Which AI should I use to transcribe audio?
Turn audio and video into accurate text. Last reviewed Oct 27, 2026 · Scored with the general rubric
How to read this: scores are editorial estimates from public information and documented capabilities. We did not run these tools, so every score is labelled Docs-only . Prices are as reported and may be out of date.
A polished app with a free monthly allowance and speaker labels. One roundup reported 95.9% accuracy; that is a third-party figure, not ours.
Best for Interviews and meetings
Watch out Accuracy numbers come from third parties.
Price (as reported) As reported by Mursa: 300 free minutes/month; Pro $16.99/month. See otter.ai/pricing for current numbers.
Links Official site · Sources and details
Score breakdown Output quality for the job 22/30
Ease for a non-developer 14/15
Value for money 11/15
Reliability and vendor stability 9/10
Privacy and data control 6/10
Integrations and ecosystem 8/10
Momentum 7/10
Runners-up
Reported as the most accurate on clean audio when self-hosted, and free. Audio stays on your machine.
Best for Privacy-sensitive audio, if you can run it
Watch out Needs technical setup and has no speaker labels.
Price (as reported) Free when self-hosted (you supply the hardware).
Links Official site · Sources and details
Needs technical setup
Score breakdown Output quality for the job 24/30
Ease for a non-developer 4/15
Value for money 15/15
Reliability and vendor stability 8/10
Privacy and data control 10/10
Integrations and ecosystem 7/10
Momentum 7/10
Transcribe, then edit the audio or video by editing the text.
Best for Podcasters and video editors
Watch out Subscription pricing.
Price (as reported) Reported: Hobbyist $16/mo billed annually ($24 monthly); a free tier exists.
Links Official site · Sources and details
Score breakdown Output quality for the job 21/30
Ease for a non-developer 13/15
Value for money 9/15
Reliability and vendor stability 8/10
Privacy and data control 6/10
Integrations and ecosystem 7/10
Momentum 8/10
Human-verified transcripts, with 99%+ accuracy claimed, for the highest-stakes work.
Best for Legal, medical or published transcripts
Watch out About $1.50 to $1.99 per minute for human service.
Price (as reported) Reported: human transcripts about $1.50 to $1.99/min (99%+ accuracy claimed); AI plans from about $25.49/mo.
Links Official site · Sources and details
Score breakdown Output quality for the job 23/30
Ease for a non-developer 12/15
Value for money 6/15
Reliability and vendor stability 9/10
Privacy and data control 7/10
Integrations and ecosystem 6/10
Momentum 6/10
Compared # Tool Score Best for Evidence 1 Otter.ai 77 Interviews and meetings Docs-only 2 OpenAI Whisper (self-hosted) 75 Privacy-sensitive audio, if you can run it Docs-only 3 Descript 72 Podcasters and video editors Docs-only 4 Rev 69 Legal, medical or published transcripts Docs-only
Editor's note: Accuracy figures come from third-party tests whose methods we have not audited.