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Ranked list

Best Transcription Tools in 2026

Tools for transcribing audio and video to text

Key Takeaways
  • Granola ranks #1 on our transcription list for 2026, and is the highest-listed tool with a free plan.
  • We evaluated 179 transcription tools to create this ranking.
  • 7 of the 10 tools listed here have a free plan.
Publications that cover the tools tracked here
  • TechCrunch
  • Bloomberg
  • The Information
  • Fortune
  • The Verge
  • 179 tools evaluated
  • 10 top picks
  • 7 with a free plan

Transcription tools have split between meeting transcription (Otter, Fathom, Granola, Fireflies) and general-purpose audio-to-text (Descript, Rev, Trint). Most professional users adopt a meeting tool for calls and a separate tool for one-off audio files.

Top 3 transcription tools

  1. Granola logo

    The AI notepad that transforms raw meeting notes into actionable insights.

    Starting price

    From $14 /mo

    Cheapest paid plan, monthly, as of November 2026

    Our take

    Best overall

  2. Fathom logo

    Fathom

    #2

    AI notetaker that summarizes your meetings so you can focus on the conversation.

    Starting price

    From $19 /mo

    Cheapest paid plan, monthly, as of November 2026

    4.9 /5 across G2 and Trustpilot · 7,187 ratings, Sep 2026

    Our take

    Highest rated

  3. Ask Fellow logo

    Secure AI meeting assistant to record, transcribe, and summarize every meeting with privacy in mind.

    Starting price

    From $7 /mo

    Cheapest paid plan, monthly, as of November 2026

    4.7 /5 on G2 · 2,240 ratings, Sep 2026

    Our take

    Most affordable

10 top transcription tools compared

Transcription tools compared on our take, starting price (cheapest paid plan, monthly, as of November 2026), average user rating with each review site's own score, and the hidden cost to watch for.
Granola logo
Granola
Best overall Price: $14/mo Rating: n/a
Fathom logo
Fathom
Highest rated Price: $19/mo 4.9 out of 5, from 7,187 ratings across G2 and Trustpilot G2 5.0 · Trustpilot 4.8 Watch out: Team tier requires 2+ users minimum.
Ask Fellow logo
Ask Fellow
Most affordable Price: $7/mo 4.7 out of 5, from 2,240 ratings on G2 G2 4.7 Watch out: Enterprise tier starts at 10 users
Chorus by ZoomInfo logo
Chorus by ZoomInfo
Price: Contact sales 4.5 out of 5, from 2,994 ratings on G2 G2 4.5
Speechify Voice Typing logo
Speechify Voice Typing
Price: $29/mo 4.5 out of 5, from 2,895 ratings across G2 and Trustpilot Trustpilot 4.6 · G2 4.4
Scratchpad logo
Scratchpad
Price: $16/mo 4.6 out of 5, from 1,560 ratings across SourceForge and G2 G2 4.8 · SourceForge 4.3
Riverside.fm logo
Riverside.fm
Price: $29/mo 4.4 out of 5, from 2,159 ratings across Trustpilot and G2 G2 4.8 · Trustpilot 4.0 Watch out: Watermark on Free tier recordings
Avoma logo
Avoma
Price: $19/mo 4.6 out of 5, from 1,370 ratings across G2 and Capterra G2 4.6 · Capterra 4.8 Watch out: Conversation and Revenue Intelligence are paid add-ons
Descript logo
Descript
Price: $16/mo 4.6 out of 5, from 1,106 ratings across G2 and Capterra G2 4.6 · Capterra 4.6 Watch out: Overage fees for exceeding media minutes
Fireflies.ai logo
Fireflies.ai
Price: $10/mo 4.7 out of 5, from 753 ratings on G2 G2 4.7 Watch out: Storage caps on lower plans

