Top Free Automatic Transcription Software for 2025

In a world overflowing with audio and video content, manually transcribing it all is a tedious, time-consuming task.Whether you're a student recording lectures, a journalist conducting interviews, a podcaster creating show notes, or a marketer analyzing customer feedback, you need a faster, more efficient solution. This is where automatic transcription software free of charge comes in, converting spoken words into text in minutes. But with so many options available, how do you find a reliable tool that doesn't break the bank?

This guide cuts through the noise. We've curated a definitive list of the 12 best free automatic transcription software options, diving deep into their real-world performance, hidden limitations, and ideal use cases. For instance, educators and students are increasingly using these tools to make learning more accessible. To further explore the wider landscape of how AI is transforming learning and communication, you might find valuable insights in a comprehensive guide to AI in education marketing and communications.

Forget generic marketing fluff. This is a practical breakdown with direct links and screenshots for each tool, from simple browser-based converters to powerful open-source models. Our goal is to help you choose the right platform to reclaim your time and unlock the value hidden in your audio files.

1. Transcript.LOL

Transcript.LOL positions itself as a premier choice for automatic transcription software free of charge by combining exceptional accuracy with a robust suite of productivity features. It leverages OpenAI's advanced Whisper technology to achieve an impressive 99.8% accuracy rate, making it a reliable tool for professionals ranging from podcasters and marketers to corporate teams and educators. The platform excels by offering more than just basic transcription, transforming raw audio into actionable content.

What truly sets Transcript.LOL apart is its ecosystem of AI-powered tools designed to streamline workflows. Users can instantly generate summaries, action items, social media posts, or even quizzes directly from their transcripts. This feature is a significant time-saver, eliminating the need to manually repurpose content. Its support for custom vocabulary ensures technical jargon or unique names are transcribed correctly, a critical feature for specialized fields.

Standout Features & Use Cases

• High Accuracy & Versatility: Ideal for podcasters and journalists who require precise transcripts. The custom vocabulary support is invaluable for researchers and legal professionals dealing with specific terminologies.
• Advanced Content Generation: A game-changer for content marketers. A single audio file can be turned into a full suite of marketing materials like blog post outlines, social media updates, and newsletter snippets in minutes.
• Team Collaboration: Shared workspaces and granular access controls make it perfect for business teams needing a secure, centralized hub for meeting minutes and project recordings.

Limitations and Pricing

The free plan is generous, offering two transcripts per day, but limits file length to 20 minutes. For those needing to transcribe longer content like lectures or lengthy interviews, the Unlimited plan at $120/year provides a cost-effective solution. Team plans start at $240/year for collaborative features. If you are starting out, you can explore their guides on how to transcribe audio to text for free to maximize the platform's capabilities.

Website: https://transcript.lol

2. Otter.ai

Otter.ai is a giant in the transcription space, evolving from a simple dictation tool into a powerful AI meeting assistant. Its free tier makes it one of the best choices for users who need live transcription for meetings and want AI-powered summaries without an initial investment. It’s an exceptional piece of automatic transcription software free for students, journalists, and professionals who frequently attend virtual meetings.

The platform's standout feature is its real-time transcription capability. The OtterPilot can automatically join your Zoom, Google Meet, or Microsoft Teams meetings, take notes, and even capture slides. This creates a rich, searchable record of your conversations.

Key Features & Limitations

Otter.ai's free plan is quite generous for live use but has clear boundaries designed to encourage upgrades.

What you get with the free plan:

• Live Transcription: Transcribe up to 30 minutes per conversation in real-time.
• AI Meeting Assistant: OtterPilot automatically joins and records your calendar meetings.
• Monthly Quota: You receive 300 monthly transcription minutes.
• File Imports: Import and transcribe up to 3 audio or video files in a lifetime.

The most significant limitation is the 30-minute cap per conversation and the strict limit on file imports. If your meetings are longer or you have a backlog of audio to transcribe, you will quickly hit these walls. However, for short team syncs or lecture notes, it’s highly effective.

