Best Video Relay Service (VRS) Apps Compared: Sorenson, Convo, and ZP Better Together

A verified comparison of Video Relay Service providers for Deaf ASL users, covering Sorenson, Convo, and ZP Better Together, with honest US-only limitations.

APPS FOR HI SUPPORTCOMPARISONS REVIEWEDUCATION

Inclusive Info Hub

A comparison graphic for the best VRS apps, showing a video call with an ASL interpreter and curved arc feature badges.

Video Relay Service has existed since 2003, funded through the federally administered Telecommunications Relay Service program under the Americans with Disabilities Act, and it remains fundamentally different from the captioned calling apps like RogerVoice and Rylo covered elsewhere on this site. At Inclusive Info Hub, we want to be upfront about that distinction immediately: VRS connects a Deaf ASL user with a live human ASL interpreter for a phone call, not with captions, and it is a US-specific, federally funded service with no direct international equivalent.

Platform Clarification — The Real App Names, Verified

This is important: searching a company's name alone often will not get you the right app, since these providers have multiple similarly named apps for different services, and in Convo's case, entirely unrelated apps by other companies share the same name.

Sorenson: Search "ntouch," published by Sorenson Communications, Inc., available on both the App Store and Google Play, as well as Mac and PC. Do not search "Sorenson," search "ntouch" specifically. A Sorenson VRS account, applied for through sorenson.com, is required before the app functions for actual calls, so downloading it alone is only the first step.

Convo: Search "Convo Call – VRS Calls," published by Convo, available on both the App Store and Google Play. This newer app has replaced two older Convo apps, "Convo VRS" and "Convo Link," both of which are being phased out in favor of Convo Call. Be careful here specifically: several completely unrelated apps also use the name "Convo," including a business collaboration tool and an unrelated social conversation app, neither connected to VRS in any way. Confirm the listing says "VRS Calls" or references Convo's actual VRS service before downloading. A separate app, "Convo Now," exists for on-demand interpreting rather than VRS, and is not what you want for standard VRS calls.

ZP Better Together (formerly ZVRS and Purple): Search "P3 Mobile," published by Purple Communications, Inc. Be aware that a different app, "Purple VRI," also exists from the same publisher, but VRI is a separate paid Video Remote Interpreting service, not VRS, and cannot be used interchangeably. Confirm you are downloading P3 Mobile specifically for VRS calls.

Tive, LLC: As a newer entrant, confirm the current app name and store listing directly at tivetechnology.com before searching, since naming may still be establishing itself in app store search results.

Important across all providers: every app in this category requires an approved VRS account before it functions for real calls. Downloading the app is not the same as being able to use it immediately, since eligibility verification, confirming qualifying hearing loss and ASL proficiency, happens through each provider's own registration process first.

What VRS Actually Is, and Who It Is For

VRS is built specifically for people who are Deaf or hard of hearing and communicate primarily through American Sign Language, connecting them via videophone, smartphone, tablet, or computer to a live interpreter who voices their signed conversation to a hearing party and signs the hearing party's spoken response back. This differs fundamentally from apps like RogerVoice or Rylo, which caption spoken words into text for users who read English rather than sign ASL.

Comparison Table: The Major VRS Providers

Where Each Provider Actually Stands

Sorenson remains the dominant name in this category, distinguished specifically by being the only major provider that designs and distributes its own proprietary videophone hardware free to users, alongside its ntouch software line. Sorenson also offers specialized DeafBlind VRS service, allowing communication in ASL with responses delivered back through braille, and has expanded internationally by acquiring Sign Video in the UK.

Convo Communications, based in Austin, Texas, is privately held and Deaf-owned, a distinction that carries real weight within the Deaf community regarding trust and cultural alignment, and the company has built its reputation specifically around ethical business practices and quality interpreting.

ZP Better Together formed through a series of acquisitions, originally CSDVRS, a nonprofit established in 2000, later sold to private equity and rebranded ZVRS before acquiring Purple Communications, now operating under Kinderhook Industries ownership. This consolidation history is worth knowing if a user has legacy loyalty to either the original ZVRS or Purple brand.

Tive, LLC represents a newer entrant with conditional FCC certification, reflecting that this remains an evolving market rather than one permanently locked to a handful of legacy names.

How to Access VRS

Registration requires a qualifying hearing loss and proficiency in American Sign Language, verified through each provider's account setup process. Once registered, a Deaf user can call a hearing party by dialing directly through their provider's app or videophone, or a hearing party can reach a Deaf VRS user by calling a provider's toll-free access number and providing the Deaf user's contact information.

