Captio AI vs Android Live Caption
Captio AI and Android Live Caption compared: captions for people in the room or for audio on the phone, calls, offline use, languages, saving and price.
Facts checked on each company's own pages. How we compare
The short answer
They do different jobs. Android Live Caption is free, works without internet, and captions audio playing on the phone, such as videos, voice messages and calls; it doesn't caption people talking in the room. Captio AI captions the people around you through the microphone, on Android and iPhone, so you might use Live Caption for what plays on your phone and a live caption app such as Captio AI or Google's Live Transcribe for the room.
Choose Android Live Caption if
you want captions for videos, podcasts, voice messages or one-to-one calls on your Android phone, free and without internet.
Choose Captio AI if
you want captions of the people talking around you, with who is speaking, live translation, and recordings you can keep and summarise.
Captio AI vs Android Live Caption, feature by feature
Tap any fact to see the details and the page it comes from.
| Feature | Captio AICaptio AI | Android Live CaptionGoogle |
|---|---|---|
| Works onThe phone you already have decides what you can use. | Captio AIYes: iPhone, iPad, AndroidOn the App Store (also listed for Apple silicon Macs and Apple Vision) and on Google Play since October 2026. Sources: Apple App Store listing, Google Play listing | Android Live CaptionYes: Android (Pixel and selected phones)Part of Android on Pixel and selected Android phones; it is not an app you download. Chrome has its own live captions for media with audio. Sources: Live Caption: Caption media & calls on your device (Google), Android’s Expressive Captions uses AI to bring emotion to… (Google (The Keyword blog)), Android Audio Accessibility Tools & Features (Google (android.com)) |
| NeedsOlder phones are often left out of built-in features. | Captio AIYes: iOS 15.1 or laterThe App Store lists iOS 15.1 or later for iPhone. Source: Apple App Store listing | Android Live CaptionYes: Pixel 2+ and selected Android phonesWhich phones besides Pixel have it is up to the phone maker. The first use needs Wi-Fi to download a language. Translation and typed replies in calls need a Pixel 6 or later; Expressive Captions need Android 14 or later. Source: Live Caption: Caption media & calls on your device (Google) |
| Captions people in the roomSpeech picked up by the phone's microphone, for face-to-face conversations. | Captio AIYes, from the phone's microphoneSpeech in the room appears as text while the person is still talking. Sources: Apple App Store listing, Live Captions (Captio AI) | Android Live CaptionNo, only audio playing on the phoneLive Caption captions speech in audio playing on the phone. For people talking around you, Google makes a separate app, Live Transcribe, which uses the microphone. Sources: Live Caption: Caption media & calls on your device (Google), Use Live Transcribe (Google), Use Live Caption and Live Transcribe on your Galaxy device (Samsung (US)), Use sign-to-text to translate American Sign Language (ASL… (Google) |
| Captions videos playing on the phoneVideos, podcasts and voice messages without captions. | Captio AIPartly: Uploaded files onlyIt does not caption audio playing on the phone, but it can transcribe a saved audio or video file. Source: Audio Transcription (Captio AI) | Android Live CaptionYes: Videos, podcasts, voice messagesIts main job: one tap captions speech in audio playing on the phone, even your own videos. It doesn't work on music. Sources: Live Caption: Caption media & calls on your device (Google), Android Audio Accessibility Tools & Features (Google (android.com)), On-Device Captioning with Live Caption (Oct 29, 2019) (Google Research) |
| Captions phone callsPhone calls are a separate job from conversations in the room. | Captio AINoMade for in-person speech picked up by the microphone, not for captioning phone calls. Source: Live Captions (Captio AI) | Android Live CaptionYes, calls with one other personWorks on calls on Pixel and selected Android phones; Google asks you to make sure the other person knows captions are on. On Pixel 6 and later you can type replies instead of speaking. Sources: Live Caption: Caption media & calls on your device (Google), Android Audio Accessibility Tools & Features (Google (android.com)), Android’s Expressive Captions uses AI to bring emotion to… (Google (The Keyword blog)) |
| Captions video callsZoom, Teams and Meet calls on the same device. | Captio AINoIt is not a video-call captioning service. Source: Live Captions (Captio AI) | Android Live CaptionYes, some apps unsupportedVideo calls are supported, but Google says captions might be unavailable for some media and calling apps. Source: Live Caption: Caption media & calls on your device (Google) |
