YouDescribe vs zEdit
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
YouDescribe
This app provides blind and visually-impaired users with access to YouTube videos featuring audio descriptions. Users can watch, search for, and request descriptions for videos, as well as rate existing descriptions.
- Watch videos with audio descriptions
- Search for described YouTube videos
- Request descriptions for new videos
- Rate the quality of audio descriptions
- Submit suggestions for description improvement
- Share video links
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The YouDescribe app gives blind and visually-impaired viewers convenient mobile access to a rapidly growing collection of YouTube videos with audio description -- an extra soundtrack added by a describer to tell the viewer about text, illustrations, setting, gestures and facial expressions that are otherwise not accessible to blind viewers, or to otherwise aid viewers who benefit from additional description to understand the video content. The YouDescribe app for iOS lets you choose from thousands of YouTube videos described by our global community of contributors. The app also lets you request descriptions for YouTube videos that have not yet been described, and rate descriptions that have already been created. YouDescribe is free and easy to use from the iOS app or from the desktop. The app has been extensively tested with the VoiceOver screenreader, and the web site works well with a variety of screen reader/browser combinations. If you are interested in joining the community of volunteer describers to record audio descriptions for others to view on YouDescribe, use a desktop browser and visit us at https://youdescribe.org/ We will be adding the ability to record from the app in an upcoming release. Who are the describers? * Teachers of the visually impaired who want to give their students better access to educational videos; * Sighted friends and family of all ages who want to share their favorite YouTube videos with the blind people in their lives; * Children and adults who believe in accessibility and want to help make video more accessible for blind or neuro-diverse viewers. The YouDescribe app can be used to: * Watch the latest contributions to the YouDescribe collection * Search for and view described or undescribed YouTube videos * Rate the quality of any audio description with up to 5 stars * Make suggestions for how individual describers can improve their AD technique, * Submit requests for YouTube videos you want described. * Share links to videos on YouDescribe Learn more about Smith-Kettlewell at https://www.ski.org/ Send us feedback by e-mailing support@youdescribe.org Learn more about YouDescribe by following us on Twitter and Facebook: http://twitter.com/SKERI_YD http://facebook.com/YouDescribe The YouDescribe app allows you to sign in with Google Account. For Google Privacy Policy, click https://policies.google.com/privacy This app fetches data from YouTube. For YouTube Terms of Service, click https://www.youtube.com/t/terms The YouDescribe app was developed by Rupal Khilari as part of her master’s degree under the direction of Dr. Ilmi Yoon of San Francisco State University, and Dr. Joshua Miele of the Smith-Kettlewell Eye Research Institute.
zEdit
This app provides a fully accessible video and audio editing experience for blind and low-vision users. It offers a range of editing tools, including trimming, cutting, merging, and sound adjustments, all designed to work seamlessly with screen readers.
- VoiceOver compatibility
- Trim and cut videos
- Merge video clips
- Adjust audio levels
- Extract audio from video
- Trim and merge audio
- Multilingual support
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zEdit — The Fully Accessible Video and Audio Editor Built for Blind Users zEdit is the world's first fully accessible video and audio editing app, designed from the ground up for blind and low-vision users. Most media editing tools rely on visual, drag-and-drop interfaces — making them nearly impossible to use with a screen reader. zEdit solves this at its core: every screen, every button, and every gesture is designed to work flawlessly with VoiceOver. You can now edit your videos and audio recordings completely independently, without needing anyone else's help. ACCESSIBILITY COMES FIRST In zEdit, accessibility isn't a feature added later — it's the foundation of the app. It has been tested with VoiceOver at every stage of development. - Flawless VoiceOver compatibility: Every interface element has a meaningful label, hint, and correct reading order. No button is ever announced as an "unlabeled button." - VoiceOver-safe loading overlay: While operations are running, screen reader focus is never lost or thrown to the wrong place; the app tells you out loud what is happening at each step. - Logical navigation order: Screens can be explored from top to bottom by touch, and elements appear in the order you expect. - Spoken feedback: You receive clear announcements when actions like saving, exporting, or trimming are complete. - High contrast and large touch targets: For low-vision users, interface elements are easy to distinguish and comfortable to tap. VIDEO EDITING FEATURES - Trim and cut videos: Precisely set start and end points to remove the parts you don't want. - Merge multiple clips: Combine separate video pieces into one seamless video. - Delete and reorder sections: Remove pieces from the middle of a video or change their order. - Adjust the sound: Change the level of the video's audio, mute it entirely, or add new audio. - Extract audio from video: Save a video's audio track as a separate file. AUDIO EDITING FEATURES - Trim and merge recordings: Bring audio files to the length you want and combine pieces. - Volume control: Adjust the loudness of your recordings. - Add music or other audio: Layer multiple audio sources on top of one another. - Format conversion: Export your audio files in common formats. EXPORTING AND SHARING - Optimized export: The export engine has been refined for speed and quality, so your projects are saved quickly and at high quality. - Quality options: Choose the balance between file size and quality that suits you. - Easy sharing: Send your finished projects directly to other apps or save them to your device. MULTILINGUAL SUPPORT zEdit offers full support in six languages. You can use the app in your own native language and hear all menus and VoiceOver announcements in your language. WHY zEdit? What a blind user needs is not an app that is merely "said to be accessible," but a tool that has truly been hand-tested with every detail considered. That is exactly what zEdit is. It is an app built by a blind developer for blind users. That is why it works in practice, not just in theory. Media editing is now everyone's right. With zEdit, your videos and audio are fully under your control. Download zEdit today and experience what independent, accessible media editing feels like.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: zEdit at 88% against YouDescribe's 25%. zEdit also leads on rating (4.7 vs 2.5) and update cadence (every 3 days vs every 4 months). YouDescribe's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2) and device support (3 vs 1). On price, ratings volume, ads and monetization model 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
Both are free to download. zEdit sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. YouDescribe asks for nothing beyond the download.
zEdit holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 2.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 15 and 25 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 25% of YouDescribe's written reviews are positive against 88% of zEdit's.
YouDescribe ships an update every 4 months, zEdit every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on October 4, 2026 and October 18, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | YouDescribe | zEdit |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 2.5 (15 ratings) | 4.7 (25 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 25.0% of reviews | 87.5% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 15 | 25 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | Every 3 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 9.1 — better | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 24 MB | 944 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Smith-Kettlewell Eye Research Institute | MERIC KARACA |
Customer experience
YouDescribe
zEdit
In-app purchases
YouDescribe
No in-app purchases
zEdit
- Dubbing & Description Voices$29.99
- On-Device Visual Description$29.99









