Captio AI vs Deaf Transcribe
Captio AI and Deaf Transcribe side by side: iPhone or Android, 71 or 60+ languages, who is talking, translation, privacy, saved transcripts and price.
Facts checked on each company's own pages. How we compare
Deaf Transcribe
by Youdao Education Technology (Hong Kong) Limited
iPhone only (no Android version found)
The short answer
Use Deaf Transcribe if you have an iPhone, including an older one on iOS 13 or 14, and want plain live text in one of 71 languages, with a free trial of Pro. Use Captio AI if you also need Android, want to see who is talking (by name on iPhone, with Recognize Voices) or translate a conversation, or want recordings you keep and turn into summaries.
Choose Deaf Transcribe if
you have an iPhone, maybe an older one on iOS 13 or 14, want plain live text in one of 71 languages, and want to try Pro free for 3 days.
Choose Captio AI if
you also use Android, follow group conversations and want people named by their voice (iPhone), need live translation, or want to keep recordings and turn them into notes and to-dos.
Captio AI vs Deaf Transcribe, feature by feature
Tap any fact to see the details and the page it comes from.
| Feature |  Captio AICaptio AI |  Deaf TranscribeYoudao Education Technology (Hong Kong) Limited |
|---|---|---|
| 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 |  Deaf TranscribeYes: iPhone only (no Android version found)Apple's App Store lists it as "Only for iPhone"; it also runs on Apple Vision. A Google Play search on 28 October 2026 found no Android version, and the developer website links only to the App Store. Sources: Apple App Store listing, Google Play search, Developer website (livetranscribe.luckon.online) |
| 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 | Deaf TranscribeYes: iOS 13.0 or laterThe App Store lists iOS 13.0 or later for iPhone, and visionOS 1.0 or later for Apple Vision. Sources: Apple App Store listing, App Store data (US) (Apple) |
| 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) | Deaf TranscribeYes, speech around you as live textThe listing says it instantly turns speech into text so people who are hard of hearing can follow conversations. The developer website says "Hear what others are saying, anywhere, anytime." Sources: Apple App Store listing, Developer website (livetranscribe.luckon.online) |
| 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) | Deaf TranscribeYes: 71 languagesThe listing says you can transcribe, record and create captions in 71 languages and names each one, from English, Spanish, Chinese and Arabic to Cantonese, Swahili and Zulu. The app's own menus come in 7 languages. Sources: Apple App Store listing, App Store data (US) (Apple) |
| 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) | Deaf TranscribeNot statedThe listing doesn't mention working without internet. The terms describe the service as provided via the internet and make you responsible for connecting. Sources: Apple App Store listing, Terms of service (Talent Me Technology Pte. Ltd.) |
| Shows who is talkingWithout it, a group conversation is one block of text. | Captio AIYes, live and saved; names by voice on iPhoneSeparates speakers (Speaker 1, Speaker 2). On iPhone it can learn saved voices and show their names instead. Sources: Apple App Store listing, Recognize voices (Captio AI) (Captio AI), Live Captions (Captio AI) | Deaf TranscribeNot statedNeither the listing nor the website describes showing who is talking. One App Store screenshot shows lines under the name "Dr. James", but no text explains it. Sources: Apple App Store listing, Developer website (livetranscribe.luckon.online) |
| Remembers people's voicesCaptions that say "Mum" instead of "Speaker 2", every time she talks. | Captio AIYes, Recognize Voices (iPhone)Save someone's voice once (about 20 seconds of talking, or an audio file) and their name and emoji show on every line they say, live and in saved recordings, instead of "Speaker 2". Voiceprints are made on the iPhone and never uploaded. When someone new talks for a while, Captio AI asks who it is. Free plan: your own voice plus one other person; Plus: more people. Source: Recognize voices (Captio AI) (Captio AI) | Deaf Transcribe Not stated |
| Shows where a voice comes fromAt a busy table, knowing where to look helps you follow who is talking. | Captio AIYes, on iPhone 16 and laterWith the iPhone flat on the table, a wave grows at the edge of the captions on the side the voice comes from, in that speaker's colour, while new words appear. It uses the iPhone's spatial microphones (not AirPods or an external mic), works in Live Captions and Live Translator, is calculated on the phone, and is free. Source: Speaker direction (Captio AI) (Captio AI) | Deaf Transcribe Not stated |
| Alerts for soundsDoorbells, alarms and a baby crying, as a notification. | Captio AIYes, sounds in the captions; alerts vibrateRecognize Sounds (iPhone and iPad) writes sounds into the captions where they happen, like [doorbell rings], in Live Captions, Live Translator and uploaded files. A doorbell, knocking, a smoke alarm, a siren, a phone ringing or a baby crying makes the phone vibrate, with a notification when the screen is locked during a recording. It works while Captio AI is recording, not as an always-on alarm. Recognized on the phone; free; not on Android yet. Source: Recognize sounds (Captio AI) (Captio AI) | Deaf TranscribeNot statedThe listing describes speech-to-text only; no alerts for sounds such as a doorbell or an alarm are described. Source: Apple App Store listing |
