Comparison

Listening Device vs Lorne

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

Head to head
About

Listening Device

This app amplifies sound and provides live captions, turning your iPhone into a hearing aid. It helps you clearly hear conversations and spoken words in various environments, with an option to read text instead of listening.

Highlights
  • Sound amplification
  • Live captions
  • Noise reduction
  • Real-time audio processing
  • Works with various headphones
  • On-device processing for privacy
Read full description

Hear every word, clearly — wherever you are. Struggling to follow conversations in a noisy room? Wish people would just speak up? Listening Device: Clarive turns your iPhone into a powerful hearing aid and sound amplifier, so you catch every word — clearly and comfortably. Just connect your earphones and instantly amplify the world around you. No hearing-aid hardware. No appointments. No complicated setup. YOUR PERSONAL HEARING AID Turn up the voices that matter and soften the background noise that gets in the way. Clarive boosts quiet talkers so conversations feel effortless again — at home, in the car, at a restaurant, or across a crowded room. POWERFUL SOUND AMPLIFIER Fine-tune the volume to your comfort and hear the world the way it's meant to be heard, in real time — a soft-spoken friend, a lecture from the back row, or the TV across the room. Your iPhone's volume buttons set the level, so you can adjust without looking at the screen. ONE-TAP PRESETS FOR EVERY ROOM Switch between Conversation, Noisy Place, and TV & Media, and a six-band equalizer reshapes the sound for you — lifting the frequencies that carry speech and cutting the rumble that buries it. A live visualiser shows exactly what each preset is doing. BALANCE FOR EACH EAR Hear differently on one side? Set the left and right levels independently until both ears feel even. LIVE CAPTIONS WHEN YOU'D RATHER READ Too loud to listen? Switch on Live Captions to read real-time, on-screen text of what's being said — ideal for meetings, classrooms, and busy places. Choose the text size that's comfortable to read. CAPTIONS IN YOUR LANGUAGE Live Captions work in many languages. Download the one you need and switch between them any time. KEEP WHAT WAS SAID Save a transcript and come back to it later — useful for appointments, lectures, and conversations you'll want to remember. WORKS WITH WHAT YOU ALREADY OWN Use it with AirPods, wired earbuds, or any Bluetooth or wired headphones. No special hardware required. PRIVATE BY DESIGN Your hearing is personal. Everything is processed entirely on your device — no account and no internet required. Audio is never recorded or uploaded, and any transcript you save stays on your iPhone. MADE FOR YOU Built for people who are hard of hearing or deaf, anyone who needs a little extra clarity, and everyone who simply wants to hear better in everyday life. FREE TO START Use the hearing-aid and Live Caption features free every day, then upgrade to Pro anytime for unlimited use. Hear better. Feel more connected. Download Clarive today. Privacy Policy: https://listeningdevice.app/privacy-policy Terms of Use: https://listeningdevice.app/terms-of-service Contact: support@harshvatechnologies.com

About

Lorne

This AI assistant provides clear, step-by-step guidance for older adults navigating digital devices and everyday tech. It helps identify suspicious communications and answers questions about community services and rules, offering a supportive and jargon-free experience.

Highlights
  • Step-by-step device and tech help
  • Scam checking for suspicious communications
  • Community Q&A for local rules
  • Voice input and read-aloud responses
  • Photo uploads in chat
  • Chat history and search
  • Accessibility settings
Features
Read full description

Lorne is a calm, easy-to-use AI assistant designed to help older adults with everyday digital life. Use Lorne to get step-by-step help with phones, TVs, internet, email, routers, and other common devices. You can also check whether a text, email, call, or photo looks suspicious before you respond, and ask simple questions about your community guidelines, services, and local rules. Lorne is built to explain things clearly and without jargon. You can type, speak, or attach photos when you need help, and your conversations are saved so you can come back to them later. Features include: Step-by-step device and tech help Scam checking for suspicious texts, emails, calls, and images Community Q&A for local rules and services Voice input for hands-free questions Read-aloud responses Photo uploads in chat Chat history and search Accessibility settings for easier reading Whether you are trying to fix a device, check a suspicious message, or understand a community rule, Lorne helps you move one step at a time. Lorne offers an auto-renewable subscription for individual users. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Listening Device4 screens
Lorne4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Lorne at none against Listening Device's 5. Lorne also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.8) and update cadence (every 9 days vs every 3 weeks). On price, ratings volume and ads 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. Listening Device sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per 7 days. Lorne asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Lorne holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 10 and 8 respectively.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Listening Device ships an update every 3 weeks, Lorne every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 18, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Listening Device versus Lorne: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterListening DeviceLorne
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (10 ratings)5.0 (8 ratings) — better
Positive reviews—100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings10 — better8
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksEvery 9 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFreemium — betterSubscription
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS26.015.6 — better
Further details — not scored
Size32 MB88 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperHARSHVA TECHNOLOGIES PRIVATE LIMITEDDigital Breeze Solutions, LLC

Customer experience

Listening Device

All ratings10 ratings
Positive90.0%
Neutral10.0%
Negative0.0%

Lorne

All ratings8 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews3 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

5 purchases

Listening Device

Subscriptions4
  • Listening Weekly3 Days trial$4.997 Days
  • Monthly Plan$5.991 Month
  • Yearly Plan$14.991 Year
Show 1 more
  • Yearly Offer$24.991 Year
One-time1
  • Lifetime Premium$29.99
None

Lorne

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Listening Device free?
Listening Device is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Lorne free?
Lorne is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Listening Device or Lorne?
Lorne is rated higher. Listening Device averages 4.8 out of 5 from 10 ratings, while Lorne averages 5.0 from 8 ratings.
Do Listening Device or Lorne have ads?
Neither Listening Device nor Lorne shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Listening Device or Lorne?
Listening Device ships an update every 3 weeks, and Lorne every 9 days. Most recently, Listening Device was updated on October 24, 2026 and Lorne on October 18, 2026.

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