Manual transcription is time-consuming and requires intense focus. Thankfully, artificial intelligence (AI) technology has gotten to the point where you can now transcribe audio to text automatically in a fraction of the time, with impressive accuracy. 

Even better, many of the best AI audio-to-text converters out there are completely free. The only problem left is figuring out which software is best for you.

To help, we compiled a list of the best free audio-to-text software. We thoroughly tested many audio-to-text software options, considered online reviews, and reviewed discussions in niche forums where people regularly need online transcription apps. We excluded paid tools with only a free trial and transcription-level restrictions to find the best free converters.

TL;DR: Best audio-to-text converters in 2024

What is an audio-to-text converter?

Audio-to-text converters use AI and speech recognition technology to transcribe recordings or voice into text, even with nuances like accents and tone variations. They save time on manual transcription and streamline the process of transforming spoken content into written form, which helps with accessibility, boosts SEO, and makes it easy to repurpose audio and video as blog posts and other written content.

Free audio-to-text software can help with:

• Transcribing meetings, voice memos, interviews, conferences, podcasts, lectures, and customer service calls for documentation, reference, analysis, and training purposes
• Creating subtitles or captions for social media and YouTube videos to enhance accessibility, engagement, and SEO
• Converting voicemails, voice notes, and interviews into text for better organization
• Creation of searchable archives for audio content, such as speeches or presentations
• Supporting individuals with hearing impairments by providing written transcripts of spoken content

⚡️ Speed up your workflow with AI: 100+ ChatGPT prompts for creators

What is the best tool to convert audio to text?

Short answer: Descript. Sure, you'd expect us to say that. But we really do believe Descript’s free audio-to-text converter is overall the best solution for quickly and accurately transcribing audio files.

Long answer: Choosing the best method for converting audio to text depends on the following:

• Needs and goals
• Budget and software pricing
• Ease of use
• Expected accuracy of the transcript
• Availability of additional features (e.g., editing tools, speaker identification)
• Integration with other software or platforms
• Supported file formats and languages
• Security and privacy of your audio content

Narrowing down the options based on the above factors will help you choose the best free audio-to-text software. But for this article, we'll focus on the tools that are best for someone looking for free options—and maybe willing to pay more for additional features.

Top 6 free audio-to-text converters

1. Descript

Best for: Transcribing any video or audio file accurately on a computer.

Descript offers automated transcription for both audio and video files, accessible through its desktop app for Mac and Windows or its browser-based editor. Drag and drop your audio files to convert to text in seconds. Descript supports 23 languages and boasts up to 95% accuracy. The tool transcribes audio verbatim, including pauses and filler words, but makes it easy to remove either with a click.

But Descript goes beyond mere transcription. It's a robust audio and video editor equipped with AI-powered features. Use its voice cloning or text-to-audio feature, Overdub, to refine recorded speech—perfect for correcting mispronunciations or adjusting pacing. Plus, you can effortlessly remove background noise and improve audio quality with just a click thanks to Studio Sound.

Unique features:

• Very user-friendly and great for beginners
• Detects 8+ speakers and labels them automatically
• Transcription glossary for custom dictionaries
• Multitrack transcription for synchronized recordings
• Automatic sync of the transcript to audio, including dialogue and sounds
• Cloud sync and storage up to 5 GB in the free plan
• Data security and privacy
• AI Actions for writing summaries, blogs, and much more
• Supports various audio file formats including WAV, MP3, AAC, AIFF, M4A, and FLAC
• Text-to-speech functionality to convert text files in reverse

"Saved me so much time in transcribing: I use Descript for quickly and efficiently transcribing videos I've recorded,” says Shuna M on G2. 

“If I'd recorded an interview or off-the-cuff teaching, it used to take me hours to transcribe it, or I had to put it out without the accessibility features. Now, it does in seconds what it used to take me hours to do. I can include closed captions, transcripts, and audio-only files, which make my courses so much more accessible.” 

Cons of Descript’s free audio to text converter:

• No mobile app
• Not suitable for live transcription of online meetings
• Limited to 60 minutes of transcription per month in the free plan

Pricing: Free for up to 60 minutes of transcription per month. Annual paid plans start at $12 per month.