| Languages for live captionsThe number of spoken languages it can caption live. | Captio AIYes: 60+ languagesCaptions and translation in 60+ languages, including speech that switches languages mid-sentence. Sources: Apple App Store listing, Live Captions (Captio AI) | Android Live CaptionYes: Up to 15 languages (Pixel 6+)15 on Pixel 6 and later and selected phones (English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Hindi, Spanish, Traditional and Simplified Chinese, Turkish, Polish, Portuguese, Korean, Russian, Vietnamese), the first 7 on Pixel 4 and 5, English on Pixel 2 and 3. Expressive Captions are English only. Source: Live Caption: Caption media & calls on your device (Google) |
| Live captions without internetPlanes, basements, hospitals and trips abroad often have no signal. | Captio AIPartly: Records offline, captions laterLive captions need internet. Without a connection it keeps recording and transcribes automatically when the phone is back online. Sources: Apple App Store listing, Live Captions (Captio AI) | Android Live CaptionYes, fully on the deviceGoogle says Live Caption uses no mobile data or internet connection; only the first language pack download needs Wi-Fi. Sources: Live Caption: Caption media & calls on your device (Google), Android’s Expressive Captions uses AI to bring emotion to… (Google (The Keyword blog)), On-Device Captioning with Live Caption (Oct 29, 2019) (Google Research) |
| Shows who is talkingWithout it, a group conversation is one block of text. | Captio AIYes, live and saved; names on iPhoneSeparates speakers (Speaker 1, Speaker 2). On iPhone it can learn saved voices and show their names instead. Sources: Apple App Store listing, Live Captions (Captio AI) | Android Live CaptionNot statedGoogle's help page describes no labels for who is speaking. Source: Live Caption: Caption media & calls on your device (Google) |
| Live translationFor a conversation in a language you don't read. | Captio AIYes, live, two-way modeLive translation next to the original captions, with a two-way mode where each person reads the other in their own language. Sources: Apple App Store listing, Live Translator (Captio AI) | Android Live CaptionPartly: Translates captions, Pixel 6+ onlyCaptions of what plays on the phone can be translated with Live Translate, which Google says is only on Pixel 6 and later. The Live Caption page doesn't list translation languages. Sources: Live Caption: Caption media & calls on your device (Google), Translate speech & text on your Pixel phone or Pixel Tablet (Google) |
| Saves transcriptsTo read a lecture, appointment or meeting again later. | Captio AIYes, with audio, syncedRecordings are saved with their audio in a searchable library and synced to your account. | Android Live CaptionNo, captions are never storedGoogle says all captions are processed on the phone and never stored. Source: Live Caption: Caption media & calls on your device (Google) |
| Transcribes audio and video filesFor recordings and videos that have no captions. | Captio AIYes: Audio and video filesUpload audio or video and get a full transcript with speaker labels. Sources: Apple App Store listing, Audio Transcription (Captio AI) | Android Live CaptionNot statedThere is no upload. A video or audio file captions while it plays on the phone, like any other audio. Sources: Live Caption: Caption media & calls on your device (Google), Android Audio Accessibility Tools & Features (Google (android.com)) |
| AI summariesKey points and to-dos from a long transcript. | Captio AIYes: Summary, key points, to-dosTurns transcripts into summaries, key points, notes, to-dos and follow-up messages. Free plan: 3 summaries in total. Sources: Apple App Store listing, AI Summary (Captio AI) | Android Live CaptionNot statedNo summaries or notes are described. Source: Live Caption: Caption media & calls on your device (Google) |
| Add your own words and namesNames, medicines and jargon are the words captions miss most. | Captio AIYes, words and namesAdd names, medical terms or specialist words so they are recognised. Source: Live Captions (Captio AI) | Android Live CaptionNot statedGoogle's help page describes no way to add your own words. Source: Live Caption: Caption media & calls on your device (Google) |
| Text size and coloursCaptions have to be readable at arm's length, flat on a table. | Captio AIYes: Text size, colours, contrastText size, background colour and contrast can be adjusted. Source: Live Captions (Captio AI) | Android Live CaptionYes: Caption size, style and colourSet in Caption preferences; the caption box can be moved and expanded from 2 to 12 lines. Expressive Captions add capitals and long words to show tone. Source: Live Caption: Caption media & calls on your device (Google) |
