Transcription is the process of converting human speech in an audio or audio-visual file into text. This process provides a word-for-word account of events that require speech, like virtual conference calls, meetings, and academic seminars.
One of the many benefits of technology is that it offers us a way to automate tasks, including transcription.
AI powered transcription is the use of Artificial Intelligence in converting audio and audio-visual files into text. It employs automatic speech recognition software that pays attention to spoken words and translates them seamlessly into text. This software functions by identifying the various sounds of human speech and matching these sounds to their corresponding words in a vast language database.
What are the Best AI Transcribers?
There are numerous AI powered transcription softwares. However, they are not all created equal. Apart from the fact that some simply provide better transcription than others; they offer different feature packages that a potential user will be wise to consider before making a decision.
Some features to look for in AI powered transcription tools providers include a free trial, money back guarantee, ideally a free plan as well, ability of medical transcription, dictation, audio recording, live transcription like in a zoom call, a human transcriber option, and of course multiple export options.
You see the challenge such a tool solves is not a simple audio to text, because this feature comes built-in Microsoft Word. No, an AI Transcription tool should function as a meeting minute taker.
The AI should recognise action items, different dialects, different speakers, block background noise and process conversation using NLP.
Below are some of the best AI transcribing tools and what sets them apart from others.
Examples of AI Transcribers
Otter
Otter is one of the most popular AI-powered automatic transcription services online. A speech-to-text app, Otter will enable you to record and transcribe audio conversations using AI natural language processing technology. It will also allow you to build a custom vocabulary to improve its transcription accuracy for your use.
Further, Otter has an inbuilt feature that enables it to differentiate between multiple speakers through their voice properties. You can also play recorded audio at different speeds and directly insert images and other content into transcriptions.
Key features
- Available on mobile devices and web browsers
- Well-designed and intuitive interface
- Supports varying text, audio, and video file formats
- Offer speaker identification and advanced summary
- High accuracy, up to 99%
- Rapid turnaround time
- Improve accuracy through custom vocabulary
- Integrates with Zoom, Google Meet, and Microsoft Teams
Pricing
Otter offers four unique plans: Basic, Pro, Business, and Enterprise.
- Basic: Free.
- Pro: This plan costs $8.33 monthly.
- Business: This plan costs $20 monthly
- Enterprise: Contact Otter’s sales team.
Rev
Rev is a cloud-based transcription service that efficiently converts your recorded files into highly accurate text files. It has a transcript and caption editor that enables you to transcribe while listening to the audio. These features allow you to add in-line notes, highlight or strikethrough specific texts, and make edits.
Rev is designed to add transcripts, subtitles, and captions to your business content to facilitate optimised searches. Also, it enables you to adjust the speed and volume of the audio while listening to it.
Lastly, Rev offers a range of features that make it an efficient speech-to-text service. These include collaboration, audio trimming, team management, multiple file support, and time stamping.
Key features
- Available for Android and iOS devices and web browsers
- Guarantees 99% accuracy with a fast turnaround time
- Supports different file types, including MP3, MP4, WMV, AAC, WAV, MOV, M4A, AVI, VOB, and AMR
- The mobile application allows you to store, organise, and edit recordings for transcription
- Integrates with various third-party applications like YouTube, Zoom, Panopto, Vimeo, and OneDrive
Pricing
Unlike Otter, Rev does not have a subscription model. Instead, it charges $1.50 for each minute of audio or video transcription and English on-screen subtitles. Also, it charges between $5 and $12 per minute for globally translated subtitles.
Descript
Descript is an all-in-one editor that allows you to instantly transform your uploaded audio or video media into text.
Descript features automatic speaker detection that enables you to identify multiple speakers. It also helps you to remove silence gaps and filler words like “umm,” “ahh,” and “hmm” with a single click.
Moreover, Descript allows you to easily create podcasts, edit videos, and screen record. It also enables you to share your project with other people through a web link. And if you don’t mind, you can grant collaborators access to edit your transcription or make comments.
Key features
- Delivers up to 99 percent accuracy with an average turnaround time of 24 hours.
- Adds speaker labels within seconds.
- Transcribe audio into 22 different languages.
- Grant access to your collaborators
- Share your project with others.
Pricing
Descript offers four payment plans: Free, Creator, Pro, and Enterprise.