Pricing — Complete and Honest

VRS is entirely no-cost to registered Deaf and hard of hearing users in the United States, funded through the federally administered Telecommunications Relay Service fund rather than charged directly to users or callers. This is structurally different from RogerVoice's international pricing model covered elsewhere on this site, where non-US users face real costs after a limited free trial.

Who VRS Is Built For

Deaf ASL Users Needing to Make Standard Phone Calls

VRS exists specifically to give ASL users the same phone access hearing people have never had to think about, connecting through a live human interpreter for calls to businesses, family, employers, or any hearing party.

DeafBlind Users

Sorenson's specialized DeafBlind VRS service, using braille responses alongside ASL interpreting, addresses a genuinely underserved population within the broader Deaf community.

Users Wanting Professional Interpreting for Sensitive or Complex Calls

Because VRS uses trained, live human interpreters rather than automated captioning, it can handle nuanced or emotionally complex conversations, medical appointments, legal matters, family conversations, with a level of contextual understanding automated captioning does not attempt to replicate.

VRS vs Captioned Calling Apps Like RogerVoice — The Practical Comparison

These solve genuinely different problems and serve different populations, so this is less a head-to-head competition than a clarification of which tool fits which need.

VRS, covered in this article, is built specifically for ASL users who sign rather than read captions, connecting through a live human interpreter, available at no cost, but exclusively within the United States.

RogerVoice and Rylo, covered elsewhere on this site, caption spoken audio into text in real time for hard of hearing users who read English rather than sign, available internationally, with RogerVoice charging non-US users after a limited free tier.

A Deaf ASL user needs VRS. A hard of hearing user who reads but does not sign needs a captioned calling app instead. These are not interchangeable, and choosing the wrong one will not solve the actual communication barrier a specific user faces.

Honest Limitations

VRS is available exclusively to users physically registered and eligible within the United States, with no direct equivalent funded service for Deaf ASL users in Pakistan or most of South Asia, a genuinely significant gap this comparison cannot solve, only name honestly.

Interpreter availability and call quality can vary by provider and time of day, and switching between providers, while possible, involves a registration and verification process rather than instant access.

VRS requires proficiency in American Sign Language specifically, meaning it does not serve users who communicate through other sign systems or who are Deaf but do not sign fluently.

International calls and interpreting in languages beyond English and Spanish are limited or unavailable through most current providers, narrowing its usefulness for Deaf users needing to communicate across language barriers beyond the US context.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is VRS available outside the United States? No. VRS as covered in this article is a US-specific service funded through the federally administered Telecommunications Relay Service program, with no direct equivalent currently available in Pakistan or most of South Asia.

Does VRS cost money for Deaf users? No, it is completely free to registered, eligible users within the United States, funded federally rather than charged to users.

What is the difference between VRS and a captioned calling app like RogerVoice? VRS connects Deaf ASL users with a live human interpreter for signed conversation. Captioned calling apps convert spoken audio into text for hard of hearing users who read rather than sign.

Which VRS provider is Deaf-owned? Convo Communications is privately held and Deaf-owned and operated.

Does any VRS provider offer support for DeafBlind users? Yes, Sorenson offers a specialized DeafBlind VRS service using braille responses alongside ASL interpreting.

What app do I actually download for Sorenson VRS? Search "ntouch," not "Sorenson," published by Sorenson Communications, Inc. An approved Sorenson VRS account is required before it functions for calls.

Why can't I find these VRS apps by searching the company name? Because the actual app names differ from the company names, and in Convo's case, several unrelated apps also use the name "Convo." Search "ntouch" for Sorenson, "Convo Call – VRS Calls" for Convo, and "P3 Mobile" for ZP Better Together's Purple service specifically.

What This Means for Users in Pakistan and Across Asia

We want to state this plainly rather than soften it: VRS as covered in this article is not currently accessible to Deaf ASL users in Pakistan or most of South Asia, since it is funded and regulated specifically under US federal telecommunications law. Deaf users in the region communicating in Pakistan Sign Language or other regional sign systems, rather than American Sign Language, would not be served by these specific providers even if access were somehow available. Captioned calling apps like RogerVoice and Rylo, covered elsewhere on this site, remain the more realistic option for hard of hearing users in the region who read rather than sign.

Closing Thought

VRS represents a genuinely significant piece of accessibility infrastructure, but its US-specific, federally funded structure is a reminder that accessibility technology built around one country's regulatory framework does not automatically translate globally. Naming that gap clearly matters more than pretending a US-only service is a universal solution.