The Ultimate Guide: 10 Leading Audio-to-Text Transcription Applications (Free/Paid)

Top 10 Podcasting Audio to Text Transcription Software

Benjamin Arango

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

Currently, there are over 29 million podcast episodes in over a hundred languages on the Internet, which shows how much competition you will be facing once you start a new podcast. That is why it is so important to optimize each new episode of your podcast for Google’s ever-changing algorithm. Adding tags, metadata, or writing a description of the podcast are just a few ways to improve the visibility of the content you share online.

Transcribing podcasts on your own becomes increasingly difficult as their duration increases. Instead of wasting hours going through the material and trying to figure out what your guests said, it is much easier to utilize podcasting transcription software that enables you to go through this process automatically. We have selected the 10 best podcasting audio to text transcription software products that are going to help you reach a larger number of listeners.

Top 10 Best Podcasting Audio to Text Transcription Software Products

Running a podcast involves much more than justrecording the materials and uploading them to the hosting platform . Podcasting audio to text transcription software products improves the searchability of the episodes of your show and makes it easier for your listeners to find them.

Let’s take a look at some of the best options you will have if you want to turn Podcasting audio into text automatically.

1. Sonix

Price: Pricing plans start as $10 per hour

Image Credit: sonix

The Sonix media player is designed to help podcasters widen their audience by improving the SEO optimization for search engines like Google or Bing. Moreover, this media player assists the search engines in crawling through and indexing the content you transcribe, which makes your podcasts easier to discover. Sonix also reduces the amount of time you’ll have to spend with the sound engineer by allowing you to keep all of the work materials at the same location. The app’s AudioText Editor lets you edit audio quickly by making the adjustments to the transcribed text. Sonix integrates with Adobe Audition and enables you to edit your audio files just moments after you transcribed them.

Pros

• Provides automated translation services for a multitude of languages
• Detects different speakers effortlessly
• Great selection of export file formats
• Allow users to edit video and audio by editing text

Cons

• Automated translation is not available in the Standard package
• The quality of customer support could be better

2. Trint

Price: Pricing plans start at $44 per month

Image Credit: Trint

Transcribing audio files with Trint is a straightforward process that can be completed in just a few simple steps. Simply upload a video or an audio file and this web-based software is going to transcribe them so that you can edit the text the AI has generated. You can use Trint to highlight specific segments of your files and export them as TXT, DOC, or SRT files. All of your data is protected by the app’s data management that is certified to ISO 27001, which means that all the information you process with Trint can only be accessed by you.

Pros

• Lighting fast transcription process
• Trint Editor is equipped with a versatile set of text editing tools
• Transcriptions services are available in 27 languages
• Trint can be integrated with hundreds of applications through Zapier

Cons

• More expensive than similar online audio to text software products
• Short trial period

3. GoTranscript

Price: The transcription fees start at under $1 per minute

Image Credit: GoTranscript

With more than 10, 000 users, GoTranscript is one of the largest podcasting audio to text service platforms on the Internet. This web-based platform employs highly skilled professionals who transcribe both audio and video files and convert all of your radio, webcast or video podcasts to text. GoTranscript’s teams ensure that the voices of different speakers are transcribed separately, which makes this platform a perfect choice if you are looking for a way to transcribe interviews or any other type of show that includes more than just one speaker. All texts are proofread in order to ensure that each segment of the text is accurate.

Pros

• The efficient 4-step transcription process
• Audio files are transcribed with 99% accuracy
• Equally efficient when utilized for education and marketing purposes
• Translation services are available

Cons

• Transcription process can take several days
• Editing text on GoTranscript isn’t an option

4. Happy Scribe

Price: $30 for 3 hours of subscription per month

Image Credit: Happyscribe

Podcasters who are looking for a simple and quick way to transcribe their audio recordings should consider using Happy Scribe. This web-based software detects more than a hundred languages and it can transcribe both video and audio files.

You just have to upload a file you want to transcribe and then use the Happy Scribe’s Interactive Editor to make corrections to the text before exporting it as a Export in Word, PDF, TXT, SRT, VTT, STL, XML, Premiere or AVID file. Happy Scribe’s Proofreading Helper enables you to detect segments of the text where the algorithm wasn’t accurate so that you can correct all of the mistakes before sharing the document you created.

Pros

• Features the Embed Player that can be added to any website
• Supports API integrations
• Creating and managing teams with Happy Scribe is easy
• Available in more than a hundred languages

Cons

• The algorithm’s accuracy depends on the quality of the audio or video recording
• Poor price to performance ratio

5. Simon Says

Price: Pricing options start at $15 per hour

The platform’s advanced AI speech recognition system is designed to transcribe both audio and video files accurately. Simon Says is available in over ninety languages, which enables you to transcribe video and audio files regardless of the language that is used in the podcast. In addition, the software can be used as an extension for FCPX and allows you to create subtitles for interviews, video podcasts, documentaries and all other projects you create with this video editing app. The transcription process lasts for just a few minutes, and once it is completed you can export your transcripts to Adobe Premiere Pro, FCPX, Excel, Word or any other software you’re using to create your podcasts.

Pros

• Equipped with a powerful AI speech recognition system
• Accurate transcriptions of audio and video files
• Allows podcasters to add bookmarks and highlight quotes from their footage
• Supports a variety of export file formats

Cons

• The quality of customer support depends on the subscription model you purchase
• Supports a limited number of audio and video file formats

6. InqScribe

Price: Free, $99 for an individual license

Compatibility: Windows, macOS

Unlike the previous podcasting audio to text software products we featured in this article, InqSribe can only be used on Mac and PC computers. Even though anyone can install and use this software for free, you must purchase the license if you want to print, save or export transcripts from InqScribe.

