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Real-Time Captioning Software for Live Streams

Zero-latency captions powered by our industry-leading speech AI — appearing on screen in under 500ms. Supports 125+ languages, OBS browser source, Twitch, YouTube, and Kick. Real-time captioning built for streamers.

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Why Latency Is Everything in Real-Time Captioning

Real-time captioning is only as good as its latency. A captioning tool that delivers text 2-3 seconds after you speak destroys the viewer experience — captions that lag behind the speaker's words are harder to read than no captions at all. Viewers mentally disconnect when the text doesn't match what they're hearing (or in the case of deaf viewers, what they're watching).

StreamTranslate delivers captions in under 500 milliseconds — fast enough to feel synchronous. This is achieved through our industry-leading speech AI's streaming API, which processes audio in real-time chunks rather than waiting for sentence completion. The result is captions that flow naturally with your speech, keeping viewers engaged and informed without cognitive dissonance.

The difference between 200ms and 2000ms is the difference between professional captions and a distraction. StreamTranslate competes with enterprise CART (Communication Access Realtime Translation) services at a fraction of the price — and without needing a human transcriptionist.

Sub-500ms Latency

Captions appear before you've finished your sentence. our industry-leading speech AI's streaming transcription is the fastest ASR pipeline available for live content.

125+ Language Support

Real-time transcription in your language, real-time translation to 125+ others. One stream, every audience, simultaneously.

No Post-Processing Needed

Every word is final in real time. No correction passes, no review queues, no delays — your captions are live and accurate the moment they appear.

Real-Time Captioning vs Offline Captioning Software

Offline captioning software — tools like Maestra, Descript, or Premiere Pro's auto-captions — works on pre-recorded video files. These tools can take multiple passes through the audio, use longer context windows, and apply post-processing to boost accuracy. They're great for edited videos, but they're physically incapable of running during a live stream.

Real-time captioning software like StreamTranslate makes different trade-offs: it must be fast above all else, with accuracy achieved through purpose-built streaming models rather than multi-pass processing. our industry-leading speech AI's streaming architecture is specifically designed for this constraint — it maintains over 95% accuracy at live-stream latency, which is a genuinely difficult engineering feat.

Setting Up Real-Time Captioning for OBS

StreamTranslate integrates with OBS through a browser source — no plugins required. Create your account, configure your source language and any translation targets, and copy your browser source URL. In OBS Studio, add a Browser Source, paste the URL, and position your captions wherever you want them on screen. Your real-time captioning is live.

StreamTranslate also works with vMix, Streamlabs, XSplit, and any other software that supports browser sources. The same URL works everywhere. View our pricing plans or follow the setup guide to get started in minutes.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is real-time captioning software?

Real-time captioning software converts spoken audio to text during a live event or stream, with captions appearing in under 500ms. StreamTranslate is built specifically for live streaming use cases.

How fast is real-time captioning?

StreamTranslate delivers captions in under 500ms — fast enough to feel synchronous with the speaker. This is critical for live streams where a 2-second delay breaks the viewer experience.

Does real-time captioning software support 125 languages?

Yes. StreamTranslate transcribes in your source language and translates captions into 125+ languages simultaneously, all in real time.

What is the most accurate real-time captioning software?

StreamTranslate using our industry-leading speech AI is consistently the most accurate real-time captioning solution for live streams, outperforming Google and AWS on conversational gaming audio.

Is real-time captioning software expensive?

StreamTranslate is priced for individual streamers and small teams, starting at just a few dollars per month. Check our pricing page for current plans.

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