2. Otter.ai

Best for: Automatically transcribing meetings on platforms such as Zoom, Google Meet, and Microsoft Teams.

Otter is an audio-to-text tool that offers live and automatic transcription within seconds. Out of all the transcription tools we have listed here, it's the only one with a Chrome extension, an iOS app, and an Android app. It integrates seamlessly with platforms such as Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and Google Meet. 

We found its transcription capabilities to be pretty accurate and it used proper punctuation as per the context of the message. However, it tends to exclude filler words from the transcript, making it challenging to discern the speaker's emotions during recorded calls.

Unique features:

• AI features for meeting notes, summaries, questions, and action items
• Speaker identification by name
• Real-time transcription and notes via the Otter app
• Real-time annotation (highlights, text notes, comments, and images)
• Exportable audio, text, and captions in the free plan
• Editable text and speaker tags
• Takeaways panel for annotations and action items.
• OtterPilot automatically takes and shares notes even if you can’t join a Zoom, Teams, or Google Meet meeting.

Cons of Otter.ai’s free audio to text converter:

• Very limited free plan for transcribing audio files to text
• Supports only the English language

Pricing: Free plan offers 300 monthly transcription minutes; 30 minutes per conversation; allows importing and transcribing of three audio or video files in a lifetime. Annual paid plans start at $10 per month.

3. Fathom

Best for: Sales teams and customer service representatives.

Fathom is one of G2's highest-rated conversation intelligence solutions—that's a tool that helps businesses record, transcribe, and analyze conversations between their employees and customers. It’s not a traditional audio-to-text converter per se. But it instantly records, transcribes, and summarizes your Zoom, Google Meet, or Microsoft Teams meetings, allowing you to concentrate on the conversation without worrying about taking notes. 

It’s best suited to sales reps who are looking to simplify meeting documentation and extract actionable insights. You can use it as a free Otter alternative for automatically transcribing your meetings, as there are no usage limitations on Fathom's free version.

Unique features: 

• Supports seven languages: English, French, Spanish, Italian, German, and Portuguese.
• Instant access to fully transcribed call recordings and highlighted moments.
• Automatic generation and synchronization of call notes to Salesforce, HubSpot, or Close CRM.
• Seamless integration with Slack for real-time sharing of specific highlights.
• Integration with various productivity tools like Google Docs, Gmail, Notion, Asana, and Todoist for easy sharing of summaries and action items.
• Auto-generates and syncs call notes
• Hosted and developed following security best practices, including end-to-end encryption and regular security audits.

Cons of Fathom’s free audio to text converter:

• While the free version has no usage limitations, some advanced features are only available in the paid Team Edition.
• Limited to integration with specific CRM platforms and productivity tools.
• Transcribing is limited to seven languages. 

Pricing: Free with no usage limitations. The Team Edition, Fathom’s paid tier, starts at $24 per user, per month when billed annually and provides additional features for organizational deployment and insights into customer calls.

4. MacWhisper

Best for: People seeking fast and accurate transcription directly on their Mac, catering to diverse needs such as meetings, interviews, or educational purposes.

MacWhisper is a free audio-to-text transcription tool for Mac devices running on Ventura (13.0 and higher). It uses OpenAI's Whisper technology and offers high-quality transcription. The app ensures privacy by performing the transcription on-device, making it ideal for audio-to-text conversion of sensitive information. It's free on the developer's Gumroad page and is also available in the Mac App Store as Whisper Transcription.

Unique features:

• Record and transcribe audio files seamlessly on your Mac
• Export transcripts in various formats: .whisper, .srt, .vtt, csv, dot, docx, pdf, and HTML
• Metal and GPU support for rapid transcription
• Supports 100 languages with accurate text transcriptions
• Automatic filler word removal

Cons of MacWhisper’s audio to text converter:

• Requires significant computer memory, which may cause lags on your computer
• Performance may vary on older Intel-based Macs due to limited testing
• Only available for Mac users
• Unavailability of automatic speaker identification

Pricing: Free audio to text converter has no usage limits. MacWhisper Pro starts at around $31 per license for additional features including batch transcription, system audio recording, ChatGPT integration, and translation capabilities.

5. Google Docs Voice Typing

Best for: Individuals and professionals who need a simple, free, and efficient tool.