| Where speech is processedOn the phone or in the cloud, and whether audio is kept. | Captio AIYes: Cloud; audio not stored on its serversSpeech is processed by third-party speech recognition after you agree. Audio is not stored on Captio AI's servers; content is never sold or used to train AI models. Source: Captio AI privacy policy | Android Live CaptionYes: On the device, never sent to GoogleGoogle says all audio and captions are processed on the device and are never stored or sent to Google. Sources: Live Caption: Caption media & calls on your device (Google), On-Device Captioning with Live Caption (Oct 29, 2019) (Google Research) |
| Free planWhat you can do without paying. | Captio AIYes: 100 free credits a day + 3 summariesFree every day: 100 free credits a day for live captions or transcription, and 3 AI summaries in total. Sources: Apple App Store listing, Captio AI for AI assistants (llms.txt) | Android Live CaptionYes: Free, built into AndroidPart of the phone's operating system, switched on in Settings or from the volume controls; there is nothing to buy. Sources: Live Caption: Caption media & calls on your device (Google), Android’s Expressive Captions uses AI to bring emotion to… (Google (The Keyword blog)) |
| Paid plansPrices as listed by the company, with the country and date. | Captio AIYes: US$14.99/month or US$79.99/yearCaptio AI Plus on the US App Store, October 2026. No free trial. Prices differ by country. Source: Apple App Store listing | Android Live CaptionNo paid planPart of Android; Google lists no price or subscription. Sources: Live Caption: Caption media & calls on your device (Google), Android’s Expressive Captions uses AI to bring emotion to… (Google (The Keyword blog)) |
What actually sets them apart
Does Android Live Caption caption people in the room?
No. Live Caption captions speech in audio playing on the phone, such as videos, podcasts, audio messages and calls. For people talking around you, Google makes a separate app, Live Transcribe, and Captio AI does that job too, through the phone's microphone.
Sources: Live Caption: Caption media & calls on your device (Google), Use Live Transcribe (Google), Use Live Caption and Live Transcribe on your Galaxy device (Samsung (US)), Use sign-to-text to translate American Sign Language (ASL… (Google), Android Audio Accessibility Tools & Features (Google (android.com)), On-Device Captioning with Live Caption (Oct 29, 2019) (Google Research), Apple App Store listing, Live Captions (Captio AI)
When would you use Live Caption and a caption app together?
When you need captions both for what plays on your phone and for the people around you. Live Caption covers videos, voice messages and one-to-one calls; Captio AI covers the conversation at the table or in a lecture, and keeps the recording.
Sources: Live Caption: Caption media & calls on your device (Google), Android Audio Accessibility Tools & Features (Google (android.com)), On-Device Captioning with Live Caption (Oct 29, 2019) (Google Research), Android’s Expressive Captions uses AI to bring emotion to… (Google (The Keyword blog)), Apple App Store listing, Live Captions (Captio AI), Captio AI privacy policy
Which one works without internet?
Live Caption. Google says it uses no mobile data or internet connection, after a one-time Wi-Fi download of the language pack. Captio AI needs a connection for live captions; without one it keeps recording and transcribes when the phone is back online.
Sources: Live Caption: Caption media & calls on your device (Google), Android’s Expressive Captions uses AI to bring emotion to… (Google (The Keyword blog)), On-Device Captioning with Live Caption (Oct 29, 2019) (Google Research), Apple App Store listing, Live Captions (Captio AI)
Does Live Caption caption phone calls?
Yes, on Pixel and selected Android phones, for calls with one other person; on Pixel 6 and later you can also type your replies instead of speaking. Captio AI doesn't caption phone or video calls: it is made for speech in the room.
Sources: Live Caption: Caption media & calls on your device (Google), Android Audio Accessibility Tools & Features (Google (android.com)), Android’s Expressive Captions uses AI to bring emotion to… (Google (The Keyword blog)), Live Captions (Captio AI)
Does Live Caption save a transcript?
No. Google says captions are processed on the phone and never stored, so there is nothing to read again or export. Captio AI saves each recording with its audio in a library synced to your account, and can turn it into a summary or to-dos.
Sources: Live Caption: Caption media & calls on your device (Google), Apple App Store listing, Captio AI privacy policy, AI Summary (Captio AI)
Which languages does each one caption?
