2026 Update: Automatic captioning has changed dramatically since this post was first published in 2020. Several tools listed below no longer exist or have been replaced. I’ve added quick notes throughout to help you choose current options.
Discovering a way to do video captioned calls
A client sent an invitation to a friendly lunch video conference. No pressure. Not mandatory. I decided to try it. At the very least, I could see their faces.
Just before the call, Ann Marie Beebout tells me she’s going to caption the call.
Wait. What?!
She researched it and found a way to do it with Google Slides.
It worked! It wasn’t perfect. I followed the conversation well enough. And even chimed in a couple of times.
Knowing when to speak up in a group video call is hard. I don’t want to interrupt anyone.
One-on-one video calls are best, of course. The more attendees there are, the harder it is to follow, even with live subtitles from an automatic captioning tool.
Automatic captioning guidelines for video calls
None of the free automatic captioning tools is perfect. Still, a couple tend to work better than others.
Live transcription while on a video call is a wholly different experience than simply transcribing a call after the fact. The guidelines for automatically captioning a video call are also different from the captioning guidelines for videos.
Based on my experience as someone who depends on captions to hear, I’ve created these automatic captioning guidelines for video calls.
1. Readability
Readability refers to the ability to read the captions, not the content. It includes size, color format, and scrolling.
- Size: A larger text size works better. Where possible, I placed captions below the video to keep them close to the speaker’s lips
- Format (color): High contrast works best. I use: Background: #242424 and text: #FFFFFD
- Scrolling: Some tools scroll smoothly; others jump or disappear. Smooth scrolling helps tracking.
2. Caption Placement
Most people prefer captions at the bottom of the screen. It keeps captions close to the speaker’s lips, which helps with lipreading.
Placement should be built into the app, not require juggling multiple windows. More and more apps allow you to move the captions. This is the best option because it puts the caption placement in the user’s control. Sometimes people’s cameras have their face on the bottom of the screen. So, it helps to move the captions.
3. Accuracy
Accuracy varies by call quality, volume, and content.
4. Synchronized
Captions should keep up with audio. Some lag is expected, but less is better.
5. Caption flow and movement
Captions should move predictably. Jerky movement makes tracking difficult.
6. Transcript
Saving transcripts matters for important meetings as not everyone is able to take notes while in a meeting.
Important note about microphones
Apps need a microphone to “hear” audio. Desktop computers without built‑in mics require external ones.
Eye contact on video calls
Some worry captions reduce eye contact. In practice, eye contact is rarely direct on video calls anyway. Content matters more.
Managing two apps (video + captions) makes eye contact harder. Built‑in captions solve this.
Portable captions hack
If you must use phone‑based captions, you can clip your phone to your monitor using a binder clip.
Important note about microphones and headsets
Headsets with mics may block audio from reaching captioning apps. Built‑in captioning tools like Google Meet and Microsoft Teams avoid this problem.
The best captioning tools for video calls
Human captioners provide the best accuracy but aren’t feasible for most everyday calls. Automatic captions are the next best option.
Tools covered in this article:
- Google Meet
- Google Slides
- Microsoft Teams
- Otter.ai
- Descript
- Ava
Google Meet (Updated for 2026)
Google Meet includes built‑in automatic captions for video calls. Captions appear at the bottom, include speaker identification, and stay aligned with the video window.
Meet supports captions on desktop, web, and mobile. Transcript availability depends on the meeting host’s settings.
Google Slides (Updated for 2026)
Google Slides includes a captioning feature in presentation mode. Captions appear at the bottom in high contrast and stay synchronized with speech.
Slides does not save transcripts and requires managing two windows during video calls.
Otter.ai (Updated for 2026)
Otter.ai is a transcription tool that can run alongside video calls in a separate browser window. It is not designed as a captioning tool and requires managing multiple windows.
Otter’s accuracy varies by audio quality. Transcripts can be saved.
Descript for transcripts (Updated for 2026)
Descript is a desktop transcription app for recording and editing audio. It is not intended for real‑time captioning during video calls.
Descript can save transcripts and break text into paragraphs.
Ava (Updated for 2026)
Ava is a real‑time speech‑to‑text app available on web, Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android. It supports speaker identification, multiple languages, and transcript saving.
The Windows version includes a floating caption box that stays on top of other applications.
Other apps for automatically captioning video calls
Live Transcribe for Androids
Live Transcribe is available only on Android. A detailed guide is available here.
Microsoft Teams (Updated for 2026)
Teams includes built‑in captions across desktop, web, and mobile. Features include speaker identification, noise suppression, and transcript downloads.
Caption availability depends on meeting policy settings.
Zoom (Updated for 2026)
Zoom offers free automatic captions for all accounts. Captions include speaker identification and can be resized. Transcript saving depends on host settings.
GoToMeeting and Webex
These platforms require third‑party live captioners.
A comparison of automatic caption tools
In 2020, I tested all the apps on the same podcast for consistency. Ratings are on a scale of 1 to 5.
| Product | Readability | Size | Format | Scrolling | Sync | Accuracy | Transcript |
| Google Meet | 4 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | No |
| Google Slides | 4 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 3.5 | No |
| Microsoft Teams | 4 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 4 | No |
| Otter.ai | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3.5 | Yes |
| Descript | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 4 | Yes |
| Ava | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 3 | Yes |
Here is a description of each factor:
- Readability: How easy the captions are to read.
- Size: Caption text size.
- Format: Font, color, background.
- Scrolling: How smoothly captions move.
- Synchronized: How well captions match audio timing.
- Accuracy: How correct the captions are.
- Transcript: Whether you can save the text.
