Yes. Free AI transcription is now good enough for everyday interviews, voice memos and meetings, as long as you check the limits. For most people we recommend TurboScribe: its free plan transcribes 3 files a day of up to 30 minutes each, with speaker labels and downloads in common formats, and the paid step up is $10 a month billed yearly.
Free tools built on mature speech models handle clear recordings well today, and the main tradeoffs are daily or monthly caps rather than quality.- Our pickTurboScribeFree: 3 files a day, up to 30 minutes each, one upload at a time, lower priority
- Runner upOtter.aiFree: 300 minutes a month, 30 minutes per conversation, 3 lifetime file imports
- Best for video callsFathomFree: unlimited recordings and transcriptions, AI summaries, unlimited storage; some AI features limited
- Best for privacyBuzzFree and open source (MIT license); no usage limits stated
- Also greatApple Notes (audio transcription)Free with iOS 18 or later; no usage limits stated
- Upgrade pickTurboScribeStarts at $10/month billed yearly, or $20 month to month
TurboScribe
Best for most people who need to transcribe recorded audio or video files for free.
TurboScribe has the most useful free plan we found for recorded files. You can transcribe 3 files every day, and each one can be up to 30 minutes long TurboScribe pricing ↗. That is up to 90 minutes a day, which covers a podcast episode, a client interview or a stack of voice memos. The catch is that free files upload one at a time and wait in a lower priority queue, so they take longer to come back TurboScribe pricing ↗.
The tool is built on OpenAI's Whisper speech model and offers three modes: Cheetah for speed, Dolphin for balance and Whale for the best accuracy TurboScribe ↗. It says it supports more than 98 languages, with about 22 giving the best results, including English, Spanish, French, German and Japanese TurboScribe ↗. You can turn on speaker recognition and tell it to expect 2 to 8 speakers, or let it guess TurboScribe ↗. Transcripts download as PDF, DOCX, TXT or CSV, and captions as SRT or VTT TurboScribe ↗. It takes MP3, MP4, M4A, WAV, MOV and many other formats, and it can import from YouTube TurboScribe ↗.
The company advertises 99.8 percent accuracy, but that is its own claim and accuracy depends on the language and the recording TurboScribe ↗. TurboScribe says files and transcripts are encrypted and only the account holder can see them, and you can delete them any time TurboScribe ↗. Hands on testing is in progress; we will update this guide with results.
Why we like it
- Up to 90 minutes of free transcription a day (3 files of 30 minutes)
- Speaker labels, choice of speed or accuracy mode
- Downloads in PDF, DOCX, TXT, CSV, SRT and VTT
- More than 98 languages, per the company
Flaws but not dealbreakers
- Free files sit in a slower queue
- Files over 30 minutes need to be split or need the paid plan
- No live transcription of meetings as they happen
Otter.ai
Best for live transcription of meetings and in person conversations.
Otter.ai is the better choice when you want words on screen while people are still talking. Its free Basic plan gives each user 300 minutes of transcription a month, but each conversation stops at 30 minutes Otter pricing ↗. You also get only 3 imported audio or video files for the life of the account, so Otter is not a good home for a backlog of old recordings Otter pricing ↗. The free plan keeps your 25 most recent conversations and lets you add 5 custom vocabulary terms, such as product or client names Otter pricing ↗.
The free plan includes 20 questions a month to Otter AI Chat, so you can ask things like what was decided, and exports come as mp3 or txt Otter pricing ↗. If you outgrow it, Pro lists at $16.99 a month, or $8.33 a month billed yearly, and raises you to 1,200 minutes, 90 minute meetings and more export formats, including docx, pdf and srt Otter pricing ↗. Pro also connects to Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Google Meet, Salesforce, HubSpot and Zapier Otter pricing ↗.
The 30 minute cap is the main thing to plan around. A one hour team meeting will cut off halfway on the free plan. For short calls, lectures in chunks and quick interviews it works well.
Why we like it
- 300 free minutes a month per user
- Live transcript as people talk
- AI chat to ask questions about a conversation
- Custom vocabulary for names and jargon
Flaws but not dealbreakers
- 30 minute limit per conversation on the free plan
- Only 3 file imports for the life of a free account
- Free plan keeps only the 25 most recent conversations
Fathom
Best for people who want every Zoom, Google Meet or Teams call recorded and transcribed at no cost.
Fathom is a meeting notetaker, not a file transcriber, and its free plan is unusually generous for that job. The pricing page lists unlimited recordings and transcriptions, instant AI call summaries and unlimited call storage on the free plan Fathom pricing ↗. Some extras, such as AI action items and asking questions across all your calls, are marked as limited use without exact numbers Fathom pricing ↗. It works with Google Meet, Zoom and Microsoft Teams Fathom ↗.
