Best transcription tools to convert audio to text

Many journalists, podcasters, filmmakers, video producers are looking at automated transcription as a quick and inexpensive way to turn their audio into text. There are a number of services that are providing this service so how do you choose? Below is a summary of an independent review¹ of automated transcription services that was done recently.

Sonix was ranked highest overall and in terms of accuracy.

Sonix (B)
Trint (C+)
Happy Scribe (C+)
Go Transcribe (C)
Simon Says (C-)
VoiceBase (D-)
SpokenData (F)

 

Detailed reviews:

 

Sonix
OVERALL GRADE: B
FREE TRIAL
$5 PER HOUR AFTER THE TRIAL WITH SUBSCRIPTION

ACCURACY:
Sonix’ accuracy is among the best reviewed, if not the best.

POSITIVES:
Great Interface
Great Editor
Good (but not great) Speaker Naming
Time Stamps

NEGATIVES:
Speaker Identification isn’t perfect

 

Trint
OVERALL GRADE: C+
FREE TRIAL: 30 MINUTES FREE
PRICE PER HOUR AFTER THE TRIAL: US$15

ACCURACY:
Good

POSITIVES:
Easy to Use
REALLY Fast
Caption Formats
Decent Time Stamp Support

NEGATIVES:
Speaker Names Must Be Entered Manually

 

The Student Project: Happy Scribe
OVERALL GRADE:C+
FREE TRIAL: NOTHING, PAY AS YOU GO FROM THE START
PRICE PER HOUR AFTER THE TRIAL: ~$6USD (0.09 EUROS/MIN)

ACCURACY:
Pretty much on par with others in this class

POSITIVES:
Follows Along
Intro Music ignored
Super Simple Interface
Price: Inexpensive

NEGATIVES:
No Speaker Names
No Bulk Uploads
Transcript Downloads

 

Go Transcribe
OVERALL GRADE: C
FREE TRIAL: 1 FILE, UNDER 10 MINUTES
PRICE PER HOUR AFTER THE TRIAL: US$13.20 (AND MONTHLY PLANS REDUCE THIS FURTHER)

ACCURACY:
Actually pretty good

POSITIVES:
Easy to Use
REALLY Fast
Nice Online Editor
Time Stamps

NEGATIVES:
No Speaker Names

 

Simon Says
OVERALL GRADE: C-
FREE TRIAL: 30 MINUTES FREE
PRICE PER HOUR AFTER THE TRIAL: US $10 (AND MONTHLY PLANS REDUCE THIS FURTHER)

ACCURACY:
Just Alright

POSITIVES:
Editing
Price
Time Stamps

NEGATIVES:
No Automated Speaker Names

 

VoiceBase
OVERALL GRADE: D-
FREE TRIAL: 50 HOURS!
PRICE PER HOUR AFTER THE TRIAL: US$1.20

ACCURACY:
Not great

POSITIVES:
Amazing Free Account: 50 Hours Free!
Easy Signup and Upload Process

NEGATIVES:
No Time Stamps
Speaker Names

 

SpokenData
OVERALL GRADE: F
FREE TRIAL: 1 HOUR
PRICE PER HOUR AFTER THE TRIAL: 6 EUROS

ACCURACY:
Pretty bad

POSITIVES:
Speed
Serviceable Editor

NEGATIVES:
No Bulk Uploading
Strangely, Too Many Time Stamps
No Speaker Names
Confusing Interface

 

Interested in automated transcription? Get your free trial here.

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¹  https://popuppodcasting.ca/blog/automatic-transcription-services-compared