
With the Now & Next Family plan, the same children, lists and stars show on two grown-ups’ phones. Tick breakfast at home and it shows as done on the other phone too.