Flagship Live Captioning
Zip Captions
Free, private, browser-based live captioning and real-time speech-to-text transcription for classrooms, churches, conferences, OBS Studio, and vMix.
Key Capabilities
Engineered for effortless accessibility, reliability, and speed.
100% Free and Browser-Based
No subscription, software installation, or sign-up required. Free captioning runs directly in Chrome, Safari, and Edge, while paid AI captioning and Broadcast viewing work in any browser.
Real-Time Broadcaster
Share live captions with remote viewers anywhere in the world using static share codes—viewers can follow along in any browser on their personal devices.
Private Local Browser Storage
Your transcripts stay in your browser and are never saved on external servers. Full privacy for schools, healthcare, and boardrooms.
OBS and Stream Integration
Connect via WebSockets directly into OBS Studio and vMix to overlay captions onto your live streams in real time.
Instant Exporting
Save transcripts instantly formatted as industry-standard SRT, VTT, or plain text files ready for AI summaries and video post-production.
Picture-in-Picture Floating Mode
Pop live captions out into a resizable, always-on-top floating window that stays visible over slides, documents, coding environments, and desktop apps.
Free Real-Time Translation & Dialects
Translate live captions instantaneously in Google Chrome using local On-Device AI at zero cost, alongside support for dozens of languages and optional Azure AI transcription.
Free, Private, and Dignified Captions for Everyone
Zip Captions was created directly out of classroom necessity. Traditional speech-to-text systems are often burdened by rigid licensing fees, complex proprietary hardware, and invasive audio telemetry. We believe that live communication access is a universal right, not a luxury add-on.
Zero Cost Barrier
100% free forever for core live captioning with zero subscriptions or credit card requirements.
Runs in Your Browser
Zero installation needed. Free captioning runs in Chrome, Safari, and Edge; paid AI captioning and Broadcast viewing work in any browser.
Total Privacy
Audio is processed transiently and transcripts are held locally in your browser memory.
Award-Winning Accessibility, Backed by Educators
Celebrated by universities, school boards, and assistive technology consultants worldwide.
2025 Alumni Impact Award
University of Portsmouth Student Impact Awards honored Zip Captions for revolutionizing accessibility in education, aiding over 1,500 users worldwide.
Accessibility Demo Slam
Winning presentation by Katie Fielding (Book Creator) showcasing Lexend font support and dark mode contrast for emerging readers and deaf students.
Student Independence
"For those with hearing loss, it empowers them. This fosters autonomy and independence, so you do not have to ask for help all the time."
: Tracey Green, MOSD
Broadcast Your Captions Anywhere
Broadcasting allows viewers in the same auditorium or across the globe to follow along with your spoken words in real time on their own smartphones, tablets, or laptops.
Viewers can independently customize font sizing, contrast, and layout to fit their unique accessibility needs without altering your main display screen.
Transcribe and Archive Your Words
Whether you need meeting minutes, lecture transcripts, or study notes, Zip Captions creates continuous transcripts stored securely in local browser memory.
When your session finishes, download your transcription in standard subtitle formats (SRT, VTT) or plain text with one click, or export into AI tools like ChatGPT or NotebookLM for instant study summaries.
Native Live Streaming with OBS Studio
Integrate directly with OBS Studio using WebSockets. Captions appear automatically on your live stream output with zero latency.
Reach deaf and hard-of-hearing viewers on Twitch, YouTube Live, and social streams effortlessly, with full support for hardware switchers via Bitfocus Companion.
How Zip Captions Compares to Traditional Live Captioning
| Capability | Zip Captions | Paid Cloud Captioning SaaS | Hardware Caption Encoders |
|---|---|---|---|
| Core Live Captioning Cost | 100% Free Forever ($0) | Per-minute or high monthly seat fees | Thousands in upfront hardware costs |
| Browser Support | Free captioning in Chrome, Safari & Edge; Paid AI & viewing in any browser (Zero install) | Account registration & desktop agents | Dedicated SDI/HDMI rack integration |
| Personal Device Broadcasting | Built-in room codes with user font/contrast controls | Often locked to enterprise tiers | In-room screen display only |
| OBS Studio, vMix & Stream Deck | Native WebSockets, vMix Connector & Companion | Requires paid API keys or plugins | Hardware SDI closed captions only |
| Transcript Privacy | Held locally in browser memory (GDPR friendly) | Stored on third-party cloud servers | Varies by vendor |
Zip Captions Does Even More
- Choose a dialect to get more accurate captioning
- Choose from our AI powered captioning engine to get even better results
- Change the layout to make it suit your needs
- Caption in many languages
Explore How Different Sectors Use Zip Captions
Each guide includes practical setup steps, YouTube video walkthroughs, and free printable posters, pew cards, and checklists.
