Comparison

Hearing Helper vs BeAware Deaf Assistant

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

Head to head
About

Hearing Helper

This app converts spoken words into text in real-time, aiding communication for individuals who are hard of hearing, deaf, or learning English. It features easy editing of transcribed text and adjustable font sizes for improved readability. The app aims to facilitate clearer conversations between loved ones.

Highlights
  • Real-time speech to text
  • Quick text editing
  • Adjustable font size
  • Easy-to-follow instructions
  • Background conversation support
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

Hearing Helper is specifically designed for anyone trying to talk with HoH (Hard of Hearing), Deaf, or ESL (English as a Second Language) friends and family. Simply push and hold the mic to translate speech-to-text with Apple's Siri technology. Tap to quick-edit incorrect words. And make anything you say BIG! Hearing Helper sits in the background of your conversations, so you can focus on what's being said. Users love it: “Just so you know, 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, especially with me, which is so very important.” - Mark M Doctors trust it: "I use this w my HOH senior patients when the hearing aides aren't even enough to compensate for the hearing loss. This works great. I have recommended it to my nursing/CNA staff to use as well.” - Istariken Hearing Helper is also really helpful for communicating with family and friends who aren't as comfortable speaking English but can read it well. Features - Push and hold the mic for speech to text in real time - Tap on the text to quick edit incorrect words - Change the font size up to 100pts (That's big!) - Simple, easy-to-follow instructions I designed this app to help my family talk with my 100-year-old grandfather who's hard of hearing, and now even his roommate uses it to communicate with him! If you find this app, I hope it helps you better communicate with your loved ones.

About

BeAware Deaf Assistant

This app offers advanced communication tools for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing. It features real-time voice-to-text transcription, customizable alerts for loud noises, and a unique text-to-speech function for phone calls. It also includes a notepad with preset phrases and an emoji board for easier communication.

Highlights
  • Real-time voice-to-text transcription
  • Customizable noise and alert notifications
  • Text-to-speech for phone calls
  • Note-taking with preset phrases
  • Flip text for easy viewing
  • Emoji and image communication board
Features
Read full description

BeAware is the most advanced communication tool for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing community with the latest features that do not exist on other apps! It even hit top 5 on Ycombinator's HackerNews! Are you tired of using apps with bad user experience, while being forced to watch ads and paying $50 a year for functionality that you need to use everyday? Look no further, BeAware is the only free, privacy-safe, no-ads, open-source, completely offline, battery-efficient app designed for Deaf users. With a proven and award-winning development process, BeAware was built from the ground-up with the deaf community in mind. It would not have been possible without the help of 100's of volunteers, testers and dozens of design and development iterations. - BeAware comes with a customizable Alert tool, that can detect loud noises and communicate that to the deaf using vibrations, LED flashes, and sending notifications to your phone and connected Apple Watch. So now, a Deaf new mom can leave the app running and get alerted if her baby is crying, or a Deaf delivery driver can move to the side to make way for emergency vehicles. - BeAware comes with the fastest Speech-to-Text transcription tool that is optimized for accuracy and works in any language that is set in the device Settings - The Text functionality is the best note pad app for the Deaf. The "Preset phrases" feature can make note taking a breeze and the "Flip Text" provides ease while showing the note. Enjoy your custom order at the coffee shop, without having to retype it every time, or having to turn your phone around. - Play Text - The Text tool also comes with a unique ability to Play the Text that you type in through your voice and video phone calls! So if you are not able to speak over the phone in an interview, you can just type out your responses and have the phone play it to the other side of your call. The language of the speech depends on the one selected in your settings - Emoji Board allows you to communicate with people who don't use ASL using emoji or images uploaded from your photo gallery *Users with Usher Syndrome can switch the phone to dark mode to view the app designed to accommodate them.

