Hearing Buddy Reviews: Is It Legit?

Name: Hearing Buddy - Speech To Text
Rating: 4.12821 (156 reviews)

Hearing Buddy - Speech To Text

Krager Labs LLC

🔧 Utilities

🏥 Medical

Customer Experience

Positive experience30.4% of reviews

Neutral26.1% of reviews

Negative experience43.5% of reviews

~ Based on 23 written reviews from the US App Store.

Is Hearing Buddy Safe?

Hearing Buddy - Speech To Text appears mostly safe based on user ratings. AppsHunter Safety Score for Hearing Buddy is 81/100.

This assessment is based on 156 user ratings, with an App Store average of 4.1/5.

Safety Analysis

74.2% of ratings point to a safe experience

9.3% of ratings suggest some concerns

16.6% of ratings point to a risky experience

~ Based on 151 App Store ratings for Hearing Buddy.

Is Hearing Buddy Legit?

Hearing Buddy - Speech To Text appears to be a legitimate app. AppsHunter Legitimacy Score for Hearing Buddy is 88/100.

Based on 88 of 100 points across 7 verification signals from App Store and developer data.

Top reviews

Most Recent Highest Rated Lowest Rated

No way

Dumb apps you have paid for this app not free

BNBrat Nau

6 days ago

The freaking popups

So annoying, forces you through prompts and payment popups just to try it out. No thanks, too invasive. Don’t force people to answer your questions, have settings, period.

Kkann2182

7 days ago

Doesn’t catch every word makes so may mistakes

Do not like this

PSpam stancil

a month ago

Response from developer

Hi Pam, we are trying to do better. Since your review we launched Cloud Enhanced captions in version 3.12. In our own tests it makes about a third of the mistakes of our on-device captions in a quiet room, and about half in a noisy one. Your first 30 minutes are free, no plan needed. Update the app, start a session, and tap the cloud icon. If it changes things for you, we'd love to hear it here. Anything else, email support@hearingbuddyapp.com and we'll help. ~ Lilly & Scott

Mostly pushes for paid an

I tried it once. The captions were inaccurate even though the sound quality was good. I felt like I was being pushed to upgrade to paid plan more than helping me improve my communication experience.

TTexPhan

a month ago

Response from developer

Thank you for trying it, and we hear you on both counts. On accuracy: we just launched Cloud Enhanced captions in 3.12, which in our tests make about a third of the mistakes of our on-device captions in a quiet room and about half in noise. Your first 30 minutes are free. On the upgrade prompts: that's fair feedback, and unlimited on-device captions have always been free and always will be. If you give 3.12 a try, we'd genuinely love to know whether it changes your experience. ~ Lilly & Scott

Worthless

Poor interpretation of speech. Honestly only good if you’re in a room alone.

GGjesgt

a month ago

Response from developer

That's fair on 3.11, and we're sorry it let you down. Noisy rooms are exactly what we set out to fix with Cloud Enhanced captions, which launched in 3.12. In our noisy restaurant test it made about half the mistakes of our on-device captions. Your first 30 minutes are free, no plan needed: update, start a session, tap the cloud icon at the top. If it changes your mind, we'd love to hear it. ~ Lilly & Scott

Very useful App

After experiencing sudden hearing loss, my world was turned upside down. This Speech-to-Text app is just what I needed to help me get through this very difficult transition. I would’ve given it five stars, but I still have questions about the memory space it takes up on the phone documenting the conversations.

CCalifBeachBum

a month ago

Response from developer

Thanks so much for the kind words, and so sorry about your sudden change. That wound be jarring. To answer your question, all conversations are stored as text. So they take up a very tiny amount of space relative to say a video or even a high-quality photo on your phone. No audio is ever recorded.

Not bad

The captioning isn’t perfect. There are some errors, and some words are being skipped.

SSpotanjo3

2 months ago

Response from developer

Thanks for the fair review. Skipped and wrong words are exactly what Cloud Enhanced captions in 3.12 are for. In our tests they're noticeably more accurate, especially when it's loud. Your first 30 minutes are free. We'd love an updated take if you try it. ~ Lilly & Scott

Not free as advertised

Started out with ad on instagram and picked. Free buddy only to find it is needing a credit card and costs $59 a year. (Disabled for 45 years so I can’t afford it.)
It did not pick up the cat screeching which was great but heard heaven instead of have been on my small test.
Biggest downside is that it does not pair with my Rexton Bicore hearing aids

MMiMiWoofWoof

2 months ago

Response from developer

Thank you for the honest review, and we're sorry the ad set the wrong expectation. To be clear about what's free: unlimited on-device captions, no card, no time limit. Buddy+ adds extras like name alerts and summaries. The card prompt comes from the App Store's free trial flow, and you can use the app without ever starting one. On accuracy ("heaven" for "have been"): we just launched Cloud Enhanced captions in 3.12, and the first 30 minutes are free for everyone. Hearing Buddy listens through your iPhone's microphone rather than pairing with hearing aids, so it works alongside your Rexton aids. We'd love for you to try 3.12. ~ Lilly & Scott

Poor word understanding

Tried this in a quiet home environment with just my husband and myself. It barely recognized the words either of us were speaking. I had to be 2 feet from him in order for it to pick up his words. Not a good tool for those trying to use it to help them understand conversation in an already complex world of deciphering what others are saying. My recommendation is increase your AI tools conversational speed and distance before you put on market.

