Mac live captions

Live captions for calls, videos, and Mac audio.

NotchLive captions spoken audio on your Mac. Use it for Zoom, Google Meet, Teams, browser audio, webinars, videos, lectures, podcasts, and microphone speech without adding a meeting bot.

Live captions are free forever. Translation, session history, Voice Notes, export, and Meeting Intelligence require Pro.

Person watching a lecture on a Mac with NotchLive live captions
Live captions for Mac audio Caption calls, videos, browser audio, and microphone speech without adding a meeting bot.
Mac audio captions Caption system audio, microphone speech, or both, depending on the source you choose.
No meeting bot NotchLive stays on your Mac instead of joining Zoom, Meet, or Teams as another participant.
Free captions forever Start with unlimited live captions, then upgrade once for translation, history, export, and notes.
Works beyond one app Use it for calls, browser audio, videos, lectures, webinars, podcasts, and microphone speech.

Caption the audio already playing on your Mac.

Built-in captions and app captions are useful. The problem is coverage. A meeting app, browser video, podcast, webinar, and microphone conversation can each behave differently.

NotchLive is built for the gap between those tools: a private caption layer for the audio you are already listening to on your Mac.

Meetings and calls

Follow Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, customer calls, interviews, and remote training sessions.

Videos and browser audio

Caption spoken content from browsers, course videos, livestreams, podcasts, and recorded material.

Microphone speech

Use mic mode for in-person conversations, classes, practice sessions, and quick speech-to-text workflows.

Use it without changing the app you are in.

NotchLive works at the Mac audio layer, so it can help with the calls, videos, browsers, and audio sources you already use instead of asking everyone to move into a new meeting workspace.

Zoom Google Meet Microsoft Teams Browser audio YouTube Podcasts Lectures Microphone speech

Apple Live Captions, app captions, and NotchLive

Option Best for Limits
Apple Live Captions Built-in accessibility support on supported Macs. Availability and behavior can vary by macOS version, language, region, and audio context.
App captions Zoom, Meet, Teams, YouTube, or other app-specific caption features. Captions usually stay inside that app and may depend on host settings, browser support, or platform features.
NotchLive A Mac-wide caption layer for calls, videos, browser audio, and microphone speech. Requires Mac audio permissions and local model setup. Translation depends on supported macOS and language features.

Boundary: NotchLive is not trying to replace every built-in caption feature. It is for the moments when you need captions for Mac audio itself, not only for one app that decided to support captions.

How NotchLive Mac live captions work

Step What happens Why it matters
1. Choose audio Pick system audio, microphone audio, or both, depending on what you need to follow. You can use the caption layer with existing Mac apps and audio sources.
2. Caption speech Whisper AI speech recognition runs on-device after the model is downloaded. NotchLive does not need to upload meeting audio to its own cloud transcription service.
3. Keep reading Captions stay close to your Mac workspace instead of becoming another meeting participant. You can follow the conversation privately without changing the call setup.
4. Save or translate Pro can keep session transcripts, translate supported captions, export text, and turn speech into Voice Notes. Use the output for personal follow-up notes when saving or exporting is appropriate.

Useful when app captions are not enough.

Messy meeting audio

Use captions when speakers talk quickly, microphones are uneven, or you want a private text layer beside the call.

Videos without good subtitles

Caption lessons, tutorials, webinars, demos, and browser audio when built-in subtitles are missing or hard to use.

Second-language listening

Use captions and translation as a safety net for accents, technical terms, noisy audio, or rapid speech.

More Mac caption guides

Guide Use it when
Real-time subtitles on Mac You want a broader setup guide for subtitles and live caption options.
Hearing accessibility captions You want private captions for calls, classes, videos, and everyday listening.
Caption Zoom calls on Mac You want Zoom caption options without adding a meeting bot.
Live translation for Mac audio You need translated captions for calls, videos, or microphone speech.

Frequently asked questions

Does Mac have built-in live captions?

Apple provides Live Captions on supported Macs and macOS versions. They are useful, but coverage can depend on language, region, macOS support, and audio context. NotchLive is built as a separate Mac caption layer for calls, videos, browser audio, and microphone speech.

Can NotchLive caption Zoom, Meet, and Teams calls?

Yes. NotchLive can caption Mac audio from calls, including Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, and similar apps, depending on the audio source you select and the permissions you grant.

Does NotchLive join my meeting?

No. NotchLive runs on your Mac and captions the audio you choose. It does not join calls as a meeting bot.

Can NotchLive caption videos and browser audio?

Yes. NotchLive can be used for browser audio, videos, webinars, lectures, podcasts, and other Mac audio sources.

Does NotchLive translate captions?

NotchLive Pro supports live translation where macOS and language support are available.

Is NotchLive free?

NotchLive includes free live captions. Pro is a one-time purchase for translation, saved sessions, exports, voice notes, and Meeting Intelligence.

Try private live captions on your Mac.

Start with free live captions. Upgrade once if you need translation, saved transcripts, Voice Notes, export, and Meeting Intelligence.