Screenshots

Hearing Helper4 screens
BeAware Deaf Assistant4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: BeAware Deaf Assistant at Free against Hearing Helper's $2.99. BeAware Deaf Assistant also leads on update cadence (every 10 days vs every 2 months). Hearing Helper's advantage is chart position (#137 vs unranked) and iOS requirement (10.0 vs 14.0). On rating, review sentiment, 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

BeAware Deaf Assistant is free to download; Hearing Helper costs $2.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.5 for Hearing Helper against 4.5 for BeAware Deaf Assistant. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 695 and 257 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 62% of Hearing Helper's written reviews are positive against 59% of BeAware Deaf Assistant's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Hearing Helper ships an update every 2 months, BeAware Deaf Assistant every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on November 2, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 7 level
Hearing Helper versus BeAware Deaf Assistant: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHearing HelperBeAware Deaf Assistant
Price$2.99Free — better
Rating4.5 (695 ratings)4.5 (257 ratings) — better
Positive reviews61.6% of reviews — better59.1% of reviews
Number of ratings695 — better257
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 10 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
Best chart rank#137 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS10.0 — better14.0
Further details — not scored
Size19 MB39 MB
Age rating+44+
DeveloperMighty Fine Apps LLCSaamer Mansoor

Customer experience

Hearing Helper

All ratings687 ratings
Positive87.3%
Neutral5.7%
Negative7.0%
Written reviews73 reviews
Positive61.6%
Neutral15.1%
Negative23.3%

BeAware Deaf Assistant

All ratings192 ratings
Positive86.5%
Neutral6.8%
Negative6.8%
Written reviews22 reviews
Positive59.1%
Neutral18.2%
Negative22.7%

User reviews

Hearing Helper

From 695 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Efficient speech recognition
  • 👍 Simple and easy to use
  • 🙌 Transformative for communication
  • 🔍 Accurate transcription
  • 📱 Works well on mobile devices

Room to improve

  • 🤚 Requires holding button to record
  • 🔢 Occasional transcription errors
  • 🔇 Struggles with quiet speech
  • 🚫 Doesn't work on older devices

BeAware Deaf Assistant

From 257 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Easy to use
  • 👍 Helpful for hearing impaired
  • 👍 Saves conversations
  • 👍 Allows copying text
  • 👍 Good speech recognition (some users)

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Speech recognition inaccurate
  • 🐛 App crashes regularly
  • 🐛 Microphone not working
  • 🐛 Drains battery quickly
  • 🐛 Overheats phone

Bugs and requests

Hearing Helper

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Inconsistent performance
  • Drops first words of transcription
  • Crashes or freezes on some devices

Requested features

4 requests
  • Toggle button to start/stop recording
  • Support for multiple languages
  • Larger font options
  • Ability to rotate screen for easier reading

BeAware Deaf Assistant

Reported bugs

11 issues
  • Speech recognition is finicky and not exact
  • App crashes regularly
  • Microphone does not capture sound for transcription
  • App consumes battery very quickly
  • App makes iPhone extremely hot
Show 6 more
  • Does not work in noisy environments
  • Icon options are cropped with larger text display zoom
  • No audio when typing in texts and hitting iPhone's play button
  • Transcription is full of errors and often makes no sense
  • Turning app off with blue/red dot does not work; transcription continues
  • Cannot have an entire conversation, only line by line recording

Requested features

5 requests
  • Improve speech recognition/transcription accuracy
  • Implement true AI system for better accuracy
  • Add automatic punctuation (commas, periods, question marks)
  • Allow paragraph breaks for better text structure
  • Distinguish between different voices

In-app purchases

None

Hearing Helper

No in-app purchases

None

BeAware Deaf Assistant

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Hearing Helper free?
Hearing Helper costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is BeAware Deaf Assistant free?
BeAware Deaf Assistant is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Hearing Helper or BeAware Deaf Assistant?
BeAware Deaf Assistant is rated higher. Hearing Helper averages 4.5 out of 5 from 695 ratings, while BeAware Deaf Assistant averages 4.5 from 257 ratings.
Do Hearing Helper or BeAware Deaf Assistant have ads?
Neither Hearing Helper nor BeAware Deaf Assistant shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Hearing Helper or BeAware Deaf Assistant?
Hearing Helper ships an update every 2 months, and BeAware Deaf Assistant every 10 days. Most recently, Hearing Helper was updated on November 2, 2026 and BeAware Deaf Assistant on November 3, 2026.

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