Learn more and sign up at: otter.ai/pricing

3. Descript

Descript revolutionizes the editing process by treating audio and video as text. It's more than just a transcription service; it's a full-fledged production studio built around its transcription engine. This makes it the go-to automatic transcription software free for podcasters, YouTubers, and any content creator who wants to record, transcribe, edit, and export from a single, intuitive platform.

The core concept is simple yet powerful: edit the transcript, and the corresponding audio or video file is edited automatically. This text-based editing approach significantly lowers the barrier to entry for audio and video production, making complex edits feel as easy as correcting a typo in a document.

Key Features & Limitations

Descript's free plan provides a great taste of its workflow but reserves its most powerful AI features and export options for paid tiers.

What you get with the free plan:

• Transcription Hours: 1 hour of transcription per month.
• File Imports: Unlimited audio and video file imports.
• Video Export: One watermark-free video export per month at 720p resolution.
• AI Effects: Limited use of AI features like Studio Sound (enhances voice quality) and Green Screen.

The main limitations are the low monthly transcription quota and the single watermark-free export. If you produce content regularly, you will likely need to upgrade for higher export quality and more transcription time. However, for a creator just starting out or working on a single project, the free tier is an excellent entry point into text-based editing.

Learn more and sign up at: https://www.descript.com/pricing

4. Notta

Notta positions itself as a streamlined and highly accessible transcription tool, focusing on meetings and live conversations. Its strength lies in its wide platform availability, including a handy Chrome extension, making it a versatile piece of automatic transcription software free for users who need to capture audio from various sources on the fly. It's particularly well-suited for professionals who need quick, straightforward meeting transcriptions without a complex setup.

The platform integrates directly with your calendar and major meeting platforms like Zoom, Google Meet, and Microsoft Teams. Its AI-powered summaries help distill long conversations into actionable points, which is a significant time-saver for anyone looking to analyze interview data or meeting outcomes efficiently.

Key Features & Limitations

Notta’s free plan is designed for light or occasional use, with clear caps that encourage upgrading for more demanding transcription needs.

What you get with the free plan:

• Monthly Quota: A generous 120 monthly transcription minutes.
• Live Transcription: Transcribe live meetings or conversations, but with a 3-minute limit per session.
• File Imports: Import and transcribe audio or video files, also capped at 3 minutes per file.
• Platform Access: Use Notta on the web, mobile apps (iOS/Android), and as a Chrome extension.

The most restrictive limitation is the 3-minute cap on both live transcriptions and file uploads. This makes the free plan ideal for transcribing short voice notes or brief meeting segments but unsuitable for transcribing full interviews, lectures, or longer team meetings.

Learn more and sign up at: www.notta.ai/en/pricing

5. Sonix

Sonix is a cloud-based transcription service recognized for its rapid processing speed and extensive export options, making it ideal for media professionals. While not a fully free service, its trial offers a glimpse into a powerful platform designed for podcasters, filmmakers, and content creators who need transcripts, subtitles, or captions in various formats quickly. It positions itself as a premium piece of automatic transcription software free to try, focusing on delivering high-quality, editable results for media workflows.

The platform excels at turning audio and video into text and then making that text useful. Its web-based editor allows for easy collaboration and refinement, with features like speaker labeling and timestamp adjustments.

Key Features & Limitations

Sonix's free trial is a limited-time offer, designed to showcase its premium features before requiring a subscription.

What you get with the free trial:

• Transcription Minutes: Receive 30 minutes of free transcription upon signing up.
• Full Feature Access: The trial includes access to all features, such as the in-browser editor, speaker identification, and word-by-word timestamps.
• Extensive Export Options: Export your transcript as SRT, VTT, Microsoft Word, and other formats.
• Automatic Translation: Test its ability to translate your transcript into dozens of different languages.

The primary limitation is the small number of trial minutes. Once the 30 minutes are used, you must upgrade to a paid plan. This makes it suitable for testing or for a single, short project, but not for ongoing free use.

Learn more and sign up at: sonix.ai/pricing

6. Deepgram

Deepgram is a developer-focused platform offering a powerful and highly accurate automatic speech recognition (ASR) API. While not a user-facing application like others on this list, it provides one of the most generous free tiers for those comfortable with API integration. This makes it the best piece of automatic transcription software free for developers, startups, or businesses needing to build transcription capabilities directly into their products or workflows.

