Transcription software is a digital transcriber that converts audio into text. With the rise of voice technology in everything from podcasts and video conferencing to voice assistants, the demand for transcription is rising. In fact, the US transcription market is expected to reach $41.93 billion by 2030, according to GVE.
An audio-to-text converter allows you to repurpose content, make it accessible in different languages, and reach a global audience. Be it captions for social media videos, online course transcriptions, documentation of meeting proceedings, or legal transcripts, the right transcription tool can save you time, improve accessibility, and create searchable records of your audio content.
I have evaluated 25 transcription software and listed the best option based on transcription type, editing features, accuracy, privacy, and pricing.
- 1. GoTranscript – Best for Human Accuracy
- 2. Otter.ai – Best for Real-Time Notes
- 3. MeetGeek – Best for Auto Meetings Transcripts
- 4. Notta AI – Best for AI Transcription and Translation
- 5. Rev – Best for Fast Human Transcription
- 6. Nuance Drago – Best for Specialized Dictation
- 7. Transcribe – Best for Foot Pedal
- 8. Trint – Best for Collaborative Transcription
- 9. oTranscribe – Best for Free In-Browser
- 10. Express Scribe – Best for Pro Transcriptionists
- 11. Temi – Best for Budget Automatic (ASR)
- 12. Descript – Best for Editing + Transcription
- 13. Sonix – Best for Fast, Customizable ASR
- 14. Audext – Best for ASR with Editing Tool
- 15. Amberscript – Best for Accurate Speaker ID
- 16. GoSpeech – Best for Small Business
- 17. Happy Scribe – Best for ASR and Subtitles
- Show less
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Best Transcription Software Comparison
I’ve summarized key features, pricing, and overall rating for each software. Most of them offer a free trial to explore its functionality.
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$0.20/minute | $8.33 | $15 | $9 | $9.99 | $15 | $20/year | $52 | FREE | $7.72 | $0.25/minute | $12/hour | $10/hour | $1.20/minute | $ 0.13/minute | $10 | ||
Geekflare’s editorial team determines ratings based on factors such as key features, ease of use, pricing, and customer support to help you choose the right business software. | |||||||||||||||||
Best Transcription Software Review
Below, I’ve reviewed each software in detail, highlighting why you should use it, its pros and cons, transcription accuracy details, and given an overall rating.
1. GoTranscript
Best for Human Accuracy
- Human TranscriptionYes
- Accuracy99.2%+
- Customer Support24/7 Phone
Why GoTranscript?
GoTranscript focuses on human transcription services and offers AI-powered or automated transcription services. Its professional native transcribers convert your video to text in 60+ languages with 99.2% accuracy.
It offers a translation service for audio/text and provides captions and subtitles for videos. Since experienced transcription experts handle every order, you can expect exceptional accuracy even for videos with lower quality, heavy accents, and industry-specific terminology.
Upload your files using your preferred method—from your device, YouTube, Google Drive, Vimeo, or Dropbox. To ensure convenience, GoTranscript delivers your transcriptions in MS Word, but you can request custom formats to suit your specific needs.
I like how GoTranscript ensures the highest possible quality by putting every file through a four-step process of transcription, review, proofreading, and quality check. It offers free editing tools that you can use to edit the transcripts according to your preferences.
GoTranscript Pricing
GoTranscript’s human transcription pricing starts at $1.02/minute when ordered for 1000+ minutes. AI transcription with a 5-minute turnaround time costs $0.20/minute.
GoTranscript Pros/Cons
Cloud-native API solutions for continuous transcription
2048-bit SSL encryption and NDA protection for security and confidentiality
Special discount for educational, non-profit, and green organizations
Complex pricing structure
No integration support with virtual meeting apps
No Android app, despite being mentioned on the website
2. Otter.ai
Best for Real-Time Notes
- Human TranscriptionNo
- Accuracy90%
- Customer SupportEmail, Help Center
Why Otter.ai?
