Transcribing long audio and video recordings takes a lot of effort. The pause-type-rewind cycle can be time-consuming. The same goes for taking notes in a meeting, webinar, interview, or lecture. You end up struggling to keep up with the speaker and missing crucial details.
Thankfully, the rapid advancement of artificial intelligence (AI) has led to transcription tools that handle note-taking in only a few minutes—freeing you up to focus on more important tasks. ⏳
But here’s the thing: There are many AI transcription tools to choose from, each with unique features and accuracy levels. Navigating through this vast sea of options can be overwhelming.
We’re here to help. We’ve curated a list of the top 10 AI transcription tools that cater to a variety of use cases, so you’ll find the perfect match for your specific needs.
What Is AI Transcription & How Does It Work?
AI transcription is the process of using AI technology to convert audio and video content into text. Unlike manual transcription, where a person listens and types out what they hear, AI transcription tools do this automatically without human interference. 🤖
These tools use natural language processing, machine learning algorithms, and vast databases of linguistic data to recognize and transcribe speech.
Here’s a simple breakdown of how they work:
- Audio input: You upload your audio or video file to the transcription tool
- Processing: The AI tool analyzes the file and converts it into words
- Text output: You get a text version (or transcript) of your uploaded content, ready for review, editing, and sharing
What to look for in an AI transcription tool
The “best” AI transcription tool isn’t the same for everyone. You have to consider your specific needs when making a choice. Here are some important features to look for as you narrow down your search:
- Accuracy: The tool should transcribe your preferred languages, accents, and unique terminology. Check the product description and reviews to ensure you find the right tool
- Customization: If you’re in a specialized field, check if the tool allows you to add custom vocabularies
- Languages: Make sure the tool supports all your required languages, especially if you’re working with multiple languages
- Editing and collaboration: The tool should allow for real-time edits with your team to correct errors and annotate the transcript
- Integrations: Check if the tool integrates with your favorite business software like storage, video conferencing, and CRM solutions
- File compatibility: The tool should accept your audio/video file types and export them to your desired formats
10 Best AI Transcription Tools in 2024
Whether you’re a researcher, educator, journalist, podcaster, or content creator, our list of tools has something for you. We’ve weighed each tool’s pros and cons, analyzed user reviews, and even tested their features to give you a comprehensive guide.
So if you’re ready to turn those lengthy recordings into flawless transcripts and save time, listen up! 👂
1. Trint
Trint, founded by Emmy Award-winning reporter Jeff Kofman, uses AI technology to transcribe video and audio recordings. The transcription software is tailored to journalists, researchers, and content creators, and is trusted by brands like BBC, Financial Times, and The Washington Post.
Upload your audio or video files to Trint’s platform, and it’ll generate written transcripts in any of its 50+ supported languages. You can also transcribe live broadcasts in real-time. 📺
Enhance transcription accuracy by adding unique terms to the custom dictionary and correcting errors with the online editor.
Trint best features
- Invite team members with different access levels (view, comment, and edit) for collaboration
- Collaborate in the editor using highlights, markers, tags, and comments
- Compile sections from multiple transcripts to create stories
- Export your Trint files to 10+ formats, including DOCX, SRT, EDL, and VTT
Trint limitations
- Slow to load pages especially when working with large files
- Struggles to consistently differentiate speakers
Trint pricing
- Start: $60/user (7 files per month)
- Advanced: $75/user (Unlimited files)
- Enterprise: Contact for pricing
Trint ratings and reviews
- G2: 4.4/5 (64 reviews)
- Capterra: 3.9/5 (17 reviews)
2. TranscribeMe
TranscribeMe combines AI technology with human expertise for high-quality transcription outputs.
Here’s how it works: Speech recognition software creates a draft transcript from your audio file, and then a human transcription expert reviews and edits it for accuracy and alignment with your style guide. You get notified by email when the final AI transcription audio file is ready. 📧
Aside from being able to transcribe audio, TranscribeMe also offers translation services, as well as custom data set creation and data annotation for AI model training.
