Comparison

ClearCaptions Mobile vs Live Transcribe

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

Head to head
About

ClearCaptions Mobile

This mobile app provides real-time captions for all your phone calls, ensuring you don't miss any part of the conversation. It's designed for individuals with hearing loss and offers a free service with no contracts or hidden fees. Enjoy captioned voicemails, 3-way calling, and customizable caption display.

Highlights
  • Real-time call captioning
  • Free personal phone number
  • Captioned voicemail
  • 3-way calling
  • Call waiting
  • Adjustable caption font and color
  • Bluetooth support
Features
Read full description

See every word your callers say. From the provider of innovative in-home phone captioning comes this mobile version for individuals with hearing loss. Wherever you go, you can enjoy captioned mobile calls so you’ll never miss a word. This service is available at NO-COST to individuals whose hearing loss inhibits their phone use — no contracts, no fees, no hidden charges. ClearCaptions Mobile gives you the most accurate, near real-time captioning of what your caller says. ClearCaptions is an FCC-certified service made possible through a federally-funded program. Features: • Free account with a personal ClearCaptions Voice phone number for captioned calls • Captions for incoming and outgoing calls • Free voicemail with captions • 3-way calling • Call waiting • Call contacts from iPhone contact list • Call favorites • Call history with saved captioned calls • E911 support • Caption font and color adjustment • Bluetooth® enabled ClearCaptions is available in the United States and its territories only. FEDERAL LAW PROHIBITS ANYONE BUT REGISTERED USERS WITH HEARING LOSS FROM USING INTERNET PROTOCOL (IP) CAPTIONED TELEPHONES WITH THE CAPTIONS TURNED ON. IP Captioned Telephone Service may use a live operator. The operator generates captions of what the other party to the call says. These captions are then sent to your phone. There is a cost for each minute of captions generated, paid from a federally administered fund. No costs are passed along to individuals who qualify for the service.

About

Live Transcribe

This app provides real-time speech-to-text transcription for d/Deaf and hard of hearing individuals. It supports over 145 languages and offers features like adjustable text size, dark mode, and the ability to save and share transcripts, making conversations more accessible.

Highlights
  • Real-time transcription
  • 145+ languages supported
  • Adjustable text size
  • Dark mode
  • Save and share transcripts
  • Offline transcription for 9 languages
Features
Read full description

Live Transcribe by Mighty Fine Apps. Accurate live captions for d/Deaf and hard of hearing. Reliable in noisy places and group settings. Perfect alongside hearing aids when they aren’t enough. BUILT DIFFERENT • Accuracy — Best-in-class captions in 145+ languages. • Noisy Places — Works well in restaurants, in groups, and at distance. • Offline Mode — Continue when Wi-Fi or cellular drops. • Privacy — You choose if and when to share your transcripts. • Readability — Large, bold text for tired eyes and distant viewing. • Speaker Detection — Follow group chats with color-coded words. • Simplicity — Easily adopted by older and less-technical people. • Independent — Sustainable, iOS only, not affiliated with Google. DESIGNED FOR YOU • Deaf & Hard of Hearing — Stay independent at home and at work. • Hearing Aid Users — When aids fall short in noise or in groups. • Recent Hearing Loss — Rejoin the conversation right away. • Hearing Spouses & Family — Communicate more easily with a loved one. • Caregivers & Adult Children — Support a parent, child, or patient. • Faith-Community Members — Follow sermons, prayers, and group study. TRUSTED BY THOUSANDS • 6+ years on the market. • 15m+ conversations captioned. • 100m+ minutes transcribed. • 20k+ paying customers. • 10k+ App Store reviews at 4.6 stars. • 100+ hours per year of customer interviews. Your privacy is our top priority, and the app is designed to give you full control over whether your conversation transcripts — medical, legal, family, end-of-life, or otherwise — are summarized or shared. LIFE-CHANGING FOR FAMILIES “This app has changed my 86-year-old mother’s life. It is simple and easy for her and her friends to use. This is so important for the elderly since so many other apps are way too complicated. She can really have one-on-one conversations.” — Mark M SIMPLE TO USE • Place iPhone or iPad near the conversation. • Read what each person is saying on-screen as they speak. • Follow family dinners, doctor’s appointments, meetings, and more. HERE TO STAY Live Transcribe is an independent paid product, and we’re confident in its value. Your subscription allows us to run our captioning service day and night, and keep the app running smoothly on Apple’s devices. We answer to you — our customers and community — not advertisers, so when you need us next year, we’ll still be here. Current pricing is shown in-app and on our website. MADE IN CALIFORNIA Live Transcribe is built and supported by Mighty Fine Apps, a tight-knit team based in San Francisco. Our founder Rob Norback first created the app to communicate with his grandfather who was deaf in his later years, and we continue to shape it around the real communication needs of older adults and all those with some level of hearing loss. FURTHER READING • About Us: https://livetranscribe.app • Privacy Policy: https://livetranscribe.app/legal/privacy • Terms & Conditions: https://livetranscribe.app/legal/terms We love your questions and feedback! Get in touch at support@mightyfine.app.

