Sound Amplifier + vs Ear Spy
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Sound Amplifier +
Enhance your hearing with this tool that amplifies ambient sounds and voices through your earphones. Adjust volume, equalize frequencies, and replay recent audio for clearer listening in various environments. It includes a hearing test to personalize sound settings and safety features to prevent overly loud amplification.
- Real-time sound amplification
- Replay last 10 seconds
- Personalized EQ via hearing test
- Noise reduction
- 3-band equalizer
- Save custom setups
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Sound Amplifier picks up the voices and sounds around you with your phone's microphone and plays them into your earphones in real time — so a soft-spoken friend, the TV across the room or a lecture from the back row comes through more clearly. Missed what someone just said? Tap Replay last 10s to hear the last 10 seconds again. Want the sound shaped for your own ears? Take the short Hearing Test and a personal EQ is built from your answers. Please note: Sound Amplifier is an everyday assistive listening tool. It is not a medical hearing aid and it does not diagnose hearing loss. LISTEN • Live amplification from 0 to +40 dB, with a live level meter • Replay the last 10 seconds — kept in memory only and cleared when you stop • Voice leveller that evens out loud and soft voices automatically • Noise reduction that cuts low rumble from air conditioning, traffic and wind TUNE • 3-band equalizer: bass, mid and treble, each ±12 dB • Presets for Speech, Music, Outdoor and Flat • A Personal preset created from your Hearing Test • Left/right balance for when one ear needs more HEARING TEST • Soft tones at 250, 500, 1,000, 2,000, 4,000 and 6,000 Hz, one ear at a time • Turn the result into a personal EQ with one tap • Hearing over time: compare later tests with your first one (changes under 10 dB are shown as no change) • Earphones or headphones are required, because each ear is tested separately MY SETUPS • Save up to 8 named setups — TV, restaurant, lecture — and bring one back with a tap SAFETY • A safety limiter caps loud peaks at a level you choose (-18 to 0 dBFS) • The app will not amplify through the phone's own speaker, where the microphone would pick the sound up again and howl • If your earphones disconnect, amplifying stops and a card explains why; reconnect them and tap Resume GOOD FOR • TV dialogue without turning the room volume up for everyone • Conversations in cafés, restaurants and family dinners • Lectures, sermons, meetings and guided tours • Birdsong and quiet sounds on a walk Tips: start with low amplification and raise it slowly. Wired earphones have the shortest delay; Bluetooth earphones work too but add a little lag. If you are worried about your hearing, please talk to a hearing professional.
Ear Spy
Amplify ambient sounds and bring distant voices closer in real-time using your phone's microphone and headphones. Features include environment presets, a 10-band equalizer, personal hearing calibration, and on-device live transcription. It prioritizes privacy with all processing done locally.
- Real-time sound amplification
- Environment presets
- 10-band parametric equalizer
- Personal hearing calibration
- Unlimited clip capture
- On-device live transcription
- Hearing-safety limiter
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Spy Ear turns your phone into a long-range listening device. With your microphone and headphones, you can amplify ambient sound in real time and pull faraway voices closer - a quiet conversation across the room, a distant speaker in a hall, the hum from the next room. WHAT YOU GET • 8 environment presets — Restaurant, Lecture, Whisper, Meeting, Outdoor, TV, Music, Balanced • Full 10-band parametric equalizer — shape every frequency yourself • Personal hearing calibration — a two-minute tuning that adapts every preset to your own ears • Unlimited clip capture — save what you heard, replay it through the same enhancement chain • On-device live transcription — see what is being said • Hearing-safety limiter — prevents sudden loud sounds from damaging your ears • Zero data leaves your phone — everything is processed on-device BUILT FOR REAL SITUATIONS Whether you want to follow a quiet conversation at dinner, catch every word in a lecture, hear the TV more clearly, or simply explore what's beyond your normal hearing range, Spy Ear gives you the sharper listening superpower in your pocket. Use of headphones is strongly recommended. SUBSCRIPTION REQUIRED Spy Ear requires a paid subscription or a one-time lifetime purchase to use the full app after onboarding. Plans available: • Weekly with a 3-day free trial for new users • Lifetime one-time payment, no renewals Subscriptions automatically renew at the end of each weekly period at the published rate unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the renewal date. Payment is charged to your Apple ID account on confirmation of purchase. You can manage subscriptions and cancel anytime in your iPhone's App Store account settings. The free trial converts to a paid weekly subscription unless cancelled before the trial ends. Lifetime purchase is a single payment and does not auto-renew. PRIVACY FIRST All audio processing happens entirely on your iPhone. We do not collect, store, or transmit any personal data. The app has no accounts, no analytics, no tracking, and no third-party SDKs. Captured clips and your calibration profile stay on your device. Privacy Policy: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1nWqZMQjT6nNW28ytWD5fZShar3SW4NLPhWC9fUCCPJw/ Terms of Service: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Lpr6Gtwyb_ofa5ABEUSc1JY4Y5DklugXPq5p3PkzT6M/ Note: Spy Ear is not a medical device, hearing aid, or substitute for professional audiological care.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Ear Spy at 4.9 against Sound Amplifier +'s 4.1. Ear Spy also leads on ads (none vs shown). Sound Amplifier +'s advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2). On price, ratings volume, update cadence 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
Both are free to download. Ear Spy sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per 7 days. Sound Amplifier + asks for nothing beyond the download.
Ear Spy holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.1. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 15 and 16 respectively.
Sound Amplifier + ships an update every 4 days, Ear Spy weekly. The most recent releases landed on November 5, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Sound Amplifier + | Ear Spy |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.1 (15 ratings) | 4.9 (16 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 0.0% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 15 | 16 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 4 days — better | Weekly |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Ad-supported — better | Subscription |
| Devices | iPhone | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 16.4 — better | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 88 MB | 7 MB |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | heekyung moon | Awais Muneer |
Customer experience
Sound Amplifier +
Ear Spy
In-app purchases
Sound Amplifier +
No in-app purchases
Ear Spy
- Weekly (with trial)3 Days trial$3.997 Days
- Lifetime$19.99
Questions
Is Sound Amplifier + free?
Is Ear Spy free?
Which has better reviews, Sound Amplifier + or Ear Spy?
Do Sound Amplifier + or Ear Spy have ads?
Which is updated more often, Sound Amplifier + or Ear Spy?
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