A record you control
Choose when to record. Audio and transcripts are stored locally, ready for sentence-by-sentence replay and export as M4A, HTML or PDF. No meeting bot needs to join your call.
Private recording & live English captions for MacRead it live.
Read it live.
Keep a private record.
Record calls, lectures and interviews with audio and transcripts saved on your Mac. Follow English speech with live captions you can resize and restyle, including for Deaf and hard-of-hearing users. Revisit important moments by sentence, whenever you need them.
7 days free, no credit card · Apple silicon Mac · macOS 26 or later
- Local audio & transcripts
- Adjustable live captions
- Sentence replay & export
- No bots or audio uploads
RecordKeep audio and transcripts on your own Mac
ReadFollow English speech with adjustable live captions
RevisitReplay a sentence or export the full record
Captions that fit how you read
Follow English speech in a floating window alongside your call or video. Adjust the font, color, background and spacing, and scroll back when you need more time with a line.
Private by design
Speech recognition and translation run on Apple silicon, on your Mac. We never collect, store or analyze your audio, captions or transcripts.
Deaf & hard-of-hearing access
More of the conversation, in view.
When audio is hard to follow, live English captions give you another way into calls, classes and videos. Keep the window where it is comfortable to read, adjust its appearance, and review earlier lines. Deaf and hard-of-hearing users can contact me for a free 1-year license.
Video callsLectures & classroomsLive news & sportsStreaming & movie nightsPodcasts & radioTalks & panels
ImageCaptions across macOSScreenshot / 1440 x 900
Recording & accessibility
Read what's happening. Keep what's important.
Use live captions on their own, or turn on recording when you want audio and a transcript to revisit.
Meetings & interviews
Record the conversation, keep a local transcript and add your own notes. Return to a specific sentence when you need to check a detail, then export the record for reference.
Deaf & hard-of-hearing access
Read English calls, classes and videos in a caption window you can move, resize and restyle. Scroll back to earlier lines without losing your place. Contact me for a free year of access.
Lectures, talks & webinars
Record a webinar through system audio or a lecture through the microphone. Keep the audio and transcript together, replay by sentence, and export HTML or PDF for your notes.
Video & live streams
Add live English captions to videos, news, talks and streams playing on your Mac, including content without built-in captions. Place the window alongside what you are watching.
Calls with personal captions
Keep a readable English transcript beside Zoom, Meet or Teams. Turn on screen-share protection to help keep your caption window out of the shared picture.
A private media archive
Revisit saved courses, interviews and recordings with local transcripts, sentence-level replay and exports. Your records stay on your Mac, ready when you need them.
Coverage
One recording and caption app for your Mac's audio.
Use system audio for English calls, browsers, streams and local media, or switch to the microphone for a lecture or conversation in the room. Live captions work without recording; record when you want to keep a copy.
- System audio in
- Microphone in
- No plug-ins required
- Local files too
Icons illustrate compatible scenarios; trademarks belong to their owners.
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AI-native, local-first
Your recordings belong on your Mac.
Happy Ears is built on Apple's on-device speech recognition and translation. Our servers handle licenses, updates and the crash reports you choose to send — they never see your meetings, your classes, your captions or your transcripts.
- No audio collection
- No caption or transcript storage
- Recognition & translation on device
- Replay, export and delete locally
Local records
Record now. Find the important sentence later.
Turn on recording to save audio and a transcript on your Mac. Replay a specific sentence, add notes, and export M4A audio, HTML or PDF for reference.
- Local M4A recording
- Sentence timeline replay
- Bilingual transcripts
- HTML / PDF / audio export
ImageHistory & exportScreenshot / 960 x 600
Live captions
Live English captions, beside the conversation
Read calls, lectures, streams and local media in a floating window that stays on top. Choose system audio or microphone input, and use captions without having to record.
- System-audio capture
- Microphone input
- No browser extension
- Floating, resizable caption window
ImageLive caption windowScreenshot / 1440 x 900
Reading comfort
Make the words easier to read
Choose the font size, text color, background, opacity and spacing that work for you. Move and resize the window to sit beside your call or video. Screen-share protection helps keep personal captions out of shared screens.
- Multiple caption layouts
- Font, color & background
- Screen-share protection
- One-click copy
ImageAppearance & privacyScreenshot / 960 x 600
Dual-language subtitles
Two languages, one caption window
The original English stays visible while an on-device translation follows sentence by sentence — for family members who read another language, or for the one you're learning.
