Comparison

hearingOS vs Head Shadow

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

Head to head
About

hearingOS

This app enhances your hearing by amplifying external audio and improving speech intelligibility using AI. It works with various earphones and allows personalized adjustments to suit your specific needs and environment.

Highlights
  • AI-powered audio processing
  • Speech intelligibility enhancement
  • Noise suppression
  • Amplifies external audio
  • Works with wireless & wired earphones
  • Personalized sound adjustments
  • Includes a hearing test
Currently charting
Read full description

hearingOS is the world's leading Hearing Aid App Hear everything clearly -hearingOS will support your hearing. Whether young or old, you can benefit from smart algorithms that process and improve external audio for your ears. Better speech understanding and intelligibility -hearingOS uses state of the art Artifical Intelligence to suppress noise and increase speech intelligibility. -Signals are amplified through the smart algorithm amplifier while noise is suppressed. Works with Wireless & Wired Earphones -Supports almost all headphones that can be connected through Bluetooth or a Cable, including Apple Airpods. Adjusts to your ears -Move the colored dots around on the slider and instantly notice the difference. Every person and every situation is different. hearingOS is the #1 hearing aid app,audio booster,sound amplifier,hearing helper,listening device on the iOS App Store. hearingOS also includes a hearing test. Privacy Policy & Terms of Service can be viewed here: http://www.hearingos.com/tos. SUBSCRIPTION - PRICES AND CONDITIONS HearingOS is available for free download. All users are invited to take a 7-day trial week. If you want to continue using hearingOS, we offer you an automatic extension. To use the app after the free trial, either a monthly or a yearly subscription is required. Your credit card will be debited within your iTunes account after the order confirmation has been received. The subscription will be extended if you do not disable it at least 24 hours before the renewal date. There is no price increase on an extension. The subscription is auto-renewable but can be cancelled at any time. Subscriptions can be managed in the iTunes account settings and the automatic extension can be deactivated. After purchase, no reimbursement can be made for a non-utilized portion of the period.

About

Head Shadow

This app acts as a hearing aid for individuals with single-sided deafness or mild bilateral hearing loss. It utilizes your iPhone or AirPods microphone to capture ambient sounds, then amplifies and outputs them through wired headphones or AirPods.

Highlights
  • Single-sided deafness aid
  • Mild hearing loss amplification
  • 10-band audio equalizer
  • Reverb options
  • Works with AirPods and wired headphones
  • 30-day free trial
Features
Read full description

Head Shadow is a hearing aid iPhone app for people with single-sided deafness or mild hearing loss in both ears. The app captures nearby sound with the iPhone or AirPods microphone, enhances it with a 10-band equalizer, and plays it in real time through wired headphones, AirPods, or AirPods Pro. FOR SINGLE-SIDED DEAFNESS When using AirPods, activate the microphone on your deaf side. Place that AirPod in your deaf ear and the other AirPod in your hearing ear. Head Shadow captures sound from your deaf side, enhances it, and plays it in your hearing ear, providing a CROS-like listening experience. FOR MILD HEARING LOSS If you have mild hearing loss in both ears, connect your wired or wireless headphones and play the app. Head Shadow captures sound with the iPhone microphone, enhances it, and plays it through your headphones. SOUND CONTROLS The 10-band equalizer lets you adjust the frequencies used in a standard audiogram. Reverb options let you hear how sound changes in different spaces. TRY FREE, THEN BUY ONCE Try all features free. Continue with a one-time purchase. There are no ads and no subscriptions. FINAL PLANNED FEATURE RELEASE Head Shadow was first published on the App Store in 2019. This is its final planned feature release, and the app will remain available and supported. Head Shadow AI, our next-generation app for people with single-sided deafness, is now available separately on the App Store and will receive future feature development.

Screenshots

hearingOS4 screens
Head Shadow4 screens

Verdict

The call

hearingOS and Head Shadow both sit at 4.1 stars, but that hides the real split: 83% of Head Shadow's written reviews are positive against 11% of hearingOS's. hearingOS's advantage is ratings volume (2.4K vs 13) and update cadence (every 5 days vs every 3 weeks). On price, rating, ads and in-app purchases 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. hearingOS sells 8 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per 7 days and Head Shadow sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Head Shadow holds the better App Store score, 4.3 against 4.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: hearingOS has 2.4K ratings behind it against 13, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 11% of hearingOS's written reviews are positive against 83% of Head Shadow's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

hearingOS ships an update every 5 days, Head Shadow every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 6 level
hearingOS versus Head Shadow: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterhearingOSHead Shadow
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.1 (2.4K ratings)4.3 (13 ratings) — better
Positive reviews11.4% of reviews83.3% of reviews — better
Number of ratings2.4K — better13
Update frequencyEvery 5 days — betterEvery 3 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases — betterPaid
Best chart rank#51 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS15.615 — better
Further details — not scored
Size49 MB20 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperhearingOS GmbHIsa Asudeh

Customer experience

hearingOS

All ratings2,385 ratings
Positive77.1%
Neutral5.5%
Negative17.4%
Written reviews185 reviews
Positive11.4%
Neutral3.2%
Negative85.4%

Head Shadow

All ratings13 ratings
Positive76.9%
Neutral7.7%
Negative15.4%
Written reviews6 reviews
Positive83.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative16.7%

Bugs and requests

hearingOS

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • App crashes frequently
  • Unexpected charges and billing issues
  • Compatibility problems with various devices and headphones

Requested features

4 requests
  • Better instructions and guidance
  • Labeling for controls
  • Compatibility with more devices
  • Ability to cancel subscription easily

Head Shadow

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

8 purchases

hearingOS

Subscriptions8
  • hearingOS Weekly Premium7 Days trial$7.997 Days
  • hearingOS Starter Subscription$9.991 Month
  • hearingOS Premium Subscription7 Days trial$12.991 Month
Show 5 more
  • hearingOS Saver Subscription$23.993 Months
  • hearingOS Ultra Saver7 Days trial$99.991 Year
  • hearingOS Annual Subscription7 Days trial$134.991 Year
  • hearingOS Super Saver7 Days trial$149.991 Year
  • hearingOS Annual Subscription7 Days trial$199.001 Year
2 purchases

Head Shadow

One-time2
  • Free 30-Day TrialFree
  • One time purchase$3.99

Questions

Is hearingOS free?
hearingOS is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Head Shadow free?
Head Shadow is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, hearingOS or Head Shadow?
Head Shadow is rated higher. hearingOS averages 4.1 out of 5 from 2.4K ratings, while Head Shadow averages 4.3 from 13 ratings.
Do hearingOS or Head Shadow have ads?
Neither hearingOS nor Head Shadow shows ads.
Which is updated more often, hearingOS or Head Shadow?
hearingOS ships an update every 5 days, and Head Shadow every 3 weeks. Most recently, hearingOS was updated on October 29, 2026 and Head Shadow on October 24, 2026.

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