Comparison

Text Talker Subtitles Reader vs DiscoTranslation

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

Head to head
About

Text Talker Subtitles Reader

This app uses OCR and TTS to read on-screen subtitles aloud, assisting users with low vision or reading disabilities. It can also read closed captions privately, offering a hands-free way to follow video content.

Highlights
  • Reads subtitles aloud
  • Uses OCR and TTS
  • Reads closed captions
  • Private listening with headphones
  • Shake to silence feature
  • Optional tip jar
Features
Read full description

Do you have trouble reading the subtitles of movies, TV shows or Internet videos, perhaps due to low vision / blindness or a reading disability? Or perhaps you'd like to focus on the on-screen action instead of racing to read every subtitle before it disappears. This app uses OCR (optical character recognition) and TTS (text to speech) to look for subtitles and read them out loud through the iPhone speaker or headphones. How to use: Just run the app! It starts looking for text right away, and will read out loud anything it finds. If the app starts reading a bunch of random text, you can shake the phone to make it shut up. Put your hand over the camera to temporarily keep it from talking, or switch to another app. For best results, use it in an area that doesn't have extra visual distractions like digital clocks or AV equipment with lots of numbers and letters. If watching a video on a computer or laptop, maximize the video to full screen and let the status indicator fade away. Some scenes may have other text on screen that the app might try to also read; heavily stylized text might not be recognized. The app attempts to deduplicate the recognized text to reduce text being read more than once, though you may still get some duplication. For longer videos, you might want to use a tripod or phone holder. Use the gear icon to change options and view help text. You can also use this to read closed captions. Perhaps you're watching a show with the volume off and only closed captioning turned on. You can use your iPhone and AirPods to have captions read just to you privately, so as to not disturb other people nearby. The In-App purchase items are only for the totally optional Tip Jar. For Support please visit http://ideaeng.com/texttalker This app does NOT record any user data, nor photos, nor video nor sound. This TextTalker should not be confused by the similarly named Text Talker by Smartbox Assistive; despite the names, they two programs are extremely different in use and should hopefully not confuse the intended audience.. Screenshots in the App store description use Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 content originating from UniverseToday.com

About

DiscoTranslation

Features
Read full description

DiscoTranslation brings powerful AI translation directly to your device — no internet required, no data shared, no servers involved. Your text stays yours. Powered by a locally running AI model, DiscoTranslation translates between 25 languages with privacy as a core principle. Whether you're typing text, scanning a photo everything is processed right on your iPhone. FEATURES • On-Device Translation — A 2.5 GB AI model runs entirely on your iPhone. No cloud, no account, no data collection. • Camera Translation — Point your camera at any text — signs, menus, documents — and translate instantly using built-in OCR. • 25 Languages — Translate between English, Spanish, French, German, Chinese (Simplified & Traditional), Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Russian, Italian, Dutch, Polish, Turkish, Ukrainian, Vietnamese, Thai, Greek, Czech, Swedish, Lithuanian, and more. • Siri & Shortcuts — Translate directly from Siri or build translation automations in the Shortcuts app. • Share Extension — Translate text, links, or images from any app using the system share sheet. • Fully Offline — Works completely without internet after the one-time model download (~2.5 GB). PRIVACY All translation, text recognition and language detection happens entirely on your device. Nothing is ever transmitted to external servers. No account required. No ads. No tracking. COMPLETELY FREE All 25 languages are included at no cost — no in-app purchases, no subscriptions, no hidden fees. If you enjoy the app, you can optionally support its development.

Screenshots

Text Talker Subtitles Reader1 screens
DiscoTranslation4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: DiscoTranslation at none against Text Talker Subtitles Reader's 3. Text Talker Subtitles Reader's advantage is iOS requirement (15.6 vs 17.6). On price, update cadence, 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. Text Talker Subtitles Reader sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. DiscoTranslation asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Text Talker Subtitles Reader ships an update every 2 weeks, DiscoTranslation weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 16, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 7 level
Text Talker Subtitles Reader versus DiscoTranslation: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterText Talker Subtitles ReaderDiscoTranslation
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (2 ratings) — better—
Number of ratings2 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeksWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.6 — better17.6
Further details — not scored
Size1 MB6 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperMark BennettOleksandr Vasyliev

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Text Talker Subtitles Reader

One-time3
  • Tip Jar $0.99$0.99
  • Tip Jar $5$4.99
  • Tip Jar $25$24.99
None

DiscoTranslation

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Text Talker Subtitles Reader free?
Text Talker Subtitles Reader is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is DiscoTranslation free?
DiscoTranslation is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Text Talker Subtitles Reader or DiscoTranslation have ads?
Neither Text Talker Subtitles Reader nor DiscoTranslation shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Text Talker Subtitles Reader or DiscoTranslation?
Text Talker Subtitles Reader ships an update every 2 weeks, and DiscoTranslation weekly. Most recently, Text Talker Subtitles Reader was updated on October 24, 2026 and DiscoTranslation on October 16, 2026.

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