Companies like Zoom, Dropbox, and IBM use Otter.ai for their transcription needs, and you can do that, too. Besides instantly generating transcripts from live meetings, it lets you record audio from your phone or use a web browser to transcribe it instantly.
Its intelligent features, such as automatic speaker ID, action item summaries, and meeting slide captures, eliminate the need to juggle multiple third-party tools for simple enhancements.
Otter.ai takes out the hassle of note-taking during virtual meetings by automatically capturing meeting slides and integrating them into detailed notes, giving you full context without extra effort. Its automatic action item summaries and collaborative transcription editing allow your team to stay aligned and productive.
I’m impressed by the extensive integration support of Otter.ai, extending to Google Meet, Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Dialers, RingCentral, Slack, Salesforce, HubSpot, Amazon S3, Egnyte, and more. It even has an Android app and Chrome extension to facilitate easy accessibility.
Otter.ai Pricing
Besides the free plan, Otter.ai offers three more plans, which are as follows.
– Pro: $8.33/user/month [For small teams]
– Business: $20/user/month [Greater productivity for teams]
– Enterprise: Custom pricing [Advanced security, control, and support for organizations]
Otter.ai Pros/Cons
7-day free trial
Training Otter to recognize certain voices for future reference
600 minutes of free seamless transcription upon sign-up
Single Sign On and OtterPilot for Sales are only available to Enterprise plan
Live transcription via RTMP costs extra fees
3. MeetGeek
Best for Auto Meetings Transcripts
- Human TranscriptionNo
- AccuracyNot Disclosed
- Customer SupportSupport Center, Email
Why MeetGeek?
MeetGeek is an AI meeting automation platform with a transcription feature for 30+ languages. Whether collaborating on Google Meet, pitching clients on Zoom, or hosting a webinar, MeetGeek ensures you never miss a detail.
Beyond transcription, it offers timestamps, speaker IDs, and adjustable playback speeds to quickly revisit key moments without watching the entire meeting.
The MeetGeek mobile app and security features caught my attention. Its mobile app is useful for transcribing both in-person and virtual meetings. For added security, MeetGeek uses 256-bit AES and 256-bit SSL/TLS encryption.
MeetGeek Pricing
MeetGeek offers a free forever plan besides paid subscriptions. The paid plans are listed below.
– Pro: $15/user/month [For professionals and small teams]
– Business: $29/user/month [For innovative teams and businesses]
– Enterprise: $59/user/month [For teams that need brand customization, increased storage, and support]
MeetGeek Pros/Cons
Free forever plan with 5 hours of transcription per month
14-day free trial for paid plans
GDPR and SOC 2 Type II compliant
Does not support file upload for transcription
Human transcription service not available
4. Notta AI
Best for AI Transcription and Translation
- Human TranscriptionNo
- Accuracy98.86%
- Customer SupportHelp Center, Email
Why Notta AI?
Notta AI utilizes artificial intelligence to generate accurate transcripts for podcasts, interviews, lectures, voice memos, and meeting recordings at an accuracy rate of 98.86%. This audio-to-text converter accepts MP3, WAV, MP4, and WMV.
You can even upload files from your computer or paste URLs from YouTube, Google Drive, and Dropbox. All these save time and effort and help you become more productive.
Download the transcription text in Word, TXT, and PDF formats of your choice. Share transcriptions via a link, even with non-Notta users, for effortless communication.
I appreciate that Notta AI complies with SSL, GDPR, APPI, and CCPA standards, manifesting its commitment to data security and user privacy.
Notta AI Pricing
Notta AI offers a free plan. Its paid plans are listed below.
– Pro: $9/month [For professionals]
– Business: $16.67/month [For teams]
– Enterprise: Custom pricing [For organizations]
Notta AI Pros/Cons
Free forever plan with 120 minutes per month
Mobile apps for live transcription
Supports 58 languages for transcription
Does not offer professional transcription
Self-transcription not supported
5. Rev
Best for Fast Human Transcription
- Human TranscriptionYes
- Accuracy90%+
- Customer SupportHelp Center, Email, Phone
Why Rev?
