# Away Messages vs Read AI

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Read AI at 68% against Away Messages's 13%. Read AI also leads on price (Free vs $0.99) and rating (4.9 vs 1.5). Away Messages's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs every 3 weeks) and device support (3 vs 1). On ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Read AI is free to download; Away Messages costs $0.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Read AI holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 1.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Read AI has 1K ratings behind it against 121, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 13% of Away Messages's written reviews are positive against 68% of Read AI's.

Away Messages ships an update weekly, Read AI every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Away Messages | Read AI |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $0.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | [1.5 (121 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/away-messages/id1161989522/reviews) | **[4.9 (1K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/read-ai-transcripts-and-notes/id6575345796/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 121 | **1K** |
| Positive reviews | 12.5% of reviews | **68.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Weekly** | Every 3 weeks |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 8 MB | 38 MB |
| Requires iOS | **11.0** | 18.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Michael Wildermuth](https://appshunter.io/developer/481933080) | [Read AI](https://appshunter.io/developer/1759245450) |

## What reviewers say

### Away Messages

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/away-messages/id1161989522)

Easily generate professional-looking away messages for various situations like vacations or being out of office. While it doesn't send messages automatically due to iOS limitations, it streamlines the creation process, saving you valuable time.

**Highlights:** Create professional away messages, Set message end dates, Preset and custom message reasons, Select alternative contacts, Save previous settings, Manage custom messages

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Saves time for common messages
- 👍 Easy to use for some users
- 👍 Good for sales professionals
- 👍 Useful for out-of-office replies

**What reviewers complain about**

- 👎 Does not auto-reply
- 👎 Misleading advertisement
- 👎 App not found/no icon
- 👎 Manual sending required
- 👎 Waste of money/time

**Reported bugs**

- App does not show up on phone
- App does not send messages automatically
- Cannot find the app after purchase
- App stalls on a message and doesn't re-open
- App only auto-populates message into text field, not automatic reply

**Requested features**

- Implement true automatic replies
- Allow developers to access text message functionality for auto-sending
- Add a dark mode option
- Provide advanced analytics dashboard


### Read AI

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/read-ai-transcripts-and-notes/id6575345796)

This app records audio from your device and generates real-time AI-powered transcripts and summaries. It's ideal for capturing lectures, meetings, or brainstorming sessions, providing comprehensive reports that can be shared or kept private.

**Highlights:** Live transcription and summaries, Speaker detection, In-person meeting recording, Integration with communication channels, Cross-platform sync, Meeting notifications

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Productivity booster
- 👍 Great app
- 👍 Useful features
- 👍 Convenient mobile access
- 👍 Helpful for in-person meetings

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🔒 Privacy concerns
- 🐛 Buggy with playback and other functions
- 🐛 App loading issues

**Reported bugs**

- Uploading issues causing lost recordings

**Requested features**

- Chromecast and AirPlay support
- Full-screen video playback
- Cloud sync for transcripts and summaries
- Better mobile support and file format compatibility


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Away Messages free?

Away Messages costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Read AI free?

Read AI is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Away Messages or Read AI?

Read AI is rated higher. Away Messages averages 1.5 out of 5 from 121 ratings, while Read AI averages 4.9 from 1K ratings.

### Do Away Messages or Read AI have ads?

Neither Away Messages nor Read AI shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Away Messages or Read AI?

Away Messages ships an update weekly, and Read AI every 3 weeks. Most recently, Away Messages was updated on October 24, 2026 and Read AI on October 25, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*