Transcription pricing compared

Transcription pricing, as of November 2026
Fathom Cheapest paid plan: Team, $19/mo Free plan: Yes Billing: Per user, billed monthly
Ask Fellow Cheapest paid plan: Team, $7/mo (billed yearly) Free plan: Yes Billing: Per user, billed yearly
Chorus by ZoomInfo Cheapest paid plan: Not published Free plan: No Billing: Not published
Speechify Voice Typing Cheapest paid plan: Premium, $29/mo Free plan: Yes Billing: Billed monthly
Scratchpad Cheapest paid plan: Scratchpad, $16/mo (billed yearly) Free plan: No Billing: Per user, billed yearly
Riverside.fm Cheapest paid plan: Pro, $29/mo Free plan: Yes Billing: Billing term not published
Avoma Cheapest paid plan: Startup, $19/mo (billed yearly) Free plan: No Billing: Per user, billed yearly
Descript Cheapest paid plan: Hobbyist, $16/mo Free plan: Yes Billing: Billed monthly
Fireflies.ai Cheapest paid plan: Pro, $10/mo Free plan: Yes Billing: Per user, billed monthly

Toolradar pricing data, last verified November 2026. Prices are the cheapest paid plan converted to a monthly figure; "Not published" means the vendor publishes no price for a self-serve paid plan. 8 of 9 tools publish a paid price; median cheapest paid plan $17.50/mo.

Toolradar data

The transcription tools market in numbers

Toolradar data: Toolradar tracks 179 transcription tools as of November 2, 2026. 69% of the transcription tools on Toolradar are free, freemium or open source. The median cheapest paid plan for transcription tools is $12/mo, across the 75 that publish a price. Toolradar re-checked the pricing of 80% of transcription tools in the last 90 days. Toolradar aggregates 31,818 public user reviews (G2, Capterra, Trustpilot and other review sites) across 75 rated transcription tools. The most cross-shopped transcription tool is Descript, listed as an alternative to 104 other tools on Toolradar. The most compared transcription tool on Toolradar over the last 90 days is Descript, with 790 side-by-side comparisons. Computed from the Toolradar catalog and on-site activity.

  • 179 transcription tools tracked
  • 69% are free, freemium or open source
  • $12/mo median cheapest paid plan, across the 75 transcription tools that publish one
  • 80% of prices re-checked in the last 90 days
  • 31,818 public user reviews aggregated across 75 rated tools
Most cross-shopped transcription tools on Toolradar, as of November 2026 Listed as an alternative to the most other tools on Toolradar
Rank Tool Listed as an alternative to
1 Descript 104 tools
2 Otter.ai 94 tools
3 Fireflies.ai 86 tools
Most compared transcription tools on Toolradar, last 90 days to November 2026 Side-by-side comparisons by visitors, last 90 days
Rank Tool Comparisons
1 Descript 790
2 Fathom 398
3 Otter.ai 394

Source and method: live transcription tools statistics · Toolradar Research report

Transcription leaderboards from Toolradar data

Toolradar ranks Transcription tools on one measure at a time, only where at least 8 tools have data. As of Nov 2026.

CSV download of these Transcription leaderboards, licensed CC BY 4.0

Lowest entry price, plans with no stated unit

Cheapest standard paid plan per month (annual prices divided by 12), read on vendor pages and compared only with tools priced on the same basis.

Counted among 65 tools with no stated price unit, verified price.

Lowest entry price, plans with no stated unit, Transcription tools on Toolradar, as of Nov 2026
# Tool Entry plan
1 SaidTrace $1.50/mo, billed yearly
2 Voiser $2/mo
3 Cap $2.42/mo, billed yearly
4 CreatorHat $2.50/mo, billed yearly
5 Jarq $3.25/mo, billed yearly

Lowest entry price, per-user plans

Cheapest standard paid plan per month (annual prices divided by 12), read on vendor pages and compared only with tools priced on the same basis.

Counted among 24 tools priced per user, verified price.

Lowest entry price, per-user plans, Transcription tools on Toolradar, as of Nov 2026
# Tool Entry plan
1 Noty.ai $3.33/user/mo, billed yearly
2 Shall We Talk $4/user/mo, billed monthly
2 Vaani $4/user/mo, billed monthly
4 AI dication by Snaply $5/user/mo, billed monthly
5 Ask Fellow $7/user/mo, billed yearly

A position exists only when at least 8 tools have data for that metric. 89 of 179 Transcription tools have a verified price; the others publish none we could read (often "contact sales"). Advertising and placement fees are not inputs to any position. Visit counts include visits from every source. How we compute this. Cite this: Toolradar, “Transcription leaderboards”, Nov 2026. Data licensed CC BY 4.0. All Transcription statistics.

