Transcription apps — apps that document and make textual content transcriptions of the dialog — have been a particularly helpful method of conserving information for many people. This doesn’t solely pertain to journalists, who, after all, usually maintain information of their interviews. When you’re caring for a member of the family who’s ailing, for instance, having a recorded and transcribed document of a dialog with the physician could be very helpful. And if you’re coping with the insurance coverage firm rep afterward — nicely, ’nuff stated.
There are two forms of transcription companies obtainable on-line as we speak: one which makes use of an AI engine and the opposite that makes use of human transcribers. The latter is normally way more correct however can be significantly costlier. In consequence, most people use AI-driven companies to interpret and transcribe their audio — and admittedly, as AI companies have improved, so have the transcriptions. Here’s a checklist of among the AI-powered transcription companies obtainable.
One factor to pay attention to: the standard of transcription equipped by these apps can range broadly relying not solely on the AI engine the app is utilizing but additionally on the standard of your audio file. If there are plenty of voices speaking without delay, if there may be plenty of background noise, if the audio system have accents unfamiliar to the AI software — these can all serve to degrade the accuracy of the transcription. So, a good suggestion is to check out a transcription service with a typical file to see how nicely it performs.
And contemplate which app may very well be most cost-effective for you. In the event you solely have to add an occasional file, it may very well be greatest to go along with both a free model or one of many pay-as-you-go companies. In the event you do common uploads, then a month-to-month or annual subscription may fit higher for you.
Otter was one of many extra in style transcription companies — nicely, that’s, till August 2022, when it introduced downgrades of the companies it supplies on two of its plans and raised the value on its month-to-month plan.
That being stated, Otter gives a reasonably spectacular vary of companies, together with the power to simply document Zoom and Google Meet conferences and arrange your transcriptions into folders and your contacts into teams. There’s additionally a separate AI function that helps with content material searches, and every transcription consists of an AI-generated abstract, together with a listing of motion objects and a top level view.
As talked about, there have been a wide range of adjustments to the corporate’s costs and options. For instance, free customers not have entry to all of their previous transcriptions — solely the final 25 (the others will likely be archived). You’ll be able to as much as 300 transcription minutes per thirty days with a most of half-hour per dialog, and you’ll import as much as three audio or video recordsdata.
Paying prospects who’re on Otter’s Professional plan ($16.99 / month or $110.04 a 12 months) as soon as had a month-to-month allowance of 6,000 minutes of transcribed audio and a most of 4 hours per dialog; today, they get 1,200 minutes and 90 minutes per dialog; however all their conversations can be found, they usually can import 10 audio or video conversations per thirty days.
Otter’s Marketing strategy ($30 a month or $240 yearly) nonetheless has the 6,000 minutes per thirty days / 4 hours per dialog allowance, together with different options.
Temi is a fundamental transcription service that’s personal by the identical firm that owns Rev — the truth is, the primary time you go there, it’s seemingly you’ll end up being urged to attempt Rev first. When you’ve gotten previous that, Temi gives such options as the power to evaluate and edit your transcriptions, decelerate the replay, and export your recordsdata into textual content (Microsoft Phrase, PDF) or closed caption (SRT, VTT) recordsdata. Its cell apps for Android and iOS help you document audio; you may then select to transcribe it for an easy 25 cents per audio minute or add your individual recordings for a similar value. New customers get the primary 45 minutes free.
Rev has been round for some time; till just lately, it was primarily obtainable for individuals who needed human transcription companies. Then the corporate launched Rev Max, an AI transcription service that provides 20 hours of automated transcription companies and Zoom transcripts for $29.99 per thirty days. (In the event you go the 20-hour mark, you’ll be charged 25 cents a minute till your subsequent month begins.) You additionally get a 5 % low cost on any human-based transcription companies. There’s a 14-day free trial interval, however it’s important to put in a bank card to get it.
