Audio to Text Converter — Free Online Transcription
Drag any audio file — MP3, WAV, M4A, FLAC, OGG — and get back searchable text with timestamps. 99% AI accuracy on sermons, interviews, podcasts, lectures, and meetings. Your first full file is free; after that it's $19/month unlimited.
Processing
5 min / 45-min file
Accuracy
99%
Formats
MP3 · WAV · M4A · FLAC · OGG
What this is
Audio-to-text conversion (also called speech-to-text or transcription) uses a neural network to turn recorded speech into written words. Modern AI models like OpenAI Whisper achieve near-human accuracy on clear voice recordings at a tiny fraction of the cost of professional human transcription.
This page is the universal entry point — upload anything from a podcast MP3 to a lecture WAV to an iPhone Voice Memo M4A, and the same backend handles it. If you have a specific format in mind we have dedicated guides for MP3, WAV, M4A, MP4 video, and YouTube links.
Step-by-step: audio file to text
- 1
Open the upload tool
Go to /transcribe in the nav. No signup needed for your first full transcription.
- 2
Drop the audio file in
Drag-drop from Finder, Explorer, Dropbox, or Google Drive. Up to 150MB per file — same limit for free and paid. Accepted: MP3, WAV, M4A, AAC, FLAC, OGG, OPUS, AIFF.
- 3
Enter your email
One field, no password to create. Your transcript is delivered on the page and emailed to you so you have a copy. We only use it to send your transcript.
- 4
Let the engine run
Processing takes ~10% of audio length. A 45-minute file transcribes in about 5 minutes. You can close the tab; results land in your dashboard and an email goes out when done.
- 5
Review the transcript in the browser
Hit play in the inline player — each word is clickable and seeks the audio to that timestamp. Edit typos directly. Search-find works for jumping to specific phrases.
- 6
Download the output
Choose .txt (plain text), .srt (subtitle format), .vtt (HTML5 captions), or .docx (Word document with formatted timestamps).
Supported audio formats
| Format | Max size (all plans) | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| MP3 | 150 MB ≈ 2.5 hrs at 128 kbps | Podcasts, sermons, lectures (most common) |
| WAV | 150 MB ≈ 28 min mono | Studio masters, mixer recordings |
| M4A / AAC | 150 MB | iPhone Voice Memos, QuickTime, Zoom |
| FLAC | 150 MB | Lossless without WAV bulk |
| OGG / OPUS | 150 MB | Discord exports, WhatsApp voice notes |
| AIFF | 150 MB | Apple Logic Pro masters |
| MP4 / MOV (video) | 150 MB | Audio extracted automatically |
Tips that lift accuracy 1–3%
- Mic placement is everything. A $20 lavalier within 6 inches of the speaker beats a $2,000 condenser at 6 feet, every time. The biggest accuracy gains come from before the recording, not after.
- Trim silence at the start and end with Audacity (Effect → Truncate Silence) before upload. Smaller files upload faster and you don't pay to transcribe dead air.
- Normalize the audio if levels are quiet. Audacity Effect → Normalize → -1.0 dB. This makes a measurable accuracy difference on under-gained recordings.
- Mono, not stereo, for voice. The model collapses to mono internally, but a properly summed mono export skips one step and gives marginally cleaner input.
- Two voices speaking over each other? Both get transcribed, but not labelled — the engine treats overlapping speech as one stream, which muddies the result.
The audio-to-text workflow
Audio-to-text pricing vs alternatives
| Service | Cost / 45-min audio | Accuracy | Output formats | Free tier |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sermon Transcription (Church Plan) | $19/mo | 99% | .txt .srt .vtt .docx | Free sermon |
| Rev AI | $11.25 | 90–95% | .txt .srt .vtt + JSON | 5 hours free |
| Rev human | $67.50 | 99%+ | .txt .docx | None |
| Otter Pro | ~$0.64 effective | 90–95% | .txt .docx .srt | 300 min / mo |
| HappyScribe AI | ~$9.00 | 85–92% | .txt .srt .vtt | None |
Pricing as of early 2026. Rev AI $0.25/min; Rev human $1.50/min. Otter Pro $16.99/mo ÷ 1,200 included min × 45 min. HappyScribe AI ~$0.20/min.
Audio to text FAQ
What audio formats can I convert to text?+
MP3, WAV, M4A (AAC), FLAC, OGG, AIFF, and OPUS upload natively. Video formats (MP4, MOV, MKV, WebM, AVI) work too — we strip the audio track on upload. If your format isn't listed, convert it to MP3 with VLC or HandBrake first.
Is it really free to convert audio to text?+
Yes — your first complete file is free, up to 90 minutes, no credit card and no signup required. After that the Church Plan is $19/month for unlimited transcriptions with no length caps.
How accurate is the audio-to-text conversion?+
99% on clear voice recordings. The model is biased toward English speech but handles Spanish, French, German, Mandarin, Portuguese, and 90+ other languages with similar accuracy. Heavily accented speech, reverb-heavy rooms, and background music are the main accuracy killers.
How long does audio-to-text conversion take?+
Roughly one-tenth of the audio length. A 10-minute audio file converts in about 1 minute. A 45-minute sermon in about 5. A 90-minute podcast episode in about 10.
What output formats do I get?+
Plain text (.txt) for blog posts and search indexing. SRT (.srt) for video captions. WebVTT (.vtt) for HTML5 video players. Word document (.docx) with timestamps every 30 seconds.
Can I batch-convert multiple audio files at once?+
Yes — on the Church Plan ($19/month, unlimited sermons) you can upload as many files as you like, mixed MP3/WAV/M4A, one after another with no monthly cap. Results land in your dashboard, downloadable individually.
Convert your audio to text now
MP3, WAV, M4A, FLAC, OGG. First full sermon free. No signup until you go beyond that.
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