Rev boasts 73,000+ talented freelance transcriptionists as human transcribers. Besides, it supports automated transcription with AI technology. It converts audio or video files into readable and searchable text with 99% accuracy for human transcription.
Rev’s AI transcript assistant helps you save time and stay focused by instantly turning audio and video files into text. Whether you’re analyzing a podcast, extracting insights from an interview, or converting meeting recordings into notes, Rev simplifies the process and ensures compatibility by supporting various formats like MP3, MP4, and MOV.
It has the option to download transcripts as Word documents, PDFs, or plain text, allowing you to choose the most suitable format.
I like its free interactive editor with version control, changing speaker names, and adjusting times features. It integrates with Google Drive, YouTube, Vimeo, and Dropbox to have a faster workflow. You can share the links of multimedia files streaming online to create transcripts.
Rev Pricing
Rev offers a free plan for 300 AI transcription minutes per month. The paid plans are listed below.
– Basic: $9.99/user/month [Built for individuals and small teams]
– Pro: $20.99/user/month [Built for larger teams]
– Enterprise: Custom pricing [Built for organizations]
Rev Pros/Cons
API with clear documentation
Free mobile app for audio recording
Collaboration on transcripts with team members
Speaker names may be inconsistent for files 30+ minutes
Does not accept physical media like SD cards and CD
Additional charges for rushed delivery
6. Nuance Drago
Best for Specialized Dictation
- Human TranscriptionNo
- Accuracy99%
- Customer SupportSupport Center, Phone
Why Nuance Drago?
Nuance Dragon is speech-to-text software that offers a variety of speech transcription solutions for home users, professionals, legal groups, law enforcement, and medical users.
Its professional-grade mobile app delivers up to 99% accuracy, enabling you to format, edit, and customize text using your voice on the go. Nuance Dragon adapts to your unique workflow and enables you to work smarter by letting you add industry-specific terms or create auto-text shortcuts.
In my opinion, professionals will benefit from the Auto‑Transcribe Folder Agent (ATFA) as it simplifies third-party review and correction by automating transcription tasks. In this case, all you have to do is just to drag and drop audio files and let Nuance Dragon handle the rest.
Nuance Dragon Pricing
Nuance Dragon offers a 7-day free trial, and the paid plans are listed below.
– 1 month: $15
– 12 months: $150
– Volume Licenses: Custom pricing
Note: Nuance Dragon is available in the US and Canada.
Nuance Drago Pros/Cons
7-day free trial is available
Continuous dictation with no word limits
Android and iOS mobile apps
Available only in the US and Canada
Does not offer manual transcription
7. Transcribe
Best for Foot Pedal
- Human TranscriptionYes
- Accuracy90%
- Customer SupportEmail
Why Transcribe?
With Transcribe, you can turn podcasts, speeches, lectures, calls, and interviews into text in over 80 languages, using automatic transcription or performing self-transcription.
If your source file has minimal background noise, you can save valuable time with quick and accurate automatic transcription. If the audio files are unclear, the manual transcription mode ensures you still achieve results efficiently.
I appreciate that Transcribe empowers its users with tools to enhance productivity. For example, you can trim media files for focused segments, identify speakers for organized output, include timecodes for better navigation, and use a custom dictionary to make the software adapt to your unique terminology.
The auto-loop feature allows pausing and resuming and automatically helps you transcribe without interruptions.
Transcribe Pricing
Transcribe offers self-transcription for $20/year with free one-week trial. The automatic transcription costs $20/year + $6/hour.
Transcribe Pros/Cons
1-week free trial for self-transcription
Foot pedal integration with popular devices
Support punctuation command for dictation
Professional transcriber service not available
The PDF file is not supported for document export
8. Trint
Best for Collaborative Transcription
- Human TranscriptionNo
- Accuracy99%
- Customer SupportKnowledge base
Why Trint?
Trint is an AI audio transcription software ideal for converting audio into text in 40+ languages. Its client base includes law firms, financial services, podcasters, content creators, and educational institutes.
