Live caption and speech-to-text apps

Compare apps that turn nearby speech into text. Check live captions, offline options, text controls and phone requirements.

9 apps & tools

Google Live Transcribe

Google · Android

Displays speech as text during in-person conversations.

Google Live Transcribe — publisher Google Play screenshot

Free

Requires an Android phone. Offline languages must be downloaded first and depend on your device.

View app

Live Transcribe by Mighty Fine Apps

Mighty Fine Apps · iPhone & iPad

Accessibility-oriented live captions, with several transcription modes.

Live Transcribe by Mighty Fine Apps — publisher App Store screenshot

Paid app. Offline captions are unlimited; Best mode hours depend on your plan.

Requires an iPhone or iPad.

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NALscribe

National Acoustic Laboratories · iPhone & iPad

Live captions with adjustable text, saving, sharing and privacy screen-clearing options.

NALscribe — publisher App Store screenshot

Free

Requires an iPhone, iPad or Apple silicon Mac. Offline mode needs iOS 13 or later and a downloaded language.

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Ava

Ava · Android & iPhone & Mac & Browser & Windows

Live captions for conversations and computer audio, with optional human assistance.

Ava — publisher App Store screenshot
  • iPhone / iPadCheck availability for your setup
  • Browser / Mac / Windows

Free for sessions up to 40 minutes. Paid plans are available.

Works on phone, desktop and web.

View app

Apple Live Captions

Apple · iPhone & iPad & Mac · Built-in tool

Built-in captions for device audio and speech picked up by a microphone.

Apple Live Captions — frame at 00:07 in the official 2022 demonstration
  • Mac
  • iPhone

Free. Built into Apple devices.

Requires iPhone 11 or later, or another supported Apple device, in a supported language and region.

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Speaksee

Speaksee · Android & iPhone & Browser

Shows captions from a dedicated microphone kit, with speaker-specific microphones.

Speaksee — publisher App Store screenshot
  • iPhone / iPad / Android

Requires the Speaksee Microphone Kit.

Pair the kit with the mobile app first. Web viewing works after pairing.

View app

Rylo

Rylo · Android & iPhone

Formerly Nagish

Captioned calling and a separate live-transcription function for in-person speech.

Rylo — publisher App Store screenshot

No cost if you qualify.

Calling requires registration and an internet connection. In-person captions work separately from calls.

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Otter

Otter.ai · Android & iPhone & Browser

Live transcription, saved recordings, searchable transcripts and summaries.

Otter — publisher App Store screenshot

Free for 300 minutes a month, up to 30 minutes per conversation. Paid plans are available.

Requires an Otter account and an internet connection.

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Google Recorder

Google · Android · Built-in tool

Records and transcribes audio, with recording and transcript-management tools.

Google Recorder — publisher Google Play screenshot

Free. Built into Pixel devices.

Requires a supported Google Pixel phone or Pixel Tablet. Speaker labels and summaries depend on the model.

View app

How we check app information

HearingTracker’s editorial team checks each app against the developer’s own documentation and its app store listings. We have not tested these apps ourselves, so a listing is not a recommendation or a performance rating.

Listings were last checked on Nov 8, 2026. Each app’s page links to the sources we used.

Read how we check apps

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