Live Caption captions up to 15 languages on Pixel 6 and later and selected phones, 7 on Pixel 4 and 5, and English on Pixel 2 and 3. Captio AI captions and translates 60+ languages. On Pixel 6 and later, Live Caption can also translate its captions.
Sources: Live Caption: Caption media & calls on your device (Google), Translate speech & text on your Pixel phone or Pixel Tablet (Google), Apple App Store listing, Live Captions (Captio AI), Live Translator (Captio AI)
Where each one wins
Where Android Live Caption is the better choice
It captions audio playing on the phone, such as videos, podcasts, voice messages and video calls. Captio AI doesn't.
Sources: Live Caption: Caption media & calls on your device (Google), Android Audio Accessibility Tools & Features (Google (android.com)), On-Device Captioning with Live Caption (Oct 29, 2019) (Google Research), Audio Transcription (Captio AI)
It captions one-to-one phone calls, and on Pixel 6 and later lets you type replies instead of speaking. Captio AI doesn't caption calls.
Sources: Live Caption: Caption media & calls on your device (Google), Android Audio Accessibility Tools & Features (Google (android.com)), Android’s Expressive Captions uses AI to bring emotion to… (Google (The Keyword blog)), Live Captions (Captio AI)
It works without internet: Google says it uses no mobile data or internet connection.
Sources: Live Caption: Caption media & calls on your device (Google), Android’s Expressive Captions uses AI to bring emotion to… (Google (The Keyword blog)), On-Device Captioning with Live Caption (Oct 29, 2019) (Google Research)
Google says audio and captions stay on the phone and are never stored or sent to Google.
Sources: Live Caption: Caption media & calls on your device (Google), On-Device Captioning with Live Caption (Oct 29, 2019) (Google Research)
It is free and built into Pixel and selected Android phones. Captio AI's free plan gives 100 free credits a day.
Sources: Live Caption: Caption media & calls on your device (Google), Android’s Expressive Captions uses AI to bring emotion to… (Google (The Keyword blog)), Android Audio Accessibility Tools & Features (Google (android.com)), Apple App Store listing, Captio AI for AI assistants (llms.txt)
Where Captio AI is the better choice
It captions the people talking around you, which Live Caption doesn't do.
Sources: Apple App Store listing, Live Captions (Captio AI), Live Caption: Caption media & calls on your device (Google), Use Live Transcribe (Google), Use Live Caption and Live Transcribe on your Galaxy device (Samsung (US)), Use sign-to-text to translate American Sign Language (ASL… (Google)
It labels who is talking, live and in saved recordings, and on iPhone can show their names.
Sources: Apple App Store listing, Live Captions (Captio AI)
It translates conversations live, next to the original captions, with a two-way mode.
Sources: Apple App Store listing, Live Translator (Captio AI)
It keeps recordings with their audio, transcribes audio and video files, and writes summaries and to-dos.
Sources: Apple App Store listing, Captio AI privacy policy, Audio Transcription (Captio AI), AI Summary (Captio AI)
It captions 60+ languages, and runs on iPhone as well as Android.
Sources: Apple App Store listing, Live Captions (Captio AI), Google Play listing, Live Caption: Caption media & calls on your device (Google)
Try Captio AI free
It depends on where you are
A video, podcast or voice message
Turn on Live Caption and it captions what plays on the phone, even without internet.
Captions for this situationA phone call
On Pixel and selected phones, Live Caption captions calls with one other person. Captio AI doesn't caption calls.
Captions for this situationA family dinner or a group
Live Caption doesn't caption the room. Captio AI captions the table and labels each speaker.
Captions for this situationA doctor's appointment
Captio AI captions the doctor through the microphone and keeps the recording to read again. Google's Live Transcribe app also captions the room.
Captions for this situationTravelling abroad
Captio AI translates the conversation live on screen. On a Pixel 6 or later, Live Caption can translate what plays on the phone, not the people around you.
Captions for this situationBoth on one Android phone
Live Caption for videos, voice messages and calls; Captio AI for the people in the room.
Facts you can check, not opinions.
From their own pages
Every fact comes from the company's website, help pages, privacy policy or store listing. Tap any fact to see the page it comes from.
Checked 28 October 2026
Each source has the date we opened it. If a company doesn't say something publicly, the table says "Not stated" instead of guessing.