Trint transforms the way you handle transcription by delivering 99% accurate transcripts through its cutting-edge ASR and NLP technologies. Its API seamlessly integrates with your internal tools, enabling customization that fits your unique workflow.
Trint’s real-time editing features, like highlighting key moments, leaving comments, and assigning tasks, ensure everyone stays aligned. Granular access permissions enable easy transcription sharing with the teammates.
I appreciate how Trint lets you perform many post-transcription editing tasks. You can add markers, assign speaker names, search for certain words, and even leave reminders via comments on specific sections. It exports the transcription in MS Word, allowing easy editing and formatting.
Trint Pricing
Trint offers a 7-day free trial to its advanced plan. The paid plans are listed below.
– Starter: $52/seat/month [For content creators]
– Advanced: $60/seat/month [For advanced content creators and teams]
– Enterprise: Custom pricing [For organizations]
Trint Pros/Cons
Automatic language detection and transcription
Easily deployable cloud technology with Single Sign-On (SSO) integration
Integrates with Google Drive and Dropbox
Expensive service
The free trial lasts for 7 days only
9. oTranscribe
Best for Free In-Browser
- Human TranscriptionYes
- AccuracyNot Disclosed
- Customer SupportEmail
Why oTranscribe?
oTranscribe is an entirely free and open-source transcription tool. Unlike many of its competitors, it does not use any AI or employ human transcribers to transcribe the audio. Instead, it allows you to listen to any preferred audio content or video files and transcribe them using the given text editor.
oTranscribe automatically saves each change safely on your computer, so you don’t lose the transcript if the internet connection gets interrupted.
I like its hotkeys functionality, which lets you pause, rewind, and forward the video using a keyboard. oTranscribe shows interactive timestamps for easy navigation through the transcript, resulting in enhanced data extraction and search capabilities.
oTranscribe Pros/Cons
Video file support with a built-in player
Customizable keyboard shortcuts
Export to Google Docs, markdown, or plain text
Support only YouTube URL for source video file
Retains only 100 backups
10. Express Scribe
Best for Pro Transcriptionists
- Human TranscriptionYes
- AccuracyNot Disclosed
- Customer SupportPhone, FAQs
Why Express Scribe?
Express Scribe is a free transcription software that also comes in a PRO version. Thanks to its keyboard hotkeys and transcribing pedal support, you have to spend less time in the transcription process to get accurate results.
Express Scribe supports encrypted dictation files, letting you comply with strict data protection standards. Besides supporting 45+ audio and video file formats, Express Scribe works with Microsoft Word, Corel Wordperfect, Lotus Wordpro, and other text editors. You can apply different playback speeds to complete the transcription work at your own speed.
Its ability to load audio from a CD for transcription caught my attention. Express Scribe automatically sends the transcription to you once it is done, so you do not have to worry about getting it in time.
Express Scribe Pricing
The Express Scribe offers a free plan that supports common file formats such as WAV, MP3, and WMA. For the pro edition, the pricing is $8.83/month.
Express Scribe Pros/Cons
Dedicated software for Windows
Plug-and-play install wizard for professional foot pedals
Automatically loads audio files from the FTP server
Does not offer automatic transcription
Old-style software interface
11. Temi
Best for Budget Automatic (ASR)
- Human TranscriptionNo
- Accuracy90-95%
- Customer SupportPhone, Email
Why Temi?
Temi is an advanced speech recognition software that journalists, reporters, podcasters, bloggers, and authors use for transcribing interviews, video content, podcasts, meetings, and dictations. It specializes in machine learning and speech recognition, ensuring increased speed and accuracy.
Its simple editing tool features speaker identification and custom timestamps, making it easier for you to organize your work and polish your transcript with minimum effort. Temi accepts all audio and video file types to create transcription within a few minutes. It saves transcripts in MS Word, PDF, SRT, VTT, and other formats, so you can share and repurpose your content easily.
