Zip Captions

What is Zip Captions?

Zip Captions is a live captioning tool that runs in your web browser. Speak into a microphone and captions appear on screen, which helps presenters, teachers and event hosts make speech accessible. The standard engine uses the browser's speech recognition, and an optional AI Captions engine based on Microsoft's Azure AI Speech to Text service is more accurate but is limited to paying subscribers on Patreon. Live Translation can translate captions into 17 languages on your own device using Chrome's built-in language models, so translated text is not sent to a third-party server. You can share captions through broadcast streams, show them in full screen or Picture in Picture, connect to OBS Studio, and save transcripts. Recognition covers 11 languages. The site says it has no hidden fees and no agreements to sign, and the AI Captions pricing is on Patreon, so check there for current amounts.

Use cases

• Show live captions during a presentation
• Caption a classroom lesson
• Translate captions for a multilingual audience
• Add captions to a live stream in OBS
• Save a transcript of a session
• Broadcast captions to viewers' phones

Who it's for

• Teachers
• Presenters
• Event organizers
• Streamers

Why use Zip Captions

• The basic captioning runs in the browser with no hidden fees or agreements to sign.
• Translation runs on your device, so translated text is not sent to an outside service.
• Viewers on phones and tablets can read translated captions through a broadcast stream.
• OBS Studio support makes it usable for live streams.
• You can switch between the free browser engine and the AI engine in settings.

Zip Captions features

• Live captions in the browser
• Optional AI Captions engine using Azure AI Speech
• Live Translation into 17 languages
• Split bilingual, translated-only and original-only layouts
• Broadcast streams with viewing on other devices
• Picture in Picture and full screen views
• OBS Studio integration
• Transcript creation and editing
• Recognition in 11 languages with dialect choices

Zip Captions integrations

• OBS Studio
• Microsoft Azure AI Speech

How to get started with Zip Captions

1. Open Zip Captions in a supported browser and allow microphone access.
2. Choose your spoken language and, if you subscribe, switch the engine to Azure Cognitive Services in settings.
3. Start the microphone and captions appear as you speak.
4. Turn on Live Translation, pick a target language and choose a display layout.
5. Share a broadcast stream or send captions to OBS Studio, and save a transcript if you need one.

Zip Captions limitations

• AI Captions are only for paying subscribers on Patreon
• On-device translation needs desktop Chrome 138 or later, or Edge 148 or later
• Speech recognition may still process audio in the cloud depending on the engine
• Saved transcripts store the original spoken text only

Zip Captions pricing

Yes, Zip Captions has a free plan.

Prices can change and may vary by country or exclude tax. Check the official pricing page.

Zip Captions alternatives

The main Zip Captions alternatives listed on Debuly are Otter.ai, Rev, Verbit, Echo Labs, Talkscriber and Transgate. The table compares pricing and platforms; order is A–Z.

1. EL

   Echo Labs

   AI captions and audio description for college and university video libraries, with 24-hour turnaround and LMS connections.

   Audio and voiceVideoProductivity
   PaidVisit Echo Labs (official site)
2. 

   Otter.ai

   AI meeting assistant that joins Zoom, Teams and Meet to record, transcribe and summarize calls with action items and AI chat.

   ProductivityAudio and voiceAutomation and agents
   FreemiumVisit Otter.ai (official site)
3. 

   Rev

   Transcription and investigative platform for legal and case work, with AI transcripts, multi-file analysis and human-verified services.

   Audio and voiceProductivityResearch and search
   FreemiumVisit Rev (official site)
4. 

   Talkscriber

   Voice AI platform with speech-to-text and text-to-speech APIs, plus Omnix, a live co-pilot for insurance and financial sales calls.

   Audio and voiceAutomation and agentsProductivity
   FreemiumVisit Talkscriber (official site)
5. 

   Transgate

   AI transcription and translation for audio and video in 50+ languages, with summaries, highlights and chat, sold by the hour or month.

   Audio and voiceProductivity
   PaidVisit Transgate (official site)
6. 

   Verbit

   Verbit offers AI-based transcription, live and recorded captioning, audio description, translation and dubbing for legal, education, media and business teams.

   Audio and voiceProductivity
   Contact salesVisit Verbit (official site)

Zip Captions FAQ

Sources & verification

Facts on this page come from the official sources below, each with the date we read it. Written by Debuly; the vendor did not review this page.

Image credits

• Logo: from zipcaptions.app · fetched 24 Oct 2026 · Vendor trademark, used only to identify the product; removed on request
• Cover: none collected yet, so a generated tile is shown.

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