Thanks for creating this. It is so important at this time in the world’s huge reliance upon such tech in response to COVID-19. What I played around with using Google Slides was instead of that start presentation and CC button, I opened a blank/new presentation and then hit Tools>>Voice Type Speaker Notes. Then turned on the mic that appears on the screen and it starts capturing everything. All that text can then be copied/pasted at the end. One problem I encountered while testing this while a Zoom session was running was that the focus needed to be upon the google slide tab in my browser. As soon as I clicked mouse focus on the Zoom window, the recording of text stopped.
Hi Doug, thanks for sharing this workaround. Just tested it and it’s hard to use because the text is small. And then half of the text got replaced by dots. Interestingly enough, when I copy/paste the whole thing — the full text was there. Here’s the screenshot: https://meryl.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/podcast-google-slides-microphone.png
Thanks so much for writing a detailed Cons & Pros for popular video-conference tools.
I will go and try each of these and do a self-usability study myself, and run them by with someone.
Only thing is CC would work if everyone speaks in English. I am from Pakistan and our native language is Urdu. Being deaf by birth and hard of hearing technically, I have to rely on a combination of lip-reading and body gestures to orient towards spoken conversations. Lately I have started using Live Transcribe app after getting an Android phone and finally felt like I was being included among the billions of podcasts and live talks on fb. I will try and think of creative ways to use video-calls and stop being shy. Thank you again!
Thanks for sharing your experience, Khaula. I’m experiencing the same things you do — minus the language option. I just checked the PowerPoint add-in and it has Urdu! But the question is … can you get the add-in? Or do you use a premium version of Office 365?
Ms Translator as a separate app – works better than within Powerpoint and gives you control in meetings online. I set up my phone (join as presenter – so free flowing captioning) and join meetings online on laptop. Have small stand that can sit in laptop without covering screen…
Tried MS Translator and it bombed. Yes, even as presenter. It was more frustrating than useful.
I can’t thank you enough for documenting all of your experiences with such detail, and with video examples, too! This will help me so much to use live captioning to teach ESL listening comprehension.
Thank you, Skip! Wow — this shows how technology can be used in many ways. Love that you shared another benefit — those learning another language.
I have been using the AVA inside the zoom window…AVA “joins” the conversation as a participant. Caption size is adjustable to your liking. There is a setting to hide or show the captions (subtitles). You can save the transcript within zoom…but I prefer to copy/paste it from the AVA website into a word doc, after the meeting is over, as it looks much better. Using the zoom “speaker” view is better so captions are below the speaker. Just another consideration for electronic transcription.(Of course if you pay more, you get better accuracy with a person involved.)
There is a free demo if you go here to sign up on this calendar:
https://calendly.com/pieter-1/30min?month=2020-05
Thanks for sharing your experience, Carolyn. I’ve had AVA for awhile and it’s not very useful as it freaks out and has more mistakes than the other apps.
Have you looked at WebEx or GoToMeeting? Do you know if they are similar to Zoom in that they need a third-party integration to provide live captioning?
Yes. It’s in the “Other Automatic Captioning Apps” section: “As for GoToMeeting and Webex, the only way to caption is with a third-party live captioner.”
Thank you so much for putting this together! I found it IMMENSELY helpful.
Glad to hear it, Alex! It’s comments like this that push me to keep going and updating.
Hi Meryl,
I came across this and it is the most helpful blog I’ve seen on this topic! Thank you!!! I’m trying to support small businesses who don’t often consider the needs of their audience on video calls, and this is great insight for me to share.
Thank you, Liz! I know not everyone works for a company that has the resources to pay some of the options. I hope these help.
Hi Meryl,
Thanks for this review! I’ve sent it to our team. I particularly agree with your comments about lip-reading. From our experience with people who have a severe or profound hearing impairment, the ability to read lips and facial expressions adds considerably to a conversation: You can see those little signs of acknowledgement and non-verbal cues (nods, eyebrow raises, head tilts, smiles and frowns) as they occur.
Full disclosure: Our company Konnekt develops and sells a captioning videophone appliance for those who need a MUCH easier user interface. Although we have users in their 20s to 50s, most of our users are 70 to 95, with the oldest being 103 years old.
Making eye contact (“camera contact”) during video calls is a learned behaviour. I’ve heard of software that corrects your eye gaze to make it look as if you’re watching the other person, but I haven’t yet seen it available as a “video filter” for PCs or tablets/phones. Have you?
John, thank you for the comment and disclosure. I have not seen a filter like that. Camera placement cannot always be in the ideal location. Some use laptops and I learned that some laptops put it on the keyboard instead of up top. Ridiculous. I have a webcam in the middle between my two monitors up top. But I cannot look at it because I need to look at the screen to see people’s faces, my notes, etc. People are forgiving when it comes to camera contact.
Thanks for a well-researched and useful article
Impressive.
Really good work.
Greetings from Germany.
Unfortunately, i cant’ use webcaptionier because new version of google chrome is not supported in the moment. So it will be fixed later. But I can not wait until it is fixed
Now, i finally switch to https://translator.microsoft.com
It’s not the fastest, but very easy to read and in my opinion has the best result for german language.
Thx for the article
Oh, wow! Hopefully, it will get fixed quickly as Webcaptioner only works with Chrome. Thanks for sharing your experience.
What captioner is best if i just want to video-chat with my gf on Facebook Messenger? GF has MS which makes lots of work for her mom, so sometimes her phone dies and stays dead; otherwise audio calls woud be best for me. She’s mostly lying down, and my 72yo fingers have turned on me lately, so typing doesnt last long for either of us.
Charlie, that’s a tough one. If you use FB messenger on Chrome, it has its own captions. That would probably be the easiest.