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Free plans differ more than their headlines suggest: some give minutes a month, some files a day, some only read the captions a YouTube video already has. Below is what each free plan really allows, quoted from the vendor’s own page with the date we read it, and when it is worth paying instead.
| Tool | Best for | Longest file | Pay for one file | Price from | Free plan |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WhoScribe | Best free start for any length, no install | 10 hours | Yes, $5 per file | $5 per file, or $20 a month for Unlimited | First 5 minutes without an account; first 15 minutes of each file with a free account, 3 files a day |
| TurboScribe | Best free plan for a few short files a day | 10 hours source · checked Nov 4, 2026 | No, subscription only source · checked Nov 4, 2026 | $10 a month, billed yearly source · checked Nov 4, 2026 | 3 transcriptions a day, each file up to 30 minutes, one file at a time, lower priority source · checked Nov 4, 2026 |
| YTtoTranscript | Best free tool for a YouTube, TikTok or Instagram link | Not stated on their page source · checked Nov 4, 2026 | Not needed: free source · checked Nov 4, 2026 | Free (no paid plan on their page) source · checked Nov 4, 2026 | Free, no sign-up, no usage cap source · checked Nov 4, 2026 |
| Pepys | Best for free minutes that never expire | 10 hours source · checked Nov 4, 2026 | Yes source · checked Nov 4, 2026 | $1 per audio hour source · checked Nov 4, 2026 | 60 free minutes on signup, never expire, no card source · checked Nov 4, 2026 |
| RocketScribe | Best for a daily file allowance plus cheap top-ups | 10 hours source · checked Nov 4, 2026 | Yes source · checked Nov 4, 2026 | $1 per audio hour source · checked Nov 4, 2026 | 3 files a day and 120 minutes a month; one file can be tried without signing up source · checked Nov 4, 2026 |
| LongScribe | Best free monthly minute allowance | Not stated on their page source · checked Nov 4, 2026 | No, subscription only source · checked Nov 4, 2026 | $9.99 a month source · checked Nov 4, 2026 | 3 recordings and 1,000 minutes a month source · checked Nov 4, 2026 |
| Otter.ai | Best free plan for live meetings | 1.5 hours source · checked Nov 4, 2026 | No, subscription only source · checked Nov 4, 2026 | $8.33 a month, billed yearly source · checked Nov 4, 2026 | Basic: 300 monthly transcription minutes, 30 minutes per conversation, 3 lifetime audio/video file imports source · checked Nov 4, 2026 |
| Notta | Best free plan with mobile apps | 5 hours source · checked Nov 4, 2026 | No, subscription only source · checked Nov 4, 2026 | $8.17 a month, billed yearly source · checked Nov 4, 2026 | 120 transcription minutes a month, up to 3 minutes per conversation source · checked Nov 4, 2026 |
| Descript | Best free plan for editing by text | 1 GB on Free, 10 GB on Hobbyist, 20 GB on Creator, 50 GB on Business source · checked Nov 4, 2026 | No, subscription only source · checked Nov 4, 2026 | $16 a month, billed yearly source · checked Nov 4, 2026 | 60 media minutes a month, files up to 1 GB, 100 AI credits (one-time) source · checked Nov 4, 2026 |
| QuickTranscript | Best for instant transcripts of captioned YouTube videos | Not stated on their page source · checked Nov 4, 2026 | Not needed: free source · checked Nov 4, 2026 | Free (no paid plan on their page) source · checked Nov 4, 2026 | Free YouTube transcripts, no signup; TXT, SRT or VTT download source · checked Nov 4, 2026 |
| youtubegpt.ai | Best for summaries of long captioned YouTube videos | No fixed cap; longest video they tested was 266 minutes (4.4 h) source · checked Nov 4, 2026 | Not needed: free source · checked Nov 4, 2026 | Free (no paid plan on their page) source · checked Nov 4, 2026 | Free, no account, no limits, no watermark source · checked Nov 4, 2026 |
| MacWhisper | Best free offline app for Mac | Not stated on their page source · checked Nov 4, 2026 | No, one-time app licence source · checked Nov 4, 2026 | €64 one-time source · checked Nov 4, 2026 | Free version (€0), without YouTube links source · checked Nov 4, 2026 |
| OpenAI Whisper (open source) | Best free option if you can install software | Not stated on their page source · checked Nov 4, 2026 | Not needed: free source · checked Nov 4, 2026 | Free (no paid plan on their page) source · checked Nov 4, 2026 | Free and open source (code and model weights under the MIT License); runs on your own computer source · checked Nov 4, 2026 |
Rival prices and limits are as published on each vendor’s own page, read on the date next to each number. Page checked Nov 4, 2026.