We make Captio AI
So it's described with the same rules as every other app, limits included, and each page says where the other app is the better choice.
Something out of date? hello@captioai.app
Frequently asked questions
Does Android Live Caption work for in-person conversations?
No. Live Caption captions speech in audio playing on the phone. For people talking around you, use a live caption app that listens through the microphone, such as Google's Live Transcribe or Captio AI.
What is the difference between Live Caption and Live Transcribe?
Live Caption is built into Android and captions videos, podcasts, audio messages and calls playing on the phone. Live Transcribe is a separate Google app that captions speech and sounds around you through the microphone. Captio AI does the same job as Live Transcribe, captioning the people around you, on Android and iPhone.
Does Live Caption work offline, for example on a plane?
Yes. Google says Live Caption uses no mobile data or internet connection, and that Expressive Captions work in airplane mode; only the first language pack download needs Wi-Fi. Captio AI needs internet for live captions; without it, it keeps recording and transcribes later.
Does Live Caption work in Spanish or Hindi?
Yes, on Pixel 4 and later and selected phones. Pixel 6 and later caption 15 languages, Pixel 4 and 5 caption 7 including Spanish and Hindi, and Pixel 2 and 3 caption English only. Captio AI captions 60+ languages.
Can Live Caption caption phone calls on a Samsung Galaxy?
Google says call captions work on Pixel and selected Android phones, and Samsung says Live Caption only works for select devices, so it depends on your model. It isn't intended for calls with more than one other person. Captio AI doesn't caption calls.
Does Live Caption keep a transcript of a video or call?
No. Google says captions are processed on the phone and never stored. Captio AI saves each recording with its audio, and can transcribe a saved audio or video file and turn it into a summary.
Is Android Live Caption free?
Yes, it is part of Android on Pixel and selected phones, with nothing to buy. Captio AI's free plan gives 100 free credits a day; Captio AI Plus costs US$14.99 a month or US$79.99 a year on the US App Store (October 2026), and prices differ by country.
Should I use Live Caption and a caption app together?
If you need both kinds of captions, yes. Live Caption covers what plays on your phone, like videos, voice messages and one-to-one calls; a live caption app such as Captio AI or Live Transcribe covers the people talking around you.
Try Captio AI
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More comparisons
Captio AI vs Live Transcribe
Google's free Android app that captions in-person speech through the phone's microphone and alerts you to sounds like alarms and doorbells.
Captio AI vs Apple Live Captions
A free accessibility feature built into iPhone, iPad and Mac that captions people nearby, calls and any app's audio on the device.
Captio AI vs Ava
Live captioning app for deaf and hard of hearing people, with group conversations, offline mode, sound alerts and optional human captioners.
Sources
Every page this comparison uses, with the date we checked it.
Captio AI
- Live Captions - Captio AI on the App StoreApple App Store, checked 28 October 2026
- Captio AI on Google PlayGoogle Play, checked 28 October 2026
- Live CaptionsCaptio AI, checked 28 October 2026
- Audio TranscriptionCaptio AI, checked 28 October 2026
- Live TranslatorCaptio AI, checked 28 October 2026
- Privacy PolicyCaptio AI, checked 28 October 2026
- AI SummaryCaptio AI, checked 28 October 2026
- Captio AI for AI assistants (llms.txt)Captio AI, checked 28 October 2026
Android Live Caption
- Live Caption: Caption media & calls on your device - Android Accessibility HelpGoogle, checked 28 October 2026
- Android’s Expressive Captions uses AI to bring emotion to captions (Dec 5, 2024)Google (The Keyword blog), checked 28 October 2026
- Android Audio Accessibility Tools & FeaturesGoogle (android.com), checked 28 October 2026
- Use Live Transcribe - Android Accessibility HelpGoogle, checked 28 October 2026
- Use Live Caption and Live Transcribe on your Galaxy deviceSamsung (US), checked 28 October 2026
- Use sign-to-text to translate American Sign Language (ASL) into English text in real time - Gboard HelpGoogle, checked 28 October 2026
- On-Device Captioning with Live Caption (Oct 29, 2019)Google Research, checked 28 October 2026
- Translate speech & text on your Pixel phone or Pixel Tablet - Pixel Phone HelpGoogle, checked 28 October 2026
Published 28 October 2026. App names and trademarks belong to their owners. This page is not affiliated with or endorsed by the companies it compares.