ChatGPT and the OpenAI API alternative

ChatGPT transcription alternative: Scriptorium vs ChatGPT

People ask whether ChatGPT can transcribe an audio file. We could not read the OpenAI help pages that describe the app's audio features: they returned HTTP 403 to us on 2026-10-27, so this page states nothing about the app's limits and says "check their site" instead. What we could read is OpenAI's developer documentation for its speech-to-text API, and the comparison below uses only that.

Updated 2026-10-27

Where ChatGPT and the OpenAI API is the better choice

A pay-per-minute API: gpt-transcribe is listed at $0.0045 a minute on its model page, with a live-transcription model at $0.017 a minute.
Developers can build it into their own software; it takes mp3, mp4, mpeg, mpga, m4a, wav and webm files.
The docs describe a diarization model that accepts up to four known-speaker reference clips (it is among the models the page says shut down on 2027-02-26).

Where Scriptorium fits better

No API key, no developer account and no code: a web page that takes the file.
SRT and VTT subtitle files, with timestamps on every line; the documentation page we read states a 25 MB limit per file and timestamps on one older model only.
A first file with no account, with the limits stated (15 minutes, 25 MB).

ChatGPT and the OpenAI API and Scriptorium side by side

Topic	ChatGPT and the OpenAI API	Scriptorium
Free route	App: Check their site. API: pay per minute; no free allowance stated on the pages read	One file up to 15 minutes and 25 MB, 3 tries a day, no account
Account for the free route	API: an OpenAI account. App: Check their site	No for the first file; a free account adds a saved library
Languages	whisper-1: 98 languages; Arabic is not named on the pages read	33 plus automatic detection
Exports	Check their site	TXT, timestamped TXT, SRT, VTT, Markdown, JSON and CSV
Speaker identification	Via a diarization model the page lists as deprecated	Optional speaker labels, up to 8 speakers
Meeting bot	Check their site	No bot: you upload the recording after the call
Entry paid price	gpt-transcribe $0.0045 a minute; ChatGPT plan prices were not read	Pro $9.99 a month (600 minutes), Pro+ $19.99 a month (2500 minutes)
Max upload	25 MB per file; mp3, mp4, mpeg, mpga, m4a, wav, webm	25 MB on the preview; account limits on the pricing page
Accepts links	Check their site	No: files only

Checked on 2026-10-27 from the vendor's own pages listed below. Prices and limits change; confirm on their site before you buy. A cell that says "Check their site" means the page did not state it, was unreadable to us, or contradicted itself, and we chose not to guess.

Which should you pick?

Pick ChatGPT and the OpenAI API if You are a developer who wants an API, or you already pay for ChatGPT and have checked on OpenAI's own pages that its audio features fit your file.
Pick Scriptorium if You want to upload a file on a web page, edit the lines and download TXT, SRT or VTT, without an API key.

Scriptorium's transcripts are automatic and make mistakes; read them against the audio. The free preview is on the home page, and the pricing page lists plans.

Sources

Questions

Can ChatGPT transcribe an audio file?

We could not read OpenAI's help pages on the app's audio features (HTTP 403 on 2026-10-27), so we do not state its limits; check OpenAI's pages. OpenAI's API documentation lists transcription models, a 25 MB file limit and several audio formats.

What is OpenAI's speech-to-text file limit?

Its speech-to-text guide states 25 MB per file, in mp3, mp4, mpeg, mpga, m4a, wav or webm. Split or compress longer recordings.

Does Scriptorium use OpenAI to transcribe?

No third-party transcription API is called: it runs open Whisper models on its own server; see faster-whisper vs whisper.cpp vs OpenAI Whisper.

Is it free?

Yes — one file up to 15 minutes and 25 MB with no account, up to 3 tries a day. A free account keeps your transcripts in a library and lifts the guest limits; the current limits and paid plans are on the pricing page.

Try it with your own file

Upload a recording and read the transcript.

Transcribe free — no sign-up Create free account