- Free: This plan is free for all users.
- Creator: This plan costs $12 monthly for each editor.
- Pro: This plan costs $24 per editor monthly.
- Enterprise: Contact Descript.
Note: You don’t have to subscribe to a payment plan if you are not editing.
Sonix
Sonix is another great audio and video transcription service on the market. Its AI transcription offers an accuracy of up to 95% which can be increased to 99% with human intervention.
Sonix features an in-browser editor that enables you to play, edit, search, and organise your transcripts from wherever you are. It also enables you to share your transcripts with other users. Additionally, it features an advanced automated translation engine that will translate your transcripts to any of over 30 languages within minutes.
Further, you can integrate Sonix into web conferencing systems like Zoom or video editing software like Adobe Premiere. You can also grant collaborators access to your project to enable them to comment, edit, and upload files or folders.
Key features
- Offer advanced automated translation engine
- Automated transcription service with up to 95% accuracy
- Quick turnaround time
- Offer search, edit, share, and publish features
- Team collaboration
- Integrate your workflow into software like Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Youtube, Zapier, Dropbox, and Adobe Premiere
Pricing
Sonix offers two pricing methods: pay-as-you-go or monthly.
- Standard: Perfect for short-term projects, this pricing method allows you to pay for each hour you spend transcribing. It costs $10 per hour.
- Premium: Perfect for more frequent transcriptions, you can either hourly or monthly. It costs $5 hourly with an additional $22 per user monthly.
- Enterprise: Contact our sales team.
Trint
Trint provides an AI-driven transcription solution to audio and video recordings. This means you can create accurate transcriptions and further improve upon it with human input.
Trint is designed for people who need its transcription services for their meetings, negotiations, or calls.
Trint has features that enable you to transform audio and video media into searchable, editable, and shareable content in as many as 34 languages. Also, it has easy-to-use tools like highlights, comments, and tags that facilitate team collaboration. Thus, you can seamlessly create your text content and share it with your colleagues.
Lastly, Trint allows you to transcribe the content in up to 30 languages. And that’s not all! You can also translate your transcribed content into more than 50 languages within minutes.
Key features
- Generate and edit closed captions for video content
- Search, edit, and share transcribed content
- Transcribe an event in minutes
- Collaborate with teammates from anywhere
- Translate text into multiple languages
Pricing
Unlike many transcription services on this list, Trint does not offer a free plan. Instead, it features the following paid plans:
- Starter: The Starter plan is perfect for individuals and teams looking to transcribe a maximum of seven files monthly. It costs €44 monthly for each user.
- Advanced: This payment plan is ideal for individuals and teams who need an unlimited transcription. It costs €52 monthly for each user.
- Enterprise: Contact our sales team to learn more.
Airgram
Airgram is a powerful AI-driven assistant that makes your web conference calls – such as Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and Google Meet – more productive. It is designed to provide tools that can help you make the most of your meetings. An example of this tool is its transcription service.
Airgram allows you to record and transcribe your virtual meetings with real-time speaker identification. Also, it enables collaboration on meeting minutes and allows you to share and edit recordings, transcripts, and meeting notes with your team members.
Also, Airgram allows you to review your recorded meetings with timestamps. It also lets you create highlights of your meetings.
Key features
- Multiple transcription languages
- Share meeting notes and export transcripts to Google Docs, Microsoft Word, or Notion
- Automatic speaker detection
- Create timestamped notes
- Collaborate with other users
- Create clips highlighting memorable moments in meetings
Pricing
Airgram provides three pricing plans, which are:
- Free: It provides access to five lifetime recordings. It costs $0.
- Pro: It gives access to ten recordings per month. It costs $8.99 monthly.
- Team: It gives you access to 15 recordings per month. It costs $17.99 monthly.
Verbit
Verbit is AI-based transcription software that requires human input to produce up to 99% transcription accuracy. The AI technology in this software listens in on the audio you want to transcribe and interprets what it says. After, it passes the transcribed note to humans to detect and correct any error it may contain.
Verbit employs sophisticated voice recognition AI technology to reduce turnaround time. Its AI algorithms create linguistic, acoustic, and contextual event models, which they use to adapt your sound file’s signatures. Additionally, Verbit helps to reduce background noise. It can also distinguish accents ad highlight terms related to specific news issues.
