AI transcription tools by file type and budget
How we make money: No link on this page earns us anything right now. We may join companies' affiliate programs, and our affiliate disclosure lists any we've joined. If a link on this page ever pays us, it will be marked "(paid link)" and this box will name the companies that pay us. We haven't tested these products hands-on. Prices and features come from each vendor's own pages, checked 2026-10-27 and linked in Sources.
This page is for when you already have the audio: an interview, a lecture recording, a podcast episode, a voice memo.
The big differences between these tools aren't on the homepage. They're in the caps: how long one file can be, how many files a day or month, and how many hours a month.
Quick answer
- Short files, free: TurboScribe Free, 3 files a day, up to 30 minutes each.
- Lots of files, flat price: TurboScribe Unlimited, $10/mo billed yearly, files up to 10 hours.
- You want to edit the audio or video by editing the text: Descript. Free gives 60 media minutes a month.
- Recordings already on your iPhone: Apple Notes can record and transcribe for free on iPhone 12 or later.
- You also want live meeting notes: Notta Pro or Otter Pro do both.
Comparison table (as of 2026-10-27)
| Tool | Free plan (per vendor) | Paid from (per vendor) | File length cap | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TurboScribe | 3 files a day, up to 30 min each, 1 upload at a time, lower priority | $10/mo billed yearly ($120) or $20 monthly: unlimited | 30 min free; 10 hr / 5 GB paid, 50 files at a time | Bulk interviews, lectures, long files |
| Descript | 60 media minutes a month | Hobbyist $16/mo annual or $24 monthly (10 hrs/mo); Creator $24 annual or $35 monthly (30 hrs/mo) | Counted against monthly media hours | Podcasts and video you'll edit |
| Notta | 120 min/mo, 3 min max per recording, 50 file uploads/mo, 10 AI summaries | Pro $97.99/yr or $13.49 monthly: 1,800 min/mo, 100 uploads | 3 min free; 5 hr paid | Meetings plus uploads, many languages |
| Otter | 300 min/mo, 30 min per conversation, 3 lifetime file imports, 25 most recent conversations kept | Pro $8.33/mo annual or $16.99 monthly: 1,200 min/mo, 10 imports/mo | 30 min free; 90 min Pro | Meetings first, a few uploads |
| Fireflies | Uploads use sign-up transcription credits (3 via the website), up to 150 min and 100MB per file; transcript downloads need a paid plan; 400 min storage in total | Pro $10/seat/mo annual (8,000 min storage) | 150 min per upload on Free; paid not checked | Teams already using it for meetings |
| Apple Notes | Free, iPhone 12 or later, supported languages | $0 | Not checked | Voice memos and quick recordings |
Two traps in the free plans: Notta Free caps each recording at 3 minutes, which makes it work more like a trial for real interviews. Otter Free allows only 3 file imports for the life of the account.
Two-year cost at different volumes
Arithmetic on annual prices listed above, one user, before tax. "Fits" means the plan's listed monthly allowance covers that volume. Not a measured result.
| Monthly volume | Cheapest fit on these pages | 2-year total |
|---|---|---|
| Files under 30 min, up to 3 a day | TurboScribe Free | $0 |
| Up to 1 hr, and you want to edit | Descript Free | $0 |
| Up to 20 hrs | Notta Pro (1,800 min, 5 hr per file), or Otter Pro (1,200 min, 90 min per file, 10 imports/mo) | $195.98 (Notta Pro) or $199.92 (Otter Pro) |
| Up to 30 hrs | Notta Pro (1,800 min, 5 hr per file) | $195.98 |
| Any amount, long files | TurboScribe Unlimited | $240 |
| Up to 10 hrs, with editing | Descript Hobbyist | $384 |
| Up to 30 hrs, with editing | Descript Creator | $576 |
Note Otter Pro's 10 imports a month: if you're uploading files rather than recording meetings, that cap may bite before the minutes do.