The platform is known for its speed and accuracy, leveraging end-to-end deep learning models. It supports both pre-recorded (batch) audio and real-time (streaming) transcription, giving developers flexibility for various applications, from transcribing audio archives to powering live captioning.

Key Features & Limitations

Deepgram’s free offering is designed to let developers build and test extensively before committing to a paid plan.

What you get with the free plan:

• Generous Credits: Get started with $200 in free credits, which don't expire. No credit card is required to sign up.
• Full API Access: Access all core features, including speaker diarization, keyword boosting, and multiple language support.
• High-Quality Models: Use their high-accuracy "Nova-2" models for both streaming and batch transcription.
• Excellent Documentation: Comprehensive SDKs and guides for Python, Node.js, and other popular languages make integration straightforward.

The main limitation is that Deepgram is not a standalone tool; it requires technical knowledge to implement via its API. If you need a simple upload-and-transcribe interface without writing code, this isn't the right choice. However, the free credits provide a massive runway for development and testing.

Learn more and sign up at: deepgram.com/pricing

APIs Powering the Next Wave of Transcription

7. AssemblyAI

AssemblyAI is a developer-focused platform that offers a powerful speech-to-text API, making it a unique piece of automatic transcription software free for those comfortable with coding. Unlike consumer-facing apps, AssemblyAI provides the building blocks for creating custom transcription solutions, complete with advanced audio intelligence features like summarization, topic detection, and sentiment analysis. It’s ideal for developers and businesses wanting to integrate high-accuracy transcription directly into their products.

The platform stands out for its robust documentation and ease of prototyping. Its free tier is designed as a generous trial, giving developers ample runway to test and build applications using its state-of-the-art models, including Whisper-compatible endpoints.

Key Features & Limitations

AssemblyAI's free offering is a credit-based system, providing significant value for testing but requiring a developer mindset to implement.

What you get with the free plan:

• Free Transcription Credits: New users receive $50 in free credits, which translates to several hours of audio transcription to trial the service.
• Audio Intelligence: Access to advanced features like summarization, sentiment analysis, topic detection, and more.
• API & SDK Access: Full access to its asynchronous and real-time streaming transcription APIs and various software development kits (SDKs).
• Extensive Documentation: Strong support through comprehensive guides and documentation to help you get started quickly.

The primary limitation is that it is an API, not a ready-to-use application. It requires programming skills to integrate and is not suitable for users seeking a simple upload-and-transcribe interface. However, for those building custom tools, it’s an incredibly powerful and accessible starting point.

Learn more and sign up at: https://www.assemblyai.com/docs/faq/can-i-sign-up-for-free

8. Google Cloud Speech-to-Text

Google Cloud Speech-to-Text offers enterprise-grade transcription power to individual users through a generous free tier. While it's an API designed for developers, its high accuracy and specialized models make it a compelling piece of automatic transcription software free for those willing to navigate a more technical setup. It excels at processing large batches of audio or integrating transcription directly into custom workflows.

The platform is known for its incredible language support and domain-specific models, which can significantly improve transcription results for audio related to finance, medicine, or other technical fields. While not a simple upload-and-go tool, the quality it delivers is top-tier for clean audio.

Key Features & Limitations

Google's free offering is designed to let you test and use the service at a low volume without commitment, but a billing account is still required for setup.

What you get with the free plan:

• Monthly Quota: Transcribe up to 60 minutes of audio per month at no cost.
• New User Credit: New Google Cloud users often receive $300 in free credits to explore services, which can be used for extensive transcription.
• Advanced Models: Access to all standard and specialized transcription models.
• Language Support: Transcribe audio in over 125 languages and variants.

The main limitation is the technical barrier to entry; it requires setting up a Google Cloud project and interacting with an API, which can be daunting for non-developers. Its accuracy, while excellent, is highly dependent on audio quality. To learn more about how factors like audio clarity affect results, you can explore detailed breakdowns of Speech-to-Text accuracy.

