Cicada

Cicada is an Apache-2.0 desktop app for Apple-silicon Macs running macOS 26 or later. Its first public release, v1.0.0, was published on November 3, 2026. It turns audio playing on the Mac into live bilingual subtitles and records a meeting as a bilingual transcript, notes, and audio file. It is designed for calls, livestreams, and other system audio, so it does not need to join a call as a bot or require other participants to install software.

What it does

Speech recognition and language detection use Apple's on-device speech APIs. Cicada can show a compact subtitle bar or a notes window, and can save transcripts, notes, and recordings locally before exporting Markdown, Word, or SRT. The project documents optional experimental speaker identification, plus summaries, topics, conclusions, tasks, and terminology when a Ling API key is configured.

For two-way conversations, hold the right Option key to speak: Cicada translates the utterance and sends a chosen voice back into the call through the optional BlackHole 2ch virtual microphone. Without a Ling key it can use macOS voices and the documented translation fallback. Ling and Ming services add live notes, one-step voice translation, and optional voice cloning. Do not assume that this optional cloud path has the same privacy boundary as local transcription.

A practical workflow

Install the release only after checking its included checksum, then test it with a short non-sensitive meeting or a public stream. Grant system-audio access for captions, choose a subtitle layout, and verify names and technical terms before relying on generated notes. Export an SRT or Markdown record and compare a few conclusions and action items with the underlying bilingual lines. Enable the virtual microphone only when you need spoken interpretation, and test it in a disposable call first.

Data and limitations

The repository says captured audio, language detection, speech recognition, recordings, and local meeting files stay on the Mac. Recognized text can leave the device for translation, and configured Ling or Ming features have their own external data path. The app also needs macOS permissions, while virtual-microphone installation requires an administrator password. v1.0.0 is Apple-silicon-only, needs macOS 26 or later, and its ad-hoc-signed build is not yet notarized. Review the release checksum and the project permissions before using confidential calls.

• Meetily is an open-source local meeting assistant for macOS and Windows.
• Whisper v3 is an open speech-recognition model for building a custom pipeline.
• BaoCut focuses on transcript, subtitle, and video-editing workflows on Apple silicon.

Conclusion

Choose Cicada when a supported Mac needs live multilingual captions or an interpretable meeting record without inviting a bot into the call. Start with a low-risk session, verify the output against the source audio, and read the official repository before enabling cloud-backed notes or spoken interpretation.