SonicMeet: Live Captions and Translation Without a Bot in the Call

Product overview

SonicMeet is a real-time captioning and translation tool for multilingual meetings, positioned by its maker as live bilingual captions and accurate translation for Google Meet, Zoom and Microsoft Teams. Its main differentiator is how it gets the audio: no bot joins your call. Instead, SonicMeet captures audio on your own computer — the Chrome/Edge extension listens to the meeting tab, while the Windows/Mac desktop app captures system audio. As a result, other participants never see a “bot is joining” notice, and captions stay on your screen unless you share your screen or send a shared-captions link. According to the official documentation, SonicMeet comes in two forms that share one account and one subscription. The browser extension installs in Chrome, Edge and Brave (all three from the Chrome Web Store; Edge asks once to allow extensions from other stores) and covers Google Meet plus Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Webex, Slack huddles and any other meeting running in a browser tab. The desktop app, for Windows 10/11 and macOS 14.2 or later, captures whatever audio plays on the computer: the Zoom, Teams, Webex, GoTo Meeting, Slack, Discord, Tencent Meeting, Lark and DingTalk desktop clients, plus webinars, recorded courses and videos. The official docs state there is no Linux desktop version; Linux users are directed to the extension. On features, SonicMeet offers sub-second bilingual captions across 60+ languages, with a switch between original only, bilingual and translation only. It has two translation modes: Instant keeps latency ultra-low for live back-and-forth, while Accurate waits for the full sentence and translates it with a stronger reasoning model and more context — a few seconds slower but noticeably better on technical terms and natural phrasing. The official page says you can switch anytime on every plan. Also included: tap any caption line to save it as a note, freeform notes, an automatically saved full transcript history you can search and export, post-meeting AI summaries covering key decisions, action items and takeaways, auto-stop after five minutes of silence so a forgotten tab does not burn minutes, and sharing live captions by link or QR code — viewers need no install and no account, up to 100 people can follow one link, an optional 6-digit password can be required, and your own microphone can be included in the captions. The sharing economics are documented in unusual detail. Sharing does not use extra minutes by itself: the original audio, your own caption language and one added language cost nothing extra. Only when two added languages are being read at the same time does the rate go to 1× extra (2 minutes per minute), with each further added language someone reads adding another 1×. On the Free plan you can add only one language, so sharing never costs extra there. Pausing uses no minutes; if minutes run out, captions pause for you and everyone reading, and you can add hours and resume on the same link within 10 minutes. On pricing, the official homepage lists Free ($0, a one-time 20 minutes and 3 AI credits), Starter at $10/month (5 hours, 20 AI credits), Pro at $20/month (15 hours, 60 AI credits), Power at $39/month (40 hours, 200 AI credits) and Ultra at $79/month (90 hours, 500 AI credits), with yearly billing marked as saving 17%. A team plan starts at two seats at $25/month per seat, with a shared pool of hours and AI credits, optional 50-hour units at $60/month each, and a 14-day money-back guarantee. These figures come from the official page text and may change; confirm on the official checkout page before buying. Enterprise quotes, regional tax treatment and other pricing details not covered by the official sources are unverified. On privacy, the official site states that audio recordings are not stored and that transcripts, translations, notes and summaries are processed only to provide features such as live captions, history, review and summaries. SonicMeet is built by Ethan Hu, a software engineer working in a country where the main language is not his native one, who says he uses it daily. Overall, SonicMeet suits individuals and teams who want cross-language captions without introducing a bot or disturbing other participants; it is not presented as a meeting-recording or compliance-archiving product, and no such capability is claimed in the official material.

Core features

• No bot in the call: the extension reads the meeting tab's audio and the desktop app captures system audio, so nothing joins the call and captions stay on your screen by default.
• Real-time bilingual captions in 60+ languages, described as sub-second, with original-only, bilingual and translation-only display modes.
• Two translation modes: Instant for ultra-low latency in live back-and-forth, and Accurate, which waits for the full sentence and uses a stronger reasoning model with more context; switchable on every plan.
• Notes and full transcripts: tap any caption line to save it as a note, add freeform notes, and keep an automatically saved, searchable and exportable transcript history.
• AI meeting summaries and Ask AI: a post-call recap of key decisions, action items and takeaways, plus questions about the meeting (consumes AI credits).
• Share live captions by link or QR code: viewers need no install or account, can pick from offered languages, an optional 6-digit password, and your microphone can be included; up to 100 viewers per link.
• Auto-stop after 5 minutes of silence, and pausing uses no minutes.
• Two surfaces: the Chrome/Edge/Brave extension for browser meetings, and the Windows 10/11 and macOS 14.2+ app for Zoom/Teams desktop clients and any system audio.