We read each tool’s free plan on its own website and quote it as published, with the date next to it. We did not run the same recording through every tool, so this is not an accuracy ranking. A tool that only reads a YouTube video’s existing captions is marked as such: it cannot transcribe a video that has none. WhoScribe is our own product; we show its free limits as plainly as the others’.
Paste a link or upload a file and WhoScribe transcribes the audio, so videos without captions work too. Without an account the first 5 minutes are free; with a free account, the first 15 minutes of each file, 3 files a day, with timestamps and downloads. A recording under that length is transcribed in full for free. For a longer one, the rest unlocks with one payment of $5, at any length up to 10 hours.
TurboScribe’s free plan allows a few transcriptions a day with a cap on each file’s length, at lower priority than paid users. Past that, its unlimited plan is a monthly subscription.
YTtoTranscript takes a YouTube, TikTok or Instagram link and returns the transcript without signing up, with copy and download options. It reads existing captions and transcribes the audio when there are none.
Pepys gives a block of free minutes when you sign up that do not expire, then works on pay-as-you-go credits with no subscription. It takes links from YouTube, TikTok, Instagram and podcasts.
RocketScribe’s free plan allows a few files a day within a monthly minute allowance, and one file can be tried without signing up. One-time minute packs extend it without a subscription.
LongScribe’s free plan gives a monthly allowance of minutes and recordings. For YouTube it uses the video’s captions first and transcribes the audio when there are none.
Otter.ai’s free plan transcribes meetings live with a monthly minute allowance, a cap per conversation and a small number of file imports. It is built for calls rather than long recordings you already have.
Notta’s free plan includes a small monthly allowance and a short cap per recording, with apps for phone and desktop. Longer files need a paid plan.
Descript’s free plan includes a monthly allowance of media minutes and lets you edit audio and video by editing the transcript, with a file size cap.
QuickTranscript pulls the transcript of a YouTube video that already has captions, in seconds and without signing up. It does not transcribe audio, so a video without captions returns nothing.
YouTubeGPT reads the captions of a YouTube video, including very long ones, and adds summaries. Like other caption readers, it needs the video to have captions.
MacWhisper’s free version runs Whisper on your own Mac, so nothing is uploaded. Some features, such as transcribing from a link, are in the paid version.
Whisper is OpenAI’s open-source speech recognition model. It is free with no limits when you run it on your own computer, but it needs Python, ffmpeg and a capable machine.
FAQ
It depends on the job. For a short recording, WhoScribe’s free account transcribes the first 15 minutes of each file; for a captioned YouTube video, a caption reader such as YTtoTranscript is instant; for unlimited free use, run Whisper or MacWhisper on your own computer.
Rarely in full: free plans cap each file or the minutes per month. Whisper on your own computer has no cap. Online, WhoScribe transcribes the first 15 minutes free and the rest of one file for $5, paid once, up to 10 hours.
Caption readers cannot do it. Tools that transcribe the audio, such as WhoScribe, YTtoTranscript or TurboScribe, can, within their free limits.
Paste the link. The first 5 minutes are free without an account, 15 with a free account. The whole file is $5, a one-time payment.
Paste a YouTube linkFacts about other services come from each vendor's own page, checked on Nov 4, 2026. Prices change, so follow the source link to see their current page.
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