Wakaru: Live Caption Translate

On-device AI, fully private

Only for Mac

Free · In‑App Purchases

Mac

Wakaru is a menu bar app that translates the audio playing on your Mac in real time and shows it as movie-style captions. Video calls, online videos, webinars, podcasts — if your Mac plays it, Wakaru captions it, no matter which app the sound comes from. ■ Highlights • Live translated captions The original text appears while a sentence is still being spoken, and turns into a translated caption the moment it completes. Captions pace themselves to your reading speed — long sentences stay up until you can finish them. • 100% on-device Speech recognition and translation run entirely on your Mac. Your audio and transcripts are never sent to any server. No account, no API keys. • 10 spoken languages, 22 caption languages Recognizes English, German, French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Chinese, Cantonese, Korean and Japanese (30 recognition locales including regional accents) and translates into 22 languages. New languages arrive automatically with OS updates. • High-accuracy mode (Apple Intelligence) On Apple Intelligence-enabled Macs, you can switch to an on-device large language model that translates with conversational context — short idioms and colloquial phrases come out natural. Where unavailable, Wakaru automatically uses the standard engine. • Always within reach Lives in your menu bar. Start or stop captions from anywhere with the global ⌘⇧T shortcut. Text size, caption position and original-text display are one click away. ■ Pricing Your first 14 days are fully unlimited. After that, Wakaru stays free for up to one hour a day — a single one-time purchase (Wakaru Pro) unlocks unlimited time. No subscription, no per-minute fees. ■ Requirements • macOS 26 or later, Apple silicon • The first use of a language downloads its translation model once (a free, built-in OS feature) • High-accuracy mode requires Apple Intelligence (optional) ■ Privacy Wakaru collects no data at all. It uses the "Screen & System Audio Recording" permission solely to hear system audio — no screen content is ever recorded, stored or transmitted. Audio in, captions out, nothing else.

Ratings & Reviews

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- Captions now appear with less delay once a sentence is complete - Once a caption is shown, its translation no longer changes afterwards - Audio capture now reconnects automatically if it stops delivering sound - Fixed status messages (such as translation model downloads) being hidden by other notifications

Version 1.1.0

The developer, Yuiko Koyanagi, indicated that the app’s privacy practices may include handling of data as described below. For more information, see the developer’s privacy policy .

  • Data Not Collected

    The developer does not collect any data from this app.

    Privacy practices may vary, for example, based on the features you use or your age. Learn More

    Accessibility

    The developer has not yet indicated which accessibility features this app supports. Learn More

    Information

    Seller
    Yuiko Koyanagi
    Size
    1.1 MB
    Category
    Productivity
    Compatibility
    Requires macOS 26.0 or later.
    • Mac
      Requires macOS 26.0 or later.
    Languages
    English and 6 more
    • English, French, German, Japanese, Korean, Simplified Chinese, Spanish
    Age Rating
    4+
    In-App Purchases
    Yes
    Copyright
    © 2026 Yuiko Koyanagi
  • Developer Website
  • Privacy Policy

    • More by Yuiko Koyanagi