Key features
- Up to 99% transcription accuracy
- Add translated captions in multiple languages
- Search and edit transcribed content
- Integrates with popular platforms like Zoom, Panopto, Dropbox, and YouTube
- Provides live and remote deposition services
- Rapid turnaround time
- Support files in multiple formats, including PDF, CSV, plain text, and JSON
Pricing
Verbit offers an enterprise-focused service only, so they don’t provide a specific cost. Proceed to their website and sign up to determine what their price is.
Happy Scribe
Like other AI transcription services, Happy Scribe is an AI-driven transcription software that converts audio and video content into text. It supports file uploads of all sizes and lengths and from different platforms, such as YouTube, Vimeo, Dropbox, and Wistia.
Happy Scribe features an easy-to-use transcript editor that helps to correct and edit your transcript. It also allows you to collaborate with your team members and stakeholders by providing them access to your transcripts and subtitles from anywhere.
Depending on your preference, you can opt for 100% automatic transcription, automatic transcription with human input, or 100% human-made transcription services.
Key features
- 85 to 98 percent transcription accuracy
- Support a vast number of languages
- Multiple speaker identification
- Export files into any file format
- Support file uploads of various sizes and lengths
- Allow collaboration between you, your teammates, and stakeholders
Pricing
Happy Scribe offers pay-as-you-go pricing plans. And the amount of money you pay will depend on your preferred transcription service.
- Automatic: This service provides automatic transcription only and guarantees up to 85% accuracy. It costs €0.20 per minute.
- Human-made: This service provides automatic transcription with human intervention. It is assured to provide up to 99% accuracy within 24 hours. It costs €2.00 per minute.
- Human translation: This service involves human translation only. Like the human-made service, it guarantees up to 99% accuracy and will take between five to seven days to complete. It costs €20.85 per minute.
Ebby
Ebby provides automatic transcription services that convert your audio to text within a short while. It supports more than 100 languages, so you can transcribe audio recordings from various languages or translate transcribed text from one language to another.
Ebby uses a voice recognition technology that identifies speakers and generates time stamps. It also has an online editor that will enable you to seamlessly edit your transcript and ensure that your audio file is in sync with the transcript.
Key features
- Support multiple languages
- Features voice recognition technology that identifies multiple speakers
- Support file sharing
- Exports transcribed notes in numerous formats, including MS Word, pdf, HTML, and text
- Rapid turnaround time
- Automatically generate captions for your videos
- Review and edit your transcriptions
Pricing
Ebby offers two pay-as-you-go payment plans for its users.
- Pay as you go: This payment plan is perfect for infrequent or one-off users. It costs $0 per month and $0.25 per audio minute.
- Pay as you go Pro: This payment plan works best for frequent use. It costs $30 yearly and $0.10 per audio minute.
FireFlies.ai
One more top choice for audio transcription is Fireflies, which is an AI voice assistant that helps transcribe, take notes, and send follow-ups to complete actions during meetings.
The tool records meetings across any web conferencing platform, and you can easily invite others to your meetings to record and share conversations.
To transcribe live meetings or audio files, you just have to upload them. You can then look through the transcripts while listening to the audio.
One of the best aspects of Fireflies is that the tool enables you to search across items and other important highlights in the transcript.
Fireflies also offers integrations and APIs, a Chrome extension, and an intuitive dashboard.
Key Features
- Meeting bot that can auto join calls
- Chrome extension
- Transcribe existing audio files inside the dashboard
- Instantly record meetings
- Skim transcripts while listening to audio
Pricing
3 plans, where 1 is free forever.
The free plan is neat enough to get you started and hooked. Paid ones come with added benefits of downloading transcripts, meeting summaries, API access and integrations etc.
Payments are via card only.
Conclusion
Ai is getting into everything and its no surprise that AI powered transcription is replacing manual meeting minutes.
Choosing a solid AI transcriber will help you save the time and effort you would spend pouring through several minutes of audio recordings. To make it easier for you to choose, we’ve covered a list of top AI transcribers on the market above.
If none of these services satisfy you, look at Nuance, Transcribe Me, Speaker.ai, and Temi. These too have a good footing in the market for AI-powered transcription services.