Free tool

Live transcription &
real-time captions

Speak and watch your words turn into text instantly, right in your browser. Great for live captions, dictation, accessibility and quick notes — no sign-up, no install.

…

How it works

Captions as you speak

1

Allow your microphone

Press Start and grant mic access. Pick your spoken language for the best accuracy.

2

Speak naturally

Your words appear live as you talk, with the in-progress phrase updating in real time.

3

Copy or download

When you're done, copy the transcript or download it as a text file.

Good for

What people use live captions for

Live captions in meetingsAccessibilityDictation & voice typingLectures & talksSubtitling on the flyQuick voice notesPractising a speechLanguage learning

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Is this live transcription private?
No — and we'd rather be upfront about it. Real-time browser transcription uses the Web Speech API, which sends your audio to the browser's cloud speech service (Google's, in Chrome) to convert it to text. The audio leaves your device. If you need privacy, use our on-device Free Transcription tool or the MeetingMemo Mac app instead, both of which keep everything on your machine.
Which browsers support it?
Live speech recognition works in Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge on desktop, and in Safari on recent versions. Firefox does not currently support it. For best results, use Chrome or Edge on a computer with a good microphone.
Is it free? Do I need an account?
Yes, it's completely free, and there's no sign-up. The speech recognition is provided by your browser, so there's nothing for you to install or pay for.
How is this different from your Free Transcription tool?
This live tool captions your microphone in real time, but it relies on the browser's cloud service. Our Free Transcription tool transcribes an audio or video file you drop in, and it runs the Whisper model entirely in your browser — so your audio never leaves your device. Use the live tool for instant captions, and the on-device tool when privacy matters.
Why isn't the transcript perfect?
Accuracy depends on your microphone, background noise, accent and the chosen language. Speaking clearly, reducing background noise and picking the right language all help. Real-time recognition also revises words as it hears more context, so early guesses can change.

About your privacy

Heads up: this one isn't on-device

To transcribe in real time, your browser sends the audio to its own cloud speech service (Google's, in Chrome). It's fast and free, but the audio leaves your device.

This live tool is handy, but it relies on your browser's cloud speech service, so the audio leaves your device. If privacy matters — client calls, sensitive meetings, anything confidential — use our other tools instead. They run the speech model entirely on your machine, so nothing is ever uploaded.

  • Free Transcription — drag in a recording and transcribe it 100% on-device, nothing uploaded.
  • MeetingMemo for Mac — records, transcribes and summarises every meeting privately on your Mac.
Use the private transcriberGet MeetingMemo for Mac