TranscribeMe best features
- Process video and audio files in 15+ formats including MP3, MP4, WAV, and AIFF
- Translate audio, video, and text files into 15+ languages
- Upload files via the web or via your Android and iOS devices
- Access 2 million+ expert transcriptionists for accurate transcripts, even with varying accents and usage of technical terms
TranscribeMe limitations
- Takes up to five days to get approved human transcription back
- Extra cost for adding speaker IDs and timestamps to transcripts
TranscribeMe pricing
- Machine transcription: $0.07 per minute
- Human-edited machine transcription: $0.79 per minute
- Translation: $0.11 per word
- AI training datasets: $2.00 per minute
- Data annotation: $0.10 per task
TranscribeMe ratings and reviews
- G2: 4.5/5 (3 reviews)
- Capterra: 4.7/5 (7 reviews)
3. Otter
Otter.ai is one of the leading automated transcription services on the market, trusted by brands like UCLA, IBM, and Rakuten. It doesn’t just transcribe audio and video files, but it also offers real-time recording and transcription for both in-person and virtual events.
A key feature is its seamless integration with Google and Microsoft calendars. This allows Otter to automatically join and transcribe your Zoom, Google Meet, and Microsoft Teams meetings, lectures, and interviews.
After meetings, Otter generates and shares summarized meeting notes with all participants via email. The AI transcription tool is great for quick text and audio or video files where you need to remove background noise too.
Otter best features
- Export transcripts to TXT, DOCX, PDF, SRT, and MP3
- Collaborate in Otter editor with highlights, notes, comments, images, and action items
- Adjust playback speed (0.5x to 3x), with the option to skip silence for faster error correction
- Customize Otter to recognize specific names, jargon, and acronyms
Otter limitations
- Transcription services only supports English language
- Automated transcription tool not ideal for non-U.S. and non-U.K. accents
- Free transcription for only three audio/video imports per account
Otter pricing
- Free
- Pro: $16.99/month per user
- Business: $40/month per user
- Enterprise: Contact for pricing
Otter ratings and reviews
- G2: 4.0/5 (118 reviews)
- Capterra: 4.5/5 (68 reviews)
4. Temi
Temi, developed by the creators behind Rev.com, focuses on transcribing English audio and video files. It produces 90-95% accurate transcripts (when the audio quality is good) in just 5-10 minutes.
Unlike similar tools, Temi focuses on simplicity and doesn’t come with any bells and whistles. It has a minimalist dashboard for tracking your past transcriptions and an intuitive editor for polishing your transcripts. ✨
If you need an easy-to-use, fast, and accurate tool for one-off transcriptions, Temi is a great choice as one of the best AI transcription tool options in this list.
Temi best features
- Upload files in 25+ formats including MP3, MP4, M4A, and AAC
- Download transcripts in TXT, DOCX, PDF, SRT, and VTT
- Share transcripts via link or email with team members
- Select text in the editor to highlight, strikethrough, comment, or jump to specific audio sections
Temi limitations
- Transcription services have limited language support
- Shared transcripts can be edited by anyone
Temi pricing
- $0.25 per audio minute
Temi ratings and reviews
- G2: 5.0/5 (1 review)
- Capterra: No reviews
5. Sonix
Sonix produces automatic transcriptions in 38+ languages and accents, including English, French, Spanish, and Chinese. Each transcript includes time codes and speaker identification for clarity.
In addition to transcription, Sonix offers automated translation, subtitles, and summaries. Plus, there’s an interactive web editor for real-time edits.
Sonix integrates with over 25 tools—from Dropbox and Evernote to Zoom and Loom—making your transcription workflows smoother and more efficient.
