Comparison

Speechlabel vs Hear the Light

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

Head to head
About

Speechlabel

This utility app helps visually impaired individuals label everyday objects. Users can scan barcodes or NFC tags to attach text or voice recordings, which are then read aloud upon rescanning. It's designed for full screen reader accessibility.

Highlights
  • Label objects with text or voice
  • Scan barcodes and NFC tags
  • Fully accessible with screen readers
  • Supports 13 barcode types
  • Recognizes common NFC tags
Features
Read full description

Speechlabel is an app for visually impaired and blind people to add labels to objects. The app is fully accessible for use with screen readers. You can choose whether you want to scan with the camera or with NFC. The app recognizes 13 different types of barcodes and all common types of NFC tags. After scanning, you can add a label by typing text or recording a message. When the same barcode or NFC tag is re-scanned, this message will be read out.

About

Hear the Light

This app transforms light into sound, enabling users to "hear" brightness and locate light sources. It's designed for individuals with vision loss, offering features like color recognition and vibration feedback.

Highlights
  • Light to sound conversion
  • Detects small indicator lights
  • Fast response time
  • Vibration feedback
  • Color recognition
  • Adjustable sensitivity
  • VoiceOver accessibility
Features
Read full description

Hear the Light turns light into sound, so you can "hear" where brightness is around you. It was designed from the ground up for people with vision loss. Point your device's back camera in any direction and listen to a tone that rises as the light gets stronger. This makes it easy to find a window, check whether a lamp is on, or tell if a device has an indicator light lit. What makes it stand out: It detects even very small device lights — such as the LED on a router, a TV on standby, or a charger. Of all the apps of this kind we have tested, it is the only one that reliably picks them up. For very faint lights, the room should be dark so they stand out from any other lighting. Extremely fast response: the tone changes instantly as you move the device, noticeably faster than other similar apps. Features: Vibration feedback with variable intensity, independent of sound: use sound, vibration, or both together. Ideal if you have trouble hearing. (Vibration requires an iPhone.) Colour recognition: hear the basic colour of a small light, for example red, green or blue. It is a helpful guide, with best results in a dark room, close to the light. Two sound modes: continuous tone or pulses. Three sensitivity levels, affecting both the sound and the vibration. Light intensity shown in lux (estimate), spoken aloud with a single tap. Built-in user guide. Fully accessible with VoiceOver. Two languages, Greek and English, adapting automatically to your device's language. Privacy first: It does not collect any personal data. No internet connection required. No advertising, no tracking. The camera is used only to measure light — it does not take or store photos. Note: the lux reading and the colour recognition are estimates based on the device's camera and may not always be exact.

Screenshots

Speechlabel4 screens
Hear the Light4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Hear the Light at every 3 days against Speechlabel's every 2 months. Speechlabel's advantage is iOS requirement (15.6 vs 18.6). 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. 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 — 4.8 for Speechlabel against 4.7 for Hear the Light. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 6 and 3 respectively.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Speechlabel ships an update every 2 months, Hear the Light every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on October 21, 2026 and October 20, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Speechlabel versus Hear the Light: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSpeechlabelHear the Light
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (6 ratings) — better4.7 (3 ratings)
Positive reviews—100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings6 — better3
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 3 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.6 — better18.6
Further details — not scored
Size63 MB1 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperHable One B.V.Stelios Platsis

Customer experience

Speechlabel

All ratings6 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Hear the Light

All ratings3 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

Speechlabel

No in-app purchases

None

Hear the Light

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Speechlabel free?
Speechlabel is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Hear the Light free?
Hear the Light is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Speechlabel or Hear the Light?
Speechlabel is rated higher. Speechlabel averages 4.8 out of 5 from 6 ratings, while Hear the Light averages 4.7 from 3 ratings.
Do Speechlabel or Hear the Light have ads?
Neither Speechlabel nor Hear the Light shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Speechlabel or Hear the Light?
Speechlabel ships an update every 2 months, and Hear the Light every 3 days. Most recently, Speechlabel was updated on October 21, 2026 and Hear the Light on October 20, 2026.

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