I appreciate Temi’s features, which offer more control to its users. You can video playback on its dashboard, where you can control the volume and speed of the video. In addition, you can delete your files whenever you want to ensure the privacy of your projects.
Temi Pricing
Temi offers a free trial for one transcript for 45 minutes. The paid plan costs 0.25/audio minute.
Temi Pros/Cons
Android and iOS apps for creating, editing, and sharing recording
TLS 1.2 encryption and secure servers
Free Trial for one transcript under 45 minutes of transcription
Does not support video URLs
Transcription accuracy is reduced for audio with heavy background noise
12. Descript
Best for Editing + Transcription
- Human TranscriptionNo
- Accuracy95%
- Customer SupportKnowledge base, Email, In-app Live Chat
Why Descript?
Descript delivers excellent accuracy along with flexible collaboration options to have perfect transcription every time. You can download its desktop application for Windows and Mac to create transcripts, while its web app enables access to transcription services on the go.
Its advanced speaker detection feature can identify 8+ speakers in the audio and label each speaker separately, eliminating confusion during edits. Descript’s version control feature of the web app ensures every team member works with the latest files while maintaining a complete history of all changes.
I like that Descript supports content creators by importing transcription documents for free so that they can sync with the media content. It keeps all the uploaded content confidential, so you do not have to worry about their security.
Descript Pricing
Descript offers a free plan, which provides a 1-hour maximum per month for transcription. The paid plans listed below offer savings of up to 35%.
– Hobbyist: $12/person/month [Watermark-free]
– Creator: $24/person/month [Advanced AI-powered features]
– Business: $40/person/month [Offers collaboration in the team]
Descript Pros/Cons
Free plan to try the basic features
Supports 23 languages for transcription
Custom transcription glossary for commonly used words
The web version has a 5 GB maximum file size limitation
The desktop app does not work on old versions of Windows and Mac
13. Sonix
Best for Fast, Customizable ASR
- Human TranscriptionNo
- Accuracy99%
- Customer SupportHelp Center, FAQs
Why Sonix?
Sonix is an automatic transcription software that ensures fast and secure audio/video transcription without any complicated workflows. Whether you’re a busy professional, a podcaster, a teacher, or a researcher, it saves you hours by delivering highly accurate transcripts that require little to no editing.
By supporting all major file formats, Sonix saves you from the tedious file conversion process. Just upload the files or add them from Google Drive or Dropbox, and it will quickly generate transcripts for editing in an in-browser editor. You can save the transcript in MS Word, PDF, TXT, and other formats.
I appreciate how Sonix makes team collaboration effortless by letting you add notes and comments directly within the transcript. Its additional features like word-by-word timestamps, sharable team folders, importing existing transcripts, and sharing transcripts for editing, enhance collaboration and enable efficient review.
Sonix Pricing
Sonix offers 30 minutes of free transcription on every new account. The paid plans are highlighted below.
– Standard: $10/hour [Perfect for project-based work]
– Premium: $5/hour + $22/user/month [Perfect for advanced collaboration]
– Enterprise: Custom pricing [Perfect for High volume transcription with advanced user controls and content analysis]
Sonix Pros/Cons
Free trial for 30 minutes
Supports 49+ languages and dialects
Search, edit, and share media files
No mobile apps
The speaker recognition feature is still in beta stage
14. Audext
Best for ASR with Editing Tool
- Human TranscriptionYes
- Accuracy99%
- Customer SupportEmail
Why Audext?
Audext offers both automatic transcription and professional manual transcription, where you can expect 80% and 99% accuracy, respectively. The most common use cases of this software include education, marketing, media, healthcare, agriculture, consulting, and event management.
Regardless of your field—education, media, healthcare, or event management—Audext adapts to your needs. Its built-in editor, with its intuitive features like active word highlighting, find-and-replace, and adjustable playback speed, ensures you can edit the transcripts at your pace.
Moreover, automatic speaker identification and timestamps are useful for transcribing meetings, interviews, or any situation with multiple speakers.
