Cicada

Cicada is a macOS utility that provides live subtitles, bilingual transcripts, and AI meeting notes for any call or stream.

Cicada provides live subtitles, bilingual transcripts, and structured meeting notes for calls on Zoom, Feishu, and Tencent Meeting, as well as streams on YouTube and X Spaces. It reads system audio directly on your Mac, processes recognition locally, and requires no bots in meetings. Users can generate summaries, action items, and fishbone diagrams, with options to use Apple models or provide a Ling API key for advanced features. It also supports simultaneous interpreting by sending translated voice output through a virtual microphone driver. All meeting transcripts, recordings, and notes are saved locally on the device.

Cicada at a glance

Best for: Product manager
Runs on: macOS
Pricing: Free plan; requires own Ling API key for advanced features with 10 RMB free monthly quota.
Released: November 2026
Category: AI productivity tool
Website: github.com/wquguru/cicada

Key features

Generate structured meeting notes and action items
Display real-time bilingual subtitles and transcripts
Provide simultaneous interpreting with voice output
Save meeting records, audio, and transcripts locally
Export notes to Markdown, Word, and SRT subtitles
Identify speakers using local Core ML voiceprint models

Use it for

Taking live structured notes during video conferences
Reading bilingual subtitles for online live streams
Translating spoken input into conference calls
Exporting meeting transcripts and audio recordings

Alternatives to Cicada

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Listener — On-device transcription and summaries using Apple Intelligence with no cloud servers
SpeechShield — Provides answers from your resume and notes hidden from screen shares.
Meetily — It keeps all transcription and audio processing 100% local on your device.
Koi — Dictates offline in 100 languages with an all-in-one Mac tool.
Natively — Undetectable during calls with real-time answers and live coding help.
ShogunAI — It stores work memory privately on your PC and integrates across tools.
Overheard — Records meetings without bots and makes transcripts searchable from Claude via MCP.
MCP Docs — Runs locally, edits office files, and connects local AI coding agents directly.
Pluely — Provides live answers on screen without bots joining meetings or leaving traces.

All Cicada alternatives