Transcribe MP4 Video to Text — Free + Accurate

Upload your MP4. We strip the audio track, run it through the same Whisper/ElevenLabs engine that powers our sermon tool, and hand you back a transcript plus matched .srt captions. About 5 minutes for a 45-minute sermon video.

What is an MP4 file?

MP4 (MPEG-4 Part 14) is a container format — it holds a compressed video stream (typically H.264 or H.265), one or more audio streams (typically AAC), and metadata in a single .mp4 file. It's the standard output of nearly every phone camera, livestream encoder, and video editor on the market.

For transcription, only the audio track matters. We use ffmpeg to extract it at upload time, then discard the video and run the audio through speech-to-text. You're billed per audio minute — a 45-minute sermon video costs the same $0.27 (Standard) or $0.90 (Premium) as a 45-minute MP3.

Step-by-step: MP4 video to text

1. 1

   Open the transcription tool

   Hit /transcribe in the top nav. The same upload zone handles both audio and video. No special toggle needed.

2. 2

   Drag your .mp4 file into the upload zone

   Drop straight from your video editor's export folder, Dropbox, or local disk. Free tier supports up to 25MB. For full-length sermon video (~200–500MB), upgrade to Pro or extract audio first.

3. 3

   We extract the audio track automatically

   On upload, our backend runs the equivalent of: ffmpeg -i sermon.mp4 -vn -ac 1 -ar 16000 -c:a libmp3lame audio.mp3. The video stream is dropped. You don't pay for video minutes — only audio minutes.

4. 4

   Pick Standard or Premium tier

   Standard ($0.006/min) is fine for a single-camera sermon with a head-worn mic. Premium ($0.02/min) is better for panel discussions, multi-camera interviews, or anytime you want speaker labels in the output.

5. 5

   Wait about a tenth of the runtime

   A 10-minute clip transcribes in roughly 1 minute. A 45-minute service in about 5. You can close the tab — results are saved to your dashboard and emailed when ready.

6. 6

   Download .srt or .vtt for captions, .txt for blog

   Drop the .srt into YouTube Studio (Subtitles → Add → Upload file) for instant captions. Drop the .vtt into your church website's <video> tag. Use the .txt for a sermon-page blog post.

Video format & size compatibility

MP4-specific tips

• Full-length sermon video over 25MB? Extract the audio first. In ffmpeg (free, command-line):ffmpeg -i sermon.mp4 -vn -ac 1 -b:a 64k sermon.mp3That gives you a ~20MB MP3 of a 45-minute sermon — well under the free tier limit.
• No command line? Use HandBrake (free, GUI). Open the MP4, choose "Audio Only" preset, export as MP3, upload that. Or use VLC: Media → Convert/Save → Choose MP3 profile.
• Recording sermon video for transcription? Use a wireless lav mic on the speaker, going into the camera's 3.5mm input or a separate field recorder. Room mics pick up too much ambient noise. The video can be any resolution; the audio is what matters.
• Want YouTube chapters? The .srt file includes timestamps. Use the timestamps to find natural section breaks in the sermon and paste them into your YouTube description (e.g., "3:42 The Big Idea — Trusting in suffering").
• Multi-camera service with overlapping audio? Use only the camera that has the main mic feed. Don't upload a multi-cam edit before locking the audio bed — the alternate angle audio will confuse diarization.

The MP4 transcription workflow

MP4 transcription pricing vs alternatives

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.

MP4 transcription FAQ

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