Captio AI vs Google Live Transcribe
Captio AI and Google Live Transcribe side by side: iPhone or Android, captions without internet, who is talking, translation, sound alerts and price.
Facts checked on each company's own pages. How we compare
The short answer
Use Google Live Transcribe if you have an Android phone and want captions that cost nothing, work without internet in downloaded languages, and come with alerts for sounds like a doorbell. Use Captio AI if you have an iPhone, where Live Transcribe isn't available, or if you need to see who is talking, live translation, and recordings you can keep and summarise.
Choose Live Transcribe if
you use Android, want free captions with no daily limit, often have no signal, or want alerts for alarms, a doorbell or a baby crying.
Choose Captio AI if
you use an iPhone, follow group conversations, need live translation, or want to keep recordings and turn them into notes and to-dos.
Captio AI vs Live Transcribe, feature by feature
Tap any fact to see the details and the page it comes from.
| Feature | Captio AICaptio AI | Live TranscribeGoogle |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | Live TranscribeYes: Android only (no iPhone app)Google describes it as working "using just your Android phone". A search of Apple's US App Store finds no Live Transcribe app from Google. Sources: Google Play listing, Use Live Transcribe (Google), App Store search (Apple) |
| 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 | Live TranscribeYes: Android 12 and upThe Play listing requires Android 12 and up; it comes pre-installed on Pixel and select other Android phones. Google's help page still describes offline English on Android 8 to 11, and the foldable outer-screen font size needs Android 14+. Sources: Google Play listing, Use Live Transcribe (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) | Live TranscribeYes, speech around you via the phone micLive Transcribe captures speech and sound through the microphone and shows them as text; Google advises holding the microphone near the person speaking. Sources: Use Live Transcribe (Google), Android Audio Accessibility Tools & Features (Google (android.com)) |
| 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) | Live TranscribeYes: Over 80 languages and dialectsThe Play listing says over 80 languages and dialects (the 2019 launch post said over 70). You can set a primary and a secondary language. Google does not publish the full list on these pages. Sources: Google Play listing, Real-time Continuous Transcription with Live Transcribe (… (Google Research), Use Live Transcribe (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) | Live TranscribePartly: Downloaded languages only; Android 12+ for more than EnglishOn Pixel and select phones with Android 12 or later you can download several languages (e.g. English, French) for offline use; on Android 8 to 11, English only. Offline transcription turns on automatically. Google does not list which languages can be downloaded. Source: Use Live Transcribe (Google) |
| 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) | Live TranscribeNot statedNeither Google's help page nor the Play listing describes showing who is talking. Google's 2019 launch post listed speaker separation as possible future work. Sources: Use Live Transcribe (Google), Google Play listing, Real-time Continuous Transcription with Live Transcribe (… (Google Research) |
| 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) | Live TranscribeNot statedGoogle's help page describes no translation between spoken languages. The only translation is sign-to-text (ASL into English text, see signLanguage). Source: Use Live Transcribe (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. | Live TranscribeYes: Optional, kept 3 days on the phoneTranscription history is optional and kept for up to three days, then deleted automatically. The Play listing says transcripts are not saved by default; the help page says that with history off they are deleted after 24 hours. Sources: Google Play listing, Use Live Transcribe (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) | Live TranscribeNot statedGoogle's help page and Play listing describe live captions only, no transcription of audio or video files. Sources: Use Live Transcribe (Google), Google Play 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) | Live TranscribeNot statedNo AI summaries or notes are described on Google's help page or Play listing. Sources: Use Live Transcribe (Google), Google Play listing |
| 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) | Live TranscribeYes: Custom words; vibrate when your name is saidYou can add uncommon words or names so they are transcribed, and set the phone to vibrate when a chosen word or name is spoken. Sources: Use Live Transcribe (Google), Google Play 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) | Live TranscribeYes: Text size (slider or pinch)Text size changes with a slider or by pinching; on foldables the outer screen has its own font size. Google's help page mentions no colour, font or theme options. Source: Use Live Transcribe (Google) |
| Alerts for soundsDoorbells, alarms and a baby crying, as a notification. | Captio AINoCaptio AI captions speech; it does not alert you to non-speech sounds. Source: Live Captions (Captio AI) | Live TranscribeYes: Sound Notifications: alarms, baby, doorbell, moreSound Notifications (same app) alerts you by vibration or camera flash to sounds such as smoke alarms, sirens, a baby crying, a dog barking, knocking, a doorbell, appliance beeps, a landline ringing and running water; you can add custom appliance sounds and review the last 12 hours. Live Transcribe also labels sounds like laughing or music in the transcript. Google's 2020 post and android.com say alerts can also go to a smartwatch (Wear OS). Sources: Sound Notifications: Get notified about important sounds… (Google), Google Play listing, Use Live Transcribe (Google), Important household sounds become more accessible (Oct 8,… (Google (The Keyword blog)), Android Audio Accessibility Tools & Features (Google (android.com)) |
