Compared · checked 2026-10-24
The best free transcription software
Turning an interview, a lecture or a voice memo into text can be free. Two of these tools, ours and Buzz, run Whisper on your own computer; two are online services with free plans. Here is how far each free version goes.
We make Transcription, one of the tools on this page. Every fact about the other tools comes from their own pages, linked under each one, as they read on 2026-10-24. Prices and features change: check each site before you choose.
How we compared them
- How much is free: minutes, file length, number of files
- Privacy: whether the recording leaves your device
- Accuracy aids: languages, speaker labels, timestamps, editing
- Exports such as Word, SRT and VTT
At a glance
| Tool | Price | Free limits | Runs where | Audio processed | Languages | Exports |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Transcription ours | Free | Up to 2 hours per file | Browser | On your device | 99, or detected | Text, Word, SRT, WebVTT |
| Buzz | Free, open source (MIT) | None stated | Desktop: Windows, macOS (Apple silicon), Linux | On your computer; an online Whisper API is optional | 90+ | TXT, SRT, VTT |
| TurboScribe | Free; Unlimited $10 a month billed yearly | 3 files a day, up to 30 minutes each, one at a time | Browser | On its servers (GPUs) | 98+ | DOCX, PDF, TXT, SRT, VTT |
| Otter | Free Basic; Pro $8.33 a month billed yearly | 300 minutes a month, 30 minutes per conversation, 3 file imports in total | Browser, Mac, Windows, iOS, Android | In the cloud (AWS) | 6 | Free: MP3, TXT |
| Feature | Transcription ours | Buzz | TurboScribe | Otter |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Longest free file | 2 hours | Not stated | 30 min | 30 min |
| Languages | 99 | 90+ | 98+ | 6 |
| Speaker labels | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Timestamps | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| SRT or VTT subtitles | Yes | Yes | Yes | Partly |
| Word (DOCX) export | Yes | No | Yes | Partly |
| Edit the transcript | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Record from the microphone | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Joins online meetings | No | Not stated | Not stated | Yes |
| AI summaries | No | Partly | Partly | Yes |
| Translation | No | Yes | Partly | Partly |
| Processed on your device | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| No install | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| Desktop app | Works in the browser | Yes | No | Yes |
| Mobile app | Works in the browser | No | No | Yes |
| Open source | Yes | Yes | Not stated | No |
1. Transcription (ours)
Best for: Quick, private transcripts in the browser, with nothing to install, no account and Word or subtitle exports.
Good
- Whisper runs in your browser; recordings never leave your device
- Record your voice or add MP3, WAV, M4A, OGG, FLAC or video files, several at once
- Correct the text, then save as Text, Word, SRT or WebVTT, or open it in Documents
- No account, no monthly minutes
- Works on your phone, tablet and computer in the browser, even offline
Not so good
- Still in beta
- Starts with Whisper tiny, a small model that can mishear names, jargon and noisy rooms; better models (Whisper small, KB-Whisper for Swedish) are a larger download
- The first use downloads the quick model, about 42 MB
- No speaker labels, summaries or translation
2. Buzz
Best for: Private transcription on a desktop computer, with a choice of larger Whisper models, speaker identification and translation.
Good
- Transcribes and translates offline on your computer, powered by Whisper
- Choice of engines: Whisper, Whisper.cpp, Faster Whisper and more, with CUDA and Vulkan GPU support
- Speaker identification and live microphone transcription
- Open source under the MIT licence, with a command line
Not so good
- An install; current versions need Apple silicon on a Mac, and the Windows installer is not signed
- No Word export listed
Buzz website · Sources: Buzz on GitHub, Buzz documentation, Buzz home, Buzz docs: editing transcripts
3. TurboScribe
Best for: Long files and many languages on a paid plan, with speaker recognition and many export formats.
Good
- Speaker recognition and timestamps
- Exports DOCX, PDF, TXT, SRT and VTT
- Unlimited plan: files up to 10 hours and translation to 134+ languages
Not so good
- Free plan: 3 files a day of up to 30 minutes, at lower priority
- Translation is on the paid plan
TurboScribe website · Sources: TurboScribe home, TurboScribe pricing, TurboScribe audio to Word, TurboScribe support, TurboScribe dictation, TurboScribe GPT, TurboScribe vs Whisper, TurboScribe help: mobile app, TurboScribe: in the browser
4. Otter
Best for: Meetings: an assistant that joins Zoom, Teams or Meet, labels speakers and writes summaries.
Good
- Joins Zoom, Microsoft Teams and Google Meet from your calendar
- Speaker labels and AI summaries with decisions and action items
- Apps for iOS, Android, Mac and Windows, and integrations with Slack, Notion, Salesforce and more
Not so good
- Free plan allows only 3 file imports in total and 30 minutes per conversation
- PDF, DOCX and SRT exports are on paid plans
- English, Spanish, French, German, Japanese and Chinese only
Otter website · Sources: Otter home, Otter pricing, Otter help: export, Otter help: record, Otter help: languages, Otter terms of service
Which one to choose
Transcription is our pick for quick, private transcripts: Whisper runs in your browser, so the recording never leaves your device, files can be up to 2 hours, there is no account or monthly limit, and you get Word, SRT and WebVTT. It uses a small model that can mishear names and noisy rooms.
Choose Buzz if you need speaker labels, translation or larger, more accurate Whisper models, and do not mind installing a desktop program; it is just as private. Choose TurboScribe for long files on its paid plan, or Otter for meetings with summaries; both are online services with tight free limits.
Questions
Which free transcription tool keeps my audio private?
Buzz and Transcription run Whisper on your own device. TurboScribe runs its transcription on its own GPUs, and Otter processes audio in the cloud.
How long can a free recording be?
Transcription takes files up to 2 hours. TurboScribe and Otter stop at 30 minutes on their free plans. Buzz states no limit.
Which one tells speakers apart?
Buzz, TurboScribe and Otter label speakers. Transcription gives one text without speaker labels.
Can I make subtitles for free?
Buzz and Transcription export SRT and VTT for free. TurboScribe exports SRT and VTT, and Otter has SRT on paid plans.
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