How the top transcription tools compare

7 of the 10 transcription tools listed here have a free plan (Granola, Fathom, Ask Fellow, Speechify Voice Typing, Riverside.fm, Descript, Fireflies.ai); the other 3 (Chorus by ZoomInfo, Scratchpad, Avoma) are paid only. Granola is the highest-listed of them.

Rankings are computed from G2/Capterra review volume and rating, and media mentions. Editorial policy

Top transcription tools

Order: Toolradar ranking score, which is the public review volume times the average rating on G2, Capterra, Trustpilot and other review sites, plus media mentions (recent ones count more). Paid placements are labelled and never change the score. How we rank.

1
Granola logo

Granola

Free plan

The AI notepad that transforms raw meeting notes into actionable insights.

Granola is an AI-powered notepad designed to help individuals and teams, particularly product teams, get more value from their meetings. It transcribes computer audio directly, eliminating the need for invasive meeting bots, and allows users to take their own notes during calls. After a meeting, Granola uses advanced AI models to enhance these raw notes, extracting key themes, insights, action items, and even generating follow-up emails or summaries. The tool is particularly beneficial for product teams, enabling them to turn customer conversations into actionable product insights, validate roadmap decisions, and build a searchable library of user research. It integrates with popular tools like Notion, Slack, HubSpot, and Zapier, streamlining workflows and ensuring that insights are easily shared and acted upon across different departments. Granola aims to help users stay present in meetings while ensuring no critical information is missed, ultimately boosting productivity and decision-making.

Exclusive offer

New users get 100% off their first month with code TECHPRESSO

Used Granola? Rate it
Granola screenshot
  • Pro: Transcribes computer audio directly without requiring meeting bots.
  • Pro: Enhances raw notes with AI to extract key insights and action items.
  • Pro: Offers customizable templates for various meeting types.
  • Con: Limited meeting history and features in the free Basic plan.
  • Con: Enterprise plan requires direct contact for pricing details.
Good value

Granola's pricing is fair, offering a generous free Basic tier.

2
Fathom logo

Fathom

Free plan

AI notetaker that summarizes your meetings so you can focus on the conversation.

4.9 /5 across G2 and Trustpilot · 7,187 ratings, Sep 2026

Fathom is an AI notetaker that automatically transcribes, summarizes, and extracts action items from your virtual meetings. It aims to eliminate the need for manual note-taking, allowing users to stay fully present during conversations. The tool provides shockingly accurate transcripts, instant summaries, and action items, which are delivered directly to your inbox. Fathom integrates seamlessly with popular communication and productivity tools like Slack, Salesforce, HubSpot, Notion, and Asana, automatically syncing meeting notes, insights, and action items. It also features an "Ask Fathom" capability, allowing users to search meeting content and get customizable AI summaries tailored to their team's workflow. This helps teams move work forward faster by reducing time spent on searching and follow-up. Fathom is designed for various teams including sales, marketing, operations, HR, and product & engineering, helping them improve collaboration, track progress, and gain actionable insights from every meeting.

Used Fathom? Rate it
  • Pro: Meeting transcription
  • Pro: AI summaries
  • Pro: Free tier generous
  • Con: Limited integrations
  • Con: Newer platform
Great value

Fathom's pricing is very generous, especially with its robust Free tier offering unlimited recordings and transcription.

Watch out

Team tier requires 2+ users minimum.

3
Ask Fellow logo

Ask Fellow

Free plan

Secure AI meeting assistant to record, transcribe, and summarize every meeting with privacy in mind.

