ClearCaptions Mobile vs Rylo
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- Real-time call captioning
- Free personal phone number
- Captioned voicemail
- 3-way calling
- Call waiting
- Adjustable caption font and color
- Bluetooth support
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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.
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.
- Real-time call captioning
- Live in-person conversation transcription
- Keep existing phone number
- Save and review transcripts
- Personal dictionary
- Type responses
- Voicemail transcription
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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
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: Rylo at every 5 days against ClearCaptions Mobile's every 2 months. Rylo also leads on review sentiment (68% vs 50%) and chart position (#140 vs unranked). ClearCaptions Mobile's advantage is monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 16.6). On price, rating, ratings volume 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Rylo holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.4. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1.8K and 3.7K respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 50% of ClearCaptions Mobile's written reviews are positive against 68% of Rylo's.
ClearCaptions Mobile ships an update every 2 months, Rylo every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on September 22, 2026 and September 23, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | ClearCaptions Mobile | Rylo |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.4 (1.8K ratings) | 4.6 (3.7K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 50.0% of reviews | 67.7% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 1.8K | 3.7K — better |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Every 5 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | — | #140 — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch |
| Requires iOS | 12.0 — better | 16.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 105 MB | 105 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | ClearCaptions, LLC | Nagish Inc. |
Customer experience
ClearCaptions Mobile
Rylo
User reviews
ClearCaptions Mobile
From 1.8K App Store ratingsWhat 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
Rylo
From 3.7K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Accurate real-time transcription
- 👍 Helpful for hearing-impaired users
- 🚀 Seamless phone call experience
- 👍 Excellent customer support
- 💡 Innovative solution for accessibility
Room to improve
- 🐛 Inconsistent call quality and connectivity issues
- 🐛 Captions not always accurate
- 🐛 Difficulty with registration and account setup
- 🐛 Lack of features like call blocking and voicemail management
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
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
ClearCaptions Mobile
No in-app purchases
Rylo
No in-app purchases







