CaptionKit: CaptionKit is an AI-powered platform that generates real-time captions and multilingual translations for live spoken sessions, built primarily for churches and faith-based services. Pluely: A lightweight open-source desktop AI meeting assistant that captures system audio for live transcription and on-call answers without joining as a visible bot. Which one wins depends on your platform mix, budget, and how hands-off you want notes to be.
How Hosiqo compares and tests toolsFinal recommendation
Shortlist CaptionKit when providing live captions for deaf and hard-of-hearing attendees during services or events matters most, and Pluely when running a privacy-conscious, locally processed meeting helper via ollama matters most. Run both through a week of actual calls to see which suits your workflow.
CaptionKit is an AI-powered platform that generates real-time captions and multilingual translations for live spoken sessions, built primarily for churches and faith-based services.
A lightweight open-source desktop AI meeting assistant that captures system audio for live transcription and on-call answers without joining as a visible bot.
CaptionKit is a browser-based platform that produces live, AI-generated captions and translations during spoken sessions, designed primarily for churches and other faith-based organizations serving deaf, hard-of-hearing, and multilingual audiences. A host starts a captioning session from the web dashboard, and the system transcribes speech in 65+ languages and translates it into 85+ languages, including a bilingual English and Spanish mode. Attendees follow along by joining a shared web link or QR code, or through the free iOS and Android apps; captions can also be displayed on screen as lower-third overlays or full-screen scrolling text. It integrates with common presentation and streaming software including ProPresenter, OBS, vMix, FreeShow, and Worship Extreme, and supports automation via cURL and Bitfocus Companion. Accuracy can be improved with boosted keywords for names and uncommon terms, and the platform records session history. No installation is required, making it suited to live in-person or streamed events where on-screen accessibility and language access matter.
Best suited for
Pluely is an open-source AI meeting assistant created by independent developer Srikanthnani and released in 2025 as a privacy-first, bot-free alternative to commercial in-meeting copilots. Built with Tauri, the app is roughly 10MB and launches quickly, running as an always-on-top overlay on macOS (Apple Silicon and Intel), Windows, and Linux. Rather than sending a participant into your call, Pluely captures system audio and microphone input directly on your device, converts speech to text, and can surface AI responses and notes during a meeting, interview, or presentation. It is bring-your-own-key, so users connect their own provider credentials; it supports a wide range of large language models, including OpenAI, Anthropic Claude, Google Gemini, Grok, Mistral, Cohere, Ollama, and custom endpoints, alongside multiple speech-to-text engines such as Whisper, Deepgram, ElevenLabs, Groq, and Azure. Because it is GPL-licensed and fully inspectable, teams can audit or modify the code, and local model options via Ollama allow processing to stay on the machine. As an indie project it depends on external API keys for most capabilities and is still maturing. Confirm features and any usage policies on the official site. Pricing varies by plan. Check the official website for current pricing.
Best suited for
CaptionKit is a free tier with paid upgrades (freemium); Pluely is a free tier with paid upgrades (freemium). Always confirm current pricing on each vendor's site before buying.
| Feature | CaptionKit | Pluely |
|---|---|---|
| Core capability | Real-time AI speech-to-text captioning in 65+ languages | Bot-free capture of system audio and microphone for live transcription |
| Standout feature | Live translation into 85+ languages, including bilingual English/Spanish mode | Always-on-top overlay app for macOS, Windows, and Linux |
| Team usage | Attendee access via web link, QR code, or free iOS and Android apps | Bring-your-own-key support for many LLMs (OpenAI, Claude, Gemini, Grok, Mistral, Cohere, Ollama, custom) |
| Integrations | On-screen display options (lower-third overlays, full-screen scrolling captions) | Multiple speech-to-text providers (Whisper, Deepgram, ElevenLabs, Groq, Azure, and others) |
| Languages & capture | Integrations with ProPresenter, OBS, vMix, FreeShow, and Worship Extreme | Lightweight (~10MB) and fast to launch |
| Best-fit workflow | Boosted keywords to improve accuracy for names and uncommon terms | Open source under GPL with optional local processing via Ollama |
CaptionKit
Choose CaptionKit if you need providing live captions for deaf and hard-of-hearing attendees during services or events — strengths include browser-based with no installation required for hosts or attendees.
Pluely
Choose Pluely if you need getting live transcription and ai assistance during meetings without a visible bot in the call — strengths include free and open source with fully inspectable code.
CaptionKit
Pluely
It depends on your workflow. CaptionKit is strong for providing live captions for deaf and hard-of-hearing attendees during services or events, while Pluely is strong for getting live transcription and ai assistance during meetings without a visible bot in the call. Both transcribe and summarize meetings.
CaptionKit is a free tier with paid upgrades and Pluely is a free tier with paid upgrades. Check each vendor's pricing page for the latest plans and free-tier limits.
Sure. Running both makes sense when their strengths don't overlap and the budget allows.
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