| Sign languageSome deaf people prefer sign language to text. | Captio AINoCaptio AI works with speech and text only. Source: Live Captions (Captio AI) | Live TranscribePartly: ASL to English text (sign-to-text), Pixel 11Sign-to-text uses the front camera to turn American Sign Language into English text inside Live Transcribe. Google's Gboard help lists a Pixel 11 as a requirement; it sends body key points, not video, to Google's server. Sources: Use Live Transcribe (Google), Here's how to use sign-to-text translation on Pixel 11 (A… (Google (The Keyword blog)), Use sign-to-text to translate American Sign Language (ASL… (Google), Google Play 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 | Live TranscribeYes: Online mode uses Google's cloud; audio not storedWithout a downloaded offline language it needs the internet; Google's 2019 post says it relies on cloud speech recognition. The Play listing says audio is not stored after processing, transcripts are stored encrypted in the app, and Data safety lists voice recordings collected for app functionality and analytics, no sharing with third parties, and no way to request deletion. Sound Notifications keeps all audio on the device. Whether audio is used to train AI is not stated. Sources: Real-time Continuous Transcription with Live Transcribe (… (Google Research), Use Live Transcribe (Google), Google Play listing, Google Play privacy policy, Sound Notifications: Get notified about important sounds… (Google) |
| 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) | Live TranscribeYes: Free, no in-app purchases listedGoogle Play lists the app at a price of 0 USD with no in-app purchases; Google launched it as a free Android service. Sources: Google Play listing, Real-time Continuous Transcription with Live Transcribe (… (Google Research) |
| 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 | Live TranscribeNo paid planGoogle Play lists no price and no in-app purchases (US listing). Source: Google Play listing |
What actually sets them apart
Does Live Transcribe work on iPhone?
No. Google makes Live Transcribe for Android, and it needs Android 12 or later on Google Play. Captio AI runs on iPhone and Android, so it also works when someone in the family has the other kind of phone.
Sources: Google Play listing, Use Live Transcribe (Google), App Store search (Apple), Apple App Store listing, Google Play listing
Which one works without internet?
Live Transcribe. On Pixel and select phones with Android 12 or later you can download languages and caption offline. Captio AI needs a connection for live captions; without one it keeps recording and transcribes when the phone is back online.
Sources: Use Live Transcribe (Google), Apple App Store listing, Live Captions (Captio AI)
Which one shows who is talking?
Captio AI labels each speaker in live captions and saved recordings, and on iPhone can show the names of people whose voices you saved. Google's help page and Play listing don't describe speaker labels for Live Transcribe.
Sources: Apple App Store listing, Live Captions (Captio AI), Use Live Transcribe (Google), Google Play listing, Real-time Continuous Transcription with Live Transcribe (… (Google Research)
Can either one translate a conversation?
Captio AI translates speech live, next to the original captions, with a two-way mode. Google doesn't describe translating speech in Live Transcribe; its translation feature turns American Sign Language into English text on a Pixel 11.
Sources: Apple App Store listing, Live Translator (Captio AI), Use Live Transcribe (Google), Here's how to use sign-to-text translation on Pixel 11 (A… (Google (The Keyword blog)), Use sign-to-text to translate American Sign Language (ASL… (Google), Google Play listing
What happens to the transcript afterwards?
Live Transcribe can keep transcription history on the phone for up to three days if you turn it on. 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: Google Play listing, Use Live Transcribe (Google), Apple App Store listing, Captio AI privacy policy, AI Summary (Captio AI)
What does each one cost?
Live Transcribe is free, with no in-app purchases. 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: Google Play listing, Apple App Store listing, Captio AI for AI assistants (llms.txt)
Where each one wins
Where Live Transcribe is the better choice
It costs nothing and has no daily limit.
Sources: Google Play listing, Real-time Continuous Transcription with Live Transcribe (… (Google Research)
It captions without internet in downloaded languages on Android 12 or later.
Source: Use Live Transcribe (Google)
Sound Notifications, in the same app, alerts you to smoke alarms, a doorbell, a baby crying and more. Captio AI has no sound alerts.
Sources: Sound Notifications: Get notified about important sounds… (Google), Google Play listing, Use Live Transcribe (Google), Important household sounds become more accessible (Oct 8,… (Google (The Keyword blog)), Android Audio Accessibility Tools & Features (Google (android.com))
It is already installed on Pixel and select other Android phones.
Sources: Use Live Transcribe (Google), Use Live Caption and Live Transcribe on your Galaxy device (Samsung (US)), Google Play listing, Android Audio Accessibility Tools & Features (Google (android.com))
Google lists more languages: over 80 languages and dialects, against Captio AI's 60+.
