Best AI Transcription Tools

Best Paid AI Transcription Tools

Otter.ai

Otter.ai is a leader in live AI transcription, trusted by professionals and educators for its real-time collaboration features. It offers live captioning during meetings, speaker labeling, automatic summaries, and integration with platforms like Zoom, Teams, and Google Meet. You can highlight key moments, assign action items, and share transcripts instantly with teammates. Its mobile and desktop apps keep everything synced, making Otter perfect for business meetings, lectures, and hybrid teams. The Pro plan unlocks advanced export options, custom vocabulary, and more transcription minutes for high-volume users.

Descript

Descript goes beyond transcription, offering a full multimedia editing suite built around your transcript. You can edit audio and video by editing the text, delete filler words in bulk, and create audiograms or video snippets for social media. Its AI voice cloning and screen recording tools are especially popular with podcasters, YouTubers, and educators who want all-in-one production. Descript’s transcription is fast and accurate, but its biggest strength lies in how it turns spoken content into polished media — making it a top pick for content-first creators.

Sonix.ai

Sonix is a fast, accurate transcription tool that supports over 40 languages, making it ideal for global teams, journalists, and researchers. It features automatic speaker labeling, transcript search, subtitle generation, and secure cloud storage. Its pay-as-you-go model is great for users with occasional transcription needs, while the subscription plans suit agencies and editorial teams. Sonix also includes a powerful transcript editor with time-syncing, which helps clean up files before sharing. If multilingual support and flexible pricing are key for you, Sonix is a smart, scalable solution.

Verbit

Verbit blends AI transcription with human refinement, offering unparalleled accuracy for legal, academic, and enterprise clients. It supports compliance standards like ADA, Section 508, and HIPAA, and provides detailed timestamps, speaker separation, and real-time captions. Verbit is used by universities, courtrooms, and corporations needing secure, high-accuracy transcription. The platform also includes APIs and LMS integrations, making it easy to embed transcription workflows into your existing systems. It’s ideal when precision and privacy are mission-critical.

Riverside Scribe

Riverside Scribe is a built-in tool for Riverside.fm users that auto-generates transcripts of recorded podcast and video sessions. It supports speaker labeling, clean formatting, and quick exports in TXT or SRT format — perfect for captions, show notes, or blog repurposing. Its seamless integration into Riverside’s remote recording suite makes it a favorite for content creators, interviewers, and educators who want one-click transcription from high-quality audio. With fast turnaround and solid accuracy, Scribe is a convenient add-on for any serious creator.

Best Free AI Transcription Tools

OpenAI Whisper

Whisper is OpenAI’s open-source transcription model that delivers near-state-of-the-art accuracy across dozens of languages. It’s favored by developers and tech-savvy users who want control over their transcription workflows. You can use Whisper locally or integrate it into your own tools, making it a popular choice for projects that require high-quality transcriptions without a commercial subscription. It doesn’t have a user interface, but if you're comfortable with Python or audio workflows, Whisper offers unmatched accuracy and flexibility for free.

Tactiq

Tactiq is a Chrome extension that adds live transcription and note-taking to Zoom, Google Meet, and Microsoft Teams. It captures subtitles in real time, lets you highlight quotes, and automatically saves meeting summaries for later reference. You can export to Google Docs or Notion, making it great for students, project managers, and anyone juggling virtual meetings. The free plan includes basic transcription and highlights, making Tactiq one of the easiest tools to install and use with your existing workflow.

oTranscribe

oTranscribe is a free manual transcription assistant designed for those who prefer to transcribe by hand. It features audio playback controls, keyboard shortcuts, and an autosave function to streamline the typing process. While it doesn’t transcribe audio automatically, its distraction-free interface is ideal for journalists, researchers, and students doing hands-on review of recorded interviews. It’s fully browser-based and stores files locally, meaning your data stays private and no login is required.

Notta (Free Tier)

Notta’s free plan allows you to transcribe a limited number of minutes per month using a clean, modern interface. It supports speaker labels, timestamped notes, and exports to PDF, DOCX, and TXT. Notta is ideal for casual users who need occasional transcripts of meetings, interviews, or voice notes. Its mobile and desktop compatibility makes it easy to use on the go. While heavier usage requires a paid plan, Notta (Free) is a great way to test high-quality transcription before committing.

Dictation.io

Dictation.io is a simple web-based speech-to-text tool that works directly in your browser. Just press a button, start talking, and your words appear in a notepad-style interface. It’s perfect for quick memos, writing drafts, or practicing spoken English. There’s no file upload, no login, and no install required. While it lacks the power of full transcription services, Dictation.io is great for fast, casual dictation — especially for those who want a no-frills, real-time voice-to-text pad.