Published on July 12th, 2012 | by Leslie Bass

Apps Like Siri: The Best Siri Alternatives

I know you were envious to see your friends talking to their iPhone 4S when Siri came out last October. I mean, every freakin’ person I know who bought the latest iPhone model only bought it because it talks back and follows orders. But don’t worry too much about wanting to buy my iPhone (because I too bought the iPhone 4S to try the ultra cool assistant). You can always try to sell iPhone 3GS to get an iPhone 4S! But hey, if the rumors were right about the iPhone 5, you’ll probably be seeing the next generation iPhone in a couple of months! So while you’re waiting for the smartphone with the iOS 6, why not optimize your iPhone 3GS with a Siri-like app? Here are a few of them!

Vokul

Unlike Siri who comes to life with a push of a button, Vokul works through the use of two simple words: “Hey Vokul.” If you’re the kind of person who loves jogging in the morning and going to the gym, you’ll probably prefer Vokul over Siri because it’s totally hands free. Another good thing about Vokul is that you don’t have to sell iPhone 3GS just to get a virtual assistant like Siri as it is compatible with all iPhone models after iPhone 3GS. It is also compatible with the iPad and the iPod Touch.

Aside from taking dictations for your SMS and emails, it also allows you to control your iPhone’s music playback through voice commands for when you’re driving or jogging. Also, unlike Siri, Vokul can post updates on your Twitter and Facebook for you! It can also read your Twitter and Facebook feeds for you. However, it cannot read your text or email messages out loud. Vokul costs $2.99 whereas Siri comes free with the iPhone 4S (or 5).

Sara

If you don’t want to spend on your virtual assistant or sell iPhone 3GS, you can also try Sara, another Siri counterpart. What makes Sara very different from other voice-reliant assistants like Siri, Vokul, Speaktoit and Evi is that it requires you to have a jailbroken iPhone. It’s totally free but it requires some jailbreaking knowledge. I bet you’ll like the fact that the UI looks so much like Siri. In fact, you’ll probably feel like you’re using Siri’s twin sister! Like Siri, you can fix the settings to change what name you want Sara to call you and you can also set your current location. Also, Sara can answer almost all of the questions and commands that an iPhone 4S user can give to Siri.

The major difference, on the other hand, between Siri and Sara is that Sara is basically an app while Siri is considered a feature. As we all know, Siri is an addition embedded in the iOS 5 update (and also in the iOS 6). To activate Sara, you need to install it through Cydia (although it does not show up in the Cydia store if you try to search for it) and it’ll show up as an app on your Springboard. If you really, really want Siri but refuse to sell iPhone 3GS for now, why not try Sara?