| 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) | Deaf TranscribeNot statedThe listing names 71 caption languages but doesn't describe translating speech into another language. Source: Apple App Store listing |
| 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. | Deaf TranscribeYes, text saved in the appThe listing says you can save the converted text in the app, and that the app can record. The terms list unlimited recordings as a Pro feature; the free version's limit isn't stated. Sources: Apple App Store listing, Terms of service (Talent Me Technology Pte. Ltd.) |
| Export and shareTo send notes to yourself, a carer or a colleague. | Captio AIYes: Text, link, PDF, emailShare a transcript or summary as text, a link, a PDF, an email, or a prompt for an AI chat. Source: AI Summary (Captio AI) | Deaf TranscribeYes: Share via email, messaging and social appsSaved text can be shared by email, messaging apps or social media; a store screenshot shows Copy and Copy Photo options. File formats aren't stated. Source: Apple App Store listing |
| 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) | Deaf TranscribeNot statedThe listing describes live speech-to-text, not transcribing audio or video files you already have. Source: Apple App Store listing |
| 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) | Deaf TranscribeNot statedNo AI summaries or notes are described in the listing or on the website. Sources: Apple App Store listing, Developer website (livetranscribe.luckon.online) |
| 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) | Deaf TranscribeNot statedThe listing doesn't describe adding your own words or names. Source: Apple App Store listing |
| 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) | Deaf TranscribeYes: Font sizes, colours, themes; flip and typeThe listing says you can choose font sizes, colors and themes. Store screenshots show buttons to type, flip the text for the person opposite, adjust the text (Aa) and clear the screen. Source: Apple App Store listing |
| 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 | Deaf TranscribePartly: Not stated where; policy covers audio, US serversThe listing doesn't say whether speech is turned into text on the phone or on a server; the terms say the service runs via the internet. The privacy policy (September 2023) lets the company collect audio recordings and the text of words spoken, says data may be stored on servers in the United States, names Alibaba Cloud, Firebase, Google, Facebook, Apple and App Annie as service providers, and allows sharing some data with Facebook to build ad audiences; it says personal information is not sold. Apple's privacy label lists identifiers that may be used to track you. Whether audio is used to train AI is not stated. Sources: Apple App Store listing, Privacy policy (Talent Me Technology Pte. Ltd.), Terms of service (Talent Me Technology Pte. Ltd.) |
| Where it's availableSome services only work in one country. | Captio AIYes: WorldwideAvailable on the App Store and Google Play; prices differ by country. Sources: Apple App Store listing, Google Play listing | Deaf TranscribeYes: App Store in many countries; not Hong KongApple's store data finds it in the US and UK App Stores (and other countries checked), but not in the Hong Kong store, on 28 October 2026. No country list is published. Sources: App Store data (US) (Apple), App Store data (UK) (Apple), App Store data (Hong Kong) (Apple) |
| 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) | Deaf TranscribePartly: Free download; Pro removes ads, unlimited recordingsThe app is free to download, with in-app purchases. The terms say Pro adds ad removal and unlimited recordings; the free version's limits aren't stated. The listing describes a 3-day free trial for its subscription. Sources: Apple App Store listing, App Store data (US) (Apple), Terms of service (Talent Me Technology Pte. Ltd.) |
| 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 | Deaf TranscribeYes: Pro: US$5.99 or US$49.99 (periods not listed)Apple's US App Store lists two "Live Transcribe Pro" purchases, US$5.99 and US$49.99 (October 2026), without saying which period each covers. The description names a 1-week subscription with a 3-day free trial; the terms mention weekly, monthly and annual subscriptions. Sources: Apple App Store listing, Terms of service (Talent Me Technology Pte. Ltd.) |
What actually sets them apart
Does Deaf Transcribe work on Android?
No. Apple lists Deaf Transcribe as "Only for iPhone", and a Google Play search finds no Android version. Captio AI runs on iPhone, iPad and Android, so it also works when someone in the family has the other kind of phone.
Sources: Apple App Store listing, Google Play search, Developer website (livetranscribe.luckon.online), Apple App Store listing, Google Play listing
How much does Deaf Transcribe cost?
It is free to download. "Live Transcribe Pro" costs US$5.99 or US$49.99 on the US App Store (October 2026); Apple's listing doesn't say which period each price covers, and the description mentions a 1-week plan with a 3-day free trial. Captio AI is free with 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), with no free trial.
Sources: Apple App Store listing, Terms of service (Talent Me Technology Pte. Ltd.), App Store data (US) (Apple), Apple App Store listing, Captio AI for AI assistants (llms.txt)
Can Deaf Transcribe tell you who is talking at a busy table?
