10 Best AI Transcription Software of 2026

This list is for teams that transcribe interviews, meetings, podcasts or research recordings and want to know what an hour of transcription really costs. We compared documented features and published prices on each vendor's own pricing page in November 2026 and scored value at 40%, features at 35% and ease of use at 25%. Starting prices are the cheapest paid plan in USD per month, mostly on annual billing. Because plans bundle very different amounts of audio, we also work out the price per hour of included transcription where the vendor publishes a cap.

1. 01Top value

   

   TurboScribe

   8.8/10

   A web-based AI transcription service with a free daily allowance and a flat-price Unlimited plan.

   Price

   $10per month

   Free plan with 3 files a day; Unlimited from $10 per month billed yearly ($120)

   “TurboScribe Unlimited $10 / month $120 billed yearly” Quoted from the pricing page, November 12, 2026.

   Free plan

   Yes

   Value (40%)

   9.6

   Features (35%)

   7.6

   Ease of use (25%)

   9.0

   Best forIndividuals with heavy, unpredictable transcription volume

   TurboScribe takes the hourly math out of transcription. The Unlimited plan costs $10 a month on yearly billing, or $120 a year, and includes unlimited transcriptions for one person, files up to 10 hours or 5 GB each, uploads of 50 files at a time, translation to more than 134 languages, bulk exports, every transcription mode and unlimited storage. Anyone who transcribes more than a few hours a month pays less per hour here than on any capped plan in this list. The free plan is useful for testing: three files a day, each up to 30 minutes, one upload at a time, in a lower-priority queue. The trade-offs are scope and seats. The pricing page lists file transcription only, with no meeting bot or live captions, and Unlimited is licensed for one person, so a team of five pays five times. For a researcher, journalist or podcaster with a steady backlog of recordings, it is the simplest low-cost choice.

   • ✓Flat $120 a year with no hourly cap
   • ✓Free plan transcribes 3 files a day
   • ✓10-hour file limit handles long recordings

   • ✕Unlimited plan covers one person only
   • ✕Free files are capped at 30 minutes and wait in a lower-priority queue
   • ✕No meeting bot or live transcription listed on the pricing page

   Free plan:

   Yes, 3 files a day up to 30 minutes each

   Unlimited:

   $10 per month billed yearly ($120)

   Max file length:

   10 hours or 5 GB

   Translation:

   134+ languages

   Bottom line: TurboScribe is the best value for one heavy user because $120 a year buys unlimited transcription with 10-hour file uploads. Teams that need shared workspaces or meeting bots should look at Notta or Fireflies.ai.

   Visit turboscribe.ai ↗

2. 02

   

   Notta

   8.7/10

   An AI transcription and meeting notes app for web meetings, live speech and uploaded files.

   Price

   $8.17per seat per month

   Free plan with 120 minutes a month; Pro from $8.17 per month billed annually ($97.99)

   “$ 8.17 USD/month Total $97.99 · Billed annually” Quoted from the pricing page, November 12, 2026.

   Free plan

   Yes

   Free trial

   7 days

   Value (40%)

   9.2

   Features (35%)

   8.3

   Ease of use (25%)

   8.6

   Best forSmall teams that want meetings and files transcribed at a low hourly cost

   Notta has the lowest published price per included hour among the capped plans here. Pro costs $8.17 a month on annual billing, or $97.99 a year, and includes 1,800 transcription minutes a month, recordings up to 5 hours, 100 file uploads and 100 AI summaries a month, plus export, transcript translation and custom vocabulary. Thirty hours a month for under $100 a year works out to roughly 27 cents an hour if you use the allowance. Business at $16.67 a month billed annually removes the minute cap and adds web meeting video recording, usage reports, data security controls and CRM and Zapier integration. The product covers web meetings, live transcription as you speak, bilingual transcription and on-device transcription. The free plan is thin: 120 minutes a month but only 3 minutes per conversation, so it is a demo rather than a working tier. Translation add-ons are sold separately, from $6 a month on annual billing.

   • ✓About $0.27 per hour of included transcription on Pro
   • ✓Business plan removes the minute cap for $16.67 per month billed annually
   • ✓7-day Business trial

   • ✕Free plan limits each conversation to 3 minutes
   • ✕Translation add-ons cost extra, from $6 a month billed annually
   • ✕Pro allows 100 file uploads a month

   Free plan:

   Yes, 120 minutes a month, 3 minutes per conversation

   Pro:

   $8.17 per month billed annually, 1,800 minutes a month

   Business:

   $16.67 per month billed annually, unlimited transcription

   Max recording length:

   5 hours on paid plans

   Trial:

   7-day Business trial

   Bottom line: Notta is the best capped plan on price per hour because Pro includes 1,800 minutes a month for $97.99 a year. Skip the free plan for real work, since it stops each conversation at 3 minutes.

