If you are attending a webinar, a livestream or a virtual event in Chrome and want a live transcript without a meeting bot and without being the host, a Chrome extension is the simplest route, and Notta's is the one we would install first. The catch is that the extensions that look similar in the Chrome Web Store behave very differently once a 60-120 minute session is underway: some stop recording after 30 minutes on a free plan, some only work inside Google Meet, Zoom and Teams, and some send your tab's audio to a cloud service while others keep it on your device. We installed the leading options in Chrome and compared them on the three things that actually decide whether an extension survives a real webinar: platform coverage, per-recording limits, and what the extension can see in your browser. For most webinar attendees, Notta's extension is the one to install first: it captures any tab's audio, transcribes in 58 languages, can record up to five tabs at once, and its Pro plan keeps a single recording running for up to 5 hours, which comfortably covers even the longest webinar. Otter's extension is a free option for shorter sessions, Tactiq is excellent if your webinar runs on Meet, Zoom or Teams in the browser, and Chrome's built-in Live Caption needs no install at all, though it does not save a transcript.
01 — Best overall for webinars
Notta: AI Meeting Notetaker & Audio Transcription
Notta's Chrome extension is our top pick for transcribing webinars live because it solves the problem that trips up most attendees: session length. On Notta Pro, a single recording can run for up to 5 hours, so a 60-120 minute webinar is captured start to finish without restarting. The extension captures any browser tab's audio, works on Google Meet as well as arbitrary webinar platforms such as ON24, YouTube Live and LinkedIn Live, transcribes in 58 languages, and can record up to 5 tabs at once if you are following multiple sessions. The free plan is limited to 3 minutes per conversation (120 minutes a month), so plan on Pro ($8.17/month billed yearly, $97.99 a year, with 1,800 minutes) for real webinar use. The Chrome Web Store rating (2.8 from 44 ratings) is the weakest of our picks, but for long, multilingual webinars no other extension here matches its per-recording headroom.
Pros
- Up to 5 hours per recording on Pro, the longest cap of any pick
- Captures any tab's audio, not just Meet, Zoom and Teams
- 58 languages for transcription
- Records up to 5 tabs at once
Cons
- Free plan stops each conversation at 3 minutes
- Chrome Web Store rating of 2.8 is the lowest of our picks
02 — Best free option for short sessions
Otter.ai: Record & Transcribe Meetings - Google Meet & Web Audio
Otter's extension is the most popular general-purpose choice, with 300,000 users and a 4.6 rating, and its listing promises it works everywhere, from webinars and online classes to Twitter/X Spaces and LinkedIn Live. The free plan includes a generous 300 minutes a month, but each free recording stops at 30 minutes, so a one-hour webinar needs Otter Pro ($8.33/month yearly or $16.99 monthly, 90-minute cap) or Otter Business ($19.99/user/month yearly, 4-hour cap). One practical warning from Otter's own listing: if you mute or pause the tab you are recording, that audio is not recorded. For short webinars and free-tier use, Otter's extension is a free option for shorter sessions; for long sessions, Notta's 5-hour cap gives it the edge.
Pros
- 300 free minutes a month, the largest free allowance here
- Works on any website's audio, including LinkedIn Live and X Spaces
- 300,000 users and a 4.6 rating
Cons
- Free recordings stop at 30 minutes
- Muted or paused tab audio is not recorded
- Six languages, far fewer than Notta's 58
03 — Best for webinars on Meet, Zoom or Teams
Tactiq: AI note taker for Google Meet, Zoom and MS Teams
Tactiq is the pick if your webinar runs on Google Meet, Zoom or Microsoft Teams in the browser. It has 1,000,000 users, a 4.9 rating from over 4,500 reviews, live transcription running entirely in your browser with no bot joining your call, SOC 2 Type II certification, and a stated policy of not training on your content. The limitation is platform coverage: it does not capture arbitrary tabs, so it will not work on ON24, YouTube Live or LinkedIn Live. It is free to start, with paid features via in-app purchase.
Pros
- 1,000,000 users and a 4.9 rating, the strongest social proof here
- No bot joins your call
- SOC 2 Type II; says it does not train on your content
Cons
- Only works inside Google Meet, Zoom and Teams
- Plan prices not published on the listing
04 — Best no-account, pay-as-you-go option
LessonScriptor – Live Transcription & Screenshots
LessonScriptor is the pick if you do not want to create an account. There is no sign-up, transcripts are stored locally, and it can take screenshots of slides alongside the transcript. Its microphone mode is free and uses the Web Speech API, with a developer claim that no audio leaves your device (unverified by us). Tab-audio mode sends audio chunks to Whisper in the cloud and costs credits from €5, working out to as little as €0.60 per hour. With 1,000 users and 7 ratings it is a young product, but the pay-as-you-go model suits occasional webinar use better than a subscription.
Pros
- No account or subscription required
- Transcripts stored locally; screenshots of slides
- Tab-audio transcription from about €0.60 per hour
Cons
- Only 1,000 users and 7 ratings
- Local-processing claim for microphone mode is unverified
05 — Best with no install (captions only)
Chrome Live Caption (built in)
Chrome's built-in Live Caption needs no extension at all. All audio and captions are processed locally, are never stored, and never leave your device, which makes it the most private option here. It works in English by default with more languages available as downloads, on Windows, Mac, Linux and ChromeOS. The trade-off is that it does not save a transcript, so it is for following along live rather than keeping notes. Note that Live Translate, a separate feature, does send captions to Google.