I like Audext’s process, which is quite simple from start to finish. This cloud software does not need any installation, so you can start working on it from anywhere. It supports standard multimedia file formats like MP3, MP4, M4A, WAV, etc. Exporting your work is easy, and transcription files in Word, JSON, and TXT formats make it simple to integrate these into your workflow.
Audext Pricing
Audext manual transcription costs $1.20/minute, while automatic service costs $12/hour.
Audext Pros/Cons
Free trial of 10 minutes
100% native speakers for manual transcription
60+ languages supported for automatic transcription
Offers 6 pricing plans, which could be complex for the users
Does not offer the option to get transcription in PDF format
15. Amberscript
Best for Accurate Speaker ID
- Human TranscriptionYes
- Accuracy100%
- Customer SupportKnowledge base, Phone, Email
Why Amberscript?
Amberscript is an intelligent tool for converting audio and video files into text or subtitles. With its AI-powered speech recognition, you can automatically transcribe files in 70+ languages, achieving up to 85% accuracy.
You can rely on Amberscript’s professional human transcription service for crucial projects, delivering 100% precision in 18 languages. Export your transcriptions in Word, JSON, or TXT formats to easily incorporate them into your workflows.
Its online text editor allows users to improve the accuracy of machine transcriptions. It automatically adds timestamps and recognizes distinct speakers.
I am intrigued by its specialized transcription, which can include jargon or specific vocabulary. It minimizes the need for manual corrections, especially for transcribing industry-specific languages.
Amberscript Pricing
Amberscript offers a 10-minute free trial. The pricing model is highlighted below.
Machine-Made Transcription
– One-off credit: $10 [Includes 1 hour of audio or video]
– Subscription: $20/month [Includes 3 hours of audio or video]
Human-Made Transcription: $1.50/minute [1 minute of audio or video]
Amberscript Pros/Cons
10 minutes of free transcription
GDPR-compliant and ISO-certified
Offers verbatim and non-verbatim trancriptions
Standard API does not support language detection
Human transcription is available in a limited number of languages
16. GoSpeech
Best for Small Business
- Human TranscriptionNo
- AccuracyNot Disclosed
- Customer SupportEmail, Phone
Why GoSpeech?
GoSpeech is an AI-based SaaS transcription solution for automatically transcribing audio and video files. Built to meet the highest data security standards, it runs exclusively on German servers, making it the ideal choice for professionals handling sensitive information.
GoSpeech adapts to your needs by recognizing multiple speakers and dialects and delivering a transcript ready for search and collaboration. Its intuitive online editor lets you conveniently edit the transcript or work on it with your team using its group function.
As the source file format, it supports AAC, MP3, MP4, M4A, M4V, OGG, WAV, DSS, etc., while it exports transcriptions in DOCX, TXT, PDF, and VTT formats.
I appreciate how it offers an on-premise solution in addition to a cloud application, giving you the power to work your way. Moreover, its link-sharing feature enables hassle-free collaboration—even with members without a GoSpeech account.
GoSpeech Pricing
GoSpeech offers a free plan which allows 10 minutes of transcription. The paid plan costs €49/month.
GoSpeech Pros/Cons
Free plan available
Online editor with vocabulary, version history, and comments
Data protection compliant platform
Does not offer live chat support
Telephone support is only available during business hours
17. Happy Scribe
Best for ASR and Subtitles
- Human TranscriptionYes
- Accuracy99%
- Customer SupportHelp Center
Why Happy Scribe?
Happy Scribe is a free transcription software that empowers you to convert audio to text in over 60 different languages. Whether you’re creating subtitles for videos or transcribing interviews, this free tool saves you time and enhances productivity.
Collaboration becomes seamless as you can bring your team onboard—proofreaders and editors, to work together in real-time, ensuring accuracy and efficiency. Features like speaker name assignments and custom vocabularies let you tailor transcriptions to your unique needs, while the interactive transcription editor ensures quality improvements with minimal effort.