MeetGeek calls itself “an AI assembly assistant.” In different phrases, its focus is on transcribing conferences (though it may be used for different audio). It has a free model that allows you to create transcripts from audio and video sources — you may document 5 hours of audio a month and retain three month’s value of transcripts and one month’s value of audio. For $19 / month or $180 / 12 months, a Professional model offers you 20 hours of transcription a month, one 12 months of transcript retention and 6 months of video storage. There are additionally Enterprise and Enterprise variations. New customers get a 14-day trial of the Marketing strategy, which prices $39 a month or $372 a 12 months and will get you 100 hours of transcription a month, limitless transcript storage, and 12 months of video retention.
Trint’s web site makes it apparent that it’s pushing its AI transcription companies to artistic customers; one of many headings on its first web page broadcasts, “Our DNA is storytelling.” In keeping with Trint, it could transcribe in over 40 completely different languages. The Starter 300 plan ($80 / month or $624 / 12 months) enables you to transcribe as much as 300 minutes per thirty days and do three translations a month, seize audio from its cell app (iPhone or Android), and edit and share transcripts. The Superior plan ($100 / month or $720 / 12 months) provides 1200 minutes of transcription together with 20 translations, and the power to automate workflows. A seven-day free trial enables you to pattern the Superior plan.
Sonix gives automated translations in over 49 languages. It consists of the same old capability to edit its transcripts, a word-by-word timestamp, and the power to add transcripts from different packages and sew them to new ones. Like many transcription companies today, it has added some AI options similar to automated subtitles and summaries. You’ll be able to export your transcripts in DOCX, TXT, and PDF and export subtitles in SRT and VTT codecs. Sonix begins with a pay-as-you-go Customary plan that prices $10 an audio hour (prorated to the closest minute). There’s additionally a Premium subscription plan ($5 per audio hour plus $22 / month or $198 / 12 months) that provides quite a few options and 100GB of storage. New customers get 30 free minutes of transcription.
Whereas MeetGeek concentrates on assembly transcriptions, Alice touts itself as a transcription service for journalists. The opposite companies retailer your transcripts (some with cut-off dates, some with out) and allow you to edit them on-line, however Alice doesn’t; as a substitute, it sends the audio file and the transcript to your electronic mail tackle and provides it to your Google Drive or Dropbox. It’s also straightforward to make use of; simply faucet anyplace on the cellphone app to begin it and swipe to pause. Alice is pay-as-you-go: $9.99 for one or two hours of audio; $99.80 for 20 hours; or $299 for 100 hours. You get the primary 60 minutes free and may use it with an iOS app or the online. There isn’t a Android app.
In case you have an Android cellphone, one of many best methods to get an honest transcription is to make use of Google’s free Recorder app. (In case you have a Pixel, it’s possible you’ll have already got it; in any other case, you may obtain Recorder from the Play Retailer to see if it really works together with your cellphone.) To start out a recording, you merely press a big pink button. To pause, you press it once more. Smaller buttons on both aspect allow you to delete or save the recording. Above the button is the timing of the audio, and above which might be two buttons for Audio and Transcript. To see the textual content, faucet Transcript. You’ll be able to edit the textual content, search by way of it (that is Google in any case), and share both the audio or the transcript. In case you have a Pixel 6 and later, you may allow completely different labels for various audio system.
OpenAI’s Whisper is an open-source transcription mission that’s helpful to make use of, particularly for those who would somewhat maintain your transcriptions off the cloud. There’s a Mac app obtainable that makes it straightforward to put in and use for those who’re not snug with Python and developer instruments; in case you are, all the higher. In the event you’re utilizing the Mac desktop app, the free model gives a number of ranges of transcription (the slower, the higher); a Professional model prices $6.99 a month or $24.99 a 12 months (with a seven-day free trial) and allows you to do issues similar to transcribe podcasts and YouTube URLS. (Whether or not OpenAI will discover itself in a little bit of a tangle for coaching its software program utilizing YouTube is one other query.)
Replace April eleventh, 2024, 4:42PM ET: This text was initially printed on August twenty fourth, 2022. Since then, a number of entries have been up to date, together with information about Otter’s Marketing strategy, whereas entries for Rev Max, Alice, Google Recorder, and Whisper have been added, and an entry for Scribie has been eliminated.
