Comparison

Ear Assist vs Manything

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

Head to head
About

Ear Assist

This app amplifies audio in real-time through your device's microphone and headphones, offering customizable sound profiles. It also allows for high-quality audio recording and works seamlessly with various audio devices. Privacy is a key focus, with all audio processing kept on the device.

Highlights
  • Real-time audio amplification
  • 5-band equalizer for customization
  • Save custom audio settings
  • High-quality MP3 recording
  • Works with AirPods and Bluetooth headphones
  • Visual audio level meters
  • Background operation
Features
Read full description

Make voices, TV and lectures louder through your headphones. Ear Assist turns your iPhone or iPad and a pair of headphones into a sound amplifier. It picks up sound through the microphone and plays it louder in your ears, so you can follow the lecture from the back row, keep the TV at a volume that suits you, or catch the conversation at a busy table. LOUDER WHEN YOU NEED IT • Volume control plus Boost: add +6, +12 or +18 dB with headphones • Boost is switched off on the loudspeaker, where it would cause a feedback howl, and limited on the earpiece • The Boost button always shows the gain that is actually applied TWO WAYS TO LISTEN • Natural: the sound as the microphone picks it up. Best for music, birdsong and the atmosphere of a room • Speech: uses Apple's voice processing to reduce background noise and echo. Best for conversation, meetings, lectures and TV SHAPE THE SOUND (EAR ASSIST PRO) • Five-band equalizer from 60 Hz to 14 kHz • Lift the upper bands to bring voices forward, or cut low rumble • Save settings for different places and load them again later YOUR HEADPHONES, YOUR MICROPHONE • Works with wired headphones, AirPods and other Bluetooth headphones • With Bluetooth headphones, Ear Assist uses your iPhone's microphone and keeps full stereo sound, unless you choose the headset microphone • On iOS 26, choose your microphone from the system input menu. Your choice is remembered RECORD LECTURES AND TALKS (EAR ASSIST PRO) • Record what you are listening to, saved on your device as M4A files • Recording starts only when you tap Record, and stops when you tap Stop • Please ask permission before recording other people ABOUT DELAY Listening live through headphones always involves a short delay between the microphone and your ears. It is shortest with wired headphones. Bluetooth headphones add more, and if you can also hear the sound directly you may notice a slight echo. Where delay matters, use wired headphones. GOOD FOR • Lectures, talks and the back of a hall • Meetings and busy restaurants • TV at your own volume without disturbing others • Theater, places of worship and events from far seats • Birdwatching and nature recording PRIVACY Audio is processed on your device. Ear Assist does not upload what it picks up or what you record. The free version shows ads, and the app uses analytics and crash reporting; the App Privacy section on this page lists what those services collect. EAR ASSIST PRO Ear Assist is free with ads. Ear Assist Pro removes the ads and adds recording and the equalizer. Choose a monthly or annual subscription, or a one-off lifetime purchase. Subscriptions renew automatically unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period, and you can manage or cancel them in your App Store account settings. If you bought any feature in an earlier version, Pro is already included. IMPORTANT Ear Assist is an entertainment and convenience utility for listening through headphones. It is not intended to diagnose, treat or cure any condition, and it is no substitute for professional advice or care. If you have any concerns about your ears, speak to a healthcare provider. Headphones recommended; Boost requires them. Microphone access required. Requires iOS 15 or later. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy policy: https://www.overpass.co.uk/ear-assist/privacy/

About

Manything

Turn old phones and tablets into a live security camera. Simply set up a spare device as a camera and monitor it from your main phone or tablet from anywhere. Receive motion and sound alerts for peace of mind.

Highlights
  • Turn spare devices into cameras
  • Live streaming from anywhere
  • Motion and sound alerts
  • Cloud video recording
  • Multi-camera support
Features
Read full description

Manything stands for Monitor Anything…and that's exactly what you can do with our app! Simply install Manything on your spare device, select "Camera" mode and press record. Then download Manything to your main phone or tablet which you carry with you and select "Viewer". It's that simple, now you can watch your camera from anywhere! (Manything requires iOS 15 and above.) MANYTHING PLANS On our free plan you can use 1 spare device as a Manything camera - you can receive motion/sound alerts and watch your camera live stream! Want to use more than 1 device, watch past video events and save video to the Manything cloud? Upgrade to a monthly subscription plan from just $3.99/month: - 1 camera, 2 days cloud recording $2.99 - 1 camera, 7 days cloud recording $4.99 - 1 camera, 30 days cloud recording $5.99 - 2 cameras, 7 days cloud recording $9.99 - 2 cameras, 30 days cloud recording $11.99  - 5 cameras, 7 days cloud recording $25.99 - 5 cameras, 30 days cloud recording $29.99 If you choose to upgrade, payment will be charged to your iTunes account at the point of purchase. Subscriptions automatically renew each month unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24-hours before the end of the current period. You can manage your subscriptions and turn off auto-renewal in your App Store settings which can be found in your phone or tablet settings menu. The current month cannot be cancelled once it has started. For our full terms of service and our privacy policy please visit https://manything.com/terms.html?app=true and https://manything.com/privacy.html?app=true

