Have you ever had that incredible idea in the middle of the day but didn't have time to write it down? Or perhaps you received an audio and needed to have your content in text? Problems like this are normal these days, where an immediate response is a necessity. But don't worry, because today you'll leave this article with an application that transcribes audio!
We know that choosing between the thousands of apps in the App Store and Play Store isn't easy, many of which, once downloaded, don't work properly and those that do tend to fall short. Our list will include the best available in both stores so that you can choose the best audio transcription app possible. The buttons for downloading the apps will be available throughout the article. However, before we move on to the list, we need to explain how these apps work.
How audio transcription apps work
These apps allow the user to choose an audio file already downloaded to their device or record an audio of their own voice to turn it into text. It is common today for these apps to use AIs to recognize the words spoken in the audio file and transcribe them into text, but not all of them necessarily do, since this type of system already existed before this technology became popular.
The speed and accuracy of transcription will vary from app to app, and many of them also have tools for transforming these newly-written text files into PDF, TXT or DOCX. It's also important to note that apps of this type are particularly useful for hearing-impaired people who may need to transcribe a sound file. Now that you know how an audio transcription app works, here's the list!
Transcribe live
Our first app is for those who need to transcribe audio already downloaded to their device or who need real-time transcription. This second tool not only tells you the minute and second of each speech in the audio, but also differentiates who is speaking, making it easier to read the document in the future. Another advantage of this audio transcription app is that it doesn't require a login and recognizes 8 languages, including English and Portuguese.
Transcribe Live is free and available on the App Store. What's more, it works even when the screen is off, thus saving your device's battery. The paid version, on the other hand, starts at R$29.90 per month, allowing the user to have more hours of transcription each month, as the free version is limited.
Transkriptor
Transkriptor stands out for its ability to recognize and transcribe various audio formats, allowing you to turn WhatsApp audios, meetings, lectures and personal recordings made with your smartphone's microphone into text. The audio transcription app has a simple interface, making it a useful tool for anyone, regardless of whether or not they are familiar with transcription apps.
Its advanced technology allows the app to differentiate between multiple speakers in the same audio file, improving the clarity of the transcription. It also allows you and your team to edit the same text file, making it perfect for professional environments. Available on the App Store and Play Store, the application that turns audio into text has a free trial period, after which it costs R$25.64 per month. This plan offers 5 hours of transcription per month, YouTube video transcription, team collaboration and other features.
Otter.AI
Otter.AI is perfect if you're looking for high transcription accuracy and cloud storage to save your texts and access them from anywhere. As the name implies, the app uses artificial intelligence to transcribe your texts, making it faster than most of the other apps on this list that don't use this technology.
The audio transcription app is available for iOS and Android. The free version has a generous number of minutes of transcription per month and most of the features of the paid version. The Pro version triples the number of monthly minutes per transcription and the maximum transcription time per audio, costing R$47.12 per month.
Rev Voice Recorder
The fourth audio transcription app on our list stands out because it doesn't transcribe with AI, but with professionals. The app works as follows: you make the recording through the app and, once it's finished, you send it. Around 12 hours later, you'll receive the professional transcription via the app. Because the work is done by humans, the result tends to be much more reliable and accurate.
Due to its focus on accuracy and quality, the app is not available for free. Transcriptions are charged per minute of audio, with each minute costing 1.5 credits. You can buy the credits individually or in larger quantities, 1 credit costs R$10.23, while 10 go for R$87.34. The audio transcription app can be found in both the Play Store and the App Store.
Riverside
Riverside is for you who need an app that turns audio into text, but who expect other features to make the app more complete. The app, available for Android and iOS, aims to be a podcast creation platform, so it has unique features while providing a great audio transcription tool.
Video calls where your camera and the guest's camera are recorded on their respective devices is just one of the many features. These Full HD or even 4K recordings are stored in the app's cloud and can be edited and audio transcribed.
Because it's not an audio transcription app designed for recreational use, its prices end up being higher. To use the transcription feature you need to subscribe to the PRO version, available from R$123.37 per month. In addition to this feature, it offers 15 hours of recording per month, virtual funds for you and the guest and live chat with support.
Notta.ai
The last app on our list works directly from your browser and features a powerful AI that makes it stand out as an audio transcription app. Unlike the other names on the list, Notta.ai focuses on transcribing video calls from Zoom, MS Teams, Google Meet and Webex meetings. It also records the screen during calls and its AI recognizes the different participants, making the transcription more organized.
The free version of this app is very complete if you want to use it for non-commercial purposes. The user will have access to 120 minutes of transcriptions per month, plus the features mentioned above. The Pro version, R$46.26 per month, increases the transcription minutes to 1,800 and introduces a new feature which, using AI, summarizes the content of calls.
User guides
One of the criteria used to put together the list above was the simplicity of using each one, so they are all simple to use and self-explanatory. However, it's always a good idea to stick to a few practices when using them so that the quality of the transcription is always as good as possible.
First of all, avoid using bad recordings in your audio transcription application. Of the 6 on this list, 5 use AI to recognize speech and transform the sound file into a written one. Even if all of them are of excellent quality, if the audio has a lot of noise and background noise, the transcription may not be the most accurate.
Also, look for an audio transcription app that meets your needs. So, if you need the greatest possible accuracy in a relatively short transcription, prioritize apps that use professionals and not AI, as is the case with Rev. However, if the audio you want to turn into text is longer, choose one of the others on our list that offer hundreds of minutes of transcription for free.
Conclusion
So, did you like our list? What do you think is the best audio transcription app? Let us know in the comments! Want to keep reading about apps and technology? Then take a look at our article on the best 3D wallpaper apps in 2024. Now, if you want to know more about text reading apps, watch the video below!
