---
title: "Conversation captions: speech to large text, free | Speecho"
description: "Free live captions for a face-to-face conversation: put a phone, tablet or laptop on the table and read what is said in large text. Chrome, Edge and Safari, 30 languages, no account."
canonical: "https://speecho.app/tools/conversation-captions/"
language: "en"
publisher: "Speecho"
---
Free tools

# Conversation captions

Put a phone, tablet or laptop between you and the person you are talking to. What is said appears in **large text** you can read from across the table. Free, no account, nothing to install.

Updated October 2026

> Interactive tool: it runs in the browser at <https://speecho.app/tools/conversation-captions/>

## A caption screen for talking in person

Hearing aids struggle in a busy café, a clinic counter has glass in the way, a relative speaks too quietly: sometimes reading is easier than listening. This page turns any device with a browser into a caption screen. Pick the language, press start and put the device where the speaker’s voice reaches it. Each phrase appears in large text, the newest one brightest, and you can make the letters bigger, switch to black on white or yellow on black, and fill the whole screen.

It is free because the browser does the listening: the same speech recognizer that powers voice search. That also sets its limits. It needs a pause to finish a phrase, it stops by itself after a long silence (the page starts it again), and you cannot teach it the names and terms you use. For a family dinner, a quick question at a counter or a chat with a neighbour it is usually enough. For a lecture, a meeting or anything with two languages, [live subtitles in Speecho](https://speecho.app/live-subtitles/) are the better tool.

## What this page does not do

- Translate. It writes the language that is spoken. For two people who speak different languages there is the [conversation translator](https://speecho.app/conversation-translator/).
- Tell voices apart. One microphone, one stream of text; you change the colour by hand with “Next speaker”.
- Send the text to other screens. Everyone reads the same device. [Live subtitles](https://speecho.app/live-subtitles/) give your audience a link to follow on their own phones.
- Keep a transcript. Nothing is saved. To keep what you say, use [voice typing](https://speecho.app/tools/voice-typing/); for a recording, [transcribe the file](https://my.speecho.app/transcribe?from=conversation-captions-file).
- Work offline, or in Firefox. Chrome and Edge need an internet connection to recognise speech.

## Conversation captions - FAQ

**Is this free?**

Yes. The recognition is done by your browser’s built-in speech service, so it costs us nothing to offer. There is no account, no time limit on our side and nothing to install.

**Who is it for?**

Anyone who would rather read than strain to hear: people who are deaf or hard of hearing talking with family, a patient and a receptionist, a customer at a counter, a student and a tutor. One device sits between you and shows what is said.

**Where does the audio go?**

To your browser’s speech service, not to Speecho. Chrome sends it to Google and Edge to Microsoft. Safari uses Apple’s recognition, on the device where the device supports it. This page saves nothing: the text lives on the screen until you clear it or close the tab.

**Why did the captions stop?**

Browsers end a listening session after a pause or a spell of silence. The page restarts it straight away, which can cost a word or two. If it stops for good, check the microphone permission and the internet connection: Chrome and Edge recognise speech online.

**Can it show two people in different colours?**

Yes, by hand. A single microphone cannot tell voices apart, so press “Next speaker” when the other person starts talking and their lines appear in a second colour. A reply can also be typed and shown in the same large text.

**Does it translate?**

No. It writes the language you picked. For two people who speak different languages Speecho has a conversation translator, and its live subtitles can translate for a whole room.

**How is this different from live subtitles in Speecho?**

This page is a single screen that uses the browser’s recognizer: free, one language, nothing shared. Live subtitles run on Speecho’s own recognition in 60 languages, translate into 60, work in Firefox too and give viewers a link to follow on their own devices. They are billed by the second, with 15 free minutes to try.