Learn more and sign up at: cloud.google.com/speech-to-text

9. Microsoft Azure AI Speech (Speech to Text)

Microsoft Azure's AI Speech to Text service is an enterprise-grade solution that offers one of the most generous free tiers available from a major cloud provider. While often seen as a tool for developers, its powerful transcription engine and substantial free quota make it a compelling piece of automatic transcription software free for individuals with some technical comfort who need high-volume, high-accuracy transcription for projects.

This platform is not a simple upload-and-go web app but a robust service integrated into the Azure cloud ecosystem. It excels at both real-time and batch processing, making it suitable for everything from live captioning applications to transcribing large archives of audio files with excellent accuracy and speaker identification (diarization).

Key Features & Limitations

Azure's free plan is designed to let users explore the service's capabilities extensively before committing, but it requires navigating the Azure portal.

What you get with the free plan:

• Monthly Quota: Transcribe up to 5 audio hours per month at no cost.
• Real-time Transcription: Includes 5 hours of real-time speech-to-text processing monthly.
• Customization: Access to tools for creating custom speech and pronunciation models.
• Diarization: Speaker identification is included within the free processing hours.

The primary limitation is the initial setup complexity. New users must create an Azure account, set up a resource, and potentially use an API or SDK, which presents a steeper learning curve than dedicated transcription web apps. However, for those who overcome this hurdle, the monthly allowance is a significant advantage for recurring transcription needs.

Learn more and sign up at: azure.microsoft.com/en-us/pricing/details/cognitive-services/speech-services/

10. Amazon Transcribe

Amazon Transcribe is a powerful, developer-focused automatic speech recognition (ASR) service from Amazon Web Services (AWS). While not a standalone app like others on this list, it offers a free tier that makes it an excellent piece of automatic transcription software free for those comfortable in the AWS ecosystem or needing to build transcription into an application. It excels at handling large volumes of audio with high accuracy.

The service is highly customizable, allowing for specialized vocabularies and features like speaker diarization and channel identification. This makes it ideal for processing complex audio such as call center recordings or multi-speaker interviews where distinguishing voices is critical.

Key Features & Limitations

Amazon Transcribe's free offering is part of the broader AWS Free Tier, designed to let developers experiment and build without initial costs.

What you get with the free plan:

• Monthly Quota: 60 minutes of audio transcription per month for the first 12 months after signing up.
• Standard Transcription: Supports both batch processing of pre-recorded files and real-time streaming transcription.
• Customization: Access to features like custom vocabulary and speaker identification.
• PII Redaction: Automatically identify and redact personally identifiable information from transcripts.

The primary limitations are the strict 60-minute monthly cap and the 12-month time limit. More importantly, it requires setting up an AWS account and some technical knowledge to configure and use the service, which can be a barrier for non-developers.

Learn more and sign up at: aws.amazon.com/transcribe/pricing

11. OpenAI Whisper (open source)

For users with technical skills seeking ultimate control and privacy, OpenAI's Whisper is an exceptional open-source model. Unlike cloud-based services, Whisper runs locally on your machine, making it a powerful piece of automatic transcription software free from vendor lock-in and ongoing fees. It’s ideal for developers, researchers, or anyone handling sensitive data who needs robust, multilingual transcription capabilities.

The model is renowned for its high accuracy across various languages, accents, and even in the presence of background noise. Since it's open-source, an entire ecosystem of community-developed tools has emerged to make it more accessible, from simple command-line interfaces to graphical applications.

Key Features & Limitations

Whisper puts state-of-the-art transcription in your hands, but it requires you to provide the hardware and setup.

What you get with the free model:

• High-Quality Transcription: Excellent accuracy for multilingual transcription and translation.
• Complete Privacy: All processing happens locally, so your files never leave your computer.
• No Vendor Lock-in: The MIT license allows for complete freedom to use and modify the software.
• Offline Capability: Transcribe audio and video files without an internet connection.

The primary limitations are technical. Performance is directly tied to your computer's hardware, particularly the GPU. It also lacks built-in SaaS features like speaker identification or automated summaries, requiring additional tools or custom development. You can discover more by reading about how to download YouTube video transcriptions with Whisper.