   Visit notta.ai ↗

3. 03

   

   Otter.ai

   8.7/10

   An AI meeting assistant that transcribes Zoom, Microsoft Teams and Google Meet calls live and builds searchable notes.

   Price

   $8.33per user per month

   Free plan with 300 minutes a month; Pro from $8.33 per user per month billed annually ($16.99 monthly)

   “Pro $8.33 user/month” Quoted from the pricing page, November 12, 2026.

   Free plan

   Yes

   Value (40%)

   9.0

   Features (35%)

   8.4

   Ease of use (25%)

   8.6

   Best forTeams that mainly transcribe live meetings

   Otter.ai is built around live meetings. It joins Zoom, Microsoft Teams and Google Meet, transcribes in real time with speaker identification and lets you chat with AI across meetings. The free Basic plan includes 300 transcription minutes a month but only three lifetime file imports. Pro costs $8.33 per user per month on annual billing, or $16.99 monthly, and adds 1,200 in-app recording minutes, 10 file imports a month, meetings up to 90 minutes, team vocabulary, taggable speakers, unlimited storage and Salesforce, HubSpot and Zapier integrations. Twenty hours a month for about $100 a year is around 42 cents an hour. Business at $19.99 per user billed annually removes the meeting cap, allows unlimited file imports and meetings up to four hours, and joins three meetings at once. The file import limit is the main catch: anyone who mostly transcribes recorded interviews or podcasts will run out on Pro.

   • ✓Free plan includes 300 transcription minutes a month
   • ✓Pro works out to about $0.42 per included hour
   • ✓iOS and Android apps on every plan

   • ✕Pro caps meetings at 90 minutes
   • ✕Only 10 audio or video file imports a month on Pro
   • ✕Monthly billing doubles Pro to $16.99

   Free plan:

   Yes, 300 minutes a month and 3 lifetime file imports

   Pro:

   $8.33 per user per month billed annually, $16.99 monthly

   Business:

   $19.99 per user per month billed annually

   Meeting length:

   90 minutes on Pro, 4 hours on Business

   Bottom line: Otter.ai is the best pick for live meeting transcription because Pro includes 1,200 recording minutes for $8.33 per user billed annually. Teams that upload many files should price Business or choose TurboScribe.

   Visit otter.ai ↗

4. 04

   

   Fireflies.ai

   8.6/10

   An AI notetaker that joins video calls to transcribe, summarize and search meetings in 100+ languages.

   Price

   $10per seat per month

   Free plan; Pro from $10 per seat per month billed annually ($18 monthly)

   “Pro $10 per seat / month, billed annually” Quoted from the pricing page, November 12, 2026.

   Free plan

   Yes

   Value (40%)

   8.7

   Features (35%)

   8.6

   Ease of use (25%)

   8.6

   Best forMeeting-heavy teams that want unlimited transcription per seat

   Fireflies.ai offers unlimited transcription even on its free plan, which makes it a strong fit for teams that sit in many calls. The free tier covers Zoom, Google Meet and Teams, transcription in more than 100 languages, real-time notes, meeting search, the AskFred assistant, file uploads and API access, but storage is limited to 400 minutes per team and AI summaries are limited. Pro costs $10 per seat per month on annual billing, or $18 monthly, and adds unlimited AI summaries, 8,000 minutes of storage per seat, video recording, downloads of transcripts and recordings, action items and unlimited integrations. Business at $19 per seat adds unlimited storage, multi-language mode, conversation intelligence and team analytics. Because transcription is not metered, the cost per hour falls the more you record. The catch for file-heavy work is storage on lower plans, and teams with mixed-language calls need Business for multi-language mode.

   • ✓Free plan includes unlimited transcription
   • ✓Pro adds unlimited AI summaries and video recording for $10 a seat
   • ✓API access on every plan

   • ✕Free plan stores only 400 minutes per team
   • ✕Monthly billing raises Pro to $18 a seat
   • ✕Multi-language mode requires Business at $19 a seat

   Free plan:

   Yes, unlimited transcription, 400 minutes of storage per team

   Pro:

   $10 per seat per month billed annually, $18 monthly

   Business:

   $19 per seat per month billed annually

   Languages:

   100+

   Bottom line: Fireflies.ai is the best value for teams with many meetings because transcription is unlimited on every plan and Pro costs $10 per seat billed annually. Watch the 8,000-minute storage limit per seat on Pro.

