Captions only
Live captions in the speaker's language
1credits / min
About US$1.80 an hour
Pricing
Pay for the features you use, not a monthly plan.
Original-language captions use 1 credit per minute. Translation uses 4 credits per minute with one voice or 8 with two. You pay for what you use, and purchased credits do not expire.
Credits per minute
One translated voice
Source captions + one translated caption and voice
4credits / min
About US$7.20 an hour
Two translated voices
Source captions + two translated captions and voices
8credits / min
About US$14.40 an hour
At the Basic Pack rate of US$0.030 per credit; Value and Business Packs cost less per credit. All usage is prorated to the second.
Step one
Start with 20 free credits. No card needed.
20 credits are about 20 min of captions, or 5 min with one translated voice.
- Trial credits never expire
- One per Google account
- Up to 10 listeners
- No card and no automatic charge
Credit packs you top up when needed
The three packs differ only in how many credits you get and what each one costs. Every feature is available on every pack. No monthly fee, no contract, and credits carry across events.
Basic Pack
US$15
500 credits · US$0.030 each
For occasional captions or a first translated event.
What it covers
- Captions only
- 8 hr 20 min
- One translated voice
- 2 hr 5 min
- Two translated voices
- 1 hr 2 min
- Purchased credits never expire
- No monthly fee or contract
- Up to 250 listeners per room
Value Pack
US$3913% less per credit
1,500 credits · US$0.026 each
For associations and companies that run events regularly.
What it covers
- Captions only
- 25 hr
- One translated voice
- 6 hr 15 min
- Two translated voices
- 3 hr 7 min
- Purchased credits never expire
- No monthly fee or contract
- Up to 250 listeners per room
Business Pack
US$11523% less per credit
5,000 credits · US$0.023 each
For teams, longer events and multi-language rooms.
What it covers
- Captions only
- 83 hr 20 min
- One translated voice
- 20 hr 50 min
- Two translated voices
- 10 hr 25 min
- Purchased credits never expire
- No monthly fee or contract
- Up to 250 listeners per room
All prices are in USD. Auto-Recharge is opt-in and never turns itself on.
What does a one-hour event actually cost?
tlive is prorated by the second with no minimum. Professional human interpretation is commonly booked with a minimum number of hours or in half-day and full-day blocks, so a 60-minute event may still carry the provider's minimum charge.
tlive · ready in minutes
- One translated voice
- 240 credits · Source captions + one translated caption and voice
- US$7.20
- Two translated voices
- 480 credits · Source captions + two translated captions and voices
- US$14.40
- Captions only
- 60 credits · Live captions in the speaker's language
- US$1.80
- Billed by the second
- No minimum hours
- No interpreter to book
At the Basic Pack rate. Business Pack credits cost less: one translated voice from US$5.52 an hour.
Remote human interpretation · one language
About US$200–400+
A 2-hour minimum is common; illustrated here at US$100–200 per hour
Quotes vary by language, subject matter and staffing
On-site simultaneous interpretation · one language
About US$2,400–5,000/day
Sustained sessions commonly use two interpreters and day or session blocks
Travel, preparation and equipment are extra
On-site interpretation equipment
+ US$1,500–5,000/day
Booth, transmitter, receivers, headsets and technical support
Receiver costs rise with attendance
Same hour, same single language: remote human interpretation budgets at roughly 28–56× tlive.
Public market references: remote interpreter rates · booking minimums · conference interpreter day rates · interpretation equipment rental
These public USD ranges are budgeting references, not fixed quotes. Human interpreters remain the better choice for legal, medical, safety-critical and other high-stakes settings. This table compares buying model and budget, not equivalent quality.
How credits are counted
Starts when the service connects
Creating an event, choosing languages and waiting for guests use no credits. Charging begins only when captions or translation connects.
Prorated to the second
Usage is saved every 15 seconds but billed by the second, so a short test is never rounded up to a full minute.
Time shown at the current rate
The presenter converts the credit balance into live time for that event's selected features and warns when it is low.
Safe automatic stop
At zero credits, the service ends cleanly. Nothing keeps billing quietly in the background.
How this differs
| tlive | Typical alternative | |
|---|---|---|
| Commitment | None. Buy credits when needed. | Most comparable tools are monthly or annual. |
| Do credits expire | Purchased credits don't expire. | Subscription minutes usually reset each month. |
| What guests must do | Scan a QR code. No account, no install. | Some require guests inside the platform on a paid tier. |
| Platform lock-in | Any platform, including in-person. | Built-in features work only on that platform. |
Check it fits before you pay anything.
The 20-credit trial needs no credit card and never rolls into a paid plan on its own.
Try it yourself — it's freeContinue with Google. No credit card required.
Pricing questions
How long does the US$15 Basic Pack last?
500 credits are about 8 hr 20 min of captions, 2 hr 5 min with one translated voice, or 1 hr 2 min with two. Credits carry across events and never expire.
How many credits do features use?
Original-language captions use 1 credit/minute; one translated voice uses 4; two translated voices use 8. All usage is prorated by the second.
Does the trial reset monthly?
No. One 20-credit trial per Google account, and trial credits never expire. Trial rooms allow up to 10 listeners and show tlive branding.
How does Auto-Recharge work?
After a first card purchase, you can opt in. When the current event has about five live minutes left, tlive buys one US$15 Basic Pack. With Auto-Recharge off, the room stops safely at zero.
How do I buy credits?
Sign in with Google, open the Credits page and choose a pack. Card payment is handled by Stripe, and credits are added to your account immediately.