4.7 /5 on G2 · 2,240 ratings, Sep 2026

Fellow.ai is an AI meeting assistant designed to securely record, transcribe, and summarize meetings across various platforms like Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, and Slack. It prioritizes privacy by ensuring AI models are never trained on user data and offers robust control settings for who can access recordings and notes. The platform centralizes all meeting assets, making them searchable and actionable. Beyond basic transcription and summarization, Fellow.ai includes an AI agent called AskFellow that can answer questions about meetings, generate documents, automate email follow-ups, create memos, and update CRM systems. It also provides collaborative agendas for pre-meeting preparation and offers integrations with over 50 tools, including project management platforms, Confluence, Notion, Salesforce, and HubSpot. Fellow.ai is built for entire organizations, offering enterprise-grade features like advanced recording permissions, domain control, user provisioning, and org-wide analytics, making it suitable for teams across customer success, marketing, engineering, sales, product, HR, and IT. This tool is ideal for individuals and organizations looking to enhance meeting productivity, ensure data privacy, and streamline post-meeting workflows. It helps teams stay organized, informed, and efficient by automating tedious tasks associated with meeting management and follow-up.

Used Ask Fellow? Rate it
Ask Fellow screenshot
  • Pro: Strong emphasis on privacy and security (AI not trained on user data, granular controls)
  • Pro: Comprehensive AI capabilities for transcription, summarization, and insights
  • Pro: Automates post-meeting tasks like CRM updates and email follow-ups
  • Con: Free tier has limited AI notes and recordings (5 lifetime per user)
  • Con: Advanced features like unlimited recordings and CRM integration are in higher-paid tiers
Good value

Ask Fellow's pricing is quite generous, especially with its robust Free tier offering 5 lifetime AI notes and recordings.

Watch out

Enterprise tier starts at 10 users

4
Chorus by ZoomInfo logo

Boost sales with AI-powered call insights and coaching

4.5 /5 on G2 · 2,994 ratings, Sep 2026

Chorus by ZoomInfo is conversation intelligence for sales teams. Automatically record and transcribe customer calls and meetings. AI identifies winning behaviors and coaching opportunities. Deal insights highlight risks and next steps. Integrations with CRM update records automatically. Help reps improve by showing them what works in successful deals.

Used Chorus by ZoomInfo? Rate it
  • Pro: Part of ZoomInfo
  • Pro: Good call analysis
  • Pro: Team performance tracking
  • Con: Requires ZoomInfo ecosystem
  • Con: Complex pricing
Fair value

However, custom pricing often indicates a higher cost, likely positioning it as an expensive option compared to market alternatives that offer transparent pricing.

5
Speechify Voice Typing logo

Free Voice Typing Dictation. Just Talk.

4.5 /5 across G2 and Trustpilot · 2,895 ratings, Sep 2026

Speechify Voice Typing is an AI-powered speech-to-text tool that converts spoken words into accurate, editable text in real time. It supports multiple languages and accents, offers voice commands for punctuation and formatting, and integrates with popular apps like Google Docs and email clients. The adaptive AI learns from usage patterns to improve accuracy over time.

Used Speechify Voice Typing? Rate it
Speechify Voice Typing screenshot
  • Pro: High accuracy across accents and languages
  • Pro: Real-time text generation with voice commands
  • Pro: Seamless integration with multiple apps
  • Con: Premium features require subscription
  • Con: Internet needed for advanced AI processing
Fair value

Speechify's pricing is on the expensive side for its Premium tier at $29/month, especially when compared to other dictation or text-to-speech services.

6
Scratchpad logo

The AI workspace for sales that removes admin work and boosts productivity.

4.6 /5 across SourceForge and G2 · 1,560 ratings, Sep 2026

Scratchpad is an AI-powered workspace designed for sales professionals to streamline their workflow, reduce administrative tasks, and improve CRM data quality. It acts as a modern interface between sales teams and Salesforce, offering a fast and flexible environment for managing deals, taking notes, and updating records. The platform integrates various tools like sales sheets, a notetaker with call recording and AI transcription, and AI agents that automatically update Salesforce fields. By automating mundane tasks and providing real-time data synchronization with Salesforce, Scratchpad helps sellers focus more on selling, leading to higher adoption of CRM, better data accuracy, and improved team alignment. It's ideal for sales teams and RevOps leaders looking to enhance sales execution and scale revenue.

Used Scratchpad? Rate it
  • Pro: Significantly reduces sales admin time (e.g., 455 hours/month saved for one team).
  • Pro: Improves CRM data accuracy and completeness, leading to better forecasting.
  • Pro: Increases seller adoption of Salesforce due to a more user-friendly interface.
  • Con: Specific credit usage for AI features might require monitoring for higher usage teams.
  • Con: Enterprise features like unlimited AI credits and white-glove services are only available on custom plans.
Good value

Scratchpad's pricing is fair, offering a generous Free tier with 10 hours of call recording and 100 AI credits.