Its listing and website don't describe showing who is talking or recognising voices. Captio AI labels each speaker, live and in saved recordings. With Recognize Voices (iPhone), a person whose voice you saved gets their name on every line they say, and with Speaker Direction (iPhone 16 and later) a wave shows which side of the table a voice comes from.
Sources: Apple App Store listing, Developer website (livetranscribe.luckon.online), Apple App Store listing, Recognize voices (Captio AI) (Captio AI), Live Captions (Captio AI), Speaker direction (Captio AI) (Captio AI)
Who makes Deaf Transcribe?
Youdao Education Technology (Hong Kong) Limited sells it on the App Store. Youdao, Inc.'s 2024 annual report lists that company as a subsidiary and names NetEase as Youdao's controlling shareholder. The privacy policy and terms name Talent Me Technology Pte. Ltd. in Singapore, call the service "Live Transcribe", and follow the laws of the People's Republic of China.
Sources: Apple App Store listing, Youdao, Inc. annual report 2024 (Youdao, Inc. (US SEC filing)), Privacy policy (Talent Me Technology Pte. Ltd.), Terms of service (Talent Me Technology Pte. Ltd.)
What happens to your speech and data?
Deaf Transcribe's listing doesn't say where speech is turned into text. Its privacy policy lets the company collect audio recordings and the words spoken, store data on servers in the United States, and share some data with Facebook to build ad audiences; Apple's privacy label lists identifiers that may be used to track you. Captio AI processes speech in the cloud after you agree, doesn't store audio on its servers, and never sells content or uses it to train AI models.
Sources: Apple App Store listing, Privacy policy (Talent Me Technology Pte. Ltd.), Terms of service (Talent Me Technology Pte. Ltd.), Captio AI privacy policy
What can you do with a transcript afterwards?
Deaf Transcribe saves the text in the app and shares it by email, messaging apps or social media. Captio AI saves each recording with its audio in a synced library, transcribes audio and video files, and turns transcripts into summaries, key points and to-dos.
Sources: Apple App Store listing, Terms of service (Talent Me Technology Pte. Ltd.), Apple App Store listing, Captio AI privacy policy, Audio Transcription (Captio AI), AI Summary (Captio AI)
Where each one wins
Where Deaf Transcribe is the better choice
It lists more caption languages: 71, each one named, against Captio AI's 60+.
Sources: Apple App Store listing, App Store data (US) (Apple), Apple App Store listing, Live Captions (Captio AI)
It runs on older iPhones: iOS 13 or later. Captio AI needs iOS 15.1 or later.
Sources: Apple App Store listing, App Store data (US) (Apple), Apple App Store listing
The listing describes a 3-day free trial of Pro. Captio AI has no free trial.
Sources: Apple App Store listing, App Store data (US) (Apple), Terms of service (Talent Me Technology Pte. Ltd.), Apple App Store listing
Store screenshots show buttons to type a reply and to flip the text towards the person opposite you.
Source: Apple App Store listing
Where Captio AI is the better choice
It runs on iPhone, iPad and Android; Deaf Transcribe is iPhone only. Its privacy policy says audio is not stored on its servers and content is never sold or used to train AI models.
Sources: Apple App Store listing, Google Play listing, Apple App Store listing, Google Play search, Developer website (livetranscribe.luckon.online), Captio AI privacy policy
Recognize Voices (iPhone): save someone's voice once and their name shows on every line they say, like "Mum" instead of "Speaker 2", live and in saved recordings. The voiceprints stay on the iPhone.
Source: Recognize voices (Captio AI) (Captio AI)
Speaker Direction (iPhone 16 and later): with the phone flat on the table, a wave at the edge of the captions shows which side a voice comes from, in that speaker's colour.
Source: Speaker direction (Captio AI) (Captio AI)
It translates conversations live, with a two-way mode, keeps recordings with their audio, transcribes files, and writes summaries and to-dos.
Sources: Apple App Store listing, Live Translator (Captio AI), Captio AI privacy policy, Audio Transcription (Captio AI), AI Summary (Captio AI)
Recognize Sounds (iPhone and iPad): sounds around you are written into the captions where they happen, like "[doorbell rings]", and kept in the saved recording. A doorbell, a smoke alarm or a baby crying also makes the phone vibrate while Captio AI is recording.
Source: Recognize sounds (Captio AI) (Captio AI)
Try Captio AI free
It depends on where you are
An older iPhone on iOS 13 or 14
Deaf Transcribe needs iOS 13 or later. Captio AI needs iOS 15.1 or later.
You have an Android phone
Captio AI is on Google Play. Deaf Transcribe is only for iPhone.