Learn more and get started at: github.com/openai/whisper

12. Vosk (open source, Alphacephei)

For developers and privacy-conscious users, Vosk offers a powerful alternative to cloud-based services. It is an offline, open-source speech recognition toolkit that runs entirely on your own device. This approach makes it a unique piece of automatic transcription software free from ongoing costs and data privacy concerns, ideal for integrating transcription into applications or running on low-power hardware.

Vosk stands out because it operates completely offline. Its lightweight models can run efficiently on everything from a server to a Raspberry Pi or an Android phone, providing developers with incredible flexibility without needing an internet connection.

Key Features & Limitations

As an open-source toolkit, Vosk is entirely free under the Apache 2.0 license, but it requires technical know-how to implement.

What you get with the free toolkit:

• Offline Operation: Process audio locally for maximum privacy and security.
• Multi-Language Support: Access models for over 20 languages.
• Lightweight Models: Models start as small as 50 MB, perfect for edge devices.
• Developer Bindings: Provides support for Python, Java, Node.js, C#, and more.

The main limitation is that Vosk is not a ready-to-use application; it’s a toolkit for developers. Users must have programming skills to integrate it into their own projects. Accuracy can also vary depending on the specific language model used and requires some tuning for optimal performance.

Learn more and download at: alphacephei.com/vosk

Top 12 Free Automatic Transcription Software Comparison

Making the Right Choice for Your Transcription Needs

Navigating the landscape of automatic transcription software free reveals a diverse ecosystem of tools, each tailored to different users and workflows. The term 'free' is not a one-size-fits-all label; it ranges from generous monthly minute allowances for everyday users to substantial one-time credits for developers, and even fully-featured open-source models for those with technical expertise. The key to unlocking the right solution lies not in finding a single "best" tool, but in identifying the one that aligns perfectly with your specific requirements.

As we've explored, your primary use case is the most critical factor. Are you a podcaster needing accurate transcripts with speaker labels for show notes? Or a developer building a voice-activated application? The ideal choice for one is often impractical for the other.

How to Choose Your Free Transcription Tool

To make an informed decision, consider these core factors based on the tools we've reviewed:

• For Ease of Use and High Accuracy: If you need a straightforward, web-based tool that delivers precise transcripts without a steep learning curve, platforms like Transcript.LOL and Notta are excellent starting points. Their free tiers offer a tangible way to test accuracy and features before committing.
• For Collaborative Meetings: For professionals who spend their days in virtual meetings, Otter.ai's real-time transcription and collaborative features are specifically designed to capture every detail, assign action items, and create a searchable record of conversations.
• For Creative Content Editing: Video creators and podcasters will find Descript’s innovative text-based audio/video editing revolutionary. Its free plan provides a unique opportunity to experience how transcribing your media can fundamentally change your editing workflow.
• For Developers and Technical Users: If you're building applications, the developer-centric APIs from Deepgram, AssemblyAI, and the major cloud providers (Google, Microsoft, Amazon) offer powerful, scalable solutions. Their free credits and tiers are designed for you to prototype, test, and integrate their advanced models into your projects.
• For Ultimate Control and Privacy: For users handling sensitive data or those who demand complete control over their workflow and costs, the open-source path is unmatched. OpenAI's Whisper provides state-of-the-art accuracy, while Vosk offers a lightweight, offline alternative, provided you are comfortable managing the technical setup on your own hardware.

Final Thoughts on Implementation

Before integrating any automatic transcription software free into your daily routine, remember to assess the limitations. Pay close attention to monthly minute caps, file size restrictions, and the availability of advanced features like speaker diarization or custom vocabulary on the free plans. The most effective strategy is to select two or three tools from this list that best match your profile and run the same audio file through each. This direct comparison will quickly reveal which platform provides the accuracy, speed, and user experience you need to transform spoken words into valuable, accessible text.

Ready to experience a transcription tool that combines top-tier accuracy with a user-friendly interface and valuable content generation features? The free plan from Transcript.LOL is the perfect place to start, offering a generous allowance to convert your audio and video files into precise text. Try Transcript.LOL for free today and see how effortless transcription can be.