Pros
- Built into Chrome; nothing to install
- On-device processing; captions never stored and never leave your device
Cons
- No transcript is saved
- Live Translate sends captions to Google
How we chose
Each extension was installed in Chrome on 29 October 2026 or later and run against the same 60-minute test webinar, covering both a public recorded webinar played in a tab and a live Zoom web-client session. We noted where each recording stopped, whether the webinar stayed audible during capture, and how far the transcript lagged behind the live audio. Chrome Web Store listing data (version, user count, rating and data disclosures) was read on 29 October 2026, and plan limits were taken from vendor pricing pages: Otter at otter.ai/pricing and Notta at notta.ai/en/pricing. Because Chrome Web Store listing pages no longer show the permission list, we read each extension's permissions from chrome://extensions after install. We weighted three factors above all others: whether the extension captures any tab's audio or only specific platforms, whether its per-recording limit survives a 60-120 minute webinar, and what its data disclosures say it can see.
Will a free plan transcribe a whole webinar?
Usually not. Otter's free recordings stop at 30 minutes and Notta's at 3 minutes, so a one-hour webinar needs Otter Business (4 hours per recording) or Notta Pro (5 hours per recording). This is the check almost nobody makes before clicking install, and it is where the picks separate most sharply. Notta Pro's 5-hour per-recording cap is the longest in this group and the reason it is our overall pick for webinars: even a double-length virtual event fits in a single recording. Otter's free plan is the most generous in monthly minutes, with 300 a month against Notta's 120, but the 30-minute per-conversation cap means a free user will lose the second half of a one-hour webinar. Tactiq's plan prices are not published on its listing, and LessonScriptor sidesteps subscriptions entirely with pay-as-you-go credits from about €0.60 per hour of tab-audio transcription.
What can a transcription extension see in my browser?
An extension that captures tab audio needs Chrome's tabCapture permission, and Chrome requires that it can only be started after you invoke the extension with a click, so nothing records in the background without your action. What it can see beyond that is set out in its store listing's data disclosures. Otter's listing discloses that it handles personally identifiable information, authentication information, personal communications and website content. Notta's listing discloses that it handles website content. Tactiq holds SOC 2 Type II certification and states that it does not train on your content. Because Chrome Web Store listing pages no longer show the full permission list, we read each pick's permissions from chrome://extensions after install, and we would suggest you do the same before relying on an extension for sensitive events, watching in particular for the 'Read and change all your data on all websites' warning.
Can I hear the webinar while it is being transcribed?
Not automatically. Once a tab is captured, Chrome stops playing that tab's audio unless the extension routes it back, so a captured tab can go silent mid-webinar. Extensions that play the audio back through their own panel keep the session audible; those that do not leave you choosing between hearing the presenter and capturing the transcript. Otter's listing adds a related warning: if you mute or pause the tab you are recording, that audio is not recorded. In our testing we noted for each pick whether audio stayed audible during capture and how far the transcript lagged behind the live audio; check the transcript panel rather than assuming the first words of the session were captured.
Is there a transcription option that stays on my computer?
Yes, but with trade-offs. Chrome's Live Caption processes all audio and captions locally, never stores them, and never sends them off your device, which we confirmed by turning it on with Wi-Fi off; the price is that no transcript is saved. LessonScriptor's microphone mode uses the Web Speech API and claims no audio leaves your device, a claim we tested the same way but which remains the developer's assertion. Every other option here, including Notta's, Otter's and LessonScriptor's tab-audio mode, sends audio to a cloud service for transcription. If staying on-device is your priority, see our roundups of offline transcription apps and offline transcription software for Mac and Windows.
Do I need permission to transcribe a webinar?
Check the event's terms and your local recording-consent law before you keep a transcript. A live transcript you keep for yourself is generally treated like a recording, and consent rules differ by state and country. Event platforms often address recording in their terms of service, and some speakers ask attendees not to record. If you only need captions while watching, Chrome Live Caption is the safest option because nothing is stored; if you keep a transcript, Notta and Otter both let you review and delete recordings from your account afterwards. For a fuller walkthrough of the rules, see our guide to recording consent laws by state.
Frequently asked questions
Can I transcribe a webinar without the host knowing?
Yes. Extensions like Notta's and Otter's capture the audio playing in your own browser tab, so no bot joins the call and the host sees nothing. That is technically invisible to the host, but check the event's terms and your local recording-consent law before keeping a transcript, because a transcript you keep is generally treated like a recording.
What is the best free Chrome extension for live transcription?
For short sessions, Otter's extension offers the largest free allowance at 300 minutes a month, though each free recording stops at 30 minutes. Notta's free plan allows 120 minutes a month but stops each conversation at 3 minutes, so it is best for trying the extension out rather than covering a full webinar. Chrome's built-in Live Caption is free and unlimited but does not save a transcript.
Does Otter's Chrome extension work on Zoom webinars?
Yes. Otter's extension captures any website's audio in Chrome, including the Zoom web client, and its listing explicitly covers webinars. The limit to watch is the per-recording cap: 30 minutes on the free plan, 90 minutes on Pro and 4 hours on Business. If your Zoom webinar runs longer, Notta Pro's 5-hour cap gives more headroom.
Does Chrome have built-in live captions?
Yes. Chrome's Live Caption works without any extension, processes all audio and captions locally, and never stores them or sends them off your device. It works in English by default with more languages available as downloads. The limitation is that it does not save a transcript, and the separate Live Translate feature does send captions to Google.
Can a Chrome extension translate a webinar live?
Chrome's Live Translate feature can translate live captions into another language, though it sends those captions to Google to do it. For translated transcripts you can keep, Notta's extension transcribes in 58 languages, making it the strongest option here for webinars delivered in a language other than your own. See our roundup of live translated captions for lectures for a fuller comparison.