Comparison

Hear2There vs Fathom

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

Head to head
About

Hear2There

Features
Read full description

Navigate the world with confidence — indoors and out. Hear2There gives blind and visually impaired people, as well as anyone wanting more detailed information about their surroundings, precise, real-time audio guidance where traditional GPS falls short. Using smart beacons and GPS, the app delivers clear spoken information about your exact location and surroundings — so you can move independently through buildings, transit hubs, and public spaces. What you’ll hear: Entrances, exits, elevators, restrooms, and key points of interest Detailed descriptions that help you build a mental map of new places Virtual audio signage (menus, directions, hazards, and more) Nearby public transit stops with schedules and live arrival times Whether you’re entering a hospital, hotel, school, airport, or restaurant, Hear2There turns unfamiliar spaces into navigable environments. Arriving is just the start — the app helps you understand and move through the space with greater independence. Designed with direct input from a visually impaired co-founder, Hear2There enhances the mobility skills you already have. It works at Hear2There-enabled locations and is free to use. Download Hear2There and experience a more accessible world — one clear audio cue at a time.

About

Fathom

This navigation app provides real-time spatial awareness for blind and low-vision users indoors. It speaks only when necessary, indicating doors, people, and hazards, and offers features for room exploration, object identification, and guided navigation to specific locations.

Highlights
  • Indoor spatial awareness
  • Object and hazard detection
  • Turn-by-turn indoor navigation
  • Step-by-step task guidance
  • Real-time conversational assistance
Features
Read full description

Visual assistance you can talk to. Ask fathom what's in front of you, what a letter says, or where you left your keys. It remembers what you tell it, and you decide what it keeps. Most of the day asks you to look. The label on the can. The dial on the washer. The sign on the door. The kiosk that's only a screen. So you ask someone, or guess, or wait. Or you ask fathom. I'm a legally blind product designer. I built the tool I kept wishing I had, instead of waiting for a sighted team to guess what I needed. Just ask One screen. Speak, type, or pick a suggestion, and fathom does it right there. The mic is always in the same place, and Magic Tap opens it. Look Now Six ways to look: describe the whole scene, read text word for word, identify what you're holding, read a kiosk or appliance screen, name what you're pointing at, or take a closer look. Read at your pace A long letter becomes a document you move through. Go back, skip ahead, repeat a part, or pause. With VoiceOver, it's real text, with headings on the rotor. Lookout and Point to Ask Lookout keeps describing what's around you while you walk. You choose how much it says: Hazards Only, Balanced, or Full Awareness. Point at anything for about a second, and fathom tells you what it is. Memory Tell fathom where things are, then ask later. It says back what it saved. Everything it keeps is in Settings, where you can correct it or delete it. Obstacle alerts are always on, and always free When fathom notices a hazard, it buzzes first. Obstacle alerts run on your phone in Lookout, Go, and tasks, with Cloud AI on or off. They keep working when this month's Cloud AI allowance runs out. fathom plus Go guides you to places you've named, like the laundry room, from what the camera sees. When it thinks you're there, it asks. Step-by-step plans: tell fathom the whole job. It reads you the steps before anything starts. Accept the plan, change it, or dismiss it. Task coaches you through one hands-on job in front of the camera. Turn on Live mode and it becomes a conversation while you work. Skills: teach fathom a job once, then run it by name, from the app or from Siri. fathom plus is a monthly subscription. New subscribers get the first week free. Cloud or on-device, your choice With Cloud AI, fathom sends camera pictures, the text of what you say, and what it remembers about you to Google's Gemini AI. In Live mode, your voice is sent too, while the microphone is on. fathom asks before anything goes to Google. With On-device AI, nothing is sent to Google, and obstacle alerts and reading text work on every iPhone. Built for VoiceOver Built for VoiceOver from the first screen. Eight Siri shortcuts, and the Action Button can open Look Now. Light, dark, and Contrast Boost. fathom answers in your iPhone's language when it can; buttons and alerts are in English. No account. Every setup question is optional. fathom uses AI, and it can make mistakes. Keep your cane or your dog. Privacy Policy: https://fathomvision.app/privacy Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Made by Unruly Vision, LLC.

Screenshots

Hear2There4 screens
Fathom4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Hear2There at none against Fathom's 1. Fathom's advantage is update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 3 months). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement 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. Fathom sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $12.99 per month. Hear2There asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Hear2There ships an update every 3 months, Fathom every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 4, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Hear2There versus Fathom: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHear2ThereFathom
PriceFreeFree
Rating—5.0 (8 ratings) — better
Positive reviews—100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings—8 — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
Monetization—Freemium
DevicesiPhoneiPhone
Requires iOS16.6 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size43 MB25 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperFORESIGHT AUGMENTED REALITY LLCUnruly Vision, LLC

In-app purchases

None

Hear2There

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

Fathom

Subscriptions1
  • Fathom Plus7 Days trial$12.991 Month

Questions

Is Hear2There free?
Hear2There is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Fathom free?
Fathom is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Hear2There or Fathom have ads?
Neither Hear2There nor Fathom shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Hear2There or Fathom?
Hear2There ships an update every 3 months, and Fathom every 3 weeks. Most recently, Hear2There was updated on November 4, 2026 and Fathom on November 5, 2026.

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