Comparison

BeAware Deaf Assistant vs Live Captions

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

Head to head
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.

About

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.

Highlights
  • 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
Features
Read 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

BeAware Deaf Assistant4 screens
Live Captions4 screens

Verdict

The call

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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

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.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

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.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
BeAware Deaf Assistant versus Live Captions: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBeAware Deaf AssistantLive Captions
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (192 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews59.1% of reviews — better0.0% of reviews
Number of ratings192 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 10 daysEvery 4 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch
Requires iOS14.0 — better17.4
Further details — not scored
Size39 MB15 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSaamer MansoorAlexey Beschetnikov

Customer experience

BeAware Deaf Assistant

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

Live Captions

Written reviews4 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral25.0%
Negative75.0%

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 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

Live Captions

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

BeAware Deaf Assistant

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

Live Captions

Subscriptions2
  • 1 Month Transcribe7 Days trial$3.991 Month
  • 1 Year Transcribe Speech7 Days trial$39.991 Year

Questions

Is BeAware Deaf Assistant free?
BeAware Deaf Assistant is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Live Captions free?
Live Captions is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do BeAware Deaf Assistant or Live Captions have ads?
Neither BeAware Deaf Assistant nor Live Captions shows ads.
Which is updated more often, BeAware Deaf Assistant or Live Captions?
BeAware Deaf Assistant ships an update every 10 days, and Live Captions every 4 days. Most recently, BeAware Deaf Assistant was updated on October 18, 2026 and Live Captions on October 6, 2026.

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