Live captions in your language, on any call
See what others say on Zoom, Meet or Teams in your language, translated on your Mac while Koi records the call. macOS 26 or later, nothing sent to translate.
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What JotMe does, and what it costs
JotMe shows live translated captions on your calls, with no bot joining. It has desktop apps for Mac (Apple silicon and Intel) and Windows, a Chrome extension for Google Meet, and iPhone and Android apps for conversations in person. It names Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, Webex and LINE, and adds speaker-labelled transcripts, AI meeting notes in each person's language, recordings and file transcription. Its site says 200+ languages, and its FAQ adds that the fast mode currently offers 13 target languages.
From JotMe's pricing page:
- Free: 20 minutes of live translation a month, 50 minutes of transcription without translation, the last 5 recordings kept.
- Pro: $20 a month, or $10 a month billed yearly at $120, with 200 minutes of live translation a month.
- Premium: $30 a month, or $15 a month billed yearly at $180, with 500 minutes of live translation a month.
- Teams from $60 a month, or $30 billed yearly; Enterprise on request.
People look for an alternative when:
- The minutes run out: 200 a month is about three hours of calls.
- They'd rather the call's audio didn't go to a service at all. JotMe's policy says it keeps your data until you ask to delete it.
- Their call app already has translated captions on the plan they pay for.
- They only need to understand the others, not share captions with the whole meeting.
We make Koi, one of the options below, so read this with that in mind. Facts about the others come from their own sites and help pages, checked October 21, 2026. We didn't test translation quality.
The list
6 JotMe alternatives for live translated captions
1. Koi
Best for: Captions in your language on any call, translated on your Mac
While Koi records a call, what the others say shows at the bottom of your screen in your language, with the words as they were said underneath. Apple's Translation does it on your Mac as each stretch is written down, so nothing is sent anywhere to translate it, and the captions never show in a screen you share. It works with Zoom, Meet, Teams or any call app, because it comes from your Mac, not the call's plan, and there are no minutes to count: recorded calls are unlimited on every plan.
When the call ends you have its page: the audio or a video of the screen, and the transcript as You and Them. Say yes for a summary, your to-dos and a follow-up email, which sends the transcript's words, never the sound, to Koi's AI. For calls in your second language, “Coach how I speak” adds a few things you said, put more naturally.
The limits, plainly: Koi's captions need macOS 26 or later, run only while Koi records the call, and translate the others, not your own voice. They're for you alone: no sharing by link or QR code, no phone app for in-person talks, and no speaker names beyond You and Them. Koi is Mac only. Pro is $20 a month or $192 a year after a 3-day trial that needs a card, or Lifetime from $59, paid once.
2. FaceTime Live Translation
Best for: One-on-one FaceTime calls, built into macOS
During a FaceTime video call, click More, then Live Translation, and the other person's words show as captions in your language. It comes with Apple Intelligence, for one-on-one calls, in English, French, German, Italian, Portuguese (Brazil), Spanish (Spain), Chinese, Japanese and Korean. No extra cost.
The weakness: FaceTime only, one-on-one only, and Apple notes usage limits may apply.
3. Zoom translated captions
Best for: Zoom meetings on a Business Plus or Enterprise account
Zoom translates captions itself when the account has Zoom Workplace Business Plus, Enterprise Essentials, Enterprise Plus or Enterprise Premier, or the Translated Captions add-on. Its help page lists 36 fully supported languages, and participants can turn captions on and pick a language themselves.
The weakness: it depends on the meeting's account, not yours, and only works in Zoom.
4. Google Meet translated captions
Best for: Meet calls on an eligible Workspace edition
Meet's translated captions are on Business Standard, Business Plus, Enterprise Standard and Enterprise Plus, and Google AI Pro for Education, with 69 languages to translate to or from. In the meeting: More options, Settings, Captions, set the meeting's language, turn on Translated captions and pick yours.
The weakness: Meet only, and Google says it's still rolling out. More in our guide to recording Google Meet on a Mac.
5. Teams live translated captions
Best for: Teams meetings with Teams Premium
Teams translates captions with Teams Premium or an eligible add-on license. If the organizer has one, everyone in the meeting can use them; otherwise only licensed people see the Translate to option.
The weakness: Teams only, and Teams doesn't save captions; Microsoft says caption data is deleted when the meeting ends.
6. macOS Live Captions
Best for: Captions of any app's sound, in the language spoken
Live Captions in System Settings, Accessibility, captions the sound from every app, a Zoom or Teams call included, on Apple silicon, processed on your Mac.
The weakness: Apple's guide describes captions in the language being spoken, not a translation, so it helps with fast or unclear speech, not with another language.
How to
How to get translated captions with Koi
- In Koi's Settings, open the Koi tab, and under Calls and meetings turn on Live captions in my language.
- Pick the language you want. If it isn't on your Mac yet, download it there; until then, captions show the words as said.
- On the call, tap Fn + ⌃ and pick Online call, or choose Record an Online Call in the menu bar.
- Give Koi Screen Recording when you set it up, so it can hear the other side of the call.
Try it on a short call before one that matters: the translation is Apple's. Our guide to live translated captions on a Mac walks through each built-in option step by step.
