Captio AI vs Pedius
Pedius lets deaf people phone anyone in Italy; Captio AI captions the people in the room. Free minutes, prices, partner services and when to use each.
Facts checked on each company's own pages. How we compare
The short answer
Pick Pedius when you need to phone someone in Italy: you type or speak, a synthetic voice reads your words, and the reply appears as text, with 20 free minutes a month and free calls to partner services such as the Civil Protection contact centre. Pick Captio AI for the people in front of you, at the pharmacy, at the lunch table or in class, with speaker labels, live translation and saved transcripts. They do different jobs: Captio AI doesn't caption phone calls, and the Pedius app doesn't caption the room.
Choose Pedius if
you need to make phone calls from Italy, want unlimited calls for about €30 a year, or want to reach the Civil Protection contact centre, the Bank of Italy or AXA roadside assistance for free.
Choose Captio AI if
you want to follow conversations in the room in Italian or 60+ other languages, see who is talking (by name on iPhone), read sounds like a doorbell in the captions, and keep transcripts you can turn into notes.
Captio AI vs Pedius, feature by feature
Tap any fact to see the details and the page it comes from.
| Feature |  Captio AICaptio AI |  PediusPedius srl |
|---|---|---|
| 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) |  PediusYes, outgoing; incoming with a paid numberYou type (read out by a synthetic voice) or speak, and the other person's words appear as text in real time; if a sentence is unclear the app shows alternatives, and an R button asks them to repeat. The basic app only makes calls; a personal number for incoming calls costs extra, and otherwise the person sees Pedius's switchboard number. Sources: Pedius website (Italy), Google Play listing, Pedius help (Italian), Italian App Store listing (Apple App Store) |
| 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) | PediusPartly: Not in the call app; Pedius Education for classesThe Pedius app is for phone calls. A separate service, Pedius Education, captions lessons in universities and schools: the student gets a tablet and a Bluetooth microphone for the teacher, arranged through a demo request. Companies can add live captions for training courses. Sources: Pedius Education, Pedius workplace inclusion, Pedius website (Italy) |
| 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) | PediusYes: 20 free minutes a month; partner services freeEvery user gets 20 free minutes a month to any landline or mobile, added on the 1st and not carried over. Calls to the partner services listed in the app are free. Sources: Pedius plans and prices, Google Play listing, Pedius help (English), Pedius website (Italy) |
| 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 | PediusYes: €5.99 per 100 min, €29.99/year unlimitedItalian App Store, November 2026: 100 Premium minutes €5.99, Pedius Unlimited annual €29.99 (the list also shows other variants). pedius.org lists €5 per 100 minutes (valid a year) and €30 a year, by PayPal or card; TIM customers can pay €0.50 a week from phone credit. A business number for incoming calls starts at €30 a month. Sources: Italian App Store listing (Apple App Store), Pedius plans and prices |
| Free through a government programmeSome services are paid for by public programmes for eligible users. | Captio AINoNo government funding programme; see captioai.app/organizations for licences through an organisation. Source: Captio AI for organizations | PediusPartly: Free calls to partner services, e.g. Civil ProtectionPedius's pages describe no public scheme that pays users' minutes. Instead, public bodies and companies pay to be reachable for free: the Civil Protection Department's contact centre (800 840 840) since October 2020, the Bank of Italy's toll-free number, AXA Assistance roadside help, BNL card blocking and TIM's 119 and 187 lines. Sources: Civil Protection Department: contact centre (Dipartimento della Protezione Civile), Civil Protection Department news, 26 October 2020 (Dipartimento della Protezione Civile), Bank of Italy: tools for deaf citizens (Banca d'Italia), Pedius and AXA Assistance (roadside help), Pedius and BNL (banking), Pedius and TIM (customer service), Pedius plans and prices |
| 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 | PediusYes: Calls to 12 countries, made in ItalyPedius's help pages list calls to Italy, the UK, Ireland, France, Spain, Austria, the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong and Brazil (the offer page leaves out Hong Kong). Emergency numbers aren't supported, except where a town made its local police control room reachable through Pedius. Sources: Pedius help (Italian), Pedius help (English), Pedius plans and prices |
| 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) | PediusPartly: Call language selectable; list not statedYou pick the language of each call in Settings or on the call screen, but Pedius doesn't list which languages it captions. The app is in Italian, Arabic, Simplified and Traditional Chinese, English, French, German, Portuguese and Spanish. Sources: Pedius help (Italian), Pedius help (English), Italian App Store listing (Apple App Store) |
