What is Gaavala and how does it work?

Gaavala is a Chrome extension that adds real-time live captions, instant translation and AI voice translation (Speak Mode) to any browser-based meeting. When you join Microsoft Teams, Zoom, Google Meet or Webex, you open the Gaavala side panel, share the meeting tab's audio, and pick your source and target languages. Gaavala streams the audio directly from your browser to the Soniox speech-to-text engine and shows live translated captions in the side panel and a floating overlay. Setup takes under 30 seconds from Chrome Web Store install to first caption.

Is my meeting audio sent to Gaavala's servers?

No. Gaavala is architected so meeting audio flows directly from your browser to Soniox's speech-to-text servers over an encrypted WebSocket (TLS 1.2+). Our backend is never in the audio path — we do not see, store or log meeting audio. The only data our servers handle is authentication, your subscription status and optional AI summaries you explicitly trigger.

Which meeting platforms does Gaavala support?

Gaavala officially supports Microsoft Teams, Zoom web client, Google Meet and Cisco Webex with the full feature set including the floating caption panel and Speak Mode voice injection. Live captions also work in most other browser-based meeting tools like Whereby, Jitsi Meet, GoTo Meeting, BlueJeans, RingCentral Video, Slack Huddles and many webinar platforms.

What is Speak Mode and do I need it?

Speak Mode is Gaavala's AI voice translation feature, available on Pro. You talk in your native language, Gaavala transcribes and translates you in real time, and then synthesizes your translated voice directly into the meeting so other participants hear you in their language. Two modes are included: Push-to-Talk (hold a hotkey while speaking) and Timed Speak (hands-free). Speak Mode ships with two TTS engines: Kokoro-82M free on-device synthesis, and ElevenLabs cloud TTS with voice cloning (bring your own key).

How much does Gaavala cost?

Gaavala has a one-time free trial of 5 minutes of transcription, with no credit card required. Those 5 minutes are a lifetime allowance — once you use them, the free tier is exhausted and does not reset. The free trial covers all 69 languages and is intended to let you try Gaavala against a real meeting segment and decide if it fits your workflow. Pro is $24.99 per month, billed through Lemon Squeezy, and includes unlimited transcription, Speak Mode (Push-to-Talk and Timed Speak), Kokoro on-device TTS, ElevenLabs cloud TTS with voice cloning, unlimited AI summaries and priority support. Cancel anytime.

Does Gaavala work on Safari, Firefox or mobile?

Gaavala is a Chrome extension built on Manifest V3, so it runs on any Chromium-based desktop browser: Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Brave, Arc, Opera and Vivaldi (Chromium 114 or newer). Safari and Firefox are not supported because they do not share Chrome's extension API surface. Gaavala does not support mobile browsers — we recommend using it on a desktop Chromium browser.

Translate Webex Meetings in Real Time

Translate Cisco Webex meetings with the Gaavala Chrome extension. 69 languages, speaker diarization, direct-to-Soniox privacy architecture. 5 free minutes, no card, never resets.

Why Use Gaavala for Webex?

Cisco Webex is widely used across enterprise, healthcare, government and other regulated industries, but its translation story is uneven. Webex Assistant offers in-meeting transcription and translated captions on specific plans, licensed at the administrator level through Webex Control Hub. For external guests joining a Webex call, and for individual users on plans that do not include Webex Assistant translation, the feature is simply unavailable.

Gaavala is a Chrome extension that captures audio from the active Webex meeting tab via Chrome's tabCapture API. Install it from the Chrome Web Store, open your Webex meeting at webex.com in a Chromium browser, click the Gaavala icon, share the meeting tab's audio, and live captions begin streaming across all 69 Soniox-supported languages. The audio flows directly from your browser to Soniox over an encrypted WebSocket — Gaavala's backend is not in the audio path.

The Problem with Webex's Built-in Translation

Webex Assistant translated captions require an administrator-level license configured through Webex Control Hub — individuals cannot enable them unilaterally.
External guests joining a Webex meeting cannot access translation features regardless of the host organization's license.
Language coverage in Webex Assistant is narrower than the 69 languages Gaavala supports through Soniox.
Webex does not offer a built-in AI voice feature for speaking back into a meeting in another language — no equivalent of Gaavala's Speak Mode.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need a specific Webex plan to use Gaavala?

No. Gaavala is a Chrome extension that runs on your machine and does not depend on your Webex plan. It works on any Webex meeting you can open in a Chromium browser tab, including meetings you join as an external guest. There is no Cisco licensing step and no Webex Control Hub change required.

Does Gaavala work with the Webex desktop app?

Gaavala captures audio from Chrome browser tabs, so you need to join Webex through the web client at webex.com. Most Webex invites offer a "Join from browser" option — use that and the meeting opens in a Chrome tab where Gaavala can capture audio. The Webex desktop app runs outside the browser and its audio is not exposed to the Chrome tabCapture API.

Can other Webex participants see that Gaavala is running?

No. Captions render only in your own browser — inside the Gaavala side panel and a floating overlay on your meeting tab. Other Webex participants see nothing different. Gaavala does not post messages into the Webex chat, does not create a bot participant, and does not announce itself in any way.

Does Gaavala record my Webex meeting?

No. Gaavala does not record or store audio. The audio stream flows directly from your browser to Soniox and is not retained after transcription.

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