Notes that work the way you do.
Whether you’re deaf or hard of hearing, have ADHD, or just learn better when you can read along, Gistful gives you live captions, room to breathe and a recording to come back to.
Can I get lecture captions as a deaf or hard-of-hearing student?
Gistful shows live captions as your professor speaks, in large, high-contrast type if you want it. Choose Large, Extra large or Huge text, keep one or two previous lines on screen, and switch on high contrast. Every word is also kept in a full transcript, timed to the audio, so nothing disappears once it scrolls by.
We want to be straight with you: Gistful’s captions come from your browser’s speech recognition, so they depend on your device, the room and the speaker. They aren’t a replacement for professional captioning or an interpreter. Many students use Gistful alongside the support their school provides. More detail on the live captions and focus views page.
How does Gistful help with ADHD in lectures?
Long lectures are hard when your attention drifts. Gistful is built so drifting doesn’t cost you the lecture:
- Catch me up gives you the key sentences and terms from the last 1, 3 or 5 minutes
- Freeze holds the transcript still while you read, and counts the new lines waiting
- Focus view hides everything except the transcript, one note and the essentials
- Texting view breaks speech into short, calm bubbles you can follow at a glance
- Key moments in four colors let you mark what matters with one tap and come back later
After class, the recording and transcript are waiting, so you can review the lecture in 15 minutes instead of relistening to the whole thing.
Can I use Gistful with just a keyboard?
Yes. During a lecture, single-key shortcuts do the common things without reaching for the mouse. They never fire while you’re typing a note.
- B
- Bookmark this moment
- I
- Mark it as important
- Q
- Mark a question
- E
- Mark an explanation
- N
- Write a note
- D
- Draw by hand
- F
- Freeze the transcript
- A
- Catch me up
- X
- Explain That
- M
- Switch view
- Esc
- Leave Focus view
Press ? any time to see the full list. In your library, C opens quick capture, so you can save a thought or link to a course in a second.
Can I change the text size, contrast and motion?
Yes. In Settings, under Accessibility, choose Standard, Large or Extra large text across the app, switch on high contrast, and reduce motion. You can also pick which view each lecture starts in, so Live Captions or Focus is ready the moment you press start.
If you use a screen reader, the words still being recognized aren’t announced by default, to keep things quiet. You can choose to have each finished phrase announced instead. Gistful aims to meet WCAG 2.2 AA; you can read our full accessibility statement.
Can Gistful support a note-taking accommodation?
Many schools allow recording as an accommodation, and Gistful pairs that recording with a transcript, your notes and study tools. Start by talking to your disability services office. Our guide on asking for a recording accommodation walks through what to say and what to ask for, and is it legal to record lectures? explains why the permission matters.
Gistful’s core features are free, so cost isn’t a barrier. See how lecture transcription works from first word to flashcard.
Keep exploring
What should I read next?
What else do students ask?
Is Gistful an official captioning service?
No. Gistful is a study tool. Its live captions come from your browser’s speech recognition and aren’t a substitute for accessibility services or accommodations from your school.
Can I make live captions bigger?
Yes. In the Live Captions view, choose Large, Extra large or Huge text, one or two previous lines, and high contrast.
Does Gistful work with screen readers?
We test the main parts of Gistful with keyboard navigation and common screen readers. In-progress words aren’t announced by default, and you can turn on announcements for each finished phrase in Settings.
Is Gistful free for students with accommodations?
Yes. Live captions, recording, notes and study tools are free for everyone, with no time limit.
Ready for your next lecture?
Make a free account in under a minute, then press Start lecture when class begins.