- English + your language
- Sentence-by-sentence pairing
- On-device translation
- 18+ target languages
VideoDual-language captionsDetail video / 960 x 540
Review & study
More ways to revisit your recordings
Every record includes speech-rate and vocabulary stats. Replay single sentences, loop the hard ones, and look words up in Oxford, Collins or Longman with one click.
- Sentence-level replay
- Speech-rate & word stats
- One-click dictionary lookup
- Favorites & mastered words
ImageReplay & vocabularyScreenshot / 960 x 600
Start with captions. Record when you want to.
Play or join
Open a video, join a call, start a stream — or switch to the microphone for the room you're in.
Read and record
Adjust your live English captions for comfortable reading. Turn on recording if you want to keep the audio and transcript.
Revisit and export
Open the saved record, replay by sentence, add notes, or export audio, HTML or PDF.
Privacy
Your conversations are yours. Full stop.
Happy Ears never collects, stores or analyzes your audio, captions or transcripts. The network is used for licensing, automatic updates, privacy-friendly site analytics and the diagnostics you choose to send.
- On-device Apple AI
- Recordings & transcripts stay local
- Network services never touch audio
- No accounts, no tracking on this site
Try it with your next call or recording.
The free trial, 3-month, 1-year and lifetime licenses include the same full feature set. Only the access period differs. All paid licenses cover 2 Macs, with a one-time payment and no auto-renewal. Prices are in USD; applicable taxes are shown at checkout.
Free Trial
Free7 days, full features
Try every feature free for 7 days. No credit card required.
- Local audio recording & transcripts
- Live captions & adjustable appearance
- Sentence replay & export
- Translation & vocabulary tools
3 Months
$292 Macs
All features for 3 months. Deactivate to switch Macs.
- Local audio recording & transcripts
- Live captions & adjustable appearance
- Sentence replay & export
- Translation & vocabulary tools
1 YearRecommended
$592 Macs
All features for 1 year. Deactivate to switch Macs.
- Local audio recording & transcripts
- Live captions & adjustable appearance
- Sentence replay & export
- Translation & vocabulary tools
Lifetime
$992 Macs
All features, no license expiry. Deactivate to switch Macs.
- Local audio recording & transcripts
- Live captions & adjustable appearance
- Sentence replay & export
- Translation & vocabulary tools
Secure checkout by Dodo Payments, with automatic license delivery after payment. Activate in the app using your purchase email and license key. Before switching Macs, deactivate in the app on your old Mac. Initial activation and periodic license checks require internet access.
Frequently asked questions
Can Deaf and hard-of-hearing users get a free license?
Yes. Email me at support@happyears.app to request a free 1-year license. You can download the trial first to check that your Mac and the captions work well for you.
Can I use live captions without recording?
Yes. Live captions and recording are separate choices. Use captions to follow English speech, and turn on recording when you want to save the audio and transcript locally.
What can I do with a recording?
Keep audio, transcripts and notes on your Mac. Replay individual sentences and export M4A audio, HTML or PDF when you need a copy.
Which spoken language is supported?
Speech recognition currently focuses on English. Optional translation can show the recognized English in other supported languages; those target languages are not additional speech-recognition languages.
Do the trial and paid licenses have different features?
No. They include the same full feature set; only the access period differs: a free 7-day trial, 3 months, 1 year or lifetime. Every paid license covers 2 Macs. Lifetime does not add device seats or exclusive features.
How is this different from macOS Live Captions?
System Live Captions are great for a quick glance, but the words vanish as they scroll and nothing is kept. Happy Ears adds dual-language subtitles, local recording, sentence-by-sentence replay and export — a record you own.
What Mac do I need?
macOS 26 or later on Apple silicon (M-series). Speech recognition and translation use the system's on-device AI — no extra model downloads.
Does my audio ever leave my Mac?
No. Recognition and translation run on device. We never collect, store or analyze your audio, captions or transcripts; our servers only handle licensing, updates and privacy-friendly site analytics.
Can people see my captions when I share my screen?
Turn on screen-share protection and the caption window stays out of screenshots and shared screens — visible only to you.
Which languages can captions be translated into?
18+ target languages, including Spanish, French, German, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Arabic and Hindi. Availability follows macOS on-device language support.
Is it OK to record meetings?
Recording is always opt-in and stored only on your Mac. Follow your local laws and meeting policies, and let participants know when you record.
Where do I find my license?
Click “License” in the navigation to open /license on this domain, enter your purchase email, and view your license and devices.
A conversation you can read. A record you can keep.
Try live English captions and private recording free for 7 days. Deaf or hard of hearing? Contact me for a free 1-year license.