Education & Classrooms
Chromebook desk broadcast, Lexend font, on-device translation, classroom posters, and desk cards.
Places of Worship
Sanctuary screens, smartphone reading in the pews, welcome posters, pew cards, and AV checklists.
Healthcare & Clinics
Private local-browser captions for reception check-in and consultations with counter tent cards.
Live Events & Conferences
Attendee QR code phone relays, stage monitors, door posters, table cards, and pre-show slides.
Public Sector & Seniors
Town halls, public libraries, and senior centers with extra-large-print handouts and SRT/TXT exports.
Broadcast & Streaming
OBS WebSockets, vMix Titles, Twitch chat, Stream Deck buttons, and studio control room cheat sheets.
At a Glance
Good to know before you start
Works directly in your web browser on laptops, phones, and tablets with zero software to install.
Free captioning: Chrome, Safari, and Edge. Paid AI captioning & Broadcast/QR viewing: Any browser (including Firefox, Brave, and Opera).
Connects via WebSockets straight into OBS Studio, vMix, and digital video switchers.
Download complete transcripts whenever you finish as industry-standard SRT, VTT, or plain text files.
Solving Real Classroom, Venue & Production Hurdles
Real-World Questions & Practical Answers
My laptop's built-in microphone misses words in a noisy classroom, church sanctuary, or auditorium. How do I get accurate captions from across the room?
A laptop's internal microphone is designed for someone sitting 18 inches away, so room echo and background chatter will degrade any speech-to-text tool. In a classroom, clipping on an inexpensive wireless lapel (lavalier) mic or routing your existing Phonak Roger / classroom audio system into the laptop transforms accuracy immediately. In a church sanctuary or auditorium, send an Aux or Line-Out feed of the speaker's isolated vocal mic from your soundboard into your laptop via a simple USB audio interface so Zip Captions hears only the speaker's voice, not the band or crowd.
Our school board IT department blocks software downloads and refuses to sign vendor student-data agreements. Can teachers still use Zip Captions?
Yes. Zip Captions runs 100% inside standard web browsers (Chrome, Safari, and Edge for free captioning; any browser for viewing or paid AI captioning) with zero software or MSI packages to install, requires zero student accounts or logins, and never saves audio or transcripts on external servers. Your live transcript exists only in your local browser RAM and vanishes the moment you close the tab—allowing teachers to use it immediately under strict Quebec Law 25, FIPPA, FERPA, and GDPR privacy rules.
When I present Google Slides or PowerPoint in full-screen on a projector or SMART Board, it covers up my browser tab. How do I keep live captions visible on top?
Click the Picture-in-Picture (PiP) icon inside the Zip Captions toolbar before starting your slideshow. That pops your live captions out into a resizable, always-on-top floating window that hovers cleanly above full-screen PowerPoint, Google Slides, PDFs, or videos. You can also use our free ZipPanel Chrome extension for persistent tab overlays.
Hard-of-hearing or ESL students often hate sitting in the front row or using bulky assistive gear that singles them out. How does Broadcast mode help?
Instead of isolating a student at the front of the room, write your permanent Broadcast Room Code (or display the QR code) on the board. Any student can discreetly open the live caption stream in any browser on their own Chromebook, tablet, or phone from any desk, adjust text size, switch on the Lexend dyslexia-friendly font, or turn on free Chrome On-Device AI translation into their home language without changing the main classroom screen.
We used WebCaptioner before it shut down, and our AV booth is run by rotating volunteers. Do we have to generate a new room link or reconfigure OBS/vMix every week?
No. Unlike meeting tools that create a new link for every session, Zip Captions gives you a permanent, static Broadcast Room Code. You print your QR code pew cards or lobby signs once, configure your OBS WebSocket or free Zip vMix Title bridge once, and every Sunday or event day your volunteer simply opens zipcaptions.app and clicks Start.
When do we need the optional paid AI tiers ($5–$30/mo) instead of $0 Free Forever captioning?
For everyday one-on-one conversations, quiet classrooms, and clear lapel-mic setups in Chrome, Safari, or Edge, $0 Regular free captioning works great with unlimited hours. Upgrade to an optional Patreon AI tier ($5/mo for 5 hrs, $15/mo for 10 hrs, or $30/mo for 25 hrs) when you need Azure AI cloud transcription for strong regional accents, technical or liturgical vocabulary, reverberant halls, or capturing captions in other browsers (such as Firefox, Brave, or Opera). Viewing shared Broadcast or QR streams works for free in any browser.
Experience effortless live captioning
Start captioning your classroom, meeting, church service, or livestream in seconds with no setup required.