WhichNoteTaker

Free ways to transcribe audio: start with your phone

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If you just need words from a recording and you don't need AI meeting notes, you may not need to sign up for anything. Your phone might already do it. If it doesn't, a few free tiers handle short files. Here's what each one actually allows.

Step 1: check what your phone already does (as of 2026-10-27)

PhoneBuilt-in toolWhat the maker says
iPhoneVoice Memos transcriptionTranscribes recordings live or after, on iPhone 12 or later, in English (all variants), Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, French, German, Japanese, Korean, Simplified Chinese and Traditional Chinese. Not available in all countries or regions. You can copy the whole transcript
iPhoneNotes audio recordingRecord in a note and get a live transcript, iPhone 12 and later, same language list
iPhonePhone call recordingIn some countries and regions, record a call with one other person. Apple says to "make sure the other call participant is willing to be recorded"; both people also hear an audio notice. Recordings and transcripts (in select regions and languages) land in a Call Recordings folder in Notes. Apple lists places where it isn't available, including the EU
PixelRecorder appReal-time transcription on Pixel 6 and later in 15 languages and variants. "Transcribe again" covers more languages but "may process audio files on Google servers". Summaries on Pixel 8 and later for recordings from 5 minutes to 1 hour

Apple's call guide says to "verify the accuracy of a transcription before relying on it." Good advice for every tool on this page.

Step 2: free tiers for audio files (as of 2026-10-27)

ToolWhat's freeThe catchPaid from
TurboScribe3 files a day, up to 30 minutes eachOne upload at a time, lower priority$10/mo billed yearly ($120/yr), or $20 monthly
Descript60 media minutes a month, transcription in 25 languagesIt's an audio and video editor first, and media minutes count everything you import or record, transcribed or notHobbyist $16/mo annual or $24 monthly (10 media hours/mo)
Otter300 transcription minutes a monthOnly 3 file imports for the life of the account, 30 minutes max per conversation, and only your 25 most recent conversations are kept$8.33/user/mo annual
Notta120 minutes a month, 50 file uploads a month, no credit cardUp to 3 minutes per recording, which makes it work more like a trial for real files$97.99/yr, or $13.49 monthly
FirefliesA few file uploads on sign-up credits (3 if you sign up on the website), up to 150 minutes and 100MB eachEach upload uses a credit, downloading transcripts needs a paid plan, and storage is 400 minutes in total$10/seat/mo annual

Which free route fits

A rough rule, not a test result: if you're transcribing more than a few hours a month, a paid plan around $8 to $10 a month on annual billing (see AI transcription tools compared by file type and budget) is usually less hassle than juggling free limits.

Privacy on free tools

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.

A simple way to ask. Start recording first, so your announcement is captured on the recording (Washington law requires that). Then say: "Quick heads-up: I'd like to record this and use an AI note taker to transcribe it, so I don't miss anything. The recording and notes are stored with [tool name]. Is everyone OK with that?" Wait for a clear yes from each person. If anyone says no, stop and delete what you captured. For meetings with outside guests, also put a line in the invite: "This meeting may be recorded and transcribed by an AI note taker. Let me know beforehand if you'd prefer it isn't."

What we did and didn't do

We read the vendor and maker pages below on 2026-10-27. We didn't transcribe anything with these tools, so nothing here is about accuracy.

Sources (checked 2026-10-27)

Changes