EavesDropper vs Ear Spy
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
EavesDropper
Easily record audio from your surroundings with a simple tap. Listen back to your recordings directly on your device or export them with a subscription. This utility app helps you capture important conversations and sounds.
- One-tap recording
- Listen to recordings on device
- Export audio files
- Subscription for export
- Simple interface
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Record. Transcribe. Follow along anywhere. EavesDropper is a simple, private audio recorder with live on-device transcription, Apple Watch support, and Nearby Sharing between your devices. Start a recording on your iPhone or iPad and EavesDropper can create a live transcript as you speak. Recordings and transcripts stay organized together so you can return later, listen again, and follow the words as the audio plays. LIVE TRANSCRIPTION Turn on Live Transcription to see words appear while you record. Transcription runs directly on your device — your audio is not sent to our servers for transcription. Free users can transcribe up to 3 recordings each month. Premium removes the transcription limit. RECORD WITH CONFIDENCE EavesDropper keeps recording when you lock your device, so you can put your phone away without interrupting a recording. Your recordings remain available in your library, where you can rename them, play them back, review their transcripts, and jump through the audio. During playback, the transcript follows along with the recording so it’s easy to find the part you want to hear again. FOLLOW ALONG ON APPLE WATCH With EavesDropper Premium, you can follow a live transcript from your paired iPhone on Apple Watch. The Watch automatically follows the latest words as they arrive, or you can scroll back using the Digital Crown and jump back to the current conversation when you’re ready. You can also stop the current recording from your Watch. NEARBY SHARING Premium users can share a live transcript with another nearby EavesDropper device. Use an iPhone or iPad as a Viewer while another device records, making it easy to follow along from across the room. Paired Viewer devices can also request a completed audio recording. Audio is transferred only after approval on the recording device. PLAYBACK THAT FOLLOWS THE WORDS Open a transcript while listening and EavesDropper highlights the current portion as the recording plays. Scroll away whenever you want, then jump back to the current position with one tap. EXPORT YOUR AUDIO Premium includes audio export so you can save or share your recordings when you need them elsewhere. PREMIUM EavesDropper Premium includes: • Unlimited transcription • Nearby Sharing • Apple Watch live transcript • Apple Watch remote stop • Audio export A subscription is not required to make ordinary audio recordings. PRIVACY BY DESIGN Live transcription happens on your device. EavesDropper does not send your recordings to our servers for transcription. Nearby audio transfers happen only when you explicitly approve them. Recording laws vary by location. Make sure you have any permission required before recording others.
Ear Spy
Amplify ambient sounds and bring distant voices closer in real-time using your phone's microphone and headphones. Features include environment presets, a 10-band equalizer, personal hearing calibration, and on-device live transcription. It prioritizes privacy with all processing done locally.
- Real-time sound amplification
- Environment presets
- 10-band parametric equalizer
- Personal hearing calibration
- Unlimited clip capture
- On-device live transcription
- Hearing-safety limiter
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Spy Ear turns your phone into a long-range listening device. With your microphone and headphones, you can amplify ambient sound in real time and pull faraway voices closer - a quiet conversation across the room, a distant speaker in a hall, the hum from the next room. WHAT YOU GET • 8 environment presets — Restaurant, Lecture, Whisper, Meeting, Outdoor, TV, Music, Balanced • Full 10-band parametric equalizer — shape every frequency yourself • Personal hearing calibration — a two-minute tuning that adapts every preset to your own ears • Unlimited clip capture — save what you heard, replay it through the same enhancement chain • On-device live transcription — see what is being said • Hearing-safety limiter — prevents sudden loud sounds from damaging your ears • Zero data leaves your phone — everything is processed on-device BUILT FOR REAL SITUATIONS Whether you want to follow a quiet conversation at dinner, catch every word in a lecture, hear the TV more clearly, or simply explore what's beyond your normal hearing range, Spy Ear gives you the sharper listening superpower in your pocket. Use of headphones is strongly recommended. SUBSCRIPTION REQUIRED Spy Ear requires a paid subscription or a one-time lifetime purchase to use the full app after onboarding. Plans available: • Weekly with a 3-day free trial for new users • Lifetime one-time payment, no renewals Subscriptions automatically renew at the end of each weekly period at the published rate unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the renewal date. Payment is charged to your Apple ID account on confirmation of purchase. You can manage subscriptions and cancel anytime in your iPhone's App Store account settings. The free trial converts to a paid weekly subscription unless cancelled before the trial ends. Lifetime purchase is a single payment and does not auto-renew. PRIVACY FIRST All audio processing happens entirely on your iPhone. We do not collect, store, or transmit any personal data. The app has no accounts, no analytics, no tracking, and no third-party SDKs. Captured clips and your calibration profile stay on your device. Privacy Policy: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1nWqZMQjT6nNW28ytWD5fZShar3SW4NLPhWC9fUCCPJw/ Terms of Service: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Lpr6Gtwyb_ofa5ABEUSc1JY4Y5DklugXPq5p3PkzT6M/ Note: Spy Ear is not a medical device, hearing aid, or substitute for professional audiological care.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Ear Spy at 4.8 against EavesDropper's 3.8. Ear Spy also leads on update cadence (weekly vs every 75 months) and iOS requirement (17.0 vs 26.0). EavesDropper's advantage is monetization model (free with in-app purchases vs subscription) and device support (3 vs 1). On price, ratings volume, ads and in-app purchases 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. EavesDropper sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $3.99 per month and Ear Spy sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Ear Spy holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 3.8. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 6 and 6 respectively.
EavesDropper ships an update every 75 months, Ear Spy weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 5, 2026 and October 10, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | EavesDropper | Ear Spy |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.8 (6 ratings) | 4.8 (6 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 33.3% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 6 | 6 |
| Update frequency | Every 75 months | Weekly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases — better | Subscription |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | 17.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 8 MB | 7 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Winkpass Creations, Inc. | Awais Muneer |
Customer experience
EavesDropper
Ear Spy
In-app purchases
EavesDropper
- Export for 1 Month$3.991 Month
Ear Spy
- Weekly (with trial)3 Days trial$3.997 Days
- Lifetime$19.99