| Human captionersA person checking the captions, for when every word matters. | Captio AINoCaptions are automatic. Source: Live Captions (Captio AI) | PediusNo, automatic and without intermediariesPedius turns typed text into a synthetic voice and the reply into text with speech recognition. It describes this as calling without intermediaries: no operator joins the call. Sources: Pedius website (Italy), Google Play listing, Civil Protection Department news, 26 October 2020 (Dipartimento della Protezione Civile) |
| Sign languageSome deaf people prefer sign language to text. | Captio AINoCaptio AI works with speech and text only. Source: Live Captions (Captio AI) | PediusNot statedPedius's pages describe calls by typing or by your own voice; they don't mention Italian Sign Language (LIS). |
| 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) | PediusNot statedA call has one other person; Pedius's pages don't say whether conference calls or Pedius Education show who is talking. |
| 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) | PediusNot statedNot on Pedius's pages. |
| 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) | PediusNot statedNot on Pedius's pages. |
| 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) | PediusPartly: Workplace alarm alerts (business add-on)For companies, Pedius can send visual alarm notifications to a deaf employee's phone in an emergency, and business numbers make phones vibrate and flash on an incoming call. Recognising sounds such as a doorbell isn't mentioned. Source: Pedius workplace inclusion |
| 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) | PediusPartly: Only in Pedius Education (lessons)In Pedius Education, foreign students can read a lesson's transcript in their own language through automatic translation. The call app's pages don't mention translation. Source: Pedius Education |
| 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. | PediusNo, calls aren't savedFor privacy, Pedius says conversations can't be saved; you can select and copy single messages. Pedius Education does keep lessons, in folders per course. Sources: Pedius help (Italian), Pedius help (English), Pedius Education |
| 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) | PediusNo, calls use 3G, 4G or Wi-FiPedius says it runs on 3G, 4G and Wi-Fi networks; its pages describe no offline mode. Source: Pedius help (Italian) |
| 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 | PediusYes: iPhone, iPad, Android, web browserPedius is on the App Store and Google Play; the App Store also lists Apple silicon Macs and Apple Vision. Its privacy policy describes a web version at web.pedius.org that makes captioned calls with the same contacts. Sources: Italian App Store listing (Apple App Store), Google Play listing, Pedius help (Italian), Pedius privacy policy |
| Account neededSome people want to open the app and start, with no sign-up. | Captio AIPartly: OptionalSign in with Apple or Google to sync, or skip and use it on one phone. Source: Captio AI privacy policy | PediusYes: Google, Facebook, Apple or emailYou register with Google, Facebook or an email address; Sign in with Apple was added in 2020, according to the App Store version history. Sources: Pedius help (Italian), Pedius iPhone and iPad guide, Italian App Store listing (Apple App Store) |
| 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 | PediusYes: Calls run through Pedius's servers; not savedThe app sends the number you call to Pedius's servers (app.pedius.org) to set up the call, and Pedius says conversations can't be saved, for privacy. Where speech recognition runs is not stated. Sources: Pedius privacy policy, Pedius help (Italian) |
What actually sets them apart
Can Pedius caption a conversation in the room?
Not the call app. Pedius is built for phone calls; its separate Pedius Education service captions university and school lessons on a tablet with a Bluetooth microphone handed to the teacher. Captio AI captions the people around you from your own phone's microphone, wherever you are, and doesn't caption phone calls.
Sources: Pedius Education, Pedius workplace inclusion, Pedius website (Italy), Google Play listing, Pedius help (Italian), Italian App Store listing (Apple App Store), Apple App Store listing, Live Captions (Captio AI)
How much does Pedius cost in Italy?
Not much. Every account gets 20 free minutes a month; after that, 100 minutes cost €5.99 and a year of unlimited calls €29.99 on the Italian App Store (November 2026), or €5 and €30 on pedius.org. Set against that €29.99 year, Captio AI Plus was US$79.99 per year (or US$14.99 per month) in the US App Store in October 2026, with no free trial; without paying, you get 100 free credits a day for face-to-face captions.
Sources: Pedius plans and prices, Google Play listing, Pedius help (English), Pedius website (Italy), Italian App Store listing (Apple App Store), Apple App Store listing, Captio AI for AI assistants (llms.txt)
Can I reach 112 or the Civil Protection through Pedius?
Not 112: Pedius says emergency calls aren't supported, except in towns that connected their local police control room to it. The Civil Protection Department's contact centre, 800 840 840, has taken Pedius calls since October 2020 and is free from the app, but it is an information line, not an emergency number. Captio AI makes no calls at all.
Sources: Pedius help (Italian), Pedius help (English), Pedius plans and prices, Civil Protection Department: contact centre (Dipartimento della Protezione Civile), Civil Protection Department news, 26 October 2020 (Dipartimento della Protezione Civile), Live Captions (Captio AI)
Does Pedius keep a record of my calls?
