Best Free Transcription Software (2026)
Free transcription software for 2026 by use: desktop Whisper apps, built-in phone and Word features, browser tools and meeting recorders, with limits checked.
The Scriptorium team ·
There is no single best free transcription software; there is the best one for what you are transcribing. A private interview on a Mac wants a local app. A voice note on a recent iPhone may need nothing but the built-in Voice Memos app. A live meeting wants a recorder that captures the call. A one-off file with no sign-up wants a browser tool. Below, each group has the options we could verify on 2026-10-24, what they actually limit, and where Scriptorium, which we make, is the weaker pick.
Everything about another product here was read on its own page on the date above. Where a page could not be read we say "check their site" rather than guess. We give no accuracy scores, because we have none we could stand behind; our accuracy guide explains why and how to test on your own audio.
Desktop Whisper apps: private, offline, free to start
Whisper is OpenAI's open speech-recognition model, released under the MIT licence per its GitHub README. Several desktop apps wrap it so that your audio stays on your computer.
- Buzz describes itself as transcribing and translating audio offline on your personal computer, powered by Whisper. It is MIT-licensed and runs on Windows, Linux and macOS; its page says macOS now requires Apple silicon. The page states no price. Its Windows installer is unsigned, so expect a warning on install.
- MacWhisper is Mac-only. Its page lists a free tier ("Free forever") and a Pro licence at a one-time €64 with lifetime updates, local processing ("without data ever leaving your Mac"), 100 languages, automatic speaker recognition and exports including SRT, VTT, TXT, Markdown, PDF, HTML and DOCX. Check the page for which features are Pro-only; it did not say.
Choose these when privacy matters or the file is long. The costs are setup, your computer's speed, and no sharing link to send a colleague. Our private transcription tools and local Whisper guides go deeper.
Built into your devices and office suite
- Voice Memos on iPhone. Apple's guide View a Voice Memos transcription says transcription is available on iPhone 12 or later in English, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, French, German, Japanese, Korean and both Chinese variants, and is not available in all countries or regions. You can copy the whole transcript from the recording's menu. It covers only recordings made in Voice Memos, and Arabic is not on that list.
- Word's Transcribe. Microsoft's Transcribe your recordings page says upload works in Word for Microsoft 365 on Windows in commercial tenants, accepts .wav, .mp4, .m4a and .mp3, and caps a Microsoft 365 subscription at 300 minutes of uploaded audio a month. It lists more than 80 locales, Arabic variants among them. It is free only if you already pay for Microsoft 365.
These cost nothing extra, but they work only on the right device or licence. The pages we read did not mention subtitle-file export for either, so check before relying on SRT or VTT.
Browser tools: nothing to install
- Riverside's free transcription tool says "Unlimited transcriptions for free. No sign up required", in 100+ languages. It accepts MP3, WAV, MP4 and MOV, downloads as TXT or SRT, and puts all text on one speaker; speaker detection is paid. The page states no length cap.
- Scriptorium's no-account preview. The no-account preview takes one file at a time, up to 15 minutes and 25 MB, with 3 tries a day, and deletes the file after 24 hours. Exports are TXT, timestamped TXT, SRT, VTT, Markdown, JSON and CSV, in 33 languages plus automatic detection. A free account has no monthly minute limit.
On pure volume, Riverside's stated terms are looser than ours: no length cap is stated, while we cap the preview at 15 minutes. We are the better fit when you want more export formats, or an Arabic-first interface. We are not the right tool if you want to paste a link: Scriptorium does not take links: you cannot paste a URL, only upload a file. It also has no API and does not burn captions into video.
Meeting recorders
Otter's pricing page lists a free Basic plan with 300 transcription minutes a month, 30 minutes per conversation, and 3 pre-recorded file imports for the lifetime of the account, with AI transcription in English, Spanish, French, German, Japanese and Chinese. That is a good fit for live meetings it joins; it is a poor fit for transcribing recordings you already have. For a bot-free approach, see our Otter alternatives comparison.
Comparison at a glance
| Runs where | Free limit (from its page) | Subtitle files | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Buzz | Your computer | No price stated | Check their site |
| MacWhisper | Your Mac | Free tier; Pro is one-time €64 | SRT, VTT |
| Voice Memos | iPhone 12 or later | Included; regions and languages limited | Not stated |
| Word Transcribe | Word for Microsoft 365, Windows | 300 min a month of uploads | Not stated |
| Riverside free tool | Browser | No length cap stated | SRT |
| Otter Basic | Browser and apps | 300 min a month, 30 per conversation, 3 lifetime imports | Check their site |
| Scriptorium preview | Browser | 15 min, 25 MB, 3 tries a day | SRT, VTT |
What none of these will do for you
Free tools shift the work to you. They will not label every speaker correctly, spell every name, or promise a number for accuracy. Check the first minute against the audio before you trust the rest. And if you only need to know which of the many online options are free to try, see our wider free transcription tools roundup and free transcription without sign-up.
A two-minute way to choose
- Is the audio sensitive? Use a local app (Buzz, MacWhisper) so the file stays on your computer.
- Is it a short note on a supported iPhone? Try Voice Memos before anything else.
- Is it a meeting you are in right now? A meeting recorder fits; an upload tool does not.
- Do you need subtitle files? Check the tool's export list first; do not assume.
- Is it a one-off file and you do not want an account? A browser tool with no sign-up.
Then run a one-minute test: take a minute of your own audio with a name, a number and a quick sentence in it, put it through your shortlist, and compare each result against what you hear. That tells you more than any feature table, including ours, and it costs nothing.
Our own limits, in one place
Scriptorium takes uploaded files only: no links, no API, no burned-in captions and no DOCX or PDF export. The preview is capped at 15 minutes and 25 MB. If any of those rule us out, one of the tools above is the better choice, and we would rather you used it.
Checked on 2026-10-24. Buzz and OpenAI Whisper (GitHub README), MacWhisper, Riverside, Otter, Apple's Voice Memos guide and Microsoft's Transcribe page, each read on its own site. Left as "check their site": Buzz's price and subtitle formats, Voice Memos and Word subtitle exports, MacWhisper's free-versus-Pro feature split. Menus, prices and limits change; confirm on the vendor's page before you rely on them.