E
ETranscription AI toolsFull list
Speech to text for audio and video.
18 tools16 with a free plan12 with an API3 open source
18 tools
EE
Free, from $14.99/mo
E
Notes, tasks and calendar in one app, with AI search and transcription
Notes & KnowledgeFree plan
D
DD
Free, from $16/mo
D
Text-based video and podcast editor with AI tools for creators and teams
Video EditingFree planAPI
F
FF
Free, from $10/mo
F
AI notetaker that records, transcribes and summarizes team meetings
Meeting NotesFree planAPI
O
OAI meeting notetaker with live transcription, summaries and CRM follow-ups
Free, from $8.33/mo
O
Free, from $8.33/mo
O
AI meeting notetaker with live transcription, summaries and CRM follow-ups
Meeting NotesFree planAPI
S
SS
Free, from $29/mo
S
Reads documents, web pages and books aloud with 1,000+ AI voices
Text to SpeechFree planAPI
F
FAI notetaker that records, transcribes and summarizes Zoom, Meet and Teams calls
Free, from $15/mo
F
Free, from $15/mo
F
AI notetaker that records, transcribes and summarizes Zoom, Meet and Teams calls
Meeting NotesFree planAPI
G
GBot-free AI notepad that turns your meeting notes into summaries and actions
Free, from $14/mo
G
Free, from $14/mo
G
Bot-free AI notepad that turns your meeting notes into summaries and actions
Meeting NotesFree planAPI
R
REvidence analysis, legal transcription and drafting for legal and investigative teams
Free, from $25.49/mo
R
Free, from $25.49/mo
R
Evidence analysis, legal transcription and drafting for legal and investigative teams
LegalFree planAPI
W
WW
Free, from $12/mo
W
Voice dictation that turns speech into clean, formatted text in any app
TranscriptionFree plan
N
NAI meeting notetaker that transcribes, summarizes and builds slides from calls
Free, from $8.17/mo
N
Free, from $8.17/mo
N
AI meeting notetaker that transcribes, summarizes and builds slides from calls
Meeting NotesFree plan
A
AA
Freemium
A
Managed speech-to-text service on AWS for batch and streaming audio
TranscriptionFree planAPI
T
TT
Freemium
V
VV
Free
V
Open-source offline speech recognition toolkit for developers in 20+ languages
TranscriptionFree planAPIOpen source
J
JJ
Freemium
J
AI meeting notes with no bot in the call, plus chat and CRM follow-ups
Meeting NotesFree planAPI
A
AA
From $38/mo
M
MM
Free, from $10/mo
M
Open-source meeting recorder that transcribes and summarizes on your device
Meeting NotesFree planOpen source
O
OOpen-source voice dictation and bot-free meeting notes with on-device models
Free, from $6.67/mo
O
Free, from $6.67/mo
O
Open-source voice dictation and bot-free meeting notes with on-device models
TranscriptionFree planAPIOpen source
R
RR
From $12/mo
R
Transcript-based platform to search, redact, highlight and edit recorded video
TranscriptionAPI
Transcription tools compared
From each vendor's own pages, re-checked every two months. Of 17 tools we checked, 6 of 10 that state a policy don't train AI on your content, and 13 hold SOC 2 or ISO 27001.
| Tool | Speaker labels | Bot-free recording | File upload | Mobile app capture | Custom note templates | HIPAA compliant | MCP server |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OOtter.ai | — | — | |||||
| FFireflies.ai | — | — | — | ||||
| GGranola | — | — | |||||
| FFathom | — | — | — | ||||
| WWispr Flow | — | — | |||||
| NNotta | — | — | |||||
| AAmazon Transcribe | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| TTactiq | — | — | — | ||||
| V | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| JJamie | — | — | |||||
| MMeetily | — | — | — | ||||
| OOpenWhispr | — |
— means the vendor's site doesn't say.
How to choose transcription tools
Start with the job. Otter.ai, Fathom and Fireflies.ai record or transcribe meetings and summarize them, while Descript and Reduct let you work with recordings through their transcripts. Wispr Flow is built for dictating text into any app, and Rev is aimed at legal and investigative teams.
Next, check how the tool captures audio and where it runs. Granola, Jamie and Tactiq offer bot-free meeting notes. Meetily transcribes on your device, and whisper.cpp and Vosk work offline, which may suit sensitive recordings. Platform support varies too: Tactiq is limited to a Chrome extension and the web, while Otter.ai also covers mobile and desktop.
If you're building speech-to-text into a product, look at the API and open-source options. Amazon Transcribe is a managed AWS service, while WhisperX adds word-level timestamps and speaker labels.
Finally, compare pricing. Audapolis, WhisperX, whisper.cpp and Vosk are free and open source. Most other tools are freemium, with listed paid plans starting between $6.67 and $38 a month.
Frequently asked questions
Are there free transcription tools?
Yes. Audapolis, WhisperX, whisper.cpp and Vosk are free and open source. Audapolis is an editor for spoken-word audio and video, while the other three are speech recognition tools. Many others, including Otter.ai, Fathom, Notta and Tactiq, are freemium, so they have both free and paid options.
How much do transcription tools cost?
Listed starting prices for paid plans run from $6.67 a month for OpenWhispr to $38 a month for Alitu, a podcast maker. Several meeting notetakers sit near the lower end, including Notta at $8.17, Otter.ai at $8.33 and Fireflies.ai at $10. Jamie, Tactiq and Amazon Transcribe are freemium, but we don't list a starting price for them.
What should I look for in a transcription tool?
Match the tool to your main job first: meeting notes, dictation, editing recordings or adding speech recognition to a product. Then check platform support, whether you need an API, and how audio is captured. If you want more control over your data, consider on-device or offline options such as Meetily, whisper.cpp and Vosk. WhisperX is worth a look if you need word-level timestamps and speaker labels.
What are the alternatives to a meeting bot or hosted notetaker?
Granola, Jamie, Tactiq and OpenWhispr all offer bot-free meeting notes. For open-source options, Meetily records, transcribes and summarizes meetings on your device, and OpenWhispr uses on-device models. Developers can also build their own workflow with whisper.cpp, WhisperX or Vosk.