7
Riverside.fm logo

Riverside.fm

Free plan

Record podcasts and videos remotely

4.4 /5 across Trustpilot and G2 · 2,159 ratings, Sep 2026

Riverside is an AI-powered platform for recording, editing, and distributing professional video and audio content remotely. It captures studio-quality recordings locally at up to 4K video and 48kHz audio, independent of internet quality. The platform includes a text-based video editor, AI-driven noise removal, filler word removal, eye contact correction, automatic transcription, and Magic Clips that generate short-form social content automatically. Riverside supports live streaming in full HD to multiple destinations simultaneously, podcast hosting with analytics, and direct publishing to YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts. Used by Spotify, Microsoft, The New York Times, and TED.

Used Riverside.fm? Rate it
  • Pro: Local recording ensures studio quality regardless of internet connection
  • Pro: Text-based editing makes video editing accessible to non-editors
  • Pro: Comprehensive all-in-one workflow from recording to distribution
  • Con: Free plan limited in recording hours and includes a watermark
  • Con: Advanced features like webinar support require higher-tier plans
Good value

Riverside.fm offers a fair pricing structure, especially with the annual discounts.

Watch out

Watermark on Free tier recordings

8
Avoma logo

Avoma

Paid

AI meeting assistant for revenue teams

4.6 /5 across G2 and Capterra · 1,370 ratings, Sep 2026

Avoma is an AI meeting intelligence platform for revenue teams. It provides meeting recording, transcription, notes, and conversation intelligence to help sales and customer success teams improve performance.

Used Avoma? Rate it
Avoma screenshot
  • Pro: Automates note-taking, follow-up emails, and CRM updates, saving over 4 hours per week.
  • Pro: Increases qualified meetings by 2x through effortless scheduling and instant lead routing.
  • Pro: Reduces ramp time and increases win rates by 40% with automated call scoring and personalized coaching.
  • Con: The product's 'all-in-one' nature might lead to a steep learning curve for new users trying to utilize all features.
  • Con: Reliance on AI for critical functions like call scoring and risk alerts may introduce biases or inaccuracies if not properly configured or monitored.
Good value

Avoma has no free plan but a 14-day trial, and viewers are free.

Watch out

Conversation and Revenue Intelligence are paid add-ons

9
Descript logo

Descript

Free plan

Edit audio and video like a doc

4.6 /5 across G2 and Capterra · 1,106 ratings, Sep 2026

Descript is an all-in-one video and podcast editor with text-based editing, AI voice cloning, transcription in 25+ languages, and Underlord AI tools for automated editing and content creation.

Used Descript? Rate it
  • Pro: Revolutionary editing approach
  • Pro: Great AI features
  • Pro: Good transcription
  • Con: Learning curve
  • Con: Can be resource intensive
Good value

Descript's pricing is generally fair, offering a generous Free tier and a well-structured progression.

Watch out

Overage fees for exceeding media minutes

10
Fireflies.ai logo

Fireflies.ai

Free plan

AI meeting transcription and search

4.7 /5 on G2 · 753 ratings, Sep 2026

Fireflies.ai transcribes meetings and extracts insights. Automatic call recording, AI transcription, and smart summaries-meeting content captured and made searchable. Integration with major meeting platforms is automatic. The search finds topics across conversations. Action items surface automatically. Busy professionals use Fireflies to never lose meeting context and always find what was discussed.

Used Fireflies.ai? Rate it
  • Pro: Automatic meeting transcription
  • Pro: Works with Zoom, Meet, Teams
  • Pro: Searchable meeting archive
  • Con: Accuracy drops with accents/noise
  • Con: Privacy concerns recording meetings
Good value

Fireflies offers good value for meeting transcription.

Watch out

Storage caps on lower plans

Why other transcription tools didn't make our top 10

We evaluated 179 tools in this category and these 20 ranked 11 through 30. They're solid options that fell short on one or two axes (review depth, pricing transparency, feature parity), but worth a look if the leaders don't fit your stack or budget.