Sonix best features
- Create custom dictionaries to improve accuracy for multiple projects
- Organize transcripts into folders with specific access permissions
- Summarize transcripts into a few sentences or bullet points
- Use custom labels to track and update transcript status
Sonix limitations
- Doesn’t support real-time transcriptions
- Accuracy drops with bad audio, strong accents, and background noise (compared to other AI transcription tool options in this list)
Sonix pricing
- Standard: $10/hour
- Premium: $5/hour + $22/month per user
- Enterprise: Contact for pricing
Sonix ratings and reviews
- G2: 4.7/5 (21 reviews)
- Capterra: 4.9/5 (117 reviews)
6. Transkriptor
Transkriptor is an AI transcription service with up to 99% accuracy. Upload files from various sources, including YouTube, Google Drive, and even WhatsApp.
Similar to most tools, you can collaborate with your team in the platform’s editor and export your transcript in TXT, DOCX, and SRT formats.
What sets Transkriptor apart from the rest is its support for over 100 languages. This makes it ideal for businesses and content creators looking to reach and engage with international audiences.
Transkriptor best features
- Organize transcripts into folders
- Auto-detect different speakers and edit speaker tags
- Customize transcripts by specifying paragraph sizes, merging same-speaker segments, and including timestamps and speaker names
- Set up AI writing assistant to auto-join, record, and transcribe Zoom, Google Meet, and Microsoft Teams meetings
Transkriptor limitations
- Limited export options compared to other tools
- Struggles with recognizing complex words and whispered speech
Transkriptor pricing
- Lite: $9.99/month (5 hours)
- Premium: $24.99/month (40 hours)
- Business: $30/month per member (50 hours)
- Enterprise: Contact for pricing
Transkriptor ratings and reviews
- G2: 4.7/5 (27 reviews)
- Capterra: 4.6/5 (159 reviews)
7. Fireflies
Fireflies.ai, like other tools, transcribes audio and video content. However, its primary role is to serve as your meeting assistant, recording, transcribing, and summarizing your meetings.
Fireflies stands out with meeting analytics (like speaker talk time, filler word usage, and talk-to-listen ratio) for improving future meetings. It’s the perfect tool for marketing, sales, and product teams looking to refine their communication strategies to close more clients. 🤝
Fireflies best features
- Upload MP3, MP4, WAV, and M4A files and export transcripts in DOCX, CSV, PDF, SRT, and JSON formats
- Transcribe meetings and files in 60+ languages
- Use smart search to track speakers, meeting topics, and important details (like questions and action items)
- Integrate with 40+ dialers, video conferencing, storage, CRM, and project management tools
Fireflies limitations
- No mobile app
- Only supports one language per meeting
- Transcripts can’t be translated into other languages
Fireflies pricing
- Free
- Pro: $18/month per seat
- Business: $29/month per seat
- Enterprise: Contact for pricing
Fireflies ratings and reviews
- G2: 4.5/5 (85 reviews)
- Capterra: 4.0/5 (5 reviews)
8. Verbit
Verbit uses both AI and human experts to provide accurate transcription, closed captioning, audio description, and translation services. After the AI generates the first drafts, it taps into a network of over 5,000 professional transcribers to proofread and edit them. ✍️
While the platform serves a wide range of audiences, it works best for teams in the higher education, legal, and media industries.
Verbit best features
- Generate accurate transcripts even with noisy audio
- Get live captions and transcripts for virtual events on platforms like Zoom and Webex
- Receive transcripts in TXT, DOCX, PDF, CSV, and JSON formats
- Integrate with 20+ external apps including Blackboard, Canvas, and Kaltura
Verbit limitations
- Only supports English and Spanish
- No word highlighting during playback
Verbit pricing
- Contact for pricing
Verbit ratings and reviews
- G2: 4.3/5 (55 reviews)
- Capterra: 5.0/5 (1 review)
9. Scribie
Scribie is another transcription software that combines AI and human intelligence to produce transcripts with an impressive 99%+ accuracy rate. Edit transcripts using its online editor and request re-reviews at no extra cost. This commitment to quality has earned them the trust of industry giants like Google, Amazon, PayPal, and Airbnb.
