# Live Transcribe vs Sound Recognition

The clearest difference is rating: Live Transcribe at 4.6 against Sound Recognition's 1.0. Live Transcribe also leads on ads (none vs shown) and ratings volume (8K vs 1). Sound Recognition's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 20). On price, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Live Transcribe sells 13 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Sound Recognition asks for nothing beyond the download.

Live Transcribe holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 1.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Live Transcribe has 8K ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

Live Transcribe ships an update every 3 days, Sound Recognition every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 7, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Live Transcribe | Sound Recognition |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.6 (8K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/live-transcribe/id1471473738/reviews)** | [1.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sound-recognition/id6504954671/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **8K** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | 57.3% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Every 3 days** | Every 2 weeks |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Ad-supported** |
| Best chart rank | **#99** | — |
| Size | 108 MB | 36 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 15.8.3 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Mighty Fine Apps LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/973529494) | [Hideaki Uchikoshi](https://appshunter.io/developer/1559575002) |

## What reviewers say

### Live Transcribe

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/live-transcribe/id1471473738)

**Currently charting:** #99 Top Grossing · Utilities (US App Store)

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:** Family Sharing, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (13)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Live Transcribe Monthly | $4.99 | per month |
| Live Transcribe Monthly | $4.99 | per month |
| Live Transcribe Monthly | $9.99 | per month |
| Starter | $9.99 | per month |
| Live Transcribe Yearly | $49.99 | per year |
| Live Transcribe Yearly | $49.99 | per year |
| Try Real-Time Transcription | $49.99 | per year |
| Starter | $79.99 | per year |
| Live Transcribe Yearly | $79.99 | per year |
| Live Transcribe Yearly | $79.99 | per year |
| 1 Hour | $1.49 | one-time |
| 5 Hours | $7.49 | one-time |
| 10 Hours | $14.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

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

**What reviewers complain about**

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

**Reported bugs**

- Transcription stops unexpectedly
- Deletes correct transcription
- Incompatible with some devices

**Requested features**

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


### Sound Recognition

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sound-recognition/id6504954671)

This utility app notifies users with a screen change and light when a specific target voice is recognized. It also displays the most likely speech recognition result, including its type and evaluation value.

**Highlights:** Voice recognition alerts, Screen and light notification, Displays speech recognition results, Configurable recognition threshold

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Live Transcribe free?

Live Transcribe is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Sound Recognition free?

Sound Recognition is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Live Transcribe or Sound Recognition?

Live Transcribe is rated higher. Live Transcribe averages 4.6 out of 5 from 8K ratings, while Sound Recognition averages 1.0 from 1 ratings.

### Do Live Transcribe or Sound Recognition have ads?

Sound Recognition shows ads; Live Transcribe does not.

### Which is updated more often, Live Transcribe or Sound Recognition?

Live Transcribe ships an update every 3 days, and Sound Recognition every 2 weeks. Most recently, Live Transcribe was updated on October 29, 2026 and Sound Recognition on October 7, 2026.

---

*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*