Captio AI vs Vosual
Captio AI vs Vosual (ボジュアル), the free one-button Japanese app that replaces written notes: Android, offline use, saved talks, ads, languages and price.
Facts checked on each company's own pages. How we compare
The short answer
Pick Vosual if you want a free app with one button, on an iPhone or iPad as old as iOS 12, to stop writing notes (筆談) with a hard-of-hearing parent or a customer who speaks Japanese. Pick Captio AI if someone uses Android, the conversation isn't only in Japanese, you want each speaker labelled (and named by voice on iPhone), or you want to keep the conversation and read it again later.
Choose Vosual if
you want the plainest possible screen for short Japanese conversations with an older relative or a customer, for free, on an iPhone or iPad, even an old one.
Choose Captio AI if
Someone in the family has an Android phone, you talk in more than Japanese, you want to see who said what at the table, or you want a hospital or work conversation saved with its audio.
Captio AI vs Vosual, feature by feature
Tap any fact to see the details and the page it comes from.
| Feature |  Captio AICaptio AI |  VosualBarrierBreak |
|---|---|---|
| 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 |  VosualYes: iPhone, iPad; no AndroidVosual is an iPhone and iPad app. The App Store also lets it run on Apple silicon Macs and Apple Vision Pro as an iPad app, noting it is not verified for macOS. Its website lists iPhone only, and a Google Play search finds no Vosual app. Sources: Vosual website (BarrierBreak), App Store listing (Japan) (Apple App Store), Google Play search |
| 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 | VosualYes: iOS 12 or laterThe App Store lists iOS 12.0 or later for iPhone and iPadOS 12.0 or later for iPad. The website lists iPhone on iOS 12 to iOS 18 and iOS 26. Use without internet needs a device with an A12 Bionic chip or newer. Sources: App Store listing (Japan) (Apple App Store), Vosual website (BarrierBreak), Vosual terms of use (BarrierBreak) |
| 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) | VosualYes, tap one button and speakSpeech picked up by the microphone is turned into text on screen. You start it with a single button (話しかける, "speak"), so children and older people can use it; a setting decides whether voice input ends by itself. Sources: App Store listing (Japan) (Apple App Store), Vosual website (BarrierBreak) |
| 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) | VosualYes: Japanese onlyThe website lists Japanese as the supported language and says more languages are planned. The app's own menus are in Japanese and English. Sources: Vosual website (BarrierBreak), App Store listing (Japan) (Apple App Store) |
| 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) | VosualPartly: iPhones with an A12 chip or newerThe website says Wi-Fi or mobile data is required. The terms say devices with an A12 Bionic chip or newer can also recognise speech offline, possibly less accurately, for people who don't want audio sent to a server. Sources: Vosual website (BarrierBreak), Vosual terms of use (BarrierBreak) |
| 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 | VosualYes: Apple's servers; offline on A12 or newerThe terms say audio is sent to Apple's servers to become text and Apple may use it to improve its engine; Vosual itself does not collect, store or reuse audio or text. On A12 Bionic or newer devices it can work offline. The app shows Google AdMob ads, and its App Store privacy label lists identifiers, usage data and diagnostics that may be used to track you. Sources: Vosual terms of use (BarrierBreak), Vosual privacy policy (BarrierBreak), App Store listing (Japan) (Apple App Store) |
| 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) | VosualYes: Free, with adsFree to download, with no in-app purchases on the Japanese App Store (November 2026). The listing says it contains ads, and the privacy policy names Google AdMob. Usage limits are not described. Sources: App Store listing (Japan) (Apple App Store), App Store data (Japan) (Apple), Vosual privacy policy (BarrierBreak), Vosual website (BarrierBreak) |
| 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 | VosualNo paid planThe Japanese App Store lists the app as free with no in-app purchases (November 2026). Sources: App Store listing (Japan) (Apple App Store), App Store data (Japan) (Apple) |
| 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 | VosualYes: Japanese App StoreListed on the Japanese App Store since November 2017. Apple's store data did not find it in the US, UK, Korean, Taiwanese, Australian or German stores (November 2026). Not on Google Play. Sources: App Store listing (Japan) (Apple App Store), App Store data (Japan) (Apple), Google Play search |
| 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) | VosualYes: Text zoom; text area turns aroundUpdates added enlarging and shrinking the text, correcting text by hand, and turning the text area around (so the person opposite can read it). Colour or contrast options are not described. Source: App Store listing (Japan) (Apple App Store) |
| 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. | VosualNot statedSaving conversations is not described. The terms say Vosual itself does not collect, store or reuse audio or the converted text. |
| 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) | VosualNot statedSharing or exporting text is not described. |
| 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) | VosualNot statedVosual's pages don't describe telling speakers apart. |
| 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) | VosualNot statedRecognising people by their voice is not described. |
| 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) | VosualNot statedShowing where a voice comes from is not described. |
| 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) | VosualNot statedAlerts for sounds like a doorbell or an alarm are not described. |
| 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) | VosualNot statedVosual's pages describe Japanese speech to Japanese text; translation is not described. |
| 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) | VosualNot statedSummaries are not described. |
| 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) | VosualNot statedA word list is not described. A text correction feature lets you fix words on screen. |
What actually sets them apart
Can I install Vosual on an Android phone?