Fathom also connects to the tools many small teams use after a call. The company says notes and action items sync with Salesforce and HubSpot, and it lists Slack, Notion, Asana and Gmail as well Fathom ↗. You can choose a bot that joins the call, or a bot free capture mode that is in beta on Mac Fathom pricing ↗.
If you pay later, Premium is $20 a month or $16 a month billed yearly Fathom pricing ↗. The tradeoff with any meeting bot is etiquette: tell people you are recording, and check your local consent rules.
Why we like it
- Unlimited recordings and transcripts on the free plan
- Instant AI summaries after each call
- Works with Zoom, Google Meet and Teams
- Syncs with Salesforce, HubSpot and Slack
Flaws but not dealbreakers
- Not built for uploading old audio files
- Some AI features are limited on free without stated numbers
- Languages are not listed on the pages we checked
Buzz
Best for sensitive recordings that should never leave your computer.
Buzz is an open source desktop app that transcribes and translates audio offline on your own computer, using OpenAI's Whisper model Buzz GitHub ↗. Because nothing is uploaded, it is the safest free choice for recordings with client, patient or legal details. The code is published under the MIT license, and there are no minute caps because your own computer does the work Buzz GitHub ↗.
It runs on Mac, Windows and Linux Buzz GitHub ↗. Current Mac versions need an Apple silicon chip; the last version for Intel Macs is 1.4.5 Buzz GitHub ↗. The Windows installer is unsigned, so Windows shows a warning and you click More info, then Run anyway Buzz GitHub ↗. Buzz can transcribe audio and video files or YouTube links, transcribe live from your microphone, label speakers, and export TXT, SRT and VTT files Buzz GitHub ↗.
The tradeoff is effort and speed. You download the app and a model, and long files can take a while on an older laptop. It also supports GPU acceleration on Apple silicon, CUDA and Vulkan, which helps if you have the hardware Buzz GitHub ↗.
Why we like it
- Works fully offline, so audio stays on your computer
- No usage caps
- Mac, Windows and Linux
- Live microphone transcription and speaker labels
Flaws but not dealbreakers
- More setup than a web app
- Speed depends on your computer
- Unsigned Windows installer triggers a security warning
Apple Notes (audio transcription)
Best for iPhone owners who just want quick voice notes turned into text.
If you have a recent iPhone, you may already own a free transcription tool. Since iOS 18, the Notes app can record audio inside a note and show a live transcript as you speak PopSci, Apple Notes ↗. You can also attach an existing audio file to a note to transcribe it, and the Voice Memos app gained transcription in the same update PopSci, Apple Notes ↗.
From the transcript screen you can add the text to the note, copy it, search it or share it PopSci, Apple Notes ↗. If Apple Intelligence is turned on, a Summary button gives a short AI summary of what was said PopSci, Apple Notes ↗. It has no speaker labels or caption exports, so it is best for personal notes, quick memos and short meetings.
Why we like it
- Already on your iPhone, no sign up
- Live transcript while you record
- Can transcribe attached audio files
Flaws but not dealbreakers
- Apple devices only
- No speaker labels or subtitle files
- Summaries need Apple Intelligence
TurboScribe
Best paid step up when the free daily limit gets in your way.
TurboScribe Unlimited is the simplest upgrade in this category. It costs $10 a month billed yearly ($120 a year), or $20 month to month TurboScribe pricing ↗ TurboScribe ↗. For that you get unlimited transcription for one person, files up to 10 hours or 5 GB each, 50 files uploaded at once and the highest queue priority TurboScribe pricing ↗.
It also adds translation into more than 134 languages, bulk exports and unlimited storage TurboScribe pricing ↗. If you transcribe more than a few hours a week, this costs less than most per minute services. By comparison, Rev's AI plan starts at $25.49 a month billed yearly Rev pricing ↗.
Why we like it
- Unlimited transcription for a flat price
- 10 hour files and 50 uploads at once
- Translation and bulk export included
Flaws but not dealbreakers
- Best price needs a yearly commitment
- One person per plan
Compare them
| Tool | Free plan limits | Max length on free | Live meetings | Works offline | Paid step up | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TurboScribeOur pick | 3 files a day, slower queue | 30 minutes per file | No | No | $10/mo billed yearly | Recorded files |
| Otter.aiRunner up | 300 min/month, 3 lifetime imports | 30 minutes per conversation | Yes | No | $16.99/mo or $8.33/mo yearly | Live conversations |
| FathomBest for video calls | Unlimited recordings and transcripts; some AI limited | Not stated | Yes, Zoom, Meet, Teams | No | $20/mo or $16/mo yearly | Video calls |
| BuzzBest for privacy | No caps stated | No cap stated | Microphone only | Yes | None, free | Private recordings |
| Apple Notes (audio transcription)Also great | No limits stated | Not stated | Microphone only | Not stated | None, built in | iPhone voice notes |
| Notta | 120 min/month | 3 minutes per conversation | Yes | No | $8.17/mo billed yearly | Very short clips |
| Rev | 45 min/month, English only | Not stated | Not stated | No | $25.49/mo billed yearly | Occasional English files |
Prices and features from each vendor’s site, checked Oct 9, 2026. Prices change often.
