Choose between the extension and the Windows app
On Windows 11 the desktop app is the simplest answer, because it hears everything the extension hears and more. Everywhere else, the extension is the one.
The short version
The Windows app listens to your whole computer, and that includes browser tabs — so on Windows 11 it covers every case on its own, and you never have to decide per session. That is the least fiddly setup.
The browser extension is the right one when the desktop app is not an option, or when a browser is all you need: on macOS, on Windows 10, or when everything you watch is in a tab anyway and you would rather not install an app. Its controls also sit right inside the page, which some people simply prefer.
Side by side
| Windows app | Browser extension | |
|---|---|---|
| What it hears | Any app, the whole computer, browser tabs included | One browser tab |
| Typical use | Zoom and Teams clients, desktop players, local files, plus anything in a tab | YouTube, Udemy, Coursera, anything in a tab |
| Where captions appear | Floating HUD over every window | Docked inside the page |
| Controls | HUD, tray menu, global hotkeys | The dock, inside the page |
| Runs on | Windows 11 | Chrome, Edge and Brave, on Windows and macOS |
Neither one is a cut-down version of the other. They translate the same way, at the same quality, off the same balance — they differ in what they can listen to and where the controls live.
Mac and mobile
A Mac desktop app is on the way. Until it ships, the browser extension runs on macOS in Chrome, Edge and Brave, so anything playing in a tab can already be translated there; what is missing is audio from outside the browser.
There is no mobile app, and none is close. We would rather say that than show you a button that does nothing.
Tell us which one you need and we will email you the day it ships, and nothing else: I need macOS · I need mobile.
Common questions
If the Windows app can hear browser tabs too, why use the extension?
Because the desktop app needs Windows 11. On macOS or Windows 10 the extension is the only option. Some people also prefer having the controls and captions inside the page rather than in a floating window, and the extension installs in seconds with nothing to download.
Do I need a separate subscription for each one?
No. One account and one balance of hours cover the browser extension and the Windows app. Sign in on either and you get the same plan, the same minutes and the same session history.
Can the extension translate a Zoom or Teams meeting?
Only if the meeting is running in a browser tab — Zoom's web client and Google Meet work with the extension. For the Zoom or Teams desktop client the sound never passes through the browser, so you need the Windows app.
Is there a Mac app?
Not yet, but a Mac desktop app is on the way. In the meantime the browser extension runs on macOS in Chrome, Edge and Brave, so anything playing in a browser tab can be translated there today.