Screenshots

Ear Assist4 screens
Manything4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Manything at none against Ear Assist's shown. Manything also leads on review sentiment (56% vs 32%) and ratings volume (392 vs 18). Ear Assist's advantage is rating (3.8 vs 3.6). On price, update cadence, in-app purchases and monetization model 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. Ear Assist sells 3 one-off in-app purchases and Manything sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Ear Assist holds the better App Store score, 3.8 against 3.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Manything has 392 ratings behind it against 18, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 32% of Ear Assist's written reviews are positive against 56% of Manything's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Ear Assist ships an update every 2 months, Manything every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 22, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Ear Assist versus Manything: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterEar AssistManything
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.8 (18 ratings) — better3.6 (392 ratings)
Positive reviews32.4% of reviews56.3% of reviews — better
Number of ratings18392 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 5 weeks — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.0 — better15.6
Further details — not scored
Size12 MB115 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperOverpass LimitedVideoloft Ltd

Customer experience

Ear Assist

All ratings14 ratings
Positive64.3%
Neutral14.3%
Negative21.4%
Written reviews432 reviews
Positive32.4%
Neutral7.9%
Negative59.7%

Manything

All ratings391 ratings
Positive60.9%
Neutral7.2%
Negative32.0%
Written reviews238 reviews
Positive56.3%
Neutral7.1%
Negative36.6%

User reviews

Ear Assist

From 18 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Works well
  • 🔍 Useful for spying/eavesdropping
  • 🔊 Amplifies sound
  • 🎧 Works with headphones

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Doesn't work with Bluetooth headphones
  • 🔇 Can't hear anything/very low volume
  • 🔊 Produces loud static/buzzing noises
  • 💤 Doesn't work as advertised
  • 🙅‍♂️ Too many ads

Manything

From 392 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Easy to set up
  • 🔒 Useful for security monitoring
  • 👍 Works well with old devices
  • 💡 Innovative use of old phones
  • 🚀 Reliable performance

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Connectivity issues
  • 🔋 Overheating and battery drain
  • 💰 Expensive subscription
  • 🐛 Buggy after updates
  • 🔒 Concerns about security/privacy

Bugs and requests

Ear Assist

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • App crashes
  • Recordings can't be saved
  • Doesn't work on certain devices

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add Bluetooth support
  • Improve sound quality and volume
  • Reduce ads
  • Add camera functionality
  • Provide better instructions/tutorials

Manything

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Inconsistent recording
  • Playback issues
  • Compatibility problems with iOS 11+
  • Frequent app crashes

Requested features

5 requests
  • Remote camera control
  • Local storage option
  • Improved motion detection
  • Better audio support
  • Apple TV integration

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Ear Assist

One-time3
  • MP3 Recording$0.99
  • Remove Ads$0.99
  • Extended Equalizer$1.99
10 purchases

Manything

Subscriptions10
  • 2 days cloud for 1 camera$3.991 Month
  • Manything 7 day cloud recording for 1 camera$4.991 Month
  • 7 days cloud for 1 camera$4.991 Month
Show 7 more
  • Manything 2 day cloud recording for 2 cameras$6.991 Month
  • 2 days cloud for 2 cameras$6.991 Month
  • Manything 30 day cloud recording for 1 camera$7.991 Month
  • 30 days cloud for 1 camera$7.991 Month
  • 2 cameras for 7 days$9.991 Month
  • 30 days cloud for 2 cameras$11.991 Month
  • Manything 30 day cloud recording for 2 cameras$12.991 Month

Questions

Is Ear Assist free?
Ear Assist is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Manything free?
Manything is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Ear Assist or Manything?
Ear Assist is rated higher. Ear Assist averages 3.8 out of 5 from 18 ratings, while Manything averages 3.6 from 392 ratings.
Do Ear Assist or Manything have ads?
Ear Assist shows ads; Manything does not.
Which is updated more often, Ear Assist or Manything?
Ear Assist ships an update every 2 months, and Manything every 5 weeks. Most recently, Ear Assist was updated on October 29, 2026 and Manything on October 22, 2026.

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