Free to try · no sign-up needed
Free Audio Transcription
Transcribe audio files to text online. Upload a recording and get accurate audio transcription with speaker labels and a timestamp on every sentence, ready to copy or download as TXT, Word or subtitles.
Transcribe files
Drop audio or video files here
MP3, M4A, WAV, FLAC, OGG, MP4, MOV and more · up to 3 files at once
Browse filesNo account needed: see the first half free (up to 10 min). for 30 free minutes.
- No sign-up to try
- 30 free minutes on sign-up
- No subscription
- Minutes never expire
- 90+languages
Detected automatically, accents included
- 10 hoursper file
Whole meetings, lectures and podcasts
- 2 GBper upload
Videos send only their audio, so they upload fast
- 4export formats
TXT, Word, SRT and VTT subtitles
Transcribe audio to text free, then pay as you go
See the quality on your own audio before you spend anything. No trial that turns into a subscription, and no card to start.
Try it without an account
Upload any file and get free audio transcription with speaker labels for the first half, up to 10 minutes. 3 free previews a day, no email needed.
30 free minutes when you sign up
Create an account and get 30 minutes of full transcription on us, enough for a typical meeting or interview, with downloads in TXT, DOCX, SRT and VTT. No credit card.
Then buy minutes when you need them
Minute packs start at $6.99 for 180 minutes, and the largest pack works out to about $1 per hour of audio. No monthly bill, and purchased minutes never expire.
How to transcribe an audio file
- 1
Upload your audio files
Drag in an MP3, M4A, WAV, FLAC or a video like MP4 and MOV. Add up to 3 files at once without an account, or up to 50 when signed in. Long recordings are fine.
- 2
We transcribe it
Our speech-to-text engine detects the spoken language, labels each speaker and adds timestamps. An hour of audio usually takes minutes.
- 3
Read, copy or download
Read your audio transcript on this page, copy it in one click, or download it as TXT, Word (DOCX), SRT or VTT subtitles.
An audio to text converter that does the tidying for you
A raw dump of words is hard to use. Every transcript comes split into sentences, grouped by speaker and stamped with its time, so you can find what you need fast.
Speaker labels
Every line says who is talking, so interviews and meetings read like a script instead of a wall of text.
Timestamps
Every sentence carries its start time, so you can find a quote in the original recording and check it.
90+ languages
English, Spanish, French, German, Japanese, Chinese and many more, detected automatically. Accents are handled well.
TXT, DOCX, SRT, VTT
Plain text for notes, Word for editing and sharing, and subtitle files you can drop straight into YouTube or Premiere.
Video files too
Upload MP4, MOV or WebM and we pull speech from its audio track. No need to extract audio first.
Private by default
Your file is only used to make your transcript. We delete the original audio once it is done. Anything left over is removed automatically within 48 hours.
Why choose Transcribe Audio
Most transcription apps want a monthly subscription, reset your minutes every month and cap free files at around 30 minutes. If you transcribe now and then, you end up paying for time you never use.
| Transcribe Audio | Typical subscription apps | |
|---|---|---|
| Try a file before you sign up | ||
| No monthly subscription | ||
| Minutes never expire | ||
| Pay once, nothing renews automatically | ||
| Audio transcription with speaker labels on every file | ||
| TXT, Word, SRT and VTT downloads |
What people transcribe
Interviews and meetings
Keep a transcript with speaker labels and timestamps for quotes, notes and review. Audio from Zoom, Teams or your phone works as it is.
Videos and podcasts
Upload a video or episode directly and download SRT or VTT captions, or use its transcript as a starting point for show notes.
Voice memos and lectures
Recordings from your iPhone or Android, including M4A voice memos and recorded lectures, become text you can copy and search.
How to get a more accurate transcript
Speech-to-text is only as good as the audio it hears. A few habits make a bigger difference than any setting.
Record close to the speaker
Keep your phone within arm's reach of each speaker. Laptops across a room pick up echo, which costs accuracy.
Cut the background noise
Turn off fans, music or notifications before you record. In a noisy room, a headset microphone helps most.
Avoid talking over each other
Speaker detection works best when one person speaks at a time. In meetings, a short pause between speakers keeps speaker labels clean.
Pick the language if you know it
Automatic detection works well, but picking it yourself helps with short audio clips and recordings that start with music or silence.
Audio transcription FAQ
What is audio transcription?
Audio transcription means turning speech in a recording into written text. Here it is automatic: upload an audio or video file and get audio transcription with speaker labels and timestamps in a few minutes.
How do I transcribe an audio file to text?
Upload your audio file on this page, pick its language or leave it on automatic, then press start. Your transcript appears below, ready to download as TXT, DOCX, SRT or VTT.
Is this audio transcription free?
You can try it without an account: upload an audio file and read half of its transcript free, up to 10 minutes. Sign up and you get 30 free minutes, no card needed. After that you buy minutes in packs. One credit equals one minute of audio. Each file is charged for its real length, rounded up to the next full minute.
What is the free preview?
Without an account, or when your minutes do not cover your file, you get free audio transcription with speaker labels for its first half, up to 10 minutes. If it looks right, unlock its full transcript with your minutes within 24 hours of uploading. You can get 3 free previews a day. When you have enough minutes, your whole file is transcribed straight away.
Do I need a subscription? Do minutes expire?
No subscription. You buy a pack of minutes once: 180 minutes for $6.99, 900 for $19.99 or 3000 for $49.99, which works out to about $1 to $2.33 per hour of audio. Purchased minutes never expire, so you can use them whenever you have a recording.
Can I get a refund?
If a transcription fails, its minutes go back to your balance automatically. Within 14 days of buying a pack you can ask for a refund of any minutes you have not used. See the refund policy for details.
How accurate is the transcription?
On clear audio, most words come out right. Background noise, heavy crosstalk and very strong accents lower that, so give important quotes a quick check against the audio.
Which audio and video formats can I upload?
MP3, M4A, WAV, FLAC, OGG, OPUS, AAC, AMR, AIFF and WebM audio, plus MP4, MOV, WebM and MKV video. Files can be up to 2 GB and 10 hours long, or 500 MB without an account.
Can it tell different speakers apart?
Yes. Speaker detection is on by default, and your transcript labels each turn as Speaker A, Speaker B and so on. If you know how many people are talking, set the number under more settings for cleaner labels. It works best when people do not talk over each other.
How long does it take?
A one-hour interview is usually ready in a few minutes. You can leave this page and find it later under Your transcripts.
What happens to my files?
Your audio is stored privately and only used to create your transcript. We delete the original file after transcription, with an automatic cleanup within 48 hours as a backup. Transcripts stay in your account until you ask us to delete them.
What is an audio to text converter?
An audio to text converter is a tool that listens to audio recordings and writes out every word for you. This one also labels who is speaking, timestamps every sentence and lets you download the result as a document or subtitle file.
Do I need to install any software?
No. Everything runs in your browser on Windows, Mac, Linux, iPhone and Android. Upload from your computer or straight from your phone.
Can I make subtitles from my audio or video?
Yes. Download the SRT or VTT file and upload it to YouTube, Vimeo, Premiere Pro, DaVinci Resolve or any player that supports captions.
Still have a question? Email support@transcribeaudio.co
Ready to transcribe your audio?
Upload an audio file and read its first half free, no account needed.
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