Chrome Live Caption
Built-in Chrome feature that captions any audio playing in the browser, on-device.
Built-in Chrome feature that captions any audio playing in the browser, on-device.
Best for anyone who wants automatic captions on YouTube, podcasts, calls, or any tab audio without installing an extension. Pricing: free.
What it is
Live Caption is a Chrome / ChromeOS feature that generates captions for any audio playing on the device, fully on-device. Toggle from chrome://settings/accessibility. Works on YouTube, podcasts, WebRTC calls, and local media. Captions are not transcribed-to-file; this is a real-time accessibility overlay, not a transcription product.
Watch out for: English-only on most platforms; captions are not saved; small floating overlay only; on-device model is smaller than cloud equivalents.
Install / use
chrome://settings/accessibility -> Live CaptionFeatures
| Speaker diarization | No |
| Word-level timestamps | No |
| Streaming / real-time | Yes |
| Languages supported | 1 |
| HIPAA eligible | No |
Chrome Live Caption vs Whipscribe
| Feature | Chrome Live Caption | Whipscribe |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Products | Transcription APIs |
| Pricing | free | free beta |
| Speaker diarization | No | Yes |
| Word timestamps | No | Yes |
| Streaming | Yes | No |
| Languages | 1 | 99 |
| Platforms | Chrome, ChromeOS, Windows, macOS, Linux | Web, API, MCP |
Alternatives to Chrome Live Caption
Whipscribe is a managed faster-whisper + whisperX service. If you want transcripts without running infrastructure, paste a URL or drop a file in the form below — you'll have a transcript in seconds.