Who this is for
This guide is for anyone who needs speech turned into text and would rather not pay for it: small business owners recording client calls, students with lectures, podcasters who need show notes, journalists with interviews, and anyone with a pile of voice memos.
Free transcription tools fall into three groups. File transcribers like TurboScribe take a recording you already have and return a transcript TurboScribe pricing ↗. Meeting notetakers like Fathom and Otter join or capture a live call and transcribe it as it happens Otter pricing ↗ Fathom pricing ↗. Offline apps like Buzz run on your own computer, so nothing is uploaded Buzz GitHub ↗. Pick the group that matches how you record, then pick the tool.
If you transcribe many hours every week, need near perfect legal or medical accuracy, or need a certified transcript, a free plan is the wrong tool. Look at paid AI plans or human transcription. Rev, for example, offers human transcription starting at $1.99 a minute Rev pricing ↗.
Why you should trust us
We read the current pricing and feature pages for every tool in this guide, and we noted the free plan limits word for word, because that is where free tools differ the most. Every price and limit here was checked in October 2026, and each fact links to its source.
We also read independent roundups and user reports to see how these plans hold up in daily use. We chose picks on merit only. Some companies run affiliate programs, and that never affects which tool we recommend.
We have not yet run our own side by side accuracy tests on these tools. Hands on testing is in progress, and we will update this guide with results, including how each tool handles accents, crosstalk and background noise.
How we picked
We started with the free transcription tools that appear most often in independent roundups and user discussions, then cut any whose free plan was too small to be useful. Notta's free plan, for example, caps each conversation at 3 minutes, which rules out most real recordings Notta pricing ↗.
For the rest, we compared the exact free limits: minutes per month or per day, maximum length per file or meeting, exports, and what you lose by not paying. We gave extra weight to tools that let you download your transcript for free, because a transcript you cannot export is hard to use.
We also looked at privacy, since free tools often upload your audio to the cloud. That is why we included one offline pick.
- A free plan with clear, published limits
- Enough free minutes for real work, not just a demo
- Free transcript export in common formats
- Speaker labels and support for more than English
- A fair price if you need to upgrade
- A clear privacy policy, or an offline option
What free AI transcription can and can't do today
Modern speech models are good at clear audio from one or two speakers. Several tools in this guide, including TurboScribe and Buzz, are built on OpenAI's Whisper model, which handles many languages TurboScribe ↗ Buzz GitHub ↗. With a decent microphone and a quiet room, you can expect a transcript that needs only light editing.
Free tools can also do more than plain text. TurboScribe adds speaker labels and subtitle files TurboScribe ↗. Fathom writes a summary after each call Fathom pricing ↗. Otter lets you ask an AI questions about a conversation, with 20 questions a month on the free plan Otter pricing ↗. Apple Notes can give a summary if Apple Intelligence is on PopSci, Apple Notes ↗.
There are limits. Accuracy drops with heavy accents, people talking over each other, phone line audio and background noise. Speaker labels can mix people up when voices sound alike. Names, product terms and numbers are the most common errors, which is why custom vocabulary features exist Otter pricing ↗. Treat any AI transcript as a draft, and check quotes, figures and names before you publish or send them.
Free plans also hide the cost in time. TurboScribe free files wait in a slower queue TurboScribe pricing ↗, Otter cuts conversations at 30 minutes Otter pricing ↗, and Rev's free plan covers only 45 minutes a month in English Rev pricing ↗. For occasional use none of this matters. For daily use, a low cost upgrade often saves more time than it costs.
Before you sign up
Get consent before you record. Recording laws differ by state and country, and some places require every person on the call to agree. Even when a meeting bot joins a call visibly, it is still your job to tell people.
Think about where your audio goes. Cloud tools upload your files to their servers. TurboScribe says your files are encrypted and private to your account TurboScribe ↗, but if a recording contains health, legal or financial details, an offline app like Buzz keeps it on your own machine Buzz GitHub ↗. Check whether a vendor uses your data to train its models before you upload anything sensitive.
Finally, export your transcripts. Free plans can limit history, such as Otter keeping only your 25 most recent conversations Otter pricing ↗, so save anything you need to keep.
