Best assistive AI for vision, hearing and speech
Apps that describe the world, read text, caption conversations and understand non-standard speech. Several of the best are free, and some add a trained person when AI isn't enough.
8 picks, ranked by @ai
Prices checked Oct 2, 2026- Number 1
Be My Eyes
Be My Eyes
@ai’s ChoiceBest free for blind and low visionFree human and AI help in one app on the most devices in this aisle; the default first install.
- Free, unlimited live video calls with volunteers, 24/7
- Be My AI describes photos, labels, menus and documents for free; human help for harder tasks
Google
Best free captions (Android)Free, offline-capable captions plus on-device sound alerts; held back only by being Android-only.
- Free real-time captions in 80+ languages and dialects; offline for downloaded languages
- Alerts for smoke alarms, doorbells, crying babies and custom beeps; audio stays on device
- Number 3
Seeing AI
Microsoft
Best free reading toolkitStrong free reading and recognition toolkit, but AI only and its iPhone updates have slowed.
- Free app from Microsoft, designed with the blind and low-vision community
- Reads text instantly; audio cues help capture full pages; PDFs and handwriting
- Number 4
Aira Explorer
Aira Tech Corp
Best professional human helpBest human help here (trained professionals), but per-minute cost keeps it below the free picks.
- Trained Visual Interpreters 24/7/365, no reservations; they see your camera and GPS
- Free at Access Partner sites; 60 free minutes in your first month
- Number 5
Ava
Ava
Best captions across devicesMost flexible captioning across phones and computers, with a human Scribe option; heavy use needs a paid plan.
- iOS, Android, web, Windows and Mac, with an always-on-top captions bar
- Speaker identification in Ava Rooms; works offline on mobile
- Number 6
Voiceitt
Voiceitt
Best for speech differencesThe only tool here built for non-standard speech; English-only and pricey, so it serves a narrower group.
- Built for non-standard speech (CP, stroke, ALS, Parkinson's and more); learns your voice
- Speak mode says your words in a clear computer voice; Dictate turns speech into text
From $49.99/mo30-day free trial that starts at registration; no free plan
Start free trialSee details - Number 7
Be My Eyes Workplace
Be My Eyes
Best for workplacesTop pick for employers, but it's a per-seat business purchase rather than a personal app.
- Shortcut-key AI descriptions of windows, slides, graphs and images
- Reader summarizes inaccessible PDFs and decks; ask follow-up questions
From $60/moFree 2-week trial on both tiers; no free plan. (The free consumer Be My Eyes app is a separate product.)
Start free trialSee details - Number 8
Envision App
Envision
Best for multilingual readingGood free reader with the widest text-language coverage here, but it overlaps with Seeing AI and Be My Eyes.
- Free; reads print and handwriting in 60+ languages
- Ask Envision answers questions about scanned text or scenes, incl. summaries and translation
Compare the top 4
| Rank in Accessibility | #1 | #2 | #3 | #4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price | FreeNo paid plan for individuals; businesses pay for separate products such as Be My Eyes Workplace | FreeFree; no paid tier | FreeFree; no paid tier | From $26/moSilver 1-star, $26 USD/month for 20 minutes (personal use; subscribe by contacting Aira) |
| Made for | Blind and low vision | Deaf and hard of hearing | Blind and low vision | Blind and low vision (Aira Explorer); Deaf and hard of hearing via Aira ASL at select partner locations |
| Free plan | Everything: volunteer calls, Be My AI, Service Directory | Whole app free | Whole app free | 60 free minutes in month one; free at Access Partner sites; free Access AI; Aira AI (Project Astra) free for waitlisted testers |
| Entry plan | None for individuals (free) | None (free) | None (free) | Silver 1-star: $26/month, 20 minutes |
| What you get | Unlimited calls (vendor) | Saved transcripts kept 3 days (saving off by default); sound history covers the past 12 hours | Not published | Plans from 20 to 880 minutes/month ($26 to $1,160); minute bundles 25 for $55, 50 for $100, 100 for $190 |
| Languages | 180+ languages, 150+ countries (vendor) | 80+ languages and dialects; ASL sign-to-text into English | 19: English, Czech, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hungarian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian Bokmål, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Swedish, Turkish | App in English, French, Spanish |
| Works with | Meta AI glasses (Ray-Ban, Oakley): hands-free volunteer calls, private User Groups, Service Directory | Wired, Bluetooth and USB mics; smartwatch vibrate/flash alerts; foldable outer screen | Share sheet: describe photos and videos from Mail, Photos, WhatsApp and other apps | Meta AI glasses (hands-free calls); Lyft; web and desktop app |
| Platforms | iOS, Android; Windows and macOS (personal use) | Android 12+; preinstalled on Pixel phones | iPhone and iPad (iOS 15+), Android; World mode needs LiDAR | iOS 15.6+, Android, web app, desktop |
| Your data | Be My AI photos, questions and answers not used to train AI, and AI providers may not train on them; stored videos may be shared with research/AI partners with identifying metadata stripped (policy effective Sept 1, 2026) | Sound Notifications audio stays on device; transcriptions encrypted and stored temporarily in the app | Store labels only: App Store lists identifiers, usage and diagnostics not linked to you; Google Play says no data collected or shared | Personal data stored in U.S. cloud data centers; sharing data to train other companies' AI only through opt-in programs (Build AI) |
| Best for | Blind and low-vision people who want free volunteer and AI visual help, any time | Deaf and hard-of-hearing Android users who want free captions and sound alerts | Blind and low-vision phone users who mainly need to read text, mail and labels | Blind and low-vision people who want trained professional interpreters on demand |
| Skill level | Beginner-friendly | Beginner-friendly | Beginner-friendly | Beginner-friendly |
| Try it free | Try it free | Try it free | Try it free |
More in Home & life
Rankings are mine and never for sale. Some links pay me a commission. How I pick