This digital media transcription software makes adding time codes to your transcripts easy, while you can also utilize custom snippets to insert frequently used text to a particular segment of the transcript. Each audio file you transcribe with InqScribe can be exported in file formats that are compatible with a broad range of video editing, subtitling or word processing software products.

Pros

• Affordable solution for podcasters who want to create transcripts of their audio and video files
• Provides support for nearly all audio and video file formats
• Accurate transcriptions of multi-lingual documents
• Excellent subtitling options

Cons

• Saving or exporting transcripts is not possible with the free version of the software
• No auto transcription options

7. Audext

Price: 30 free-trial minutes available

Media, podcast or education professionals can benefit from using Audext’s services since this platform can transcribe audio to text in just a few moments. You just have to upload an audio file you would like to transcribe and Audext will generate and DOC or TXT file for you. Optionally, you can use the platform’s text editor to correct any mistakes that occurred during the automatic transcription process. Audext identifies different speakers, which makes it an excellent option for podcasters who host new guests on each new episode of their podcast. The platform lets you export your transcripts to TXT or DOC file formats.

Pros

• The quick and efficient audio transcription process
• Powerful text editor
• Multi-speaker recognition features
• Customizable audio playback speed

Cons

• No video transcription options
• Transcriptions are not always accurate

8. Temi

Price: $0,10 per minute

This is a simple audio transcription tool that can generate text files you can use to create blogs or improve the searchability of your podcasts. Temi’s proprietary algorithm was created by speech recognition experts and it can easily detect multiple speakers. Furthermore, the platform lets you add timestamps wherever you want and it grants you access to the tools you can use to polish the automatically generated transcripts. You can download all the transcriptions you create with Temi to your computer and choose if you want to save them as Word, PDF or SRT files.

Pros

• The straightforward audio transcription process
• Excellent speaker identification features
• No subscriptions required
• Inexpensive audio transcription option

Cons

• The quality of the transcription depends on the quality of the audio file
• Transcription of long audio recordings can take a while

9. Castos

Price: Pay as you go, $0,10 per minute

Castos is a podcast hosting platform that is equipped with a powerful voice to text technology which transcribes all episodes of your podcasts accurately. This tool improves the visibility and the reach of the content you upload to your account on Castos, and makes it easier for you to optimize it for search engines. So, in order to start using this option, you will have to activate it from the Integrations section on the dashboard. Once you enabled the platform’s transcription features, all new episodes you upload to Castos are going to be transcribed automatically. What’s more, you will also be able to transcribe episodes you uploaded before activating this feature.

Pros

• Automatic transcription process
• Castos lets its users transcribe all podcast episodes regardless of when they were uploaded
• Compatible with YouTube Republishing feature
• Generates PDF transcription files listeners can download

Cons

• Limited transcription editing capabilities
• All audio transcription services are added to the monthly bill

10. Descript

Price: Free, pricing options start at $10 per month

Compatibility: web-based, macOS, Windows

In case you are looking for software you can use to record, edit and transcribe your podcasts, then you shouldn’t look much further than Descript. This cross-platform tool can be used to edit both audio and video files, while the Lyrebird AI enables you to correct any mistakes by simply typing what you really want to say. Descript automatically transcribes your videos with 96% accuracy and it detects multiple speakers effortlessly. It takes only three minutes to transcribe an hour-long podcast, but the software also allows you to use the human transcription services, although you will have to pay $1,25 for each minute of the transcription.

Pros

• Available on both Mac and PC computers
• Equipped with the Lyrebird AI
• Offers both audio and video editing tools
• Quick transcription turnaround

Cons

• No file sharing options
• The free version of Descript doesn’t offer transcription services

How to Make the Process of Transcribing Podcasts Quicker for Free

You don’t have to spend money on subscriptions to voice-to-text software products every month since Google Docs offers a simple and free solution. You can enable the Voice Typing feature from the Tools menu and then just proceed to record your podcasts.

This tool will transcribe everything you say, although its accuracy depends on the quality of the audio recording. In addition, the Voice Typing feature can be used to transcribe the podcasts you already recorded, but you have to repeat exactly what is being said in the episode you are transcribing.

You shouldn’t expect a high level of accuracy, since the Voice Typing tool is still being improved, and you should keep in mind that proofreading a transcript can help you eliminate all mistakes that occurred during the automatic transcription process.

Utilizing YouTube to Transcribe Podcast

One of the easiest ways to create captions for YouTube videos is to utilize the platform’s Transcribe feature. Every time you upload a new podcast to your YouTube channel, you’ll be able to generate captions for that video file automatically.

However, the voice to text technology the platform is using doesn’t always create accurate transcriptions, which is the reason why you must go through the entire transcription and make sure that the text matches its source.

Moreover, YouTube recently made the automatic captioning feature available during live streams, which enables you to generate transcriptions of your podcasts even while the recording session is in progress.

Conclusion

Extending the reach of your audience is an essential step towards creating a loyal base of subscribers who follow your work. Transcribing each episode of the podcast you are running can help you improve your SEO strategy and draw more attention to your work. Which podcasting audio to text transcription software are you using to transcribe audio and video files? Leave a comment and let us know.

Benjamin Arango

Benjamin Arango is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Benjamin Arango

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