- Record in a quiet room and keep the microphone close
- Ask everyone for consent before recording
- Do not upload sensitive audio to a cloud tool you have not vetted
- Add names and jargon to custom vocabulary where offered
- Download transcripts you need, since free history can be limited
- Check every quote, number and name before you use it
What to look forward to
Transcription is moving onto devices. Apple added transcription to Notes and Voice Memos in iOS 18 PopSci, Apple Notes ↗, and desktop apps such as Buzz and MacWhisper already run speech models locally Buzz GitHub ↗ MacWhisper ↗. MacWhisper also lists newer local models such as Nvidia Parakeet alongside Whisper MacWhisper ↗. Expect better offline accuracy and faster results on ordinary laptops and phones.
Meeting tools are also turning transcripts into action, with summaries, action items and CRM updates after each call Fathom pricing ↗ Fathom ↗. We will keep checking free plan limits, since they change often, and we will add our own test results once hands on testing is done.
The competition
NottaFree; Pro starts at $8.17/month billed yearly
Notta's free plan gives 120 minutes a month, but each conversation is capped at 3 minutes, which is too short for most interviews or meetings Notta pricing ↗. Its paid Pro plan is good value at $8.17 a month billed yearly for 1,800 minutes Notta pricing ↗.
Fireflies.aiFree; Pro starts at $10/seat/month billed yearly
Fireflies advertises unlimited transcription, but its own comparison table lists free transcripts as limited, and the free plan has 400 minutes of storage per team and 20 AI credits Fireflies pricing ↗. An independent roundup also says the free plan blocks transcript export and downloads Toolradar roundup ↗.
DescriptHobbyist $16/month billed yearly ($24 monthly)
Descript is a strong audio and video editor that transcribes as you edit, but the free plan includes only 60 minutes of media a month and exports carry a watermark Descript pricing ↗. It is a better fit if you edit podcasts and want transcription as a side benefit.
RevAI plans from $25.49/seat/month billed yearly; human $1.99/minute
Rev's free plan offers 45 AI transcription minutes a month, English only, for one user Rev pricing ↗. Rev is still a good name to know because it also sells human transcription from $1.99 a minute Rev pricing ↗.
tl;dvFree; Pro $18/user/month billed yearly, per pricing trackers
tl;dv records and transcribes meetings for free in more than 30 languages, but one pricing tracker reports AI notes are limited to 10 meetings for the life of a free account and data is kept for 3 months CostBench, tl;dv ↗. Fathom's free plan is more generous for AI summaries Fathom pricing ↗.
MacWhisperFree; Pro is a one time EUR 64 license
MacWhisper is a polished Mac app that runs transcription locally and exports to TXT, PDF, DOCX, SRT and VTT MacWhisper ↗. It has a free tier, but the site does not clearly list what is free versus the paid Pro license, and it is Mac only, so we chose Buzz for cross platform privacy MacWhisper ↗ Buzz GitHub ↗.
Questions people ask
What is the best free AI transcription tool?
For most people, TurboScribe. Its free plan transcribes 3 files a day of up to 30 minutes each, with speaker labels and exports to PDF, DOCX, TXT and subtitle formats TurboScribe pricing ↗ TurboScribe ↗. For live meetings, Fathom's free plan lists unlimited recordings and transcriptions Fathom pricing ↗.
Is there a truly unlimited free transcription tool?
Offline apps come closest. Buzz is free, open source and runs on your own computer, so there are no minute caps, only the limits of your hardware Buzz GitHub ↗. Among web tools, Fathom lists unlimited recordings and transcriptions for video calls Fathom pricing ↗.
Is Otter.ai still free?
Yes. Otter's Basic plan is free and includes 300 transcription minutes a month per user, but each conversation is capped at 30 minutes and you get only 3 file imports for the life of the account Otter pricing ↗.
Can I transcribe audio for free on my iPhone?
Yes. Since iOS 18, the Notes app can record audio with a live transcript and can transcribe audio files you attach, and Voice Memos also gained transcription PopSci, Apple Notes ↗.
Is free AI transcription accurate?
It is usually good on clear audio with few speakers, and several tools use OpenAI's Whisper model TurboScribe ↗ Buzz GitHub ↗. Accuracy drops with noise, crosstalk and strong accents, so always check names, numbers and quotes.
Is it safe to upload private recordings to a free transcription site?
It depends on the vendor's privacy terms. TurboScribe says files are encrypted and private to your account TurboScribe ↗. For sensitive recordings, an offline tool like Buzz keeps the audio on your own computer Buzz GitHub ↗.
How much does it cost to upgrade?
TurboScribe Unlimited is $10 a month billed yearly or $20 month to month TurboScribe ↗. Otter Pro lists at $16.99 a month or $8.33 a month billed yearly Otter pricing ↗, and Notta Pro is $8.17 a month billed yearly Notta pricing ↗.
Where this comes from
Checked Oct 9, 2026. Vendor pages describe their own products; independent sources add outside views.
01