BufferMind vs TXPodcast
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
BufferMind
This app provides real-time lecture transcription and translation for students. It listens, transcribes, and translates lectures live, with an AI assistant to answer questions about the content. Users can save, search, and organize their lecture history.
- Real-time transcription
- Instant translation
- AI teaching assistant
- Searchable lecture history
- Live activity on Lock Screen
- Push-to-talk translated conversation
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BufferMind is a real-time transcription and translation app built for students learning in a language that is not their first. It listens to your lecture, transcribes every word, and translates it as the professor speaks — so you can follow along live, and actually understand it afterwards. REAL-TIME TRANSCRIPTION Fast, accurate speech-to-text across 15+ input languages including English, Chinese, Spanish, Hindi, Korean, Japanese, French and German, with an auto-detect mode for multilingual classrooms. INSTANT TRANSLATION Original and translation side by side as the lecture unfolds — Chinese, English, Hindi, Korean, Japanese and Spanish. You can also have the translation read aloud through your headphones while class is still running. ANDY, YOUR AI TEACHING ASSISTANT Ask Andy anything about a lecture you recorded and get an answer grounded in your own transcript, not the open internet. Snap a photo of a problem on the board and ask about that instead. Andy also catches the moment your name is called, so you do not miss it. A HISTORY YOU CAN ACTUALLY USE Every session keeps its transcript, translation and audio. Tap any word to jump to that exact second of the recording. Search across everything you have ever recorded. Group sessions into folders by course, and upload the syllabus so Andy knows what the class is about. LIVE ACTIVITY An active recording stays visible on the Lock Screen and in the Dynamic Island, so you can confirm it is still running without unlocking your phone. TALKING TO PEOPLE Push-to-talk translated conversation for talking to someone face to face — Chinese, English, Cantonese, Japanese, Korean, Spanish and Hindi. Add friends to share sessions, chat with text, photos, video and voice messages, or start a voice or video call. TRY IT WITHOUT AN ACCOUNT Tap "Continue as Guest" and start recording, transcribing and translating immediately — no email, no signup. Guest sessions are capped at 10 minutes each. Sign in with Apple, Google, LINE or email to lift that cap, sync across your devices, and unlock Andy, friends and chat. PLANS BufferMind is free to start: creating an account gives you a monthly allowance of recording and AI usage at no charge. When you need more, Pro and Max are available as auto-renewing subscriptions. • Pro — US$9.99 per month, or US$19.99 every 3 months • Max — US$19.99 per month, or US$49.99 every 3 months Payment is charged to your Apple Account at confirmation of purchase. A subscription renews automatically unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period, and your account is charged for renewal within 24 hours prior to the end of that period. You can manage your subscription and turn off auto-renew in your Apple Account settings after purchase. PRIVACY Audio streams to our speech-to-text provider (Soniox) only while you are recording, and is not retained on their side once the session ends. Your recordings, transcripts and translations live in your own private BufferMind account. Delete any single session — or your entire account and everything in it — at any time from Settings. We do not track you and we do not sell your data. COMMUNITY GUIDELINES Chat and calls only happen between people who have accepted each other as friends, and you can remove a friend at any time. We have zero tolerance for abusive or objectionable content: press and hold any message to report it, and we review every report. Privacy Policy: https://buffermind.com/privacy Terms of Use: https://buffermind.com/terms
TXPodcast
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TXPodcast is for Chinese and Japanese speakers learning English. It plays real podcasts — the shows native speakers actually listen to — with the support you need to follow them: subtitles line by line beside your own language, and words explained in Chinese or Japanese instead of more English. Find a show Ten categories, from news and tech to culture, stories, and kids. Search by show title or author, follow the ones you come back to, save single episodes for later. Many shows carry a CEFR badge (A1–C2), so you can see how demanding one is before you start. Read while you listen Subtitles scroll sentence by sentence, centered on the line playing now. Show both languages, English only, the translation only, or nothing at all. Tap a timestamp or a translated line to jump there, or scroll back and reread. Highlighting follows the sentence, or the single word when the episode has word-level timing. Tap a word Playback pauses and a card opens: the word, its pronunciation, audio, senses in your language, examples. One tap saves it; the episode picks up where it stopped. When it goes too fast Repeat one sentence, or loop any A–B stretch. Speed 0.5x–2x, skip 5–60 seconds, sleep timer, play queue, listening history, and background playback with lock screen controls. Words come back to you Every saved word keeps the sentence you heard it in and a link back to that moment in the audio. The vocabulary tab shows what is due today and runs flashcards: flip the card, then rate yourself Forgot / Unsure / Known. Worth knowing Subtitles are made by us, not by the shows, so not every episode has them — for English-language shows you can request one. Browsing, search, and listening work without an account; subtitles, the dictionary, saved words, and following shows need an account. Interface in English, Simplified Chinese, or Japanese. iPhone and iPad, with a two-pane layout on a wider screen.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: TXPodcast at none against BufferMind's 5. TXPodcast also leads on device support (4 vs 2). BufferMind's advantage is update cadence (every 6 days vs every 3 weeks). On price, ads 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
Both are free to download. BufferMind sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. TXPodcast asks for nothing beyond the download.
BufferMind ships an update every 6 days, TXPodcast every 3 weeks. Both last shipped on October 31, 2026.
| Parameter | BufferMind | TXPodcast |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (9 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 9 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 6 days — better | Every 3 weeks |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch — better |
| Requires iOS | 16.2 | 15.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 67 MB | 55 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | ZECHANG HE | Mianchi TianXin Technology Co., Ltd. |
In-app purchases
BufferMind
- Pro Monthly1 Month trial$9.991 Month
- Pro Semester$19.993 Months
- Max Monthly1 Month trial$19.991 Month
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- Max Semester$44.993 Months
- Recording Top-up (10 hours)$3.99
TXPodcast
No in-app purchases









