Comparison

HomeAware® vs Rylo

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

HomeAware®

Connect your iOS device to a SonicAlert HomeAware signaling system. Receive notifications for calls, texts, and various alerts like smoke or baby cries directly on your phone or Apple Watch. Configure system settings easily through the app.

Highlights
  • Receive call and text alerts on iOS device
  • Receive HomeAware alerts on iOS device
  • Configure HomeAware II settings
  • Apple Watch compatibility
  • Bluetooth 4.0 connectivity
Features
Read full description

Link your iPhone or iPad with your SonicAlert HomeAware® signaling system via Bluetooth! • Receive alerts on your HomeAware from your iOS device (incoming call and text) • Receive alerts on your iOS device from HomeAware (door, baby cry, smoke, CO, etc.) • Configure all HomeAware II settings from within the app. • Also works with Apple Watch! • Requires a SonicAlert HomeAware II main unit (HA360M-II) or the legacy HA360M with the HA360SPT smartphone transmitter. • Requires an iOS device with Bluetooth 4.0 (iPhone 4s and later)

About

Rylo

This app provides real-time call captioning for phone conversations, making them accessible for deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals. It also offers live transcription for in-person meetings and supports multiple languages, with a focus on user privacy and community input.

Highlights
  • Real-time call captioning
  • Live in-person conversation transcription
  • Keep existing phone number
  • Save and review transcripts
  • Personal dictionary
  • Type responses
  • Voicemail transcription
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

Phone calls made accessible. Rylo provides real-time, AI-powered call captions on every phone call for anyone who is deaf or has hearing loss. Captioned calls are private and accurate. MAKE AND RECEIVE ANY CALL Rylo works like your native phone app, but with speech-to-text call captions. If you prefer to type your responses, you can choose a voice and use our text-to-speech feature. No interpreters. No relay services. No strangers listening in. LIVE CAPTIONS FOR REAL LIFE Our built-in feature, Rylo Live Transcribe, captions in-person conversations instantly: family dinners, doctor's appointments, airports, or anywhere else you don't want to miss a word. YOUR PRIVACY IS PROTECTED Captions are generated with end-to-end encryption. No human involvement. No one reading your calls but you. BUILT FOR THE DEAF COMMUNITY, BY THE DEAF COMMUNITY Rylo was built with direct input from the Deaf and hard of hearing communities. Every feature exists because someone in the community needed it. Accessibility matters. KEY FEATURES ■ Live caption calls with transcripts ■ Live captioning for in-person moments (Rylo Live Transcribe) ■ Personal dictionary for custom words and phrases ■ Quick keyboard responses as needed ■ Visual voicemail ■ Save transcripts privately on your device ■ Multilingual captioning: English, Spanish, French, Japanese, Hebrew, Italian ■ Built-in spam filter and call blocking ■ Profanity blocker ■ FCC certified "Rylo is the true definition of a game-changer. Their goal is to ensure effective and smooth communication." — Verified user "I was able to make a phone call myself. I set up my own appointment. I could clearly read every word the recipient was saying to me. I explained to her I was deaf and I was using closed captioning. It was amazing. Thank you Rylo for allowing me to be more independent." — Verified user Download Rylo. Make calls with confidence. For more: https://rylo.com/ Support: https://help.rylo.com/en/ FEDERAL LAW PROHIBITS ANYONE BUT REGISTERED USERS WITH HEARING LOSS FROM USING INTERNET PROTOCOL (IP) CAPTIONED TELEPHONES WITH THE CAPTIONS TURNED ON. There is a cost for each minute of captions generated, paid from a federally administered fund. There are also eligibility requirements and a cost, paid by a federally administered fund for each minute of IP Relay service. Emergency calling through Rylo works similar to, but not the same as, calling 911 directly through a landline. It is important to keep your Rylo Registered Location updated.

Screenshots

HomeAware®4 screens
Rylo4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Rylo at 68% against HomeAware®'s 15%. Rylo also leads on rating (4.6 vs 3.4) and update cadence (every 5 days vs every 3 months). HomeAware®'s advantage is monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Rylo holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 3.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Rylo has 3.7K ratings behind it against 8, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 15% of HomeAware®'s written reviews are positive against 68% of Rylo's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

HomeAware® ships an update every 3 months, Rylo every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on September 10, 2026 and September 26, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
HomeAware® versus Rylo: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHomeAware®Rylo
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.4 (8 ratings)4.6 (3.7K ratings) — better
Positive reviews15.4% of reviews67.7% of reviews — better
Number of ratings83.7K — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsEvery 5 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank—#160 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple WatchiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch
Requires iOS16.0 — better16.6
Further details — not scored
Size17 MB105 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperSonicAlertNagish Inc.

Customer experience

HomeAware®

All ratings8 ratings
Positive62.5%
Neutral0.0%
Negative37.5%
Written reviews13 reviews
Positive15.4%
Neutral38.5%
Negative46.2%

Rylo

All ratings3,658 ratings
Positive90.4%
Neutral2.5%
Negative7.1%
Written reviews368 reviews
Positive67.7%
Neutral5.4%
Negative26.9%

Bugs and requests

HomeAware®

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Rylo

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Registration process repeatedly fails
  • Incoming calls not detected by the app
  • Transcription stops working mid-call

Requested features

4 requests
  • Option to save call transcripts
  • Improved noise cancellation and microphone sensitivity
  • Integration with hearing aids and Bluetooth devices
  • Expanded language support

In-app purchases

None

HomeAware®

No in-app purchases

None

Rylo

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is HomeAware® free?
HomeAware® is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Rylo free?
Rylo is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, HomeAware® or Rylo?
Rylo is rated higher. HomeAware® averages 3.4 out of 5 from 8 ratings, while Rylo averages 4.6 from 3.7K ratings.
Do HomeAware® or Rylo have ads?
Neither HomeAware® nor Rylo shows ads.
Which is updated more often, HomeAware® or Rylo?
HomeAware® ships an update every 3 months, and Rylo every 5 days. Most recently, HomeAware® was updated on September 10, 2026 and Rylo on September 26, 2026.

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