Tingdong vs Seagull
Updated 2026-08-23
Short answer: both apps capture system audio and float translated subtitles over whatever is playing — Netflix, YouTube, Zoom — with no browser extension and no meeting bot. Seagull runs on Mac, Windows and Linux and sells hours (48 hours for $6.99/month). Tingdong is Mac-only, costs $4.99/month, and goes one step further: it can speak the translation and carry your own voice, translated, into a real phone call or meeting. If you only need to read, either works; if you need to talk back, only one of them does it today.
| Seagull | Tingdong | |
|---|---|---|
| Platforms | macOS (Apple Silicon + Intel), Windows, Linux | macOS 15 or later |
| Price | Free 1 hour; $2.99/week (12 h), $6.99/month (48 h), $69.99/year (600 h); $0.49 per extra hour | 100 free credits; $4.99/month or $49.99/year, ~16 hours of captions per month included |
| Languages | 60+ | 60, auto-detected, including mid-sentence switches |
| Captions over any app | Yes — system audio, no plugins | Yes — system audio, plus a dedicated tap for FaceTime and phone calls |
| Spoken translation | “Coming soon”, planned as a paid add-on | Built in — the translation is read aloud in your language |
| Your voice translated into the call | Conversation Mode shares one mic for two people in the room | Tingdong Microphone: the other side hears your voice plus a translated voice, in Zoom, FaceTime, WhatsApp, or a real phone call |
| Real phone calls | Not described | iPhone → Mac Bluetooth handoff, two-way |
| Where processing runs | Not stated on their site | Real-time cloud recognition; audio is never stored |
| Meeting bot | None | None |
Which should you pick?
Pick Seagull if you need the same tool on Windows or Linux, or if your month is mostly long viewing sessions and its hour bundles price out cheaper for you. Pick Tingdong if you are on a Mac and the conversation goes both ways — customer calls, interviews, a relative on the phone — because speaking the translation and putting your translated voice into the call is the half Seagull does not ship yet. Both have a free allowance; try the one that matches your week.
Frequently asked questions
Is Seagull available on Mac?
Yes — Seagull runs on macOS (Apple Silicon and Intel), Windows and Linux. Tingdong is Mac-only (macOS 15 or later) because its call path depends on macOS audio features.
Which is cheaper?
It depends on hours. Seagull’s $6.99/month covers 48 hours of captions; Tingdong’s $4.99/month covers about 16 hours of captions, or a mix of captions and translated voice. Heavy daily viewers may get more hours from Seagull; people who mostly need calls and meetings pay less with Tingdong.
Can either one translate what I say?
Tingdong does this today: choose “Call Translation”, pick Tingdong Microphone in the app’s mic menu, and the other side hears a translated voice alongside yours. Seagull’s site lists voice playback as “coming soon” and describes a Conversation Mode for two people sharing one microphone in the same room.
Do they add a bot to my meeting?
Neither does. Both run locally on your computer and caption the audio you already hear; nobody else in the meeting sees anything.
Try it on your next video, meeting or call
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