No. For privacy, Pedius doesn't let you save conversations; you can copy single messages. Captio AI keeps every recording with its audio, so you can read a talk again, search it and turn it into a summary or a list of to-dos.
Sources: Pedius help (Italian), Pedius help (English), Pedius Education, Apple App Store listing, Captio AI privacy policy, AI Summary (Captio AI)
Which one shows who is talking at the table?
Captio AI. A Pedius call has one person on the other end, and Pedius's pages don't mention speaker labels. Captio AI splits a group conversation by speaker, and on iPhone it can put real names on those lines for people it knows by voice.
Sources: Pedius website (Italy), Google Play listing, Pedius help (Italian), Italian App Store listing (Apple App Store), Apple App Store listing, Recognize voices (Captio AI) (Captio AI), Live Captions (Captio AI)
Does Pedius work in English or other languages?
Partly. You can change the call language in Settings and call 12 countries, including the UK, Ireland, the US and Brazil, but Pedius doesn't list its call languages; the app itself is in Italian and 8 other languages. Captio AI captions and translates 60+ languages, Italian included.
Sources: Pedius help (Italian), Pedius help (English), Italian App Store listing (Apple App Store), Pedius plans and prices, Apple App Store listing, Live Captions (Captio AI), Captio AI in Italian
Where each one wins
Where Pedius is the better choice
It makes phone calls to any landline or mobile: you type and a synthetic voice reads it out, or you speak, and the reply appears as text. Captio AI doesn't caption calls.
Sources: Pedius website (Italy), Google Play listing, Pedius help (Italian), Italian App Store listing (Apple App Store), Live Captions (Captio AI)
Calls to partner services are free, including the Civil Protection Department's contact centre, the Bank of Italy's toll-free number, AXA roadside assistance and BNL card blocking.
Sources: Civil Protection Department: contact centre (Dipartimento della Protezione Civile), Civil Protection Department news, 26 October 2020 (Dipartimento della Protezione Civile), Bank of Italy: tools for deaf citizens (Banca d'Italia), Pedius and AXA Assistance (roadside help), Pedius and BNL (banking), Pedius and TIM (customer service), Pedius plans and prices
It is cheap if you phone a lot: unlimited calls for €29.99 a year on the Italian App Store, plus 20 free minutes every month for everyone.
Sources: Italian App Store listing (Apple App Store), Pedius plans and prices, Google Play listing, Pedius help (English), Pedius website (Italy)
Companies can give deaf staff their own number for incoming calls, with phones that vibrate and flash, and captioned conference calls; universities can arrange Pedius Education for lessons.
Sources: Pedius workplace inclusion, Pedius Education, Pedius website (Italy)
Where Captio AI is the better choice
It captions the people in the room from your own phone, at a pharmacy counter, a parents' evening or a family lunch, with nothing to set up. Pedius captions the room only through Pedius Education, a service schools arrange.
Sources: Apple App Store listing, Live Captions (Captio AI), Pedius Education, Pedius workplace inclusion, Pedius website (Italy)
Recognize Voices (iPhone): let Nonna talk for about 20 seconds once, and from then on her lines carry her name, during lunch and in the transcript you keep; her voiceprint is made on the iPhone and never uploaded.
Source: Recognize voices (Captio AI) (Captio AI)
Speaker Direction (iPhone 16 and later): lay the phone flat among the plates and the edge of the captions ripples on whichever side the current voice is coming from.
Source: Speaker direction (Captio AI) (Captio AI)
Recognize Sounds (iPhone and iPad): when the palazzo's buzzer goes off mid-conversation, "[doorbell rings]" lands in the transcript at that moment, and alarm sounds such as a smoke detector make the phone buzz while a recording runs.
Source: Recognize sounds (Captio AI) (Captio AI)
It keeps transcripts with audio, translates live between 60+ languages and turns recordings into summaries; Pedius doesn't save calls and translates only in Pedius Education.
Sources: Apple App Store listing, Captio AI privacy policy, Live Translator (Captio AI), AI Summary (Captio AI), Pedius help (Italian), Pedius help (English), Pedius Education
Try Captio AI free
It depends on where you are
Booking a visit with your GP by phone
Pedius places the call: type the request, a synthetic voice reads it, and the receptionist's answer appears as text. Captio AI doesn't caption calls.
Captions for this situationQuestions at the pharmacy counter
Captio AI captions the pharmacist in front of you and saves the conversation, so you can check the dosage again at home. The Pedius app is for calls.
Captions for this situationYour car breaks down on the autostrada
Pedius lists AXA Assistance Italia's roadside service among its partners, free to call from the app to report a fault or ask for a tow. Captio AI can't call anyone.