Screenshots

ClearCaptions Mobile4 screens
Live Transcribe4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: ClearCaptions Mobile at none against Live Transcribe's 20. ClearCaptions Mobile also leads on iOS requirement (12.0 vs 15.0). Live Transcribe's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs every 2 months) and chart position (#86 vs unranked). On price, rating, review sentiment and ads 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. Live Transcribe sells 13 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. ClearCaptions Mobile asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Live Transcribe holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.4. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1.8K and 7.8K respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 50% of ClearCaptions Mobile's written reviews are positive against 57% of Live Transcribe's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

ClearCaptions Mobile ships an update every 2 months, Live Transcribe weekly. The most recent releases landed on September 22, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
ClearCaptions Mobile versus Live Transcribe: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterClearCaptions MobileLive Transcribe
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.4 (1.8K ratings)4.6 (7.8K ratings) — better
Positive reviews50.0% of reviews56.6% of reviews — better
Number of ratings1.8K7.8K — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#86 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS12.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size105 MB106 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperClearCaptions, LLCMighty Fine Apps LLC

Customer experience

ClearCaptions Mobile

All ratings1,847 ratings
Positive83.3%
Neutral4.8%
Negative11.9%
Written reviews78 reviews
Positive50.0%
Neutral5.1%
Negative44.9%

Live Transcribe

All ratings7,780 ratings
Positive91.3%
Neutral3.6%
Negative5.1%
Written reviews525 reviews
Positive56.6%
Neutral6.5%
Negative37.0%

User reviews

ClearCaptions Mobile

From 1.8K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🙌 Helpful for hearing-impaired users
  • 👍 Improves phone accessibility
  • 💯 Life-changing service
  • 🤝 Great customer support

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Unreliable call quality and connectivity
  • ⏱️ Delayed captions and transcription
  • 🤖 Inaccurate automated transcription
  • 🔒 Privacy concerns with caller ID

Live Transcribe

From 7.8K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Accurate transcription
  • 💡 Helpful for hard of hearing
  • 👍 Easy to use
  • 👍 Great for doctor's appointments
  • 👍 Saves conversations

Room to improve

  • 💰 Expensive subscription
  • 🔒 Limited free trial
  • 🐛 Inconsistent performance
  • 🐛 Struggles with background noise and accents
  • 🔒 Confusing subscription model

Bugs and requests

ClearCaptions Mobile

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Frequent app crashes
  • Missed calls and voicemails
  • Issues with password recovery

Requested features

3 requests
  • Ability to save call transcripts
  • Improved compatibility with other devices
  • More language support for transcription

Live Transcribe

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Transcription stops unexpectedly
  • Deletes correct transcription
  • Incompatible with some devices

Requested features

4 requests
  • Distinguish between multiple speakers
  • Ability to use on Mac
  • More than 5 hours of premium transcription per month
  • Improved accuracy for medical/technical terms

In-app purchases

None

ClearCaptions Mobile

No in-app purchases

13 purchases

Live Transcribe

Subscriptions10
  • Live Transcribe Monthly3 variants$4.991 Month
  • Live Transcribe Monthly3 Days trial$4.991 Month
  • Live Transcribe Monthly$9.991 Month
Show 7 more
  • Starter$9.991 Month
  • Live Transcribe Yearly3 Days trial3 variants$49.991 Year
  • Live Transcribe Yearly$49.991 Year
  • Try Real-Time Transcription3 Days trial$49.991 Year
  • Starter3 Days trial2 variants$79.991 Year
  • Live Transcribe Yearly3 Days trial$79.991 Year
  • Live Transcribe Yearly$79.991 Year
One-time3
  • 1 Hour$1.49
  • 5 Hours2 variants$7.49
  • 10 Hours$14.99

Questions

Is ClearCaptions Mobile free?
ClearCaptions Mobile is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Live Transcribe free?
Live Transcribe is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, ClearCaptions Mobile or Live Transcribe?
Live Transcribe is rated higher. ClearCaptions Mobile averages 4.4 out of 5 from 1.8K ratings, while Live Transcribe averages 4.6 from 7.8K ratings.
Do ClearCaptions Mobile or Live Transcribe have ads?
Neither ClearCaptions Mobile nor Live Transcribe shows ads.
Which is updated more often, ClearCaptions Mobile or Live Transcribe?
ClearCaptions Mobile ships an update every 2 months, and Live Transcribe weekly. Most recently, ClearCaptions Mobile was updated on September 22, 2026 and Live Transcribe on September 24, 2026.

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