Cochlear CoPilot vs Hearing Buddy
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Cochlear CoPilot
This app provides interactive tools and expert guidance to enhance listening and communication skills for individuals with cochlear implants. It offers practical tips, skill-building activities, and real-world advice to help users navigate daily life and maximize their hearing potential.
- Expert information and practical tips
- Interactive listening skill activities
- Real-world communication explainers
- Technology usage guidance
- Tips for everyday communication
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You've taken action to treat your hearing loss with a Cochlear™ implant. Now it’s time to unleash your potential with Cochlear CoPilot. Cochlear CoPilot is an interactive app that equips you with knowledge, information and activities to help you build your listening and communication skills for everyday life, putting you in the driver's seat. Developed using the latest research, with input from experts and based on proven rehabilitation practices, Cochlear CoPilot is packed full of features to help you on your hearing journey, including: • Information, practical tips and support from hearing experts at your fingertips. • Interactive skill-building activities designed to help you build your listening confidence. • Easy-to-use explainers to help you live with hearing loss in the real-world – from communicating in the workplace to enjoying concerts, travel, social occasions and more. • Tips on how to use your technology for everyday activities and where to find other useful resources. • Practical tips to help you with everyday communication and designed to share with family and friends. • Exclusive to Cochlear customers, login is easy with your existing Cochlear account. Don’t have a Cochlear account? You can sign up via the app. "It's truly a one stop shop for all regardless of whether one is a new or long-time recipient." – Kathleen M Download Cochlear Co-Pilot to help you get the most out of life and the moments that matter to you.
Hearing Buddy
This app provides unlimited, real-time speech-to-text captions for conversations, designed by someone with hearing loss. It offers on-device processing for privacy and features like name and question alerts on your iPhone and Apple Watch.
- Unlimited real-time captions
- On-device privacy
- Apple Watch alerts for names/questions
- Conversation summaries
- Customizable app personality
- Adjustable text size
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A hearing buddy is the patient, understanding person who helps you hear. When they can't be there, Hearing Buddy is your backup. Built by someone who is hard of hearing, every feature comes from lived experience. 2026 Apple Design Award Finalist (Inclusivity) UNLIMITED FREE LIVE CAPTIONS Most captioning apps charge by the minute, turning accessibility into a metered service. Hearing Buddy gives you unlimited live captions for free. Speech becomes clear text on your iPhone or iPad, even in noisy rooms or fast conversations. Captioning happens on your device. Your conversations are not sent to a cloud transcription service. SHARE CAPTIONS FOR FREE One iPhone captions the room. Everyone nearby reads along. Share your live captions and people around you can follow from their own iPhone or iPad. Put a phone where the sound is and read from wherever you are. Your hearing buddy can set their phone next to the speaker while you follow from the back of the room. In meetings, classes, and group conversations, more people can turn on their mic, and every voice flows into one shared transcript. Everyone chooses the language they want to read. Hearing Buddy translates captions as people speak, so the same conversation can be read in several languages at once, free for everyone. Sharing works directly between devices. No internet, no account, no server. Captions stay in the room. NAME AND QUESTION ALERTS When someone says your name, your Apple Watch taps your wrist. The same tap tells you when someone asks a question. No more anxious waiting at the pharmacy or the coffee counter. The moment your name is spoken, you'll feel it. Alerts on your iPhone and Lock Screen show what needs your attention, so you don't have to keep watching your phone. TRANSLATE WHAT YOU HEAR When you're listening on your own, Buddy+ lets you choose the language being spoken and the language you want to read. Hearing Buddy translates captions as people speak. Alerts, summaries, and session titles can appear in your reading language too. BOOST AUDIO Boost Audio turns AirPods, Bluetooth, or wired headphones into a real time sound amplifier. It can lift quiet voices by up to +39 dB and shape sound to your hearing test from Apple Health. CONVERSATION SUMMARIES Review key points without rereading every caption. Your buddy gives you a short recap of meetings, appointments, classes, and group conversations. MAKE BUDDY YOURS Name your buddy and choose their personality, colors, character, and tone. FREE FEATURES • Unlimited live captions • Share Captions with people nearby • Live translation for everyone in shared captions • Background listening • Saved transcripts • Copy and share transcripts • Adjustable text size BUDDY+ FEATURES • Live translation when you caption on your own • Boost Audio for any headphones • Name and question alerts on Apple Watch, iPhone, and Lock Screen • Conversation summaries • Live Activity and Widget support • Live captions on Mac and Apple Vision Pro • Premium buddy personalities and app icons No one should have to miss what matters or apologize for how they hear. LANGUAGE SUPPORT The full app is available in English, Spanish, French, German, Japanese, Korean, Simplified Chinese, and Traditional Chinese. Live captions support 18 language and regional options across English, Spanish, French, German, Japanese, Korean, Mandarin, and Cantonese. Requires iOS 26.0 or later. Apple Watch features require watchOS 10.0 or later. Buddy+ Annual: $59.99 per year Buddy+ Monthly: $9.99 per month Buddy+ Weekly: $7.99 per week Terms: https://apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula Privacy: https://kragerlabs.com/privacy.html Hearing Buddy is a supportive tool, not a replacement for medical devices or professional medical advice.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Hearing Buddy at 4.1 against Cochlear CoPilot's 3.2. Hearing Buddy also leads on update cadence (every 5 days vs every 4 months) and chart position (#98 vs unranked). Cochlear CoPilot's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 13) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 26.0). On price, 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
Both are free to download. Hearing Buddy sells 13 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per 7 days. Cochlear CoPilot asks for nothing beyond the download.
Hearing Buddy holds the better App Store score, 4.1 against 3.2. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 51 and 145 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 39% of Cochlear CoPilot's written reviews are positive against 33% of Hearing Buddy's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
Cochlear CoPilot ships an update every 4 months, Hearing Buddy every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 17, 2026 and October 15, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Cochlear CoPilot | Hearing Buddy |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.2 (51 ratings) | 4.1 (145 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 39.1% of reviews — better | 33.3% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 51 | 145 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | Every 5 days — better |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Ad-supported — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | — | #98 — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — better |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 — better | 26.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 61 MB | 141 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Cochlear Limited | Krager Labs LLC |
Customer experience
Cochlear CoPilot
Hearing Buddy
In-app purchases
Cochlear CoPilot
No in-app purchases
Hearing Buddy
- Pro14 Days trial$6.997 Days
- Pro14 Days trial$9.991 Month
- Pro3 Days trial$9.991 Month
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- Pro14 Days trial$14.991 Month
- Pro14 Days trial$19.991 Month
- Pro3 Days trial$29.991 Year
- Pro14 Days trial$59.991 Year
- Pro3 Days trial$59.991 Year
- Buddy+ Annual7 Days trial$79.991 Year
- Pro14 Days trial$79.991 Year
- Pro14 Days trial$89.991 Year
- Buddy+ Annual14 Days trial$99.991 Year
- Buddy+ FriendFree
Questions
Is Cochlear CoPilot free?
Is Hearing Buddy free?
Which has better reviews, Cochlear CoPilot or Hearing Buddy?
Do Cochlear CoPilot or Hearing Buddy have ads?
Which is updated more often, Cochlear CoPilot or Hearing Buddy?
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