Free Transcription Software
Which transcription apps a startup can turn interviews, calls and videos into text with for free today, how many minutes or files the free plan allows, whether a card is needed and what the first paid plan costs, read from each provider's own page.
Free allowances read on each provider's own pages, all checked on or after . Transcription apps change their free plans from time to time: confirm the terms on the provider's page before you rely on it.
Transcription apps a startup can use for free today include Transkriptor (30 minutes of audio a day, free), Whisper (Free open-source model (MIT)), Happy Scribe (Unlimited meeting recordings), whisper.cpp (Free, fully offline on your device), and Tactiq (Free forever, 10 transcripts a month). Each of the 9 free plans below links to the provider's page that states it, with its main limit, its minute or file caps, whether a card is needed and what the first paid plan costs.
Customer interviews, sales calls, podcasts and videos are far more useful as text you can search, quote and summarize. Transcription apps turn uploads and meeting recordings into transcripts in minutes, several with a free plan, and open-source tools built on Whisper transcribe on your own computer for free.
The headline rarely tells you how far it goes. Free plans cap minutes a day, transcripts a month or recording length, and some free minutes are a one-time trial. Each app below shows what is free, its main limit, its minute or file caps, whether a card is needed and what the first paid plan costs, quoted from the provider's own page with the date we read it. Speech-to-text APIs for developers are compared in our free speech-to-text APIs guide.
Which apps we picked and the order they appear in are our editorial choices; the terms are the providers'. Some of these providers pay us a referral commission when someone signs up through our link: those links are labeled, and they play no part in which apps are listed or where.
Transcription apps with a free plan or trial
Upload audio or video and get a transcript in minutes, free to start.
- 1
Transkriptor
Short files and calls, transcribed a day at a time
Transkriptor's free transcription option lets you transcribe up to 30 minutes of audio per day. Its Lite plan is $9.99 a month.
- Minutes and files
- 30 minutes a day (source: transkriptor.com)
- First paid plan
- Lite: $9.99 a month, 300 minutes (source: transkriptor.com)
Start free at TranskriptorTerms read on transkriptor.com on Transkriptor: the free allowance and how to start - 2
Happy Scribe
Meeting recordings and short uploads at no cost
Happy Scribe's Free plan has unlimited meeting recordings of up to 45 minutes each, plus a 10-minute free trial of AI transcription for uploaded files. Basic is $8.50 a month.
- Minutes and files
- 10-minute trial for uploaded files (source: happyscribe.com)
- First paid plan
- Basic: $8.50 a month (source: happyscribe.com)
Start free at Happy ScribeTerms read on happyscribe.com on Happy Scribe: the free allowance and how to start - 3
Tactiq
Transcripts of Google Meet, Zoom and Teams calls
Tactiq's Free plan is free forever with no credit card. It includes 10 transcripts a month and 5 AI credits a month.
- Main limit
- 5 AI credits a month (source: tactiq.io)
- Payment card
- No card needed (source: tactiq.io)
- 4
Sonix
Trying one interview or recording before paying
Every new account gets 30 free minutes of transcription with no credit card. After that, Pay As You Go is $10/hr.
- Minutes and files
- 30 minutes per new account (source: sonix.ai)
- Payment card
- No card needed (source: sonix.ai)
- First paid plan
- Pay as you go: $10 an hour (source: sonix.ai)
Free offline and open-source transcription
Transcribe on your own computer with open models, free.
- 1
Whisper
Developers who run speech recognition themselves
Whisper's code and model weights are released under the MIT License, so you run it on your own machine. It also requires ffmpeg to be installed.
- 2
whisper.cpp
Running Whisper offline on a laptop or phone
whisper.cpp runs OpenAI's Whisper model fully offline, on-device, so audio never has to leave your machine.
Start free at whisper.cppTerms read on github.com on whisper.cpp: the free allowance and how to start - 3
Buzz
Offline transcripts on your own computer
Buzz transcribes and translates audio offline on your personal computer, powered by Whisper. On a Mac, newer versions require Apple silicon.
- 4
Vibe
Private transcripts that never leave your device
Vibe's transcription is fully offline, so no data ever leaves your device. Pick it when privacy matters more than a hosted service.
- 5
MacWhisper
Mac users who want local transcripts for free
MacWhisper's free version is free forever. The page does not state any limit on the free version.
Start free at MacWhisperTerms read on macwhisper.com on MacWhisper: the free allowance and how to start
Also useful for meetings and notes
Referral links, picked for fit and ordered by fit (70%) and what a signup earns us (30%), at no cost to you. They never change this page's ranking.
How this comparison is built
The list covers transcription apps a founder can use for free today without applying to a program. The order and the "best for" notes are our editorial reading of each app's terms. Every term comes from the app's own pricing or help page on the date shown, never from a third-party list; follow each link for the full conditions. A cap on minutes or files a day or a month, exports or speaker labels kept for paid plans, a trial instead of a free plan can matter more than the headline, so the comparison quotes them wherever the provider states them. Some of these apps pay StartupPerks a referral commission, and their links are labeled as referral links; that decides neither whether nor where a app appears, and no app pays for a placement on this page.
Read the full methodologyCommon questions
What is the best free transcription software?
By the terms each provider states, Transkriptor gives 30 minutes of audio a day free, Happy Scribe's free plan records unlimited meetings of up to 45 minutes each, Tactiq is free forever for 10 transcripts a month, and Sonix gives 30 free minutes to a new account.
Is there free transcription software that works offline?
Yes. Whisper is a free open-source model under the MIT license, and whisper.cpp, Buzz, Vibe and MacWhisper transcribe on your own computer.
Is Sonix free?
Sonix gives 30 free minutes of transcription to a new account, applied to your first upload; after that it is $10 an hour, pay as you go.
Is Tactiq free?
Tactiq is free forever for 10 transcripts a month, with 5 AI credits a month.
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