Comparison
JotMe vs the alternatives at a glance
From each company's own pages. “Not listed” means they don't say.
| Call apps | Translated where | Limit | Shares captions | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| JotMe | Zoom, Meet, Teams, Webex and more | Not listed; data kept until deleted | 200 minutes a month on Pro | Yes, link or QR code | $20 a month, $10 yearly |
| Koi | Any, while Koi records | On your Mac | None | No, just for you | $20 a month, or Lifetime from $59 |
| FaceTime | FaceTime, one-on-one | Apple Intelligence | Usage limits may apply | No | Built in |
| Zoom | Zoom | Zoom | Not listed | Each person picks | Business Plus and up, or add-on |
| Google Meet | Meet | Not listed | Each person picks | Eligible Workspace editions | |
| Teams | Teams | Microsoft | Not listed | Each licensed person | Teams Premium or add-on |
Privacy
Where does the call's audio go?
JotMe says it captures audio on your computer, encrypts data in transit and at rest, and doesn't use meeting content to train models without consent. Its policy also says it keeps your data until you ask to delete it. Its site doesn't say the translation happens on your computer.
Koi's captions work differently: the speech is written down by the model on your Mac, and Apple's Translation translates it there too. Nothing is sent to translate it. The transcript and the audio or video stay on your Mac until you delete them. The only thing that leaves is the transcript's words, if you say yes to notes. Koi doesn't announce itself to the call, so tell people you're recording; many places require it.
Free
Is there a free JotMe alternative?
JotMe's own free plan gives 20 minutes of live translation a month. FaceTime's Live Translation is built into macOS for one-on-one calls on Macs with Apple Intelligence. If your company already pays for Zoom Business Plus, an eligible Workspace edition or Teams Premium, translated captions may already be in your call app. Koi isn't free: Pro starts with a 3-day trial that needs a card, and captions come with every plan, with no minutes counted.
Before you switch
What to check before leaving JotMe
- Check your macOS. Koi's captions need macOS 26 or later; FaceTime's Live Translation needs Apple Intelligence.
- Check your language. Koi uses Apple's Translation, downloaded on your Mac, so try your language pair on a short call first.
- Check who needs the captions. Koi's are for you alone. If the whole meeting needs them, JotMe's sharing or the call app's own captions fit better.
- Export what you want to keep from JotMe. Its policy says your data stays until you ask to delete it.
Both ways
Captions for you, or translation for everyone?
Two different needs hide behind “live translation”. One is understanding: you follow a call in a language you read better than you hear. Koi, FaceTime and each person's captions in Zoom, Meet and Teams do that. The other is a shared meeting: everyone, in several languages, following everyone else. JotMe's link and QR sharing, and the call apps' own captions, are built for that. Pick by which one you have.
After the call
What you keep once the call ends
JotMe writes AI meeting notes in each person's language and keeps your recordings: the last 5 on Free, the last 20 on Pro, all of them on Premium. Koi keeps everything on your Mac, with no count: each call becomes a page with the audio or a video of the screen and the transcript as You and Them. Say yes to notes and Koi writes a title, a short summary, your to-dos as checkboxes and a follow-up email. Teams doesn't save captions at all; with Koi, the transcript is what you keep.
For more on recording, see recording a Zoom meeting on a Mac.
Languages
How many languages each one covers
JotMe says 200+ languages, with 13 target languages in its fast mode for now. Google lists 69 for Meet's translated captions. Zoom lists 36 fully supported languages, plus a few with limited support. FaceTime's Live Translation covers English, French, German, Italian, Portuguese (Brazil), Spanish (Spain), Chinese, Japanese and Korean. Koi uses Apple's Translation on your Mac, so it covers the languages Apple offers there; you pick one in Settings and download it if it isn't on your Mac yet.
Fair is fair
When JotMe is still the better pick
Stay on JotMe if
- You want to share translated captions with the whole meeting, by link or QR code.
- You need translated speech for in-person conversations on your phone.
- You're on Windows, or on a Mac older than macOS 26.
- You want AI notes written in each person's language.
Choosing
Which JotMe alternative should you pick?
- Captions in your language on any call, translated on your Mac, no minutes? Koi.
- One-on-one FaceTime calls? FaceTime Live Translation.
- Your company already pays for Zoom Business Plus, Workspace or Teams Premium? Use the call app's own captions.
- Same-language captions for any app, free? macOS Live Captions.
See Koi's plans, or how Koi records calls.
Keep exploring
How to get live translated captions on a Mac
How to get live translated captions on a Mac: FaceTime's Live Translation, the translated captions in Zoom, Meet and Teams, and captions translated on your Mac.
DeepL alternatives for translating documents
DeepL alternatives for translating PDFs and Word files on a Mac: Koi, Google Translate, Microsoft Word, Reverso, DocTranslator and macOS Translate, compared.
Yoodli alternatives for speaking practice
Yoodli alternatives: Orai and PowerPoint Speaker Coach for practice, Teams Speaker Coach for meetings, and Koi's narrower coach for second-language calls.
Support
Frequently asked questions
Free gives 20 minutes of live translation a month. Pro is $20 a month, or $10 billed yearly, with 200 minutes, and Premium $30, or $15 yearly, with 500 minutes.
No. JotMe says no bot joins your call; it captures the audio on your computer. Koi works the same way, from your Mac.
No. Koi's captions translate what the others say, for you to read. They don't show in a screen you share and aren't sent to anyone.
Macs on macOS 26 or later, with Screen Recording allowed for Koi and your language downloaded for Apple's Translation.
FaceTime's Live Translation is built in for one-on-one calls on Macs with Apple Intelligence. JotMe's free plan has 20 minutes a month. Koi isn't free, but captions come with every plan.