I am impressed that Happy Scribe allows you to upload files of any size and length, making it ideal for everything from short podcasts to lengthy conference recordings. Its integration with platforms like YouTube and Zapier helps streamline your workflow, while the option to set starting timecodes gives you precise control over where transcriptions begin.
Happy Scribe Pricing
Happy Scribe has a free forever plan. Its paid plans are listed below.
– Basic: $10/month [Suitable for individuals]
– Pro: $17/month [Suitable for professionals]
– Business: $29/month [Suitable for professionals and teams]
Happy Scribe Pros/Cons
Free forever plan
Supports 67 languages for automatic transcription
Export transcription in Word, TXT, PDF, JSON, VTT, etc.
Only verbatim transcription for automatic
Does not support batch-sharing of content
What Is Transcription Software?
Transcription software converts speech into written text. If you have an audio or video recording of a business meeting, podcast, or lecture, a transcription tool can turn it into text.
Some transcription programs use advanced technology and AI to automatically generate a text transcript, while others assist human transcribers in manual transcription by providing features such as playback speed control, timestamp, and speaker identification.
It saves significant time and effort for professionals, business executives, researchers, students, content creators, and anyone who needs to work with audio and video recording.
Types of Transcription Services
The types of transcription services are Verbatim, Intelligent, Automatic, Manual, and more.
- Verbatim Transcript: This transcription is the written form of spoken language that captures every sound made in the source audio or video file.
- Intelligent Transcript: It omits filler words, rambling, slang, and other irrelevant sounds.
- Automatic Transcription: Software applications provide this transcription service that offers you speed and does not need human intervention.
- Manual Transcription: This type of transcription is done by humans who would create transcriptions of different types (intelligent verbatim, edited) based on client requirements.
- Edited Transcript: It offers better readability and clarity through standardization by removing grammatical mistakes and incomplete sentences.
- Phonetic Transcription: This type of transcription involves writing down all sounds of the audio but using phonemes (a special set of symbols for pronunciation).
There are browser extensions available for both verbatim and non-verbatim transcription.
Automatic vs. Manual Transcription: Which Should You Choose?
Choosing between automatic and manual transcription is definitely a tough decision. Software-powered automatic transcription offers speed and affordability. You can quickly convert audio to text, often at a fraction of the cost of manual transcription. However, the accuracy rate could be lower, especially in the case of challenging audio with accents, background noise, or multiple speakers.
Manual transcription done by human transcribers offers the highest level of detail and precision as people meticulously listen and type the transcript. But this precision comes at a price of time and cost.
So, how do you decide the right method for you? If speed and budget are your top priorities, go for automatic transcription. It’s ideal for quick summaries, initial drafts, or situations if minor inaccuracies won’t bother you.
However, if you need an error-free transcript for legal proceedings, medical records, or academic research, manual transcription is your go-to option.
AI Transcriptions: Pros and Cons
The pros and cons of AI transcriptions are listed below.
Pros of AI Transcription
- Faster turnaround time
- Cost-effective than human transcription
- Usually available 24/7
- Scalability with a large volume of audio data
Cons of AI Transcription
- Accuracy issues might appear for complex audio
- Security concerns for sensitive audio
- Output might lack proper formatting and punctuation
FAQs
GoTranscript, Trint, Descript, and Amberscript are some of the best tools to convert audio to text.
Legal transcriptionists use Nuance Dragon and Trint to transcribe all legal proceedings.
Otter.ai, oTranscribe, Express Scribe, GoSpeech, and Descript are the cheapest AI transcription software applications because they offer free forever plans.
Yes, transcript software like Sonix, Descript, Trint and Amberscript support multiple languages.
Yes, many transcription applications, including Otter.ai and Rev, transcribes in real-time.
Yes, GoScript, Happy Scribe, and many other transcription tools can effectively transcribe audio files with poor quality.
What’s next?
Let’s explore more transcription platforms through our guide below.
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EditorRashmi Sharma is an editor at Geekflare. She is passionate about researching business resources and has an interest in data analysis.