   Visit fireflies.ai ↗

5. 05

   

   AssemblyAI

   8.4/10

   A speech-to-text API for developers, billed per hour of audio with no subscription.

   Price

   $0.15per hour of audio

   Pay as you go from $0.15 per hour of audio (Universal-2); Universal-3.5 Pro at $0.21 per hour

   “Exceptional accuracy at a lower price. $0.15 /hr” Quoted from the pricing page, November 12, 2026.

   Free plan

   No

   Value (40%)

   9.8

   Features (35%)

   8.4

   Ease of use (25%)

   6.0

   Best forDevelopers and data teams transcribing at scale

   AssemblyAI is the cheapest way to transcribe in bulk, as long as someone can call an API. Its Universal-2 model costs $0.15 per hour of audio and supports 99 languages, and Universal-3.5 Pro, the company's most accurate pre-recorded model, costs $0.21 per hour and handles 18 languages with native code switching and speaker diarization. A thousand hours of audio on Universal-2 costs $150. Pay-as-you-go needs no commitment, and the FAQ says the free tier includes up to 185 hours of pre-recorded and 333 hours of streaming transcription with no credit card required. Features include language detection, formatting, filler words, keyterms prompting, custom spelling and word-level timestamps, plus realtime, sync and dictation APIs. The trade-off is usability. There is a no-code playground for testing, but no transcript editor or shared workspace, so non-technical teams need another tool on top. That is why it scores low on ease of use despite the top value score.

   • ✓Lowest price per hour in this list at $0.15
   • ✓Free tier includes up to 185 hours of pre-recorded transcription
   • ✓No commitment on pay-as-you-go

   • ✕Needs code or an integration; there is no end-user editor
   • ✕The most accurate model costs 40% more at $0.21 per hour
   • ✕Volume discounts require talking to sales

   Universal-2:

   $0.15 per hour, 99 languages

   Universal-3.5 Pro:

   $0.21 per hour, 18 languages

   Free tier:

   Up to 185 hours pre-recorded, 333 hours streaming

   Credit card for signup:

   Not required

   Bottom line: AssemblyAI is the best choice for developers because transcription costs $0.15 per hour of audio on Universal-2. Teams without engineering help should pick TurboScribe or Notta instead.

   Visit assemblyai.com ↗

6. 06

   

   Happy Scribe

   8.2/10

   AI transcription, subtitles and translation in 150+ languages, with an AI notetaker and optional human proofreading.

   Price

   $8.50per month

   Free plan; Basic from $8.50 per month billed annually with 1,440 upload minutes a year

   “Basic For individuals with small production needs $8.50 / month Billed annually” Quoted from the pricing page, November 12, 2026.

   Free plan

   Yes

   Value (40%)

   7.8

   Features (35%)

   8.5

   Ease of use (25%)

   8.6

   Best forMultilingual teams producing transcripts and subtitles

   Happy Scribe stands out on language coverage, with AI transcription, subtitles and translation in more than 150 languages and dialects. Every plan, including Free, records meetings, phone conversations and browser audio without a cap through its AI Notetaker, mobile app and web recorder. Uploaded files are metered. Basic at $8.50 a month on annual billing includes 1,440 minutes a year, about $4.25 per hour, recordings up to 90 minutes and watermark-free video exports. Pro at $19 a month billed annually includes 7,200 minutes a year, three seats, unlimited AI Chat, all 15+ export formats and a choice of AI models, which lowers the cost to about $3.17 per hour. Business at $59 adds 72,000 minutes and five seats. Extra minutes cost $0.20 each on every plan, and human proofreading starts at $2.00 per minute. The metering makes it expensive for long file backlogs, but it is a good fit for subtitle work in many languages.

   • ✓150+ languages for transcription and translation
   • ✓Meeting recordings are unlimited even on Free
   • ✓Pro includes 3 user seats for $19 a month billed annually

   • ✕Basic works out to about $4.25 per hour of uploaded audio
   • ✕Top-ups cost $0.20 per minute, or $12 per hour
   • ✕Free plan includes only 10 one-time upload minutes

   Free plan:

   Yes, unlimited recordings up to 45 minutes, 10 upload minutes once

   Basic:

   $8.50 per month billed annually, 1,440 minutes a year

   Pro:

   $19 per month billed annually, 7,200 minutes a year, 3 seats

   Top-up:

   $0.20 per minute

   Bottom line: Happy Scribe is the best choice for multilingual subtitle work because it transcribes and translates in 150+ languages. Heavy file users will pay less per hour on TurboScribe or Notta.