A family dinner or a group
Captio AI labels each speaker and, on iPhone, names the people whose voices you saved. On iPhone 16 and later, a wave shows which side of the table a voice comes from.
Captions for this situationA doctor's appointment you want to read again
Captio AI keeps the recording, lets you add medical words, and turns it into a summary and to-dos. Deaf Transcribe saves the text.
Captions for this situationTravelling abroad
Captio AI translates the conversation live. Deaf Transcribe captions 71 languages but doesn't describe translation.
Captions for this situationA quick chat at a counter or at home
Both turn speech in front of you into large live text. Deaf Transcribe's screenshots also show a button to flip the text towards the other person. On iPhone and iPad, Captio AI also writes a doorbell or knocking into the captions while it records.
Captions for this situationFacts 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
Is Deaf Transcribe available on Android?
No Android version was found. Apple lists Deaf Transcribe as "Only for iPhone", and a Google Play search finds no version from its developer. Captio AI runs on iPhone, iPad and Android.
How much does Deaf Transcribe Pro cost in the US?
Apple's US App Store lists "Live Transcribe Pro" at US$5.99 and US$49.99 (October 2026), without saying which period each covers; the description mentions a 1-week subscription with a 3-day free trial. Captio AI's free plan gives 100 free credits a day, and Captio AI Plus costs US$14.99 a month or US$79.99 a year on the US App Store (October 2026), with no free trial.
Is Deaf Transcribe the same app as Google Live Transcribe?
No. Deaf Transcribe's privacy policy, terms and website call the service "Live Transcribe", and its purchase is called "Live Transcribe Pro", but the App Store seller is Youdao Education Technology (Hong Kong) Limited, not Google. Google's Live Transcribe is a separate Android app. Captio AI is a third, separate app, on iPhone and Android.
Is Deaf Transcribe available in the UK or Hong Kong?
Apple's store data finds Deaf Transcribe on the UK and US App Stores, but not in the Hong Kong store (28 October 2026), and there is no Android version. Captio AI is on the App Store and Google Play worldwide; prices differ by country.
Does Deaf Transcribe work offline on a plane?
Its listing doesn't say it works without internet, and its terms describe the service as provided via the internet. Captio AI needs internet for live captions; without it, Captio AI keeps recording and transcribes when the phone is back online.
Can Deaf Transcribe caption Spanish, Chinese or Arabic?
Yes. Its App Store listing names 71 caption languages, including Spanish, Chinese, Arabic and Cantonese, but describes no translation between them. Captio AI captions 60+ languages and translates conversations live, next to the original captions.
Does Deaf Transcribe show who is speaking in a meeting, or recognize people by their voice?
Its listing and website don't describe speaker labels or recognising voices. Captio AI labels each speaker, live and in saved recordings. With Recognize Voices (iPhone) it shows the names of people whose voices you saved, and with Speaker Direction (iPhone 16 and later) a wave shows which side of the table a voice comes from.
Where does Deaf Transcribe keep my conversations?
The listing doesn't say whether speech is processed on the phone. The privacy policy says the company may collect audio recordings and the text of words spoken, and that data may be stored on servers in the United States. Captio AI processes speech in the cloud after you agree; audio is not stored on Captio AI's servers, and content is never sold or used to train AI models.
Try Captio AI
Free to start, iPhone and Android
Download for free
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 Ava
Live captioning app for deaf and hard of hearing people, with group conversations, offline mode, sound alerts and optional human captioners.
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.
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
- Recognize Voices: Captions That Show Who Is Talking by NameCaptio AI, checked 28 October 2026
- Speaker Direction: See Where a Voice Is Coming FromCaptio AI, checked 28 October 2026
- Recognize Sounds: Doorbells and Alarms in Your CaptionsCaptio 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
- Audio TranscriptionCaptio AI, checked 28 October 2026
- Captio AI for AI assistants (llms.txt)Captio AI, checked 28 October 2026
Deaf Transcribe
- Deaf Transcribe:Speech to Text on the App Store (US)Apple App Store, checked 28 October 2026
- Google Play search results for "Deaf Transcribe" (US)Google Play, checked 28 October 2026
- Live Transcribe (developer website linked from the App Store)livetranscribe.luckon.online, checked 28 October 2026
- App Store lookup: Deaf Transcribe:Speech to Text (US store data)Apple, checked 28 October 2026
- Live Transcribe Service TermsTalent Me Technology Pte. Ltd., checked 28 October 2026
- Privacy Policy (Live Transcribe)Talent Me Technology Pte. Ltd., checked 28 October 2026
- App Store lookup: Deaf Transcribe (UK store data)Apple, checked 28 October 2026
- App Store lookup: Deaf Transcribe (Hong Kong store data)Apple, checked 28 October 2026
- Youdao, Inc. annual report on Form 20-F for 2024 (filed 15 April 2025)Youdao, Inc. (US SEC filing), 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.