Sunday lunch with the whole family
When six cousins talk over each other, Captio AI keeps each person's words under their own label, so the cross-talk stays readable. Pedius is built for calls, not for a table.
Captions for this situationLectures at university
Your university can arrange Pedius Education, with a tablet and a microphone for the professor. Captio AI works from your own phone in any class and keeps the lecture for revision.
Captions for this situationClients phoning you at work
Pedius's business plan gives each deaf employee a number for incoming and outgoing calls, from €30 a month. Captio AI is for the meetings you have 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
Is Pedius free in Italy?
Partly. Every account gets 20 free minutes a month to any landline or mobile, added on the 1st and not carried over, and calls to the partner services in the app are free. More minutes cost €5.99 for 100, or €29.99 for a year of unlimited calls, on the Italian App Store (November 2026). Captio AI works differently: each day, in Italy or abroad, you start again with 100 free credits a day to spend on conversations in the room, not on calls.
Can I receive calls with Pedius?
Not with the basic app, which only makes outgoing calls; the person you call sees Pedius's switchboard number. You can buy a personal number for incoming and outgoing calls, and companies can give each deaf employee one from €30 a month. Captio AI doesn't make or receive calls; it captions the people around you.
Can I use Pedius at a doctor's appointment in person?
The Pedius app is built for phone calls, not for the room. Captio AI is built for that moment: it captions the doctor from your phone's microphone, labels who is speaking and saves the visit, so you can reread the instructions at home.
Does Pedius support Italian Sign Language (LIS)?
Its pages don't mention LIS: calls work by typing or with your own voice, through automatic speech recognition and a synthetic voice, with no operator. Captio AI works with speech and text only, so it has no sign language either.
Which countries can I call with Pedius?
Twelve, according to its help pages: Italy, the UK, Ireland, France, Spain, Austria, the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong and Brazil (the offer page lists 11, without Hong Kong). Captio AI isn't tied to a country: it is on the App Store and Google Play worldwide, for conversations in the room.
Can I call 112 with Pedius?
Pedius says emergency calls aren't supported, except in towns that connected their local police control room to it. The Civil Protection contact centre (800 840 840) takes Pedius calls, but it is an information line and doesn't replace 112. Captio AI can't call emergency numbers either.
Does Captio AI caption Italian?
Yes. Captio AI captions Italian conversations live (see captioai.app/italian) and translates between Italian and 60+ other languages. Pedius lets you choose the call language but doesn't list which languages it supports.
Try Captio AI
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More comparisons
Captio AI vs Rogervoice
French app that captions phone calls in real time for deaf and hard of hearing people; since October 2026 it also captions in-person conversations.
Captio AI vs Tolkcontact
Dutch app from the national interpreting service: a sign language interpreter by video, phone calls through KPN Teletolk and 112, paid by health insurance.
Captio AI vs Rylo (formerly Nagish)
US phone-call caption app, free through the FCC for eligible users, with free in-person captions (Live Transcribe) and a desktop app for video calls.
Sources
Every page this comparison uses, with the date we checked it.
Captio AI
- Live CaptionsCaptio AI, checked 28 October 2026
- Live Captions - Captio AI on the App StoreApple App Store, checked 28 October 2026
- Captio AI for AI assistants (llms.txt)Captio AI, checked 28 October 2026
- Captio AI for organizationsCaptio AI, checked 28 October 2026
- Captio AI on Google PlayGoogle Play, 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
- Italian Live Captions & TranscriptionCaptio AI, checked 2 November 2026
Pedius
- Home - PediusPedius, checked 2 November 2026
- Pedius - App su Google PlayGoogle Play, checked 2 November 2026
- AssistenzaPedius, checked 2 November 2026
- Pedius (App Store, Italy)Apple App Store, checked 2 November 2026
- EducationPedius, checked 2 November 2026
- Inclusione lavorativaPedius, checked 2 November 2026
- Offerta – ITPedius, checked 2 November 2026
- Help – UKPedius, checked 2 November 2026
- Service Features (Contact Center)Dipartimento della Protezione Civile, checked 2 November 2026
- Contact Center: available from today a service dedicated to deaf peopleDipartimento della Protezione Civile, checked 2 November 2026
- Strumenti per migliorare la comunicazione dei cittadini sordiBanca d'Italia, checked 2 November 2026
- AXAPedius, checked 2 November 2026
- BNLPedius, checked 2 November 2026
- TIMPedius, checked 2 November 2026
- Privacy Policy di PediusPedius, checked 2 November 2026
- Guida IOS – ITPedius, checked 2 November 2026
Published 2 November 2026. App names and trademarks belong to their owners. This page is not affiliated with or endorsed by the companies it compares.