DDeaf-BO

2 months ago

Response from developer

Thank you for the detailed test, that's really useful. Needing to be two feet away points to microphone pickup: propping the iPhone between you, screen up and uncovered, usually makes a big difference, and we're happy to help you tune it at support@hearingbuddyapp.com. On the words themselves: since 3.07 we launched Cloud Enhanced captions, which in our tests make about a third of the mistakes of our on-device captions in a quiet room. Your first 30 minutes are free if you'd like to give it another try. ~ Lilly & Scott

Too complicated

Way to complicated

OHOld guy who can’t hear

2 months ago

Response from developer

Thank you for the honest note. The core of the app is one tap: open it, tap Start, and captions appear. Everything else is optional and can be ignored. If you give the latest version another try and something still gets in the way, email support@hearingbuddyapp.com and we'll walk you through it. ~ Lilly & Scott

Flawed captioning

Poor captioning, other platforms I have tried are much better. App interferes with my hearing aid volume, not cool.

CCheshire123

2 months ago

Response from developer

Thank you for the feedback. Two things. Interfering with your hearing aid volume is not okay, and we want to fix it. If you can email support@hearingbuddyapp.com with your hearing aid model and whether Buddy Boost was on, we'll dig in. On captioning: since 3.07 we launched Cloud Enhanced captions, which are noticeably more accurate, especially when it's loud. Your first 30 minutes are free if you'd like to see whether it earns another look. ~ Lilly & Scott

Liar review Revise

Ok. He app is free but if you want any of the benefits suggested, you have to pay. I have a 70% bilateral hearing loss.

ZZer1980

2 months ago

Response from developer

Thanks for checking out Hearing Buddy - we do not charge for captions, no hour tracking, it is truly free and unlimited. Name alerts, premium buddies and other features are in our Buddy+ plan but the core live transcription is always private, on-device, and free.

Excellent!

Downloaded App on iPad mini for my elderly father. He is unable to hear any of the conversations at the dinner table especially when we go out to dinner. Works in offline mode so he doesn’t need cellular service at a restaurant. This app will be life altering for him. Thank you!

NNoodlesgogocrazy

3 months ago

Does not work

Can’t get past rating requirement

MMdklasse

3 months ago

Response from developer

So sorry about that, getting stuck on a rating prompt should never happen. Please email support@hearingbuddyapp.com with your iPhone model and iOS version and we'll get you unstuck and fix the cause. ~ Lilly & Scott

Impressive accuracy

Great for table conversation in noisy congregate dining room in senior living.

GBGene Boutilier

3 months ago

A new world for my 93 year old Dad

I tested this app in both French and English before we purchased a subscription for my Dad. I am amazed by how this changed things for him overnight. He went from not knowing what was being discussed at the noisy dinner table in his senior residence to becoming part of the conversation (or at minimum following it!). We also tested it at a very loud Happy Hour event with live music and many speakers and it did very well, with not many errors. The interface is pretty friendly with need for some small tweaks (big or shaky hands may have some difficulty with small tabs to switch between live captions and other options) but the developer is super responsive, answering my questions via email almost immediately after sending them. Bravo!

VVizou

4 months ago

Response from developer

Thank you! We are glad the app is helping your Dad. More improvements to the app coming soon! 🎉

Trial

I’m trying this app to see if it helps with conversations

MIMacky II

4 months ago

Good, not great (yet)

Two things that I’d like to see are different font types and improved language transcription speed when parsing words. This is a very good starting app that could eventually be a viable replacement app for people looking to move off of Android. I am not a huge fan of the threat of subscription models taking over virtually everything as well, so I hope this app and its features stay free within reasonable limits. I understand you need to make money to cover development costs. Consider applying for grants from governments and/or institutions to help fund this. This is the closest thing to getting folks with hearing complications to switch to iOS in my opinion as a Deaf person who relies on Google’s Live Transcribe. I’d consider this to be 3.5/5 right now with room for improvements.

SSnooz_Button

5 months ago

Response from developer

Thank you for the thoughtful review, this one meant a lot to us. Since 2.24 we launched Cloud Enhanced captions in 3.12, which in our tests are noticeably more accurate, especially in noisy places. Your first 30 minutes are free, and unlimited on-device captions stay free with no time limits. Font choices are on our list too. If you give 3.12 a try, we'd love an updated take. ~ Lilly & Scott

I wanna love it

But there are some issues that need to be ironed out, I can excuse the imperfect captions but the Mac app just doesn’t connect to my iPhone very well.

JJackienova

5 months ago

Response from developer

Hi Jackienova! Thank you for the patience and honest feedback. You're right, the Mac to iPhone connection needs work, and making it solid over local connections is an area we've been looking to improve. We want you to love it too. Would you be able to email us (support@hearingbuddyapp.com) more specifics so we can diagnose? Thanks a ton for your support! ~ Lilly & Scott

Not accurate

I find the conversations are not accurate when it listens in. A lot of mistakes. I also can not cancel my subscription anywhere, so be aware of that.

AAtw21

5 months ago

Response from developer

Update, September 2026: we launched Cloud Enhanced captions in 3.12. In our tests it makes about a third of the mistakes of our on-device captions in a quiet room. Your first 30 minutes are free, and Manage Subscription is in Settings. Hey, thanks so much for the honest feedback. You're right that accuracy has room to grow. We use 100% on-device transcription to keep your conversations private, which can be less accurate than cloud models, but we just pushed more improvements this week and more are on the way. We want to balance accuracy, privacy, and accessibility, and we still have work to do. Also good news on canceling: we just added a Manage Subscription section in Settings to make it simple. Really appreciate you giving us a try! Please reach out anytime at support (support@hearingbuddyapp.com) if there's anything else we can help with.