No. BarrierBreak makes Vosual for iPhone and iPad; its website names iPhone only, and searching Google Play for ボジュアル returns nothing. Captio AI can be installed from Google Play as well as from the App Store.
Sources: Vosual website (BarrierBreak), App Store listing (Japan) (Apple App Store), Google Play search, Apple App Store listing, Google Play listing
Can Vosual keep the conversation so I can read it later?
Its pages don't describe saving. Vosual puts the words on screen, and its terms say the app itself doesn't keep audio or text. Captio AI saves each session as a recording with its audio, synced to your account, and shares it as text, a PDF or a link.
Sources: Vosual terms of use (BarrierBreak), Apple App Store listing, Captio AI privacy policy, AI Summary (Captio AI)
Does Vosual work offline, with no Wi-Fi or mobile data?
Only on newer devices. The website lists Wi-Fi or mobile data as required, yet the terms say an iPhone or iPad with an A12 Bionic chip or later can turn speech into text offline, possibly less accurately. Captio AI's Live Captions need a network; in a dead zone Captio AI goes on recording and fills in the transcript once the phone has signal again.
Sources: Vosual website (BarrierBreak), Vosual terms of use (BarrierBreak), Apple App Store listing, Live Captions (Captio AI)
Which languages does Vosual understand?
Japanese only; its website says more languages are planned. Captio AI captions Japanese in kanji, hiragana and katakana and 60+ other languages, and Live Translator shows a translation next to the original.
Sources: Vosual website (BarrierBreak), App Store listing (Japan) (Apple App Store), Captio AI in Japanese, Apple App Store listing, Live Captions (Captio AI), Live Translator (Captio AI)
Where does Vosual send my voice?
To Apple. Because Vosual relies on Apple's speech recognition, its terms say the audio travels to Apple's servers and may help Apple improve its engine; Vosual itself keeps nothing. The app also carries Google AdMob ads. Captio AI asks for your agreement before speech goes to the cloud, doesn't keep that audio on its servers, and never trains AI models on what you say.
Sources: Vosual terms of use (BarrierBreak), Vosual privacy policy (BarrierBreak), App Store listing (Japan) (Apple App Store), Captio AI privacy policy
Can Vosual tell family members apart?
Its pages don't mention it. With Captio AI, one phone in the middle of the kotatsu marks each speaker. Recognize Voices (iPhone) learns a relative's voice once, so their lines read "Grandma" rather than a number, and Speaker Direction on a flat iPhone 16 or newer grows a wave at the edge facing whoever is talking.
Sources: Apple App Store listing, Recognize voices (Captio AI) (Captio AI), Live Captions (Captio AI), Speaker direction (Captio AI) (Captio AI)
Where each one wins
Where Vosual is the better choice
One button and nothing else: its website says children and older people can hold a conversation with a single tap.
Sources: App Store listing (Japan) (Apple App Store), Vosual website (BarrierBreak)
Nothing to buy: the Japanese App Store lists no in-app purchases. Captio AI gives 100 free credits a day before you need Plus.
Sources: App Store listing (Japan) (Apple App Store), App Store data (Japan) (Apple), Vosual privacy policy (BarrierBreak), Vosual website (BarrierBreak), Apple App Store listing, Captio AI for AI assistants (llms.txt)
It installs on iPhones and iPads from iOS 12, so a hand-me-down iPhone still works. Captio AI needs iOS 15.1 or later.
Sources: App Store listing (Japan) (Apple App Store), Vosual website (BarrierBreak), Vosual terms of use (BarrierBreak), Apple App Store listing
On devices with an A12 Bionic chip or newer it can recognise speech offline, so audio doesn't have to leave the phone. Captio AI's Live Captions need internet.
Sources: Vosual website (BarrierBreak), Vosual terms of use (BarrierBreak), Apple App Store listing, Live Captions (Captio AI)
Where Captio AI is the better choice
It runs on Android as well as iPhone and iPad, so a parent with an Android phone can use it too.
Sources: Apple App Store listing, Google Play listing, Vosual website (BarrierBreak), App Store listing (Japan) (Apple App Store), Google Play search
A talk at the ward office or the clinic doesn't vanish: Captio AI files it, audio included, in a library that syncs to your account, AI Summary pulls out key points and to-dos, and a word list teaches it names and medicine names.
Sources: Apple App Store listing, Captio AI privacy policy, AI Summary (Captio AI), Live Captions (Captio AI)
Recognize Voices (iPhone) puts the name of the relative who spoke on each line, and Speaker Direction (iPhone 16 and later) draws a wave on the side of the table the voice comes from.
Sources: Recognize voices (Captio AI) (Captio AI), Speaker direction (Captio AI) (Captio AI), Apple App Store listing, Live Captions (Captio AI)
Live Captions and Live Translator cover 60+ languages, for relatives or customers who speak English, Chinese or Korean.