   Visit happyscribe.com ↗

7. 07

   

   Sonix

   8.1/10

   An AI transcription and translation service with pay-as-you-go hourly pricing and hour-based subscriptions.

   Price

   $25per month (5 hours included)

   Pay as you go at $10 per hour; Core subscription from $25 per month with 5 hours ($275 a year)

   “Core For individuals with steady needs $25/mo $275/yr” Quoted from the pricing page, November 12, 2026.

   Free plan

   No

   Value (40%)

   7.6

   Features (35%)

   8.4

   Ease of use (25%)

   8.4

   Best forOccasional users who prefer paying by the hour

   Sonix is the clearest choice for people who want to pay by the hour. Pay as you go costs $10 per hour of audio with no subscription, and every new account gets 30 free minutes without a credit card. Subscriptions bundle hours: Core is $25 a month or $275 a year for 5 hours a month, Advanced $50 for 20 hours, and Pro $80 for 40 hours, which brings the yearly cost down to about $1.83 per hour. Extra hours cost $10 each on any plan and extra seats $25 a month. Features are broad for a file-based tool: 54+ languages for transcription and translation, speaker labels, timestamps, a custom dictionary, speaker voiceprint, version history, search across transcripts, automated subtitles with SRT and VTT export, a medical transcription model and an AI meeting recorder. For steady volume it costs more per hour than Notta or TurboScribe, but it never charges for unused months on pay as you go.

   • ✓Pay as you go at $10 per hour with no subscription
   • ✓30 free trial minutes with no credit card
   • ✓Pro plan lowers the cost to about $1.83 per hour

   • ✕Core works out to about $4.58 per hour
   • ✕Extra seats cost $25 a month each
   • ✕Overage on any plan is billed at $10 per hour

   Pay as you go:

   $10 per hour

   Core:

   $25 per month or $275 a year, 5 hours a month

   Advanced:

   $50 per month or $550 a year, 20 hours a month

   Pro:

   $80 per month or $880 a year, 40 hours a month

   Free trial:

   30 minutes

   Bottom line: Sonix is the best choice for occasional transcription because pay as you go costs $10 per hour with no subscription. Regular users get far more hours per dollar from Notta or TurboScribe.

   Visit sonix.ai ↗

8. 08

   

   Descript

   8.0/10

   An audio and video editor that turns recordings into an editable transcript.

   Price

   $16per person per month

   Free plan with 1 media hour a month; Hobbyist from $16 per person per month billed annually ($24 monthly)

   “Hobbyist $ 16 $ 24 per person / month” Quoted from the pricing page, November 12, 2026.

   Free plan

   Yes

   Value (40%)

   7.2

   Features (35%)

   8.8

   Ease of use (25%)

   8.0

   Best forPodcasters and video creators who edit from the transcript

   Descript is an editor first and a transcription tool second. It transcribes imported or recorded audio and video, then lets you cut the media by editing the text, with AI tools such as Studio Sound, Remove Filler Words, Create Clips and the Underlord co-editor. The free plan includes 60 media minutes a month. Hobbyist costs $16 per person per month on annual billing, or $24 monthly, and includes 10 media hours, 400 AI credits and watermark-free 1080p export, which is about $1.60 per media hour. Creator at $24 billed annually gives 30 media hours and 4K export, and Business at $50 gives 40 hours. Media hours count everything you import or record, so a raw two-hour interview uses two hours even if you only need the text. That makes Descript poor value for transcripts alone. For podcasters and video teams who would pay for an editor anyway, the transcript comes bundled.

   • ✓Transcription and editing in one app
   • ✓Free plan includes 60 media minutes a month
   • ✓Hobbyist exports 1080p without a watermark

   • ✕About $1.60 per media hour on Hobbyist, more than transcription-only tools
   • ✕Media hours count all imported or recorded media, not just transcription
   • ✕Monthly billing raises Hobbyist to $24

   Free plan:

   Yes, 60 media minutes a month

   Hobbyist:

   $16 per person per month billed annually, 10 media hours

   Creator:

   $24 per person per month billed annually, 30 media hours

   Business:

   $50 per person per month billed annually, 40 media hours

   Bottom line: Descript is the best choice for creators who edit from the transcript because Hobbyist bundles 10 media hours with a text-based editor for $16 billed annually. Teams that only need text pay less per hour elsewhere.