Google Docs Voice Typing is a built-in feature of Google Docs that allows users to transcribe audio input to text directly within the document. It offers a convenient and straightforward way to convert spoken words into written text.

This free audio to text converter is great for transcribing interviews, meetings, or dictation directly into text within the Google Docs environment.

Unique features:

• Seamless integration with Google Docs: directly accessible within the document—no extra software needed
• Transcribes audio input into text instantly, enabling immediate feedback and editing
• Multilingual support for global accessibility
• Edit and format text within Google Docs, including punctuation and styling
• Control formatting and editing with voice commands

Cons of Google Docs’ free audio to text converter:

• Requires internet for operation, limiting offline use.
• Transcription accuracy may vary due to factors like background noise and accent
• No automatic speaker identification

Pricing: Google Docs Voice Typing, which is part of Google's suite of productivity tools, is available for free to all users of Google Docs.

6. Windows Voice Typing

Best for: Windows users seeking a cost-effective solution to transcribe audio files like lectures, meetings, or video recordings into text.

Windows Voice Typing is Microsoft Windows’ built-in speech-to-text software. It provides a highly accurate transcript of your dictation and can be used without an internet connection—unlike Google Docs. 

You can use a combination of Windows’ dictation tool with a virtual audio cable to transcribe audio into text for completely free. This YouTube tutorial demonstrates how to use the Windows Dictation tool along with a virtual audio cable to achieve this without any cost or time limits.

Unique features and advantages:

• Windows voice typing has a simple interface for easy usage with live audio input.
• Offers real-time free transcription of spoken words into text
• Virtual Audio Cable facilitates the routing of audio output from any application to the Dictation tool.
• The combination enables flexibility in capturing audio from diverse sources for transcription.

Cons of Windows’ free audio to text converter:

• While generally reliable, transcription accuracy may vary, and punctuation might be missed occasionally.
• Users may find configuring the virtual audio cable and sound settings slightly challenging.

Pricing: Both Windows Voice Typing and virtual audio cables are freely available tools.

Choosing the best audio-to-text converter for you

After you've weighed the pros and cons, test your favorite audio-to-text converters using a short audio clip to find the perfect fit for your specific needs and preferences. There are some other audio transcription services on the market too, but they’re not free to use—like Rev, Sonix, and Scribie. 

Descript is not only useful for transcribing recordings, but it can also be a valuable tool for content creators, as it allows you to easily convert their audio and video content into written form for blog posts, YouTube descriptions, and social media captions. 

The all-in-one video editing software also includes a bunch of professional AI tools like:

• Automated transcripts with up to 95% accuracy
• Filler Word Removal in a single click 
• Remove Retakes to banish false starts
• AI Edit for Clarity, which removes fluff from your transcription
• Find Good Clips to repurpose clip-worthy moments into short-form videos

Want to give it a try? Join thousands of other creators by signing up for a free Descript account today.

‎Best audio-to-text converters FAQs

Which AI can transcribe audio to text for free?

Many AI-powered tools can transcribe audio to text for free, including Descript, Otter.ai, MacWhisper, and Google Docs Voice Typing.  

What is the easiest way to transcribe audio to text?

The easiest way to convert audio to text depends on your goals, what you need it for, and your budget. Use AI-powered audio-to-text converters like Descript to transcribe audio and tools like Otter or Fathom if you need transcription software that’s integrated with meeting apps like Google Meet or Zoom. 

What is the most accurate audio-to-text converter?

• Descript: up to 95% accuracy
• Otter.ai: up to 90% accuracy
• Rev: up to 90% accuracy

How do I make my voice-to-text more accurate?

To make your voice-to-text more accurate, speak loudly and clearly. Minimize background noise as much as possible to ensure the voice recognition software can focus on your voice. If you're using an external microphone, ensure it's good quality and positioned correctly for optimal voice capture.

Is there a free program that converts audio to text?

You can use the combination of Windows Voice Typing or Google Voice Typing with a virtual audio cable to convert audio to text for free with no limit, though it's a bit complex to set up. Descript is the best option for Mac and Windows users who need simple audio-to-text software.

Is there a free AI that converts audio to text?

Descript’s free software converts audio into text, and it’s completely free to use. The converter has a high accuracy rate of up to 95% and comes complete with AI tools to remove retakes and filler words.