Picks by file type
Interviews and research recordings
TurboScribe if you have many or long files. The free plan handles three files up to 30 minutes each per day. Unlimited is $10/mo billed yearly. No link on this page earns us anything right now, and TurboScribe has no affiliate program we could find.
Podcasts and YouTube video
Descript, because you edit the media by editing the transcript. Budget by hours: Hobbyist covers 10 hours of media a month, Creator 30. See also the free tier (60 minutes a month) to try the workflow.
Lectures
TurboScribe for long files, or Otter if you'd rather record live in class. Check your school's recording rules first. Granola says it isn't FERPA compliant. Fireflies lists a FERPA DSA on Enterprise (per their pages).
Meetings and calls recorded elsewhere
Notta Pro or Otter Pro if you also want a bot for live calls. Notta lists more monthly minutes on Pro (1,800 vs 1,200) for about the same annual price.
Voice memos on your phone
Apple Notes on an iPhone 12 or later. Free and already there.
Privacy and consent
Recording laws: tell people first. Federal law and most states let you record a conversation you're part of. About 11 states, including California, Florida, Illinois, Pennsylvania and Washington, generally require everyone's consent, and a few states mix the rules. Oregon, for example, requires that everyone in an in-person conversation be told it's being recorded, while phone calls need one person's consent (RCFP guide, ORS 165.540). If people are in different states, the stricter law may apply. Rules outside the US differ too, and many employers, schools and clinics have their own policies. A meeting bot showing up in the participant list is a notice, not consent. The same goes for a "this call may be recorded" greeting: it may not tell people that an AI service is transcribing or summarizing the call, so name the AI note taker when you ask. This is general information, not legal advice. If you're unsure, ask a lawyer where you live.
- Get consent before you record, not just before you transcribe. Interview subjects and podcast guests should know the audio is being recorded and sent to a cloud service.
- Uploads leave your device. TurboScribe says files and transcripts are stored encrypted and only you can access them, and you can delete them anytime. Notta lists SOC 2 Type II and ISO 27001 and AWS hosting. We didn't check Descript's or Otter's security pages for this page. Vendor claims, not audits we did.
- Sensitive material (health, legal, sources who need protection): read the vendor's data retention and training policy first, and don't upload what you can't risk exposing.
What we did and didn't do
We read the vendor pages below on 2026-10-27. We didn't upload files to any of these services, so we have no accuracy or speed results.
Sources (checked 2026-10-27)
- TurboScribe home page (free plan and pricing FAQ): https://turboscribe.ai/
- TurboScribe pricing: https://turboscribe.ai/pricing
- Descript pricing: https://www.descript.com/pricing
- Notta pricing: https://www.notta.ai/en/pricing
- Notta plans help article: https://support.notta.ai/hc/en-us/articles/55339089140123-Understand-Notta-s-Plans-Pricing
- Otter pricing: https://otter.ai/pricing
- Fireflies pricing: https://fireflies.ai/pricing
- Granola security, privacy and data FAQ (FERPA): https://docs.granola.ai/help-center/consent-security-privacy/security-privacy-data-faqs
- Apple Notes recording: https://support.apple.com/guide/iphone/record-and-transcribe-audio-iphbe11247b5/ios
- RCFP recording guide: https://www.rcfp.org/introduction-to-reporters-recording-guide/
- Oregon ORS 165.540: https://oregon.public.law/statutes/ors_165.540
- Fireflies Free plan help (checked 2026-10-27): https://guide.fireflies.ai/articles/4027724828-learn-about-the-fireflies-free-plan
Changes
- 2026-10-23: prices, plans and policies checked on the vendor pages in Sources.
- 2026-10-24: Review fixes. Fireflies Free upload limits corrected (credits, 150 minutes per file, no downloads), Otter 25-conversation limit added.
- 2026-10-26: standard consent block now adds that a "this call may be recorded" greeting may not tell people an AI service is transcribing or summarizing the call.
- 2026-10-27: ship-day re-read. Prices, plan limits and quoted vendor lines re-checked on the vendor pages in Sources; checked dates updated (promos left off).
- 2026-10-27: affiliate disclosure wording updated.