Interpreter vs Ava
Quick answer
Ava provides live captions for Deaf and hard-of-hearing people. It's an accessibility tool that turns speech into text so people who can't hear can follow conversations.
Interpreter is real-time transcription for professional interpreters. You see what's being said during phone calls so you don't have to take notes while interpreting.
Some interpreters use Ava because it's what they know. But Ava wasn't built for interpreting work. It has session limits, no two-way translation, and subscription pricing that doesn't fit the OPI workflow.
What Ava does
Ava is for Deaf and hard-of-hearing people. Open the app, it captions whatever's being said around you. Accessibility tool.
Free tier: 40-minute sessions. Community plan: $9.99-$14.99/month for 3 hours of premium captions. Still capped at 40-minute sessions. Longer sessions need Pro (contact sales).
Human scribes available at $1.25-$1.65/minute for higher accuracy. 50+ languages, speaker identification.
What Interpreter does
Phone call transcription for working interpreters. Both speakers, both languages, on screen while you interpret.
Lisinopril 10mg, Metoprolol 25mg twice daily? There. Case numbers, phone numbers, addresses? There. Glance instead of scribble.
Two-way translation: English on one side, Spanish (or whatever pair) on the other. HIPAA compliant. Pay-as-you-go.
Feature comparison
| Feature | Interpreter | Ava |
|---|---|---|
| Primary purpose | OPI call support | Accessibility captions |
| Built for | Professional interpreters | Deaf/hard-of-hearing |
| Two-way translation | ||
| Session time limits | None | 40min (free), 2hr (Pro) |
| Languages | 60+ | 50+ |
| Speaker identification | ||
| Works with phone calls | Limited | |
| HIPAA compliant | Not specified | |
| Pay-as-you-go |
Pricing comparison
For an interpreter working 40 hours/month:
$10–$16/month
Polyglot Mini: $0.25/hr ($10). Polyglot: $0.40/hr ($16). No session limits.
$9.99–$14.99/month
$9.99/mo (annual) or $14.99/mo (monthly). Only 3 hours premium captions. 40-min session limit.
Ava's Community plan only covers 3 hours. For 40 hours of interpreting, you'd need Pro (contact sales) or pay $1.25+/min for scribes.
Choose Ava if
- You're Deaf or hard-of-hearing and need everyday captions
- You need captions for in-person conversations
- You want human scribes for maximum accuracy
- Your sessions are under 40 minutes (free tier)
Choose Interpreter if
- You're a professional interpreter working phone calls
- You need two-way translation between speakers
- Your sessions are longer than 40 minutes
- You need HIPAA compliance for medical calls
- You want pay-as-you-go without subscriptions
The real question
Some interpreters use Ava because it was there first. It works, kind of. But it's not built for interpreting.
Ava: for people who can't hear. Session limits, hour caps, subscription pricing. No two-way translation.
Interpreter: for people who hear both languages fine but need help catching details during fast calls. No caps, two-way translation, pay for what you use.
If you've been using Ava for interpreting, try Interpreter. Built for the actual job.