Glasscribe is a lightweight macOS menu bar app that delivers real-time subtitles for anything on your Mac. It captures system audio or mic input and shows a floating subtitle overlay on top of whatever you're doing. No cloud, no API keys, everything runs 100% on-device using Apple's built-in Speech framework and Neural Engine. Your voice data never leaves your Mac.

Unlike other transcription tools, Glasscribe is designed to feel native; it sits quietly in your menu bar, launches instantly, and gets out of your way.

Floating Subtitle Overlay - A compact, always-on-top window displays live captions over any application. Perfect for following along with foreign-language content, accessibility, or keeping up with fast-paced meetings without switching windows.

System Audio Capture - Transcribe audio playing from any app on your Mac — Zoom calls, YouTube videos, podcasts, online lectures, without installing virtual audio drivers or browser extensions. Just click and it works.

22+ Languages with Live Translation - Transcribe in English, Korean, Japanese, Chinese, Cantonese, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Arabic, Russian, and more. Translate between any supported language pair in real-time, all processed locally on your device.

Dictation Mode with Auto-Paste - Speak naturally and Glasscribe automatically types the transcribed text at your cursor in any application. Ideal for writing emails, documents, messages, and notes hands-free.

Complete Privacy - Unlike cloud-based alternatives like Otter.ai or Whisper API services, Glasscribe processes everything locally. No internet connection needed, no data collection, no third-party servers. Your conversations stay yours.

Session History & Export - Every transcription is automatically saved with full-text search. Export sessions as .txt or .srt subtitle files for further editing or archival.

Built for macOS - A native Swift application designed specifically for Mac. Supports macOS Sonoma and later on both Apple Silicon and Intel Macs, using minimal system resources.

Who It's For:

Remote workers who need meeting transcriptions without cloud services
Content creators transcribing podcasts, interviews, and videos
Language learners using live translation for immersion

Tools by Joshchodev

Glasscribe