Sources: Apple App Store listing, Live Captions (Captio AI), Live Translator (Captio AI)
For a parent who lives alone, Recognize Sounds (iPhone and iPad) turns a knock at the door or a smoke alarm heard during a recording into a line in the text and a buzz of the phone. Vosual's pages describe no sound alerts.
Source: Recognize sounds (Captio AI) (Captio AI)
Try Captio AI free
It depends on where you are
A quick chat with a hard-of-hearing grandparent
Vosual opens to one button and needs no setup, which is all a short Japanese chat at home needs instead of pen and paper.
Captions for this situationAn old iPhone passed down to a parent
Vosual installs on iOS 12. Captio AI needs iOS 15.1 or later.
A shop or reception counter in Japan
Vosual is free on a counter iPad, and its website offers it as one way to give the reasonable accommodation Japanese businesses must provide. Captio AI also runs on iPad, with text size and colour settings, when customers speak other languages or you need a record.
A hospital visit you want to read again
Captio AI keeps the appointment with its audio, recognises medicine names you add, and AI Summary lists what the doctor asked you to do.
Captions for this situationGuests from abroad at a ryokan front desk
Vosual listens for Japanese only. Captio AI captions the guest's language and Live Translator shows it in Japanese for the staff.
Captions for this situationA parent with an Android smartphone
Vosual has no Android app. Captio AI is on Google Play.
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 Vosual free, and why does it show ads?
It costs nothing: the Japanese App Store lists no in-app purchases (November 2026), and the app carries Google AdMob ads instead. Captio AI starts free with 100 free credits a day; a year of Captio AI Plus is US$79.99, or US$14.99 by the month (US App Store, October 2026), with no free trial, and other countries see their own prices.
Can I download Vosual outside Japan?
Apple's store data found it only in the Japanese App Store; the US, UK, Korean, Taiwanese, Australian and German stores didn't have it in November 2026. A family in Osaka and a cousin in Seoul or London can all get Captio AI, from the App Store or Google Play.
Can Vosual replace written notes (筆談) with my hard-of-hearing mother?
That is what it was made for: one button turns what you say into Japanese text on the screen. Captio AI's Live Captions also show the words while you are still talking, label each speaker, and can save the conversation so she can read it again later.
Do I need to register before using Vosual?
No sign-up is described; its privacy policy only covers the name and email you give if you contact the developer. Captio AI can also be used without an account on one phone, or with Apple or Google sign-in when you want recordings synced.
Can a shop in Japan use Vosual for reasonable accommodation?
Its website names businesses and shops serving deaf customers as users and links to the rule, in force since 1 April 2024, that businesses must provide reasonable accommodation. It is free and runs on iPad. Captio AI also runs on iPad and adds other languages, translation and saved transcripts; its free plan has 100 free credits a day.
Can Vosual save a hospital conversation for later?
Its pages don't describe saving, and the terms say Vosual itself holds on to neither audio nor text. Captio AI keeps the consultation with its audio, so you can play back what the doctor said, and AI Summary can list the next steps.
Can Vosual translate Japanese into English or Chinese?
Translation isn't described, and Vosual only listens for Japanese. Captio AI's Live Translator puts the English or Chinese version beside the Japanese captions as people talk, and in its two-way mode a Japanese speaker and a visitor each read the other in their own language, across 60+ languages.
Does Vosual show a doorbell or an alarm in the text?
Sound alerts aren't described on its pages. When the doorbell goes during a recording, Captio AI's Recognize Sounds (iPhone and iPad) notes it in the text as [doorbell rings], and it buzzes the phone for alert sounds such as a smoke alarm or a crying baby.
Try Captio AI
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Download for free
More comparisons
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A Japanese app, on the market since 2013, that makes conversations visible: speech recognition and translation shared live to phones, browsers and projectors at lectures, events and offices, with word registration and corporate plans.
Captio AI vs Koetora
A free Japanese two-way conversation aid built on speech research from NICT, a government research institute: speech becomes text one turn at a time, typed text and saved phrases are read aloud, and it works offline on supported phones.
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
- Privacy PolicyCaptio AI, checked 28 October 2026
- Captio AI for AI assistants (llms.txt)Captio AI, checked 28 October 2026
- AI SummaryCaptio 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
- Japanese Live Captions & TranscriptionCaptio AI, checked 2 November 2026
Vosual
- Vosual - AI音声認識 文字起こし (BarrierBreak)BarrierBreak, checked 2 November 2026
- Vosual - AI音声認識 文字起こし (App Store, Japan)Apple App Store, checked 2 November 2026
- Google Play search for "ボジュアル" (Japan)Google Play, checked 2 November 2026
- ご利用規約 (Vosual terms of use)BarrierBreak, checked 2 November 2026
- プライバシーポリシー (Vosual privacy policy)BarrierBreak, checked 2 November 2026
- Vosual - AI音声認識 文字起こし (App Store lookup data, Japan)Apple, 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.