Scribie best features
- Upload files from your computer, YouTube, Google Drive, Dropbox, and OneDrive
- Transcribe files in 25+ formats including MP3, MP4, and FLAC
- Get your transcripts quicker as the turnaround time includes weekends and holidays
- Adjust transcripts to include strict verbatim, timestamps, and rush transcription service
Scribie limitations
- Supports only English
- Navigating the platform can be confusing for newbies
Scribie pricing
- $1.25 per audio minute
Scribie ratings and reviews
- G2: 4.7/5 (3 reviews)
- Capterra: 4.5/5 (2 reviews)
10. Nova A.I.
Nova A.I. is a user-friendly tool that lets you add subtitles to videos. Upload videos from your computer or import them from YouTube or TikTok. Use the auto subtitle functionality to generate subtitles with up to 96% accuracy. If needed, you can manually type subtitles from scratch or edit an uploaded subtitle file.
These features make Nova A.I. ideal for content creators and video marketers looking to create engaging videos and reach a wider audience. 🌍
Nova A.I. best features
- Translate subtitles in over 100 languages and accents
- Format subtitles by adjusting font type, color, size, and letter spacing
- Edit videos by adding multiple video clips, transitions, and interactive elements, like callouts and emojis
- Add permanent subtitles to the video or download them separately as an SRT or TXT file
Nova A.I. limitations
- No playback speed control
- Can’t specify maximum subtitle lines or characters
Nova A.I. pricing
- Free
- Basic: $10/month (150 mins)
- Pro: $18/month (300 mins)
- Business: $55/month (900 mins)
Nova A.I. ratings and reviews
- G2: No reviews
- Capterra: 5.0/5 (1 review)
Other AI Tools
Pairing your transcription tool with other AI tools like ClickUp boosts your overall productivity, especially in a team. So while you work on transcription and content creation, ClickUp ensures you’re effortlessly managing your documents and projects like a pro.
ClickUp
ClickUp AI is an AI writing tool for brainstorming, drafting, and refining content while eliminating grammar and spelling errors.
Create custom prompts from scratch or choose from over 100 prompt templates spanning multiple departments. For example, in the Sales section, you can select a prompt template to summarize meeting notes, ideate potential solutions, and write call or email follow-ups to prospects after a meeting.
Besides writing, ClickUp AI turns text (like meeting notes) into tasks in ClickUp. These tasks can be organized and tracked with project management features like Custom Fields, statuses, and views. And with ClickUp Automations, eliminate repetitive actions like assigning tasks to team members, setting priorities, and adding deadlines. ⏰
ClickUp best features
- Access 1,000+ free templates like the Audio Transcription Scope of Work Template to manage transcription projects and business processes
- Translate written content into 10+ languages including English, French, Spanish, Arabic, and Chinese
- Summarize text in your inbox, ClickUp Docs, task descriptions, comments, and chats with a single click
- Connect ClickUp with 100+ business apps like Slack, Hubspot, Grammarly, and Zapier
- Access ClickUp via the web, desktop and mobile devices, and Chrome extension
ClickUp limitations
- Slows down with large projects
- Takes time for new users to grasp extensive features
ClickUp pricing
- Free Forever
- Unlimited: $7/month per user
- Business: $12/month per user
- Enterprise: Contact for pricing
- ClickUp AI: Available on all paid plans for $5/month per Workspace
ClickUp ratings and reviews
- G2: 4.7/5 (8,200+ reviews)
- Capterra: 4.7/5 (3,700+ reviews)
Transcribe at the Speed of Thought With the Power of AI
Each of these AI transcription tools is designed to make your speech-to-text workflows a breeze. Choose the right one to reduce errors and free up time to focus on high-value tasks.
Speaking of tasks, ClickUp is the perfect project management tool to ensure you stay organized and on top of your to-dos. When you combine AI transcription with ClickUp, you’re sure to capture every word, turn them into actionable tasks, and ensure seamless execution. 🦾
Try ClickUp’s Free Forever plan and see for yourself.