BeAware Deaf Assistant vs Live Captions
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- 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
Read full descriptionHide 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.
Live Captions
This app provides live speech-to-text transcription with over 60 languages, ideal for individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing. It offers high accuracy, offline capabilities for select languages, and features like audio note saving and text-to-speech.
- Live subtitles for deaf and hard of hearing
- 60+ languages and dialects
- 99% accurate speech recognition
- Offline mode for 10+ languages
- Save recognized speech to notes
- Text-to-Speech functionality
- Adjustable font size
Read full descriptionHide full description
Transcribe converts voice to text and shows live captions for face-to-face conversations. Read what someone says in large text on your iPhone. Built for people who are deaf or hard of hearing, and for families looking for a way to communicate with a parent who has hearing loss. LIVE TRANSCRIPTION AND DICTATION Follow conversations at home, at a doctor's appointment or at a service desk. Use voice dictation to turn spoken words into text, and save a conversation transcript as a note to read later. Adjust the font size to make reading easier. TYPE A REPLY OR HAVE IT SPOKEN Write your response on the keyboard and show it to the other person, or have the app read your message aloud. Keep a conversation going when listening is difficult. SOUND ALERTS AND APPLE WATCH Receive vibration alerts for selected sounds, including a doorbell, knocking, a baby crying or a dog barking. Read captions and receive alerts on an Apple Watch paired with your iPhone. DOES SPEECH TO TEXT WORK OFFLINE? Transcribe supports speech recognition in more than 60 languages. Offline recognition is available for selected languages and compatible devices; it is not available for every language. Choose the speaker's language and start recognition. A subscription is required. A free trial is available under the offer's eligibility conditions. See the app for pricing and renewal terms. Subscription: $3.99 per month or $39.99 per year in the United States. The price where you are is shown in the app before you subscribe. Terms of Use: https://sites.google.com/view/livetranscribe/terms-of-use Privacy Policy: https://sites.google.com/view/livetranscribe/privacy-policy Support: developer.support.team@gmail.com
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: BeAware Deaf Assistant at 59% against Live Captions's 0%. BeAware Deaf Assistant also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 2) and iOS requirement (14.0 vs 17.4). Live Captions's advantage is update cadence (every 4 days vs every 10 days). On price, ads and device support 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. Live Captions sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. BeAware Deaf Assistant asks for nothing beyond the download.
BeAware Deaf Assistant ships an update every 10 days, Live Captions every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on October 18, 2026 and October 6, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | BeAware Deaf Assistant | Live Captions |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.5 (192 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 59.1% of reviews — better | 0.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 192 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 10 days | Every 4 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch |
| Requires iOS | 14.0 — better | 17.4 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 39 MB | 15 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Saamer Mansoor | Alexey Beschetnikov |
Customer experience
BeAware Deaf Assistant
Live Captions
Bugs and requests
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 moreShow fewer
- 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
Live Captions
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
BeAware Deaf Assistant
No in-app purchases
Live Captions
- 1 Month Transcribe7 Days trial$3.991 Month
- 1 Year Transcribe Speech7 Days trial$39.991 Year