   Visit descript.com ↗

9. 09

   

   Rev

   7.6/10

   An AI and human transcription platform now aimed at legal and investigative teams.

   Price

   $25.49per seat per month

   Free plan with 45 AI minutes a month; Essentials from $25.49 per seat per month billed annually ($29.99 monthly)

   “$25.49 per seat/month $29.99 per seat/month” Quoted from the pricing page, November 12, 2026.

   Free plan

   Yes

   Value (40%)

   6.4

   Features (35%)

   8.6

   Ease of use (25%)

   8.0

   Best forLegal and investigative teams that need human-verified transcripts

   Rev has repositioned its subscriptions around legal and investigative work, and its pricing page now leads with an investigative intelligence platform. The free plan includes 45 AI transcription and caption minutes a month, English only, plus the document editor and page:line citations for depositions. Essentials costs $25.49 per seat per month on annual billing, or $305.90 a year, and includes 5,000 AI minutes per user a month, English and Spanish transcription, analysis of up to 10 files at once, workflow templates and 10% off human-verified services. Pro at $47.99 per seat adds 10,000 minutes per user and more seats. The allowance is large, but the seat price is the highest here, and most of what you pay for is case analysis rather than transcription. Rev's real advantage is human-verified transcription from $1.99 per minute in the same account, which matters when a transcript goes to court.

   • ✓Large AI minute allowance on paid plans
   • ✓Human transcription available in the same account
   • ✓10% off human-verified services on Essentials

   • ✕Highest entry price in this list at $25.49 per seat
   • ✕Free plan is English only with 45 minutes a month
   • ✕Plans and features are built around legal casework

   Free plan:

   Yes, 45 AI minutes a month, English only

   Essentials:

   $25.49 per seat per month billed annually ($305.90 a year)

   Pro:

   $47.99 per seat per month billed annually

   Human transcription:

   From $1.99 per minute

   Bottom line: Rev is the best choice for legal teams because human-verified transcripts from $1.99 per minute sit beside AI transcription in one account. General teams pay far less per hour with TurboScribe or Notta.

   Visit rev.com ↗

10. 10

    

    Trint

    7.2/10

    An AI transcription and collaboration platform built for newsrooms and media teams.

    Price

    Check price

    See vendor pricing (USD check pending)

    US price check pending. Vendor pricing page

    Free plan

    No

    Value (40%)

    5.6

    Features (35%)

    8.4

    Ease of use (25%)

    8.2

    Best forNewsrooms and broadcast teams that collaborate on transcripts

    Trint is built for newsrooms. Every plan includes unlimited fair-use transcription of audio and video in more than 50 languages, unlimited translation into 70+ languages, AI summaries and a caption editor, and Pro and Team include one hour of live transcription a month per seat from the mobile and desktop apps. Team, for two to five members, adds shared drives and real-time collaborative editing. Business, priced on request, adds advanced live transcription from broadcast streams, automatic language recognition, ISO 27001 security, an EU-based server, SSO and SCIM, APIs and integrations with ENPS, Mimir, LiveU and Octopus. Its plans page showed prices in euros from our location, so we could not verify a USD price, but the per-seat cost is clearly several times higher than the other tools here. That is why it ranks last on a price-per-hour list. Media organizations that need live broadcast capture and shared editing get features the cheaper tools lack.

    • ✓Unlimited fair-use transcription on every plan
    • ✓Live transcription from mobile and desktop apps
    • ✓Business plan integrates with ENPS, Mimir, LiveU and Octopus

    • ✕Seat prices are far above the rest of this list
    • ✕Live transcription is limited to one hour a month on Pro and Team
    • ✕Team plan is limited to 2 to 5 members

    Free plan:

    No, free trial available

    Plans:

    Pro (individuals), Team (2 to 5 members), Business (custom)

    Languages:

    Transcription in 50+, translation in 70+

    USD price:

    Check pending

    Bottom line: Trint is the best choice for newsrooms because Business adds live transcription from broadcast streams and integrations with ENPS and Mimir. Price-sensitive teams should start with TurboScribe or Notta.

    Visit trint.com ↗

Questions or corrections: editorial@rankozo.comSee our disclosure. Prices change; confirm on the vendor page before buying.