Otter.ai logo
Otter.ai
AI meeting notes and transcription
Rev AI logo
Rev AI
The world's most accurate API for AI- and human-generated transcripts and speech insights.
tl;dv logo
tl;dv
AI meeting recorder for sales and product
Vonage Business logo
Vonage Business
Unified communications for voice, video, messaging, and SMS
Nabla logo
Nabla
Ambient AI for clinical notes and EHR dictation
ParakeetAI 2.0 logo
ParakeetAI 2.0
Your undetectable AI assistant for instant answers during live calls
Deepgram logo
Deepgram
Enterprise Voice AI: STT, TTS & Agent APIs for accurate, realistic, and cost-effective voice solutions.
CoRecruit logo
CoRecruit
AI assistant for recruitment agencies, automating notes, ATS updates, and candidate submittals.
Grain logo
Grain
AI meeting notes and highlights
Bubbles logo
Bubbles
AI meeting notetaker and screen recorder that turns every meeting into action and enables async collaboration.
Bluedot logo
Bluedot
The most accurate AI note taker that captures, transcribes, and summarizes every meeting, bot-free.
CallMiner logo
CallMiner
Analyze 100% of customer conversations for CX, compliance, and performance
MeetGeek logo
MeetGeek
AI meeting assistant for recording and summaries
Rewatch logo
Rewatch
Centralize, organize, and share your team's video knowledge asynchronously.
Notta logo
Notta
AI-powered notetaker for transcribing, summarizing, and translating meetings and audio in real-time.
Trint logo
Trint
AI transcription and translation for global content creation
Sonix logo
Sonix
Automated transcription service
Podcastle logo
Podcastle
One AI platform for audio, video & voice: record, edit, dub, subtitle, clone voices, and build voice agents.
Metaview logo
Metaview
AI agents for recruiting to source, engage, and hire better with intelligent automation.
AssemblyAI logo
AssemblyAI
Speech-to-text API with high accuracy transcription

Popular transcription comparisons

See how the leading transcription tools stack up head-to-head.

Compare all 179 transcription tools side by side

Pricing breakdowns for transcription tools

Real plans and the hidden costs for each tool.

Browse all transcription tools

179 tools
AI Video Interviewer logo
AI Video Interviewer
Automate and scale candidate interviews with human-like AI
Paid · Web
Wisecut logo
Wisecut
Transform long videos into engaging, viral clips using AI-powered editing.
Free plan · Web
Read.ai logo
Read.ai
AI copilot for transforming meetings, emails, and messages into summaries, insights, and instant answers.
Free plan · Web, iOS, Android, Windows, macOS, Chrome
Vegas Pro logo
Vegas Pro
Professional video editing software for faster, more creative, and endless possibilities.
Paid · Web
Speechmatics logo
Speechmatics
AI speech technology powering voice AI agents, real-time transcription, and text-to-speech across 55+ languages.
Free plan · Web
Airgram logo
Airgram
AI-powered meeting assistant for transcription, summarization, and action item tracking.
Free plan
Verbit logo
Verbit
Unlock the value of verbal intelligence with AI-powered transcription and captioning.
Paid · Web
Screenloop logo
Screenloop
Automate the mundane in hiring, amplify human intelligence with AI-powered ATS and interview tools.
Paid · Web
Castos logo
Castos
Podcast hosting for WordPress and beyond
Paid · Web
Whisper logo
Whisper
Open-source speech recognition
100% free
Tomedes logo
Tomedes
Professional human and AI-powered translation, localization, and interpretation services for global businesses.
Paid · Web
Voiser logo
Voiser
Convert text to speech and speech to text using AI in over 70 languages.
Paid · Web
Sembly AI logo
Sembly AI
AI meeting assistant for teams
Free plan · Web
Supernormal logo
Supernormal
AI-powered meeting assistant that transcribes, summarizes, and identifies action items.
Free plan · macOS, Windows, Web
Voicenotes logo
Voicenotes
Capture thoughts and meetings with AI-powered voice notes and transcriptions.
Free plan · macOS
Gladia logo
Gladia
The speech-to-text backbone for voice agents, customer support, and meeting assistants.
Free plan · Web
superwhisper logo
superwhisper
AI dictation that works offline and system-wide
Free plan
Kapwing logo
Kapwing
Browser-based video editor with AI features
Free plan · Web
Maestra logo
Maestra
AI-powered platform for transcription, subtitling, and dubbing in over 125 languages.
Free plan · Web
Nylas logo
Nylas
Integrate email, calendar, and meetings into your application with universal APIs.
Paid · Web
DeepScribe logo
DeepScribe
Automate oncology notes and save hours daily
Paid
Wispr Flow for Android logo
Wispr Flow for Android
The voice-to-text AI that turns speech into clear, polished writing in every app.
Free plan · macOS, Windows, iOS, Android, Web
Freed logo
Freed
AI scribe for independent and mid-size clinics
Paid
Komodo Decks logo
Komodo Decks
AI-powered screen recorder that transcribes, documents, and provides intelligent insights from your videos.
100% free · Web, Windows, macOS, Chrome, iOS, Android

