Happy Scribe alternative
Happy Scribe alternative: Scriptorium vs Happy Scribe
Happy Scribe offers AI transcription in a lot of languages and a human-made option. Scriptorium offers neither the human option nor that many languages, but it lets you try a file without signing up. Choose by the job: a transcript you must be able to rely on, or a quick draft.
Updated
Where Happy Scribe is the better choice
- 150+ AI transcription languages and 80+ translation languages stated on its pricing page.
- Human-made transcription from EUR 1.75 a minute, with a 99% accuracy claim.
- Pay-as-you-go top-ups at EUR 0.20 a minute that do not expire, and 15+ export formats on higher plans.
- SOC 2 Type II, GDPR and EU data residency are listed on its page.
Where Scriptorium fits better
- A free first file with no sign-up; Happy Scribe's free plan needs an account (no card) and lists a 10-minute AI trial.
- All of TXT, timestamped TXT, SRT, VTT, Markdown, JSON and CSV from one transcript.
- A self-hosting option.
Happy Scribe and Scriptorium side by side
| Happy Scribe | Scriptorium | |
|---|---|---|
| Free route | EUR 0 plan: sign-up required, no card; 10-minute free AI trial; exports TXT and SRT only | One file up to 15 minutes and 25 MB, 3 tries a day, no account |
| Account for the free route | Yes | No for the first file; a free account adds a saved library |
| Languages | 150+ for AI transcription | 33 plus automatic detection |
| Exports | Free: TXT, SRT. Basic: adds PDF, DOCX. Pro and Business: 15+ formats incl. VTT | TXT, timestamped TXT, SRT, VTT, Markdown, JSON and CSV |
| Speaker identification | Automatic speaker detection listed on every tier | Optional speaker labels, up to 8 speakers |
| Meeting bot | Calendar notetaker for Meet, Teams and Zoom; its bot-free desktop recording was labelled 'available soon' | No bot: you upload the recording after the call |
| Entry paid price | Basic: EUR 17 a month on monthly billing (EUR 8.50 on annual); 120 AI minutes a month | Pro $9.99 a month (600 minutes), Pro+ $19.99 a month (2500 minutes) |
| Human transcription | From EUR 1.75 a minute; Scriptorium does not offer this | None |
Checked on 2026-10-24 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 Happy Scribe if You need many languages, human-checked transcripts, or EU data residency on paper.
- Pick Scriptorium if You want to try without an account and export SRT and VTT from the start.
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
Does Happy Scribe have a free plan?
Can Scriptorium do human transcription?
Is it free?
Try it with your own file
Upload a recording and read the transcript.