Use cases

• Fast-paced English meetings: follow native speakers in real time with bilingual captions.
• Cross-language team standups: participants hear the original audio while reading captions in their own language.
• Note-taking without context switching: tap caption lines to save key statements alongside freeform notes.
• Post-meeting review: use the saved transcript and AI summary to recover decisions and action items.
• Training sessions or workshops with mixed-language audiences: send a shared-captions link or QR code so attendees read in their own language.
• Users who join from the Zoom or Teams desktop client: add captions through the Windows/Mac app.

How to use

• Install and sign in: add SonicMeet from the official download page to Chrome, Edge or Brave (Edge asks once to allow extensions from other stores), pin the icon, and sign in with Google. New accounts get 20 free minutes of live captions and 3 AI credits.
• Open the meeting and set languages: open the meeting in a browser tab (Google Meet, Zoom, Teams and others). Auto Detect works well as the source language; choosing the main spoken language can improve accuracy. Turn on translation and pick a target language if you need translated captions.
• Start captions: click Start captions on this tab. The caption panel opens on the meeting page and captions usually arrive within a second or two.
• Adjust display and mode: switch between Original, Bilingual and Translation in the top bar, and choose Instant or Accurate translation. A compact caption bar reduces how much of the meeting is covered.
• Take notes and ask questions: tap caption lines to save notes or add freeform notes, and use the AI panel to summarize the meeting so far or ask about it.
• Share captions (optional): click Share captions, choose the languages viewers can read, whether to include your microphone, and whether to require a 6-digit password, then copy the link or show the QR code.
• Review afterwards: stopping saves the session to your history, where you can read the transcript, notes and AI summary, search them and export as needed.
• For desktop-client meetings: if you join in the Zoom or Teams desktop app, install SonicMeet for Windows or Mac, sign in with the same account, and start captions from system audio.

Pricing

The official homepage lists: Free at $0 (a one-time 20 minutes of live captions and 3 AI credits); Starter at $10/month (5 hours/month, 20 AI credits/month); Pro at $20/month (15 hours/month, 60 AI credits/month); Power at $39/month (40 hours/month, 200 AI credits/month); Ultra at $79/month (90 hours/month, 500 AI credits/month); yearly billing is marked as saving 17%. The team plan starts at two seats at $25/month per seat, each seat adding 15 hours and 60 AI credits to one shared pool, with optional 50-hour units at $60/month each and a 14-day money-back guarantee. All figures come from official page text and may change; confirm current prices, taxes and checkout details on the official site. Enterprise quotes, regional variations and other pricing details not covered by the official sources are unverified.

Pros

• No bot joins the call, so there is no “bot is joining” notice, and captions are visible only to you by default.
• The extension and desktop app together cover browser meetings and Zoom/Teams desktop clients under one account and subscription.
• 60+ languages, bilingual captions and Instant/Accurate modes balance real-time speed against terminology accuracy.
• Shared-caption links require no install or account for viewers, support QR codes and passwords, and suit mixed-language audiences.
• Transcripts, notes, AI summaries and auto-stop form a complete in-meeting and post-meeting workflow.
• The official site states audio recordings are not stored and that transcripts and related data are processed only to provide the features.

Limitations

• There is no Linux desktop app; Linux users are limited to the browser extension and cannot caption Zoom/Teams desktop clients.
• The extension only hears a browser tab, so desktop-client meetings require the Windows/Mac app.
• Billing is by meeting hours, so heavy users need higher tiers, and AI summaries and Ask AI consume separate AI credits.
• Shared captions are capped at 100 simultaneous viewers; more requires contacting the vendor.
• The official material does not describe offline mode, meeting recording archives or compliance/audit features; those needs are unverified.
• Accurate mode is a few seconds slower, which may not suit scenarios demanding zero latency.

FAQ

Sources

Live Captions & Translation for Meetings | SonicMeet Fetched 2026-11-09

Get started with the SonicMeet browser extension Fetched 2026-11-09

Share Live Captions With a Link | SonicMeet Fetched 2026-11-09

Help Center — SonicMeet Fetched 2026-11-09