Showing the top 24 of 179. Filter to narrow down.

In-depth: why these tools made the cut

Ask Fellow logo

Fellow combines meeting transcription with structured meeting agendas, action items, and 1:1 templates. For engineering managers and team leads who run frequent 1:1s and recurring meetings, Fellow provides more workflow than pure transcription tools.

For sales call analysis or general transcription needs, Fellow is over-specialized. Use Fathom or Fireflies for general transcription; use Fellow when meeting management is the bigger problem.

How to choose transcription software

  1. Identify primary source

    Recurring meetings (Zoom/Meet/Teams): Otter, Fathom, Granola, Fireflies. One-off audio files (podcasts, interviews): Descript, Rev, Happy Scribe. Both: Descript covers it but feels heavier than meeting-specific tools.

  2. Audit accuracy on your accent/domain

    Transcription accuracy varies by speaker accent, jargon density, and audio quality. Run a 5-minute sample through any tool you're considering before subscribing, quality differs more than marketing claims suggest.

  3. Plan for AI features beyond transcription

    Summaries, action items, speaker labels, and integrations to CRM/notes are increasingly standard. Fathom's free tier has been aggressive on AI-summary quality; Otter's been investing in real-time experience. Test the features you'd actually use.

Honorable mentions

Tools that didn't crack the headline list but deserve a look depending on what you optimize for.

  • Fellow logo
    Fellow Same as Ask Fellow above, first-class entry

    Both DB slugs point to Fellow. Treat as one product.

Best Transcription for

How we ranked these transcription tools

We rank by real-world signal: G2/Capterra review volume and rating, and media mentions (volume and recency). Pricing is re-checked and the ranking refreshed monthly.

Tools evaluated
179
With free plan
64%
Last updated
November 2026

Toolradar Research

The data behind transcription tools

First-party analyses built from our full catalog, methodology published.

All Toolradar research

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best transcription tool in 2026?

Based on our analysis of 179 transcription tools, Granola ranks #1 on our transcription list. The next tools on the list are Fathom, Ask Fellow, Chorus by ZoomInfo. Rankings use G2/Capterra review volume and rating, and media mentions.

What are the top 3 transcription tools?

The top 3 transcription tools in 2026, ranked by Toolradar, are: 1) Granola, The AI notepad that transforms raw meeting notes into actionable insights. 2) Fathom, AI notetaker that summarizes your meetings so you can focus on the conversation. 3) Ask Fellow, Secure AI meeting assistant to record, transcribe, and summarize every meeting with privacy in mind.

Are there free transcription tools?

Yes. Granola is the highest-listed transcription tool with a free plan (free plan alongside paid plans). 7 of the 10 tools on this page have a free plan. Among the 179 transcription tools we rank, 115 have a free plan.

How do I choose the right transcription tool?

Start by defining your team size, budget, and must-have features. Granola ranks #1 on our transcription list. Compare all 179 options side by side on Toolradar.

Cite this page: Toolradar, "Best Transcription Tools in 2026", updated November 2026, https://toolradar.com/best/transcription

Transcription statistics catalog size, ratings and pricing data, updated monthly

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