Sources: Google Play listing, Real-time Continuous Transcription with Live Transcribe (… (Google Research), Use Live Transcribe (Google), Apple App Store listing, Live Captions (Captio AI)
Where Captio AI is the better choice
It runs on iPhone as well as Android.
Sources: Apple App Store listing, Google Play listing
It labels who is talking, and on iPhone can show their names.
Sources: Apple App Store listing, Live Captions (Captio AI)
It translates conversations live.
Sources: Apple App Store listing, Live Translator (Captio AI)
It keeps recordings with their audio, transcribes files, and writes summaries and to-dos.
Sources: Apple App Store listing, Captio AI privacy policy, Audio Transcription (Captio AI), AI Summary (Captio AI)
On iPhone it keeps captioning with the screen locked.
Source: Apple App Store listing
Try Captio AI free
It depends on where you are
A doctor's appointment with weak signal
On Android, download the language first and Live Transcribe keeps captioning when the signal drops.
Captions for this situationA family dinner or a group
Captio AI labels each speaker, so you can see who said what at the table.
Captions for this situationA team meeting you need notes from
Captio AI keeps the recording and turns it into a summary, key points and to-dos.
Captions for this situationTravelling abroad
Captio AI translates the conversation live. If captions in the local language are enough and you may lose signal, Live Transcribe on Android.
Captions for this situationHearing the doorbell or a smoke alarm
Live Transcribe's Sound Notifications alerts you by vibration or flash. Captio AI only captions speech.
You have an iPhone
Live Transcribe isn't available on iPhone. Captio AI, or Apple's built-in Live Captions, caption 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
Is there a Live Transcribe app for iPhone?
No. Google offers Live Transcribe for Android only, and its Google Play listing needs Android 12 or later. On iPhone, Apple's built-in Live Captions and apps such as Captio AI caption speech in the room.
Does Live Transcribe work offline?
Yes, in languages you download, on Pixel and select phones with Android 12 or later. Google's help page says older phones with Android 8 to 11 can only use English offline. Captio AI needs internet for live captions; without it, it keeps recording and transcribes when the phone is back online.
Does Live Transcribe show who is speaking at a family dinner or in a meeting?
Google's help page and Play listing don't describe speaker labels for Live Transcribe. Captio AI labels each speaker (Speaker 1, Speaker 2) and, on iPhone, can show the names of people whose voices you saved.
Can Live Transcribe translate a Spanish conversation into English?
Google doesn't describe translating speech in Live Transcribe; you can pick a primary and a secondary language for the captions. Captio AI translates conversations live and shows the translation next to the original captions.
How long does Live Transcribe keep transcripts?
Saving is optional. With history on, Google keeps transcripts on the phone for up to three days and then deletes them. Captio AI saves each recording with its audio in a library synced to your account.
Is Captio AI free like Live Transcribe?
Partly. Captio AI's free plan gives 100 free credits a day for live captions or transcription and 3 AI summaries in total. Captio AI Plus removes the limits for US$14.99 a month or US$79.99 a year on the US App Store (October 2026). Live Transcribe is free with no in-app purchases.
Which one is better for a doctor's appointment?
Both let you add words, such as names or medical terms, so they are recognised. Live Transcribe can work without signal if the language is downloaded. Captio AI keeps the recording, so you can read the appointment again and turn it into a summary or to-dos.
Does either app caption phone calls?
Neither is described for phone calls. On Android, Google's separate Live Caption feature captions calls on Pixel and selected phones. Captio AI is made for speech in the room around you, not for calls.
Try Captio AI
Free to start, iPhone and Android
Download for free
More comparisons
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.
Captio AI vs Android Live Caption
Android's built-in feature that captions speech in audio playing on the phone, such as videos, podcasts and calls, processed 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
- Live TranslatorCaptio AI, checked 28 October 2026
- Privacy PolicyCaptio AI, checked 28 October 2026
- Audio TranscriptionCaptio 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
Live Transcribe
- Live Transcribe & Notification - Apps on Google Play (US listing)Google Play, checked 28 October 2026
- Use Live Transcribe - Android Accessibility HelpGoogle, checked 28 October 2026
- App Store search results for "live transcribe" (US store)Apple, checked 28 October 2026
- Android Audio Accessibility Tools & FeaturesGoogle (android.com), checked 28 October 2026
- Real-time Continuous Transcription with Live Transcribe (Feb 4, 2019)Google Research, checked 28 October 2026
- Sound Notifications: Get notified about important sounds around you - Android Accessibility HelpGoogle, checked 28 October 2026
- Important household sounds become more accessible (Oct 8, 2020)Google (The Keyword blog), checked 28 October 2026
- Here's how to use sign-to-text translation on Pixel 11 (Aug 21, 2026)Google (The Keyword blog), 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
- Data safety: Live Transcribe & Notification (Google Play)Google Play, checked 28 October 